Senate roll call 286 · 25th Congress · Jan 5, 1839
To postpone indefinitely the resolution which admits reporters into the eastern gallery of the Senate.
On Jan 5, 1839, the Senate voted 20–17. Result: passed. By party: Democrats 20–6, Others 0–11. 6 members voted against their own party.
During the 25th Congress (1837–1838), Martin Van Buren was president.
- Yes
- 20
- No
- 17
- Did not vote
- 22
- Date
- Jan 5, 1839
By party
- Democrats20 yes · 6 no · 14 didn’t vote
- Others0 yes · 11 no · 8 didn’t vote
Who broke with their party
- John McCracken Robinson D-IL voted no
- John Norvell D-MI voted no
- Lucius Lyon D-MI voted no
- Lewis Fields Linn D-MO voted no
- Thomas Morris D-OH voted no
- William Cabell Rives D-VA voted no
How each senator voted: Yes
- Clement Comer Clay D-AL
- William Rufus de Vane King D-AL
- William Savin Fulton D-AR
- John Milton Niles D-CT
- Perry Smith D-CT
- John Tipton D-IN
- Alexander Mouton D-LA
- Robert Carter Nicholas D-LA
- Reuel Williams D-ME
- Thomas Hart Benton D-MO
- Robert John Walker D-MS
- Thomas Hickman Williams D-MS
- Bedford Brown D-NC
- Robert Strange D-NC
- Franklin Pierce D-NH
- Henry Hubbard D-NH
- Silas Wright Jr. D-NY
- William Allen D-OH
- James Buchanan D-PA
- William Henry Roane D-VA
How each senator voted: No
- Thomas Clayton O-DE
- John McCracken Robinson D-IL
- Oliver Hampton Smith O-IN
- Henry Clay O-KY
- John Jordan Crittenden O-KY
- John Davis O-MA
- John Norvell D-MI
- Lucius Lyon D-MI
- Lewis Fields Linn D-MO
- Thomas Morris D-OH
- Asher Robbins O-RI
- Nehemiah Rice Knight O-RI
- William Campbell Preston O-SC
- Ephraim Hubbard Foster O-TN
- William Cabell Rives D-VA
- Benjamin Swift O-VT
- Samuel Prentiss O-VT
Did not vote
- John Mckinley D-AL
- Ambrose Hundley Sevier D-AR
- Richard Henry Bayard O-DE
- Alfred Cuthbert D-GA
- John Pendleton King D-GA
- Wilson Lumpkin D-GA
- Richard Montgomery Young D-IL
- Daniel Webster O-MA
- John Selby Spence O-MD
- Joseph Kent O-MD
- William Duhurst Merrick O-MD
- John Ruggles D-ME
- James Fisher Trotter D-MS
- John Black O-MS
- Garret Dorset Wall D-NJ
- Samuel Lewis Southard O-NJ
- Nathaniel Pitcher Tallmadge D-NY
- Samuel Mckean D-PA
- John Caldwell Calhoun D-SC
- Felix Grundy D-TN
- Hugh Lawson White O-TN
- Richard Elliott Parker D-VA
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
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Capitol Receipts, “To postpone indefinitely the resolution…: Senate Vote, Jan 5, 1839,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/25-S-286/to-postpone-indefinitely-the-resolution-which-admits-reporters-into (accessed 2026-10-17).