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The United States on March 4, 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
25 D · 17 R
44 senators · 36th Congress
House
—
0 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
1859-03-04/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
1859-03-04/congress36th Congress
Senate · 25 D · 17 R · 1 A · 1 U
Benjamin Fitzpatrick (Democrat, AL)Robert Ward Johnson (Democrat, AR)David Colbreth Broderick (Democrat, CA)William McKendree Gwin (Democrat, CA)James Asheton Bayard Jr. (Democrat, DE)David Levy Yulee (Democrat, FL)Stephen Russell Mallory (Democrat, FL)Alfred Iverson Sr. (Democrat, GA)Graham Newell Fitch (Democrat, IN)Jesse David Bright (Democrat, IN)John Slidell (Democrat, LA)James Alfred Pearce (Democrat, MD)Henry Mower Rice (Democrat, MN)James Stephen Green (Democrat, MO)Trusten Polk (Democrat, MO)Jefferson Davis (Democrat, MS)Thomas Lanier Clingman (Democrat, NC)John Renshaw Thomson (Democrat, NJ)George Ellis Pugh (Democrat, OH)William Bigler (Democrat, PA)James Henry Hammond (Democrat, SC)James Chesnut Jr. (Democrat, SC)Andrew Johnson (Democrat, TN)Matthias Ward (Democrat, TX)James Murray Mason (Democrat, VA)John Jordan Crittenden (American, KY)Anthony Kennedy (Unionist, MD)Lafayette Sabine Foster (Republican, CT)James Dixon (Republican, CT)James Harlan (Republican, IA)Lyman Trumbull (Republican, IL)Charles Sumner (Republican, MA)Hannibal Hamlin (Republican, ME)Zachariah Chandler (Republican, MI)Daniel Clark (Republican, NH)William Henry Seward (Republican, NY)Preston King (Republican, NY)Benjamin Franklin Wade (Republican, OH)Simon Cameron (Republican, PA)James Fowler Simmons (Republican, RI)Jacob Collamer (Republican, VT)Solomon Foot (Republican, VT)Charles Durkee (Republican, WI)James Rood Doolittle (Republican, WI)
House ·
1859-03-04/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
1859-03-04/weekWithin a week · Feb 25, 1859 – Mar 11, 1859
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
Ruling Dickerson B. Morehouse v. Phelps
Mar 7, 1859 · 62 U.S. 294
Ruling Kendall v. Winsor
Mar 7, 1859 · 62 U.S. 322
Ruling Alton R. Easton v. Salisbury
Mar 7, 1859 · 62 U.S. 426
Ruling Stephen v. R. Ableman
Mar 7, 1859 · 62 U.S. 506
Ruling Lloyd N. Rogers v. Law
Mar 7, 1859 · 62 U.S. 526
Ruling Brittan v. William A. Barnaby of the Ship Alboni
Mar 7, 1859 · 62 U.S. 527
Ruling Pearce v. The Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company and the Peru and Indianapolis Railroad Company
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 441
Ruling Sturgis v. Clough
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 451
Ruling The Western Telegraph Company v. The Magnetic Telegraph Company and Arumah S. Abell and Zenus Barnum
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 456
Ruling The Western Telegraph Company v. Penniman
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 460
Ruling Converse v. United States
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 463
Ruling Fenn v. Holme
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 481
Ruling Clearwater v. Solomon Meredith
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 489
Ruling Lea v. The Polk County Copper Company
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 493
Ruling The Board of Commissioners of the County of Knox v. Aspinwall
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 539
Ruling The Board of Commissioners of the County of Knox v. Wallace
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 546
Ruling Philo Chamberlain and John H. Crawford of the Propeller Ogdensburgh v. Eber B. Ward and Stephen Clement
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 548
Ruling Eber B. Ward and Stephen Clement v. Philo Chamberlain and John H. Crawford of the Propeller Ogdensburgh
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 572
Ruling Selden F. White v. The Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad Company
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 575
Ruling Walker v. Smith
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 579
Ruling Barber v. Huldah A. Barber
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 582
Ruling United States v. Fossatt
Mar 11, 1859 · 62 U.S. 445

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.