Senate roll call 265 · 34th Congress · Aug 16, 1856
To pass H.R. 12,(passed over veto 8/16/1856,11 stat. L. 51) a bill providing for the improvement of des moines rapids in the mississippi river.
On Aug 16, 1856, the Senate voted 30–14 (HR 12). Result: passed. By party: Democrats 13–13, Others 17–1. 13 members voted against their own party.
During the 34th Congress (1855–1856), Franklin Pierce was president.
- Yes
- 30
- No
- 14
- Did not vote
- 20
- Date
- Aug 16, 1856
By party
- Democrats13 yes · 13 no · 13 didn’t vote
- Others17 yes · 1 no · 6 didn’t vote
Who broke with their party
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick D-AL voted no
- Clement Claiborne Clay Jr. D-AL voted no
- David Levy Yulee D-FL voted no
- Stephen Russell Mallory D-FL voted no
- Alfred Iverson Sr. D-GA voted no
- Robert Augustus Toombs D-GA voted no
- Albert Gallatin Brown D-MS voted no
- Stephen Adams D-MS voted no
- Asa Biggs D-NC voted no
- David Settle Reid D-NC voted no
- Andrew Pickens Butler D-SC voted no
- James Murray Mason D-VA voted no
- Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter D-VA voted no
How each senator voted: Yes
- William King Sebastian D-AR
- John B. Weller D-CA
- Lafayette Sabine Foster O-CT
- John Middleton Clayton O-DE
- George Wallace Jones D-IA
- James Harlan O-IA
- Lyman Trumbull D-IL
- Stephen Arnold Douglas D-IL
- John Jordan Crittenden O-KY
- Henry Wilson O-MA
- James Alfred Pearce O-MD
- Thomas George Pratt O-MD
- Charles Edward Stuart D-MI
- Lewis Cass D-MI
- Henry Sheffie Geyer O-MO
- John Parker Hale O-NH
- John Renshaw Thomson D-NJ
- William Wright D-NJ
- Hamilton Fish O-NY
- William Henry Seward O-NY
- Benjamin Franklin Wade O-OH
- George Ellis Pugh D-OH
- Charles Tillinghast James D-RI
- Philip Allen D-RI
- James Chamberlain Jones O-TN
- John Bell O-TN
- Jacob Collamer O-VT
- Solomon Foot O-VT
- Charles Durkee O-WI
- Henry Dodge D-WI
How each senator voted: No
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick D-AL
- Clement Claiborne Clay Jr. D-AL
- David Levy Yulee D-FL
- Stephen Russell Mallory D-FL
- Alfred Iverson Sr. D-GA
- Robert Augustus Toombs D-GA
- Albert Gallatin Brown D-MS
- Stephen Adams D-MS
- Asa Biggs D-NC
- David Settle Reid D-NC
- Andrew Pickens Butler D-SC
- Samuel Houston O-TX
- James Murray Mason D-VA
- Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter D-VA
Did not vote
- Robert Ward Johnson D-AR
- William McKendree Gwin D-CA
- Isaac Toucey D-CT
- James Asheton Bayard Jr. D-DE
- Joseph Parsons Comegys O-DE
- Graham Newell Fitch D-IN
- Jesse David Bright D-IN
- John Burton Thompson O-KY
- John Slidell D-LA
- Judah Philip Benjamin O-LA
- Charles Sumner O-MA
- Amos Nourse R-ME
- Hannibal Hamlin D-ME
- William Pitt Fessenden O-ME
- James Stephen Green D-MO
- James Bell O-NH
- Richard Brodhead D-PA
- William Bigler D-PA
- Josiah James Evans D-SC
- Thomas Jefferson Rusk D-TX
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
Cite or embed this page
Capitol Receipts, “To pass H.R. 12,(passed over veto…: Senate Vote, Aug 16, 1856,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/34-S-265/to-pass-h-r-12-passed-over-veto-8 (accessed 2026-10-17).