The Thirty-eighth 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, 1863, to March 4, 1865, during the last two years of the first administration of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Eighth Census of the United States in 1860. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House of Representatives had a Republican plurality.
American Civil War, which had started in 1861, continued through this Congress and ended later in 1865January 8, 1863: Ground broken in Sacramento, California on the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United StatesNovember 19, 1863: Gettysburg AddressApril 22, 1864: Coinage Act of 1864, Sess. 1, ch. 66, 13 Stat. 54June 30, 1864: Yosemite Valley Grant Act, Sess. 1, 16 Stat. 48March 3, 1865: Freedmen's Bureau, Sess. 2, ch. 90, 13 Stat. 507January 31, 1865: Thirteenth Amendment passed Congress with a Senate vote of 31 Republican, 2 Democrat, 1 Unionist & 4 Unconditional Unionist votes of "Yea", 5 Democrats & 1 Unionist votes of "Nay" with 3 Democrat, 2 Unionist & 1 Unconditional Unionist not voting. The House of Representatives passed on 84 Republican, 14 Democrat, 2 Independent Republican, 3 Unionist, 16 Unconditional Unionist votes of "Yea", 50 Democrat & 2 Unionist votes of "Nay" with 8 Democrat & 4 Unionist not voting and then sent to the states for ratification, 13 Stat. 567February 9, 1865: Chippewa Indians, 13 Stat. 393June 19, 1863: West Virginia admitted (formed from a portion of Virginia), 13 Stat. 731 (See also 12 Stat. 633)October 31, 1864: Nevada admitted, 13 Stat. 749 (See also 13 Stat. 30)The Confederacy fielded armies and sustained the rebellion into a second Congress, but the Union did not accept secession and secessionists were not eligible for Congress. Elections held in Missouri and Kentucky seated all members to the House and Senate for the 38th Congress. Elections held among Unionists in Virginia, Tennessee and Louisiana were marred by disruption resulting in turnouts that were so low compared with 1860, that Congress did not reseat the candidates with a majority of the votes cast.
In rebellion 1862–64 according to the Emancipation Proclamation were Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana (parts), Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia (parts). Tennessee was not held to be in rebellion as of the end of 1862.May 26, 1864: Montana Territory organized, Sess. 1, ch. 95, 13 Stat. 85The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
During this Congress, two seats were added for each of the new states of Nevada and West Virginia, thereby adding four new seats.
Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members. During this Congress, one seat was added for the new state of Nevada, and three seats were reapportioned from Virginia to the new state of West Virginia.
President: Hannibal Hamlin (R)President pro tempore: Solomon Foot (R), until April 13, 1864Daniel Clark (R), elected April 26, 1864Republican Conference Chairman: Henry B. AnthonySpeaker: Schuyler Colfax (R)Republican Conference Chairman: Justin S. MorrillChairman, Committee on Ways and Means: Thaddeus Stevens (R)This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and Representatives are listed by district.
Skip to House of Representatives, belowSenators 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 this Congress, requiring reelection in 1868; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1864; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1866.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
replacements: 2Democratic: no net changeRepublican: no net changeUnionist: no net changeUnconditional Union: no net changedeaths: 1resignations: 2interim appointments: 1seats of newly admitted seats: 4Total seats with changes: 4replacements: 6Democratic: no net changeRepublican: no net changeUnionist: no net changeUnconditional Union: no net changedeaths: 3resignations: 3contested election: 1seats of newly admitted seats: 4Total seats with changes: 7Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Agriculture (John Sherman, Chair)Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (James Dixon, Chair)Claims (Daniel Clark, Chair)Commerce (Zachariah Chandler, Chair)Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)District of Columbia (James W. Grimes, Chair)Finance (William P. Fessenden, Chair)Foreign Relations (Charles Sumner, Chair)Indian AffairsJudiciaryManufacturesMilitary AffairsNaval AffairsNaval Supplies (Select)Ordnance and War Ships (Select)Overland Mail Service (Select)Pacific Railroad (Select)Patents and the Patent OfficePensionsPost Office and Post RoadsPrivate Land ClaimsPublic LandsRetrenchmentRevolutionary ClaimsSlavery and the Treatment of Freedmen (Select)Tariff Regulation (Select)TerritoriesWholeAccountsAgricultureBanking and CurrencyBankrupt Law (Select)ClaimsCommerceDistrict of ColumbiaElectionsExpenditures in the Interior DepartmentExpenditures in the Navy DepartmentExpenditures in the Post Office DepartmentExpenditures in the State DepartmentExpenditures in the Treasury DepartmentExpenditures in the War DepartmentExpenditures on Public BuildingsForeign AffairsIndian AffairsInvalid PensionsManufacturesMileageMilitary AffairsMilitiaNaval AffairsPatentsPost Office and Post RoadsPublic Buildings and GroundsPublic ExpendituresPublic LandsRevisal and Unfinished BusinessRevolutionary ClaimsRoads and CanalsRules (Select)Standards of Official ConductTerritoriesWays and MeansWholeConditions of Indian Tribes (Special)Conduct of the WarEnrolled BillsSenate Chamber and the Hall of the House of the RepresentativesArchitect of the Capitol: Thomas U. WalterLibrarian of Congress: John Gould Stephenson (until 1864), Ainsworth Rand Spofford (starting 1864)Chaplain: Byron Sunderland (Presbyterian)Thomas Bowman (Methodist), elected May 11, 1864Secretary: John W. ForneySergeant at Arms: George T. BrownChaplain: William H. Channing (Unitarian)Clerk: Edward McPhersonDoorkeeper: Ira GoodnowMessenger: Thaddeus MorriceWilliam D. ToddPostmaster: William S. KingSergeant at Arms: Nehemiah G. Ordway 