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The United States on February 26, 1859

Who held every office, how Congress and the Court were made up, and what happened within a week. Diff this day against today →

President

Buchanan

James Buchanan D · since Mar 4, 1857

Senate

39 D · 20 R

64 senators · 35th Congress

House

134 D · 91 R

243 representatives

Supreme Court

8 D · 1 W

9 justices by appointing party

Union

33 states

12 amendments in force

Public debt

$45M

as of Jul 1, 1858

1859-02-26/executiveThe administration

President James Buchanan D

since Mar 4, 1857

Vice President John Cabell Breckinridge D

Secretary of State Lewis Cass D

since Mar 6, 1857

Attorney General Jeremiah S. Black D

since Mar 6, 1857

Secretary of the Treasury Howell Cobb D

since Mar 7, 1857

Secretary of the Navy Isaac Toucey D

since Mar 7, 1857

1859-02-26/congress35th Congress

Senate · 39 D · 20 R · 4 A · 1 U

House · 134 D · 91 R · 15 A · 1 O · 1 W · 1 ID

1859-02-26/supreme-courtThe bench

John McLean D

Associate Justice · appointed by Andrew Jackson · since Mar 7, 1829

James Moore Wayne D

Associate Justice · appointed by Andrew Jackson · since Jan 9, 1835

Roger Brooke Taney D

Chief Justice · appointed by Andrew Jackson · since Mar 15, 1836

John Catron D

Associate Justice · appointed by Andrew Jackson · since Mar 8, 1837

Peter Vivian Daniel D

Associate Justice · appointed by Martin Van Buren · since Mar 3, 1841

Samuel Nelson W

Associate Justice · appointed by John Tyler · since Feb 13, 1845

Robert Cooper Grier D

Associate Justice · appointed by James K. Polk · since Aug 4, 1846

John Archibald Campbell D

Associate Justice · appointed by Franklin Pierce · since Mar 22, 1853

Nathan Clifford D

Associate Justice · appointed by James Buchanan · since Jan 12, 1858

1859-02-26/weekWithin a week · Feb 19, 1859 – Mar 5, 1859

Ruling Pemberton v. Lockett

Feb 21, 1859 · 62 U.S. 257

Ruling Poorman v. Woodward

Feb 21, 1859 · 62 U.S. 266

Ruling New York v. Edgar C. Dibble

Feb 21, 1859 · 62 U.S. 366

Ruling The New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company of the Steamship Pacific v. Otis P. Rumball

Feb 21, 1859 · 62 U.S. 372

Ruling Ballance v. Forsyth

Feb 21, 1859 · 62 U.S. 389

Ruling Porter v. Bushrod W. Foley

Feb 21, 1859 · 62 U.S. 393

Ruling The White Water Valley Canal Company v. Vallette

Feb 21, 1859 · 62 U.S. 414

Ruling Doe v. Alonzo Mahana

Feb 22, 1859 · 62 U.S. 276

Ruling Joseph E. Montgomery of the Steamer Republic v. Anderson

Feb 28, 1859 · 62 U.S. 386

Ruling Dean Richmond v. The City of Milwaukie and Ferdinand Kuehn

Feb 28, 1859 · 62 U.S. 391

Ruling United States v. Fossatt

Feb 28, 1859 · 62 U.S. 445

Ruling Julian McCarty and John Wynn v. Guernsey Y. Roots

Mar 4, 1859 · 62 U.S. 432

Each office is shown as it stood at the end of the day. Cabinet records come from Wikidata and have gaps for some historical offices.