Senate roll call 418 · 33rd Congress · Feb 6, 1855
To take up the bill, S. 273, constructing a railroad to the pacific ocean.
On Feb 6, 1855, the Senate voted 17–28 (S 273). Result: failed. By party: Democrats 9–18, Others 8–10. 9 members voted against their own party.
During the 33rd Congress (1853–1854), Franklin Pierce was president.
- Yes
- 17
- No
- 28
- Did not vote
- 25
- Date
- Feb 6, 1855
By party
- Democrats9 yes · 18 no · 15 didn’t vote
- Others8 yes · 10 no · 10 didn’t vote
Who broke with their party
- John B. Weller D-CA voted yes
- William McKendree Gwin D-CA voted yes
- James Shields D-IL voted yes
- Stephen Arnold Douglas D-IL voted yes
- Hannibal Hamlin D-ME voted yes
- Charles Edward Stuart D-MI voted yes
- Samuel Houston D-TX voted yes
- Thomas Jefferson Rusk D-TX voted yes
- Henry Dodge D-WI voted yes
How each senator voted: Yes
- John B. Weller D-CA
- William McKendree Gwin D-CA
- John Middleton Clayton O-DE
- James Shields D-IL
- Stephen Arnold Douglas D-IL
- John Burton Thompson O-KY
- Hannibal Hamlin D-ME
- Charles Edward Stuart D-MI
- Henry Sheffie Geyer O-MO
- William Henry Seward O-NY
- James Chamberlain Jones O-TN
- John Bell O-TN
- Samuel Houston D-TX
- Thomas Jefferson Rusk D-TX
- Lawrence Brainerd O-VT
- Solomon Foot O-VT
- Henry Dodge D-WI
How each senator voted: No
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick D-AL
- Clement Claiborne Clay Jr. D-AL
- Francis Gillette O-CT
- James Asheton Bayard Jr. D-DE
- Jackson Morton O-FL
- Stephen Russell Mallory D-FL
- William Crosby Dawson O-GA
- Augustus Caesar Dodge D-IA
- George Wallace Jones D-IA
- John Pettit D-IN
- John Slidell D-LA
- Judah Philip Benjamin O-LA
- Charles Sumner O-MA
- James Alfred Pearce O-MD
- Thomas George Pratt O-MD
- Lewis Cass D-MI
- Albert Gallatin Brown D-MS
- David Settle Reid D-NC
- George Edmund Badger O-NC
- John Renshaw Thomson D-NJ
- William Wright D-NJ
- Benjamin Franklin Wade O-OH
- Salmon Portland Chase O-OH
- Philip Allen D-RI
- Andrew Pickens Butler D-SC
- Josiah James Evans D-SC
- James Murray Mason D-VA
- Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter D-VA
Did not vote
- Robert Ward Johnson D-AR
- Solon Borland D-AR
- William King Sebastian D-AR
- Isaac Toucey D-CT
- Truman Smith O-CT
- Robert Augustus Toombs O-GA
- Jesse David Bright D-IN
- Archibald Dixon O-KY
- Pierre Soulé D-LA
- Edward Everett O-MA
- Henry Wilson O-MA
- Julius Rockwell O-MA
- William Pitt Fessenden O-ME
- David Rice Atchison D-MO
- Stephen Adams D-MS
- Charles Gordon Atherton D-NH
- Jared Warner Williams D-NH
- John Sullivan Wells D-NH
- Moses Norris Jr. D-NH
- Hamilton Fish O-NY
- James Cooper O-PA
- Richard Brodhead D-PA
- Charles Tillinghast James D-RI
- Samuel Shethar Phelps O-VT
- Isaac Pigeon Walker D-WI
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
Cite or embed this page
Capitol Receipts, “To take up the bill, S. 273, constructing a…: Senate Vote, Feb 6, 1855,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/33-S-418/to-take-up-the-bill-s-273-constructing-a (accessed 2026-10-16).