Senate roll call 65 · 34th Congress · Jun 23, 1856
To decide whether a letter from george sumner relative to the assault on charles sumner shall be read.
On Jun 23, 1856, the Senate voted 20–15. Result: passed. By party: Democrats 9–14, Others 11–1. 9 members voted against their own party.
During the 34th Congress (1855–1856), Franklin Pierce was president.
- Yes
- 20
- No
- 15
- Did not vote
- 29
- Date
- Jun 23, 1856
By party
- Democrats9 yes · 14 no · 16 didn’t vote
- Others11 yes · 1 no · 12 didn’t vote
Who broke with their party
- John B. Weller D-CA voted yes
- George Wallace Jones D-IA voted yes
- Lyman Trumbull D-IL voted yes
- Charles Edward Stuart D-MI voted yes
- Lewis Cass D-MI voted yes
- Stephen Adams D-MS voted yes
- Philip Allen D-RI voted yes
- Josiah James Evans D-SC voted yes
- Henry Dodge D-WI voted yes
How each senator voted: Yes
- John B. Weller D-CA
- Lafayette Sabine Foster O-CT
- George Wallace Jones D-IA
- Lyman Trumbull D-IL
- John Burton Thompson O-KY
- John Jordan Crittenden O-KY
- Henry Wilson O-MA
- Thomas George Pratt O-MD
- Charles Edward Stuart D-MI
- Lewis Cass D-MI
- Henry Sheffie Geyer O-MO
- Stephen Adams D-MS
- Hamilton Fish O-NY
- William Henry Seward O-NY
- Philip Allen D-RI
- Josiah James Evans D-SC
- John Bell O-TN
- Jacob Collamer O-VT
- Solomon Foot O-VT
- Henry Dodge D-WI
How each senator voted: No
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick D-AL
- Robert Ward Johnson D-AR
- Stephen Russell Mallory D-FL
- Alfred Iverson Sr. D-GA
- Robert Augustus Toombs D-GA
- Stephen Arnold Douglas D-IL
- Jesse David Bright D-IN
- John Slidell D-LA
- Judah Philip Benjamin O-LA
- Albert Gallatin Brown D-MS
- Asa Biggs D-NC
- Richard Brodhead D-PA
- William Bigler D-PA
- James Murray Mason D-VA
- Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter D-VA
Did not vote
- Clement Claiborne Clay Jr. D-AL
- William King Sebastian D-AR
- William McKendree Gwin D-CA
- Isaac Toucey D-CT
- James Asheton Bayard Jr. D-DE
- John Middleton Clayton O-DE
- Joseph Parsons Comegys O-DE
- David Levy Yulee D-FL
- James Harlan O-IA
- Graham Newell Fitch D-IN
- Charles Sumner O-MA
- James Alfred Pearce O-MD
- Amos Nourse R-ME
- Hannibal Hamlin D-ME
- William Pitt Fessenden O-ME
- James Stephen Green D-MO
- David Settle Reid D-NC
- James Bell O-NH
- John Parker Hale O-NH
- John Renshaw Thomson D-NJ
- William Wright D-NJ
- Benjamin Franklin Wade O-OH
- George Ellis Pugh D-OH
- Charles Tillinghast James D-RI
- Andrew Pickens Butler D-SC
- James Chamberlain Jones O-TN
- Samuel Houston O-TX
- Thomas Jefferson Rusk D-TX
- Charles Durkee O-WI
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
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Capitol Receipts, “To decide whether a letter from george…: Senate Vote, Jun 23, 1856,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/34-S-65/to-decide-whether-a-letter-from-george-sumner-relative (accessed 2026-10-16).