The Twenty-seventh 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, 1841 to March 4, 1843, during the one-month administration of U.S. President William Henry Harrison and the first two years of the administration of his successor, John Tyler. 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 Whig majority.
March 4, 1841: William Henry Harrison was inaugurated as President of the United States
April 4, 1841: Harrison died and John Tyler became President
August 16, 1841: President Tyler's veto of a bill to re-establish the Second Bank of the United States led Whig Party members to riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.
May 19, 1842: Dorr Rebellion
April 19, 1841: Bankruptcy Act of 1841, ch. 9, 5 Stat. 440
September 4, 1841: Preemption Act of 1841, ch. 16, 5 Stat. 453
August 4, 1842: Armed Occupation Act, 5 Stat. 502
August 30, 1842: Tariff of 1842 ("Black Tariff"), ch. 270, 5 Stat. 548
August 9, 1842: Webster-Ashburton Treaty signed, establishing the United States–Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.
President: John Tyler (W), until April 4, 1841, thereafter vacant
Presidents pro tempore: William R. King (D), elected March 4, 1841
Samuel L. Southard) (W), elected March 11, 1841
Willie P. Mangum (W), elected May 31, 1842
Speaker: John D. White (W)
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
Skip to House of Representatives, below
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 began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1844; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1842.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
replacements: 9
Democrats: no net change
Whigs: no net change
deaths: 2
resignations: 8
interim appointments: 0
vacancy: 1
Total seats with changes: 10
replacements: 17
Democrats: 3 seat net gain
Whigs: 3 seat net loss
deaths: 8
resignations: 12
contested election: 1
Total seats with changes: 20
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Agriculture
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
Claims
Commerce
Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
District of Columbia
Finance
Fiscal Corporation of the United States (Select)
Foreign Relations
Indian Affairs
Judiciary
Manufactures
Military Affairs
Militia
Naval Affairs
Patents and the Patent Office
Pensions
Post Office and Post Roads
Printing
Private Land Claims
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Lands
Revolutionary Claims
Roads and Canals
Tariff Regulation (Select)
Whole
Accounts
Agriculture
Apportionment of Representatives (Select)
Claims
Commerce
District of Columbia
Elections
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
Manufactures
Memorial of the Agricultural Bank of Mississippi (Select)
Mileage
Military Affairs
Militia
Naval Affairs
Patents
Post Office and Post Roads
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Expenditures
Public Lands
Revisal and Unfinished Business
Revolutionary Claims
Roads and Canals
Rules (Select)
Standards of Official Conduct
Territories
Ways and Means
Whole
Enrolled Bills
Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan
Secretary: Asbury Dickens of North Carolina elected December 12, 1836
Sergeant at Arms:
Stephen Haight of New York, elected September 4, 1837
Edward Dyer of Maryland, elected March 8, 1841
Chaplain:
George G. Cookman, Methodist, elected December 31, 1839
Septimus Tustin, Presbyterian, elected June 12, 1841
Clerk: Matthew St. Clair Clarke of Pennsylvania, elected May 31, 1841
Sergeant at Arms: Eleazor M. Townsend of Connecticut, elected June 8, 1841
Doorkeeper: Joseph Follansbee of Massachusetts, elected June 8, 1841
Postmaster: William J. McCormick, elected June 8, 1841
Chaplain:
John W. French, Episcopalian, elected May 31, 1841
John N. Maffit, Methodist, elected December 6, 1841
Frederick T. Tiffany, Episcopalian, elected December 5, 1842
