25th United States Congress
The 25th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1837, to March 4, 1839, during the first two years of Martin Van Buren's presidency.
The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1830 United States census. Both houses of congress had a Democratic majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1837: Martin Van Buren became President of the United States
- May 10, 1837: Panic of 1837
- January 6, 1838: First public demonstration of Samuel Morse's telegraph
- May 26, 1838: Trail of Tears: The Cherokee removal began
Major legislation
*Territories organized
- June 12, 1838: Iowa Territory was formed from the Wisconsin Territory.
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.Leadership
Senate
- President of [the United States Senate|President]: Richard Mentor Johnson
- President pro tempore: William R. King
House of Representatives
- Speaker of the [United States House of Representatives|Speaker]: James K. Polk
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives by district.Senate
Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, ending in 1839; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, ending in 1841; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, ending in 1843.Kentucky">List of United States senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
New Hampshire">List of United States senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
Tennessee">List of United States senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
House of Representatives
The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.Connecticut">List of United States representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.Georgia">List of United States representatives from Georgia">Georgia
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.Maryland">List of United States representatives from Maryland">Maryland
The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.Mississippi">List of United States representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.Missouri">List of United States representatives from Missouri">Missouri
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.New Hampshire">List of United States representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.New Jersey">List of United States representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.New York">List of United States representatives from New York">New York
There were four plural districts, the 8th, 17th, 22nd & 23rd had two representatives each, the 3rd had four representatives.Pennsylvania">List of United States representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
There were two plural districts, the 2nd had two representatives, the 4th had three representatives.Rhode Island">List of United States representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.Non-voting members
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.Senate
- Replacements: 6
- * Democrats: no net change
- * Whigs: no net change
- Deaths: 1
- Resignations: 6
- '''Total seats with changes: 7'''
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 16
- * Democrats: 5-seat net loss
- * Whigs: 5-seat net gain
- Deaths: 9
- Resignations: 6
- Contested election:1
- '''Total seats with changes: 20'''
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.Senate
- Agriculture
- United States Senate [Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate|Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate]
- Claims
- Commerce
- United States Senate [Select Committee on Danger of Steam Vessels|Danger of Steam Vessels]
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States
- District of Columbia
- Engrossed Bills
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Letter of Mr. Ruggles
- Manufactures
- Memorial of A. B. Quinby
- Memorial of the Citizens of Georgetown (DC) for the Retrocession of that Part of the District
- Memorial of Duff Green
- Memorial of Edward D. Tippett
- Mileage of Members of Congress|Mileage of Members of Congress]
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Naval Affairs
- Occupation of the Columbia River
- Oregon Territory
- United States Senate [Committee on Patents and the Patent Office|Patents and the Patent Office]
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Purchasing Boyd Reilly's Gas Apparatus
- Revolutionary Claims
- Roads and Canals
- Tariff Regulation
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Amendment to the Constitution
- Claims
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Elections
- United States House Committee on Expenditures [in the Navy Department|Expenditures in the Navy Department]
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department
- Expenditures in the State Department
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department
- Expenditures in the War Department
- Expenditures on Public Buildings
- Foreign Affairs
- Indian Affairs
- Invalid Pensions
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Mileage
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Naval Affairs
- Patents
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Revisal and Unfinished Business
- Revolutionary Claims
- Revolutionary Pensions
- Roads and Canals
- Rules
- United States House [Committee on Standards of Official Conduct|Standards of Official Conduct]
- Territories
- Ways and Means
- Whole (United States House of Representatives)|Whole]
Joint committees
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain: John R. Goodman, until September 11, 1837
- *Henry Slicer, elected September 11, 1837
- Secretary: Asbury Dickins
- Sergeant at Arms: John Shackford
- * Stephen Haight, elected September 4, 1837
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Septimus Tustin, elected September 4, 1837
- * Levi R. Reese, elected December 4, 1837
- Clerk: Walter S. Franklin, until September 20, 1838
- * Hugh A. Garland, elected December 3, 1838
- Doorkeeper: Overton Carr
- Postmaster: William J. McCormick
- Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|Reading Clerks]:
- Sergeant at Arms: Roderick Dorsey