List of United States Senators in the 26th Congress by seniority

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This is a complete list of members of the United States Senate during the 26th United States Congress listed by seniority, from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1841.

United States Senate Upper house of the United States Congress

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress which, along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C.

26th United States Congress

The Twenty-sixth 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, 1839, to March 4, 1841, during the third and fourth years of Martin Van Buren's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fifth Census of the United States in 1830. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Contents

Order of service is based on the commencement of the senator's first term. Behind this is former service as a senator (only giving the senator seniority within his or her new incoming class), service as vice president, a House member, a cabinet secretary, or a governor of a state. The final factor is the population of the senator's state. [1] [2]

Vice President of the United States Second highest executive office in United States

The vice president of the United States is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as President of the Senate. In this capacity, the vice president presides over Senate deliberations, but may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote. The vice president also presides over joint sessions of Congress.

United States House of Representatives lower house of the United States Congress

The United States House of Representatives is the lower house of the United States Congress, the Senate being the upper house. Together they compose the national legislature of the United States.

Governor (United States) position of the head of the government of a state or territory of the United States

In the United States, a governor serves as the chief executive officer and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states and in the five permanently inhabited territories, functioning as both head of state and head of government therein. As such, governors are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. As state leaders, governors advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes. Governors carry out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint. A majority of governors have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.

Senators who were sworn in during the middle of the two-year congressional term (up until the last senator who was not sworn in early after winning the November 1840 election) are listed at the end of the list with no number.

Terms of service

ClassTerms of service of senators that will expire in years
Class 2Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1841 [3]
Class 3Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1843 [4]
Class 1Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1845 [5]

U.S. Senate seniority list

U.S. Senate seniority
RankSenator (party-state)Seniority dateOther factors
1 William Rufus de Vane King (D-AL)December 14, 1819
2 Nehemiah Rice Knight (W-RI)January 9, 1821
3 Thomas Hart Benton (D-MO)August 10, 1821
4 Hugh Lawson White (W-TN) [6] October 28, 1825
5 Daniel Webster (W-MA) [7] June 8, 1827
6 Bedford Brown (D-NC) [8] December 9, 1829
7 John McCracken Robinson (D-IL)December 11, 1830
8 Samuel Prentiss (AJ-VT)March 4, 1831
9 Henry Clay (W-KY)November 10, 1831
10 John Caldwell Calhoun (D-SC)December 29, 1832
11 Silas Wright, Jr. (D-NY)January 4, 1833
12 Samuel Lewis Southard (W-NJ)March 4, 1833Former senator
13 Nathaniel Pitcher Tallmadge (W-NY)
14 Lewis Fields Linn (D-MO)October 25, 1833
15 William Campbell Preston (N-SC)November 26, 1833
16 James Buchanan (D-PA)December 6, 1834
17 Alfred Cuthbert (D-MD)January 12, 1835
18 John Ruggles (D-ME)January 20, 1835
19 John Jordan Crittenden (W-KY)March 4, 1835Former senator
20 Henry Hubbard (D-NH)Former representative
21 John Davis (W-MA) [9] Former governor
22 Garret Dorset Wall (D-NJ)New Jersey 14th in population (1830)
23 Robert John Walker (D-MS)Mississippi 22nd in population (1830)
24 Robert Carter Nicholas (D-LA)January 13, 1836
25 William C. Rives (W-VA)March 4, 1836
26 Richard Henry Bayard (AJ-DE) [10] June 17, 1836
27 Ambrose Hundley Sevier (D-AR)September 18, 1836Former delegate
28 William Savin Fulton (D-AR)
29 Robert Strange (D-NC) [11] December 5, 1836
30 John Selby Spence (W-MD) [12] December 31, 1836
31 Thomas Clayton (W-DE)January 9, 1837
32 Alexander Mouton (D-LA)January 12, 1837
33 John Norvell (D-MI)January 26, 1837
34 Franklin Pierce (D-NH)March 4, 1837Former representative (4 years)
35 William Allen (D-OH)Former representative (2 years); Ohio 5th in population (1830)
36 Oliver Hampton Smith (W-IN)Former representative (2 years); Indiana 13th in population (1830)
37 Reuel Williams (D-ME)Maine 12th in population (1830)
38 Perry Smith (D-CT)Connecticut 16th in population (1830)
39 Richard Montgomery Young (D-IL)Illinois 20th in population (1830)
40 William Henry Roane (D-VA)March 14, 1837
41 Clement Comer Clay (D-AL)June 19, 1837
42 Wilson Lumpkin (D-GA)November 22, 1837
43 William Duhurst Merrick (W-MD)January 4, 1838
44 Albert Smith White (W-IN)March 4, 1839Former representative
45 Benjamin Tappan (D-OH)Ohio 5th in population (1830)
46 Thaddeus Betts (W-CT)Connecticut 16th in population (1830)
47 Samuel Shethar Phelps (W-VT)Vermont 17th in population (1830)
48 John Henderson (W-MS)Mississippi 22nd in population (1830)
49 Nathan Fellows Dixon (W-RI)Rhode Island 23rd in population (1830)
50 Felix Grundy (D-TN) [13] December 14, 1839
51 Daniel Sturgeon (D-PA)January 14, 1840
52 Augustus Seymour Porter (W-MI)January 20, 1840
Alexander Outlaw Anderson (D-TN)February 26, 1840
Jabez Williams Huntington (W-CT)May 4, 1840
Willie Person Mangum (W-NC)November 25, 1840Former senator
William Alexander Graham (W-NC)
Alfred Osborn Pope Nicholson (D-TN)December 25, 1840
John Leeds Kerr (W-MD)January 5, 1841
Isaac Chapman Bates (W-MA)January 13, 1841
Rufus Choate (W-MA)February 23, 1841

See also

Notes

  1. A Chronological List of United States Senators 1789-Present, via www.Senate.gov
  2. 1820 Census Results
  3. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1841.
  4. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1843.
  5. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1845.
  6. Hugh White resigned January 13, 1840
  7. Daniel Webster resigned February 22, 1841
  8. Bedford Brown resigned November 16, 1840
  9. John Davis resigned January 5, 1841
  10. Richard Bayard resigned September 19, 1839
  11. Robert Strange resigned November 16, 1840
  12. John Spence resigned October 24, 1840
  13. Felix Grundy resigned December 19, 1840