37th United States Congress

37th United States Congress
Number	37th
Caption	The United States Capitol in 1861.
Body	United States Congress
Term start	March 4, 1861
Term end	March 4, 1863
Before	36th United States Congress
After	38th United States Congress
Session1	March 4, 1861 – August 6, 1861
Session2	December 2, 1861 – July 17, 1862
Session3	December 1, 1862 – March 4, 1863
President	Abraham Lincoln
Pro tem	Solomon Foot
Speaker	Galusha A. Grow
Senators	50
Reps	183
H-majority	Republican
S-majority	Republican

Contents

Major legislation
Party summary
Leadership
Members
Major events
See also

37th United States Congress convened in Washington, D.C. during the tumultuous opening years of the American Civil War. It was dominated by the Republican Party and presided over by President Abraham Lincoln. This Congress passed landmark legislation to finance the war effort, expand the federal government, and set the course for the nation's economic future, including the first federal income tax and the Pacific Railway Acts. Its sessions were marked by the absence of representatives from seceded Southern states, altering the political balance in Capitol Hill.

Major legislation

Key enactments focused on Union mobilization and national development. The Revenue Act of 1861 introduced the first U.S. federal income tax to fund the war. The Legal Tender Act of 1862 authorized issuing greenbacks as a national currency. The Homestead Act granted public land to settlers, while the Morrill Land-Grant Acts provided land for establishing agricultural colleges. The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 chartered the transcontinental railroad via the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad. The Militia Act of 1862 empowered the president to use militia in rebellion and allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers. The Confiscation Act of 1861 authorized seizure of Confederate property, and the more forceful Confiscation Act of 1862 declared freedom for slaves of rebels.

Party summary

The secession of Southern states drastically shifted party composition. In the Senate, Republicans held a strong majority, with the Democratic Party and Unionist Party as minorities. The House of Representatives saw a similar Republican majority, with Democrats and a small number of Unconditional Unionist members. Vacant seats from states like South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama that had joined the Confederate States of America were not filled, cementing Republican control over the legislative agenda throughout the American Civil War.

Leadership

Solomon Foot of Vermont served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate. The Republican majority leader was effectively William P. Fessenden of Maine, a key figure on the Finance Committee. In the House, Galusha A. Grow of Pennsylvania was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Other prominent leaders included Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania, who chaired the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and John Sherman of Ohio in the Senate. President Abraham Lincoln worked closely with congressional leaders like Salmon P. Chase and Edwin M. Stanton from his Cabinet.

Members

The Senate roster included influential figures such as Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, a leading Radical Republican, and Lyman Trumbull of Illinois, who helped draft the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Notable House members comprised Schuyler Colfax of Indiana, future Vice President of the United States, and Elihu B. Washburne of Illinois, a close ally of Ulysses S. Grant. The delegation from Kentucky included Unionist John J. Crittenden, while Clement Vallandigham of Ohio led Peace Democrat opposition. Many members, like James G. Blaine of Maine, would later play major roles in the Gilded Age.

Major events

The Congress opened weeks after the secession of South Carolina and the formation of the Confederate States of America. The Battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861 triggered the war, leading to the call for volunteer troops. Key military events during its term included the First Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Shiloh, the Peninsula Campaign, and the Battle of Antietam. The latter victory led to President Lincoln's preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862. Domestically, the Trent Affair caused a diplomatic crisis with Great Britain. The United States Department of Agriculture was established in 1862.