Senate roll call 257 · 40th Congress · Apr 1, 1868
Shall a letter, without accompanying papers to which it refers, be introduced as evidence, over the objection of counsel for the defense? (p. 82-1)
On Apr 1, 1868, the Senate voted 20–29. Result: failed. By party: Republicans 13–28, Democrats 7–1. It was a split vote: the parties took opposite sides, with some members crossing over. 14 members voted against their own party.
During the 40th Congress (1867–1868), Andrew Johnson was president, and Republicans held majorities in both the House and Senate.
- Yes
- 20
- No
- 29
- Did not vote
- 20
- Date
- Apr 1, 1868
By party
- Republicans13 yes · 28 no · 16 didn’t vote
- Democrats7 yes · 1 no · 4 didn’t vote
Who broke with their party
- James Dixon R-CT voted yes
- James Wilson Grimes R-IA voted yes
- Lyman Trumbull R-IL voted yes
- Edmund Gibson Ross R-KS voted yes
- Daniel Sheldon Norton R-MN voted yes
- John Brooks Henderson R-MO voted yes
- Roscoe Conkling R-NY voted yes
- Charles Rollin Buckalew D-PA voted no
- William Sprague R-RI voted yes
- Joseph Smith Fowler R-TN voted yes
- Justin Smith Morrill R-VT voted yes
- James Rood Doolittle R-WI voted yes
- Peter Godwin Van Winkle R-WV voted yes
- Waitman Thomas Willey R-WV voted yes
How each senator voted: Yes
- James Dixon R-CT
- James Asheton Bayard Jr. D-DE
- James Wilson Grimes R-IA
- Lyman Trumbull R-IL
- Thomas Andrews Hendricks D-IN
- Edmund Gibson Ross R-KS
- Garrett Davis D-KY
- Thomas Clay Mccreery D-KY
- George Vickers D-MD
- Reverdy Johnson D-MD
- Daniel Sheldon Norton R-MN
- John Brooks Henderson R-MO
- Roscoe Conkling R-NY
- William Sprague R-RI
- David Trotter Patterson D-TN
- Joseph Smith Fowler R-TN
- Justin Smith Morrill R-VT
- James Rood Doolittle R-WI
- Peter Godwin Van Winkle R-WV
- Waitman Thomas Willey R-WV
How each senator voted: No
- Cornelius Cole R-CA
- John Conness R-CA
- Orris Sanford Ferry R-CT
- Samuel Clarke Pomeroy R-KS
- Charles Sumner R-MA
- Henry Wilson R-MA
- Lot Myrick Morrill R-ME
- William Pitt Fessenden R-ME
- Jacob Merritt Howard R-MI
- Zachariah Chandler R-MI
- Alexander Ramsey R-MN
- Charles Daniel Drake R-MO
- John Milton Thayer R-NE
- Thomas Weston Tipton R-NE
- Aaron Harrison Cragin R-NH
- James Willis Patterson R-NH
- Alexander Gilmore Cattell R-NJ
- Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen R-NJ
- James Warren Nye R-NV
- William Morris Stewart R-NV
- Edwin Denison Morgan R-NY
- John Sherman R-OH
- George Henry Williams R-OR
- Henry Winslow Corbett R-OR
- Charles Rollin Buckalew D-PA
- Simon Cameron R-PA
- Henry Bowen Anthony R-RI
- George Franklin Edmunds R-VT
- Timothy Otis Howe R-WI
Did not vote
- George Eliphaz Spencer R-AL
- Willard Warner R-AL
- Alexander Mcdonald R-AR
- Benjamin Franklin Rice R-AR
- George Read Riddle D-DE
- Willard Saulsbury Sr. D-DE
- Adonijah Strong Welch R-FL
- Thomas Ward Osborn R-FL
- James Harlan R-IA
- Richard Yates R-IL
- Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton R-IN
- James Guthrie D-KY
- John Spafford Harris R-LA
- William Pitt Kellogg R-LA
- William Pinkney Whyte D-MD
- John Pool R-NC
- Joseph Carter Abbott R-NC
- Benjamin Franklin Wade R-OH
- Frederick Adolphus Sawyer R-SC
- Thomas James Robertson R-SC
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
Cite or embed this page
Capitol Receipts, “Shall a letter, without accompanying papers…: Senate Vote, Apr 1, 1868,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/40-S-257/shall-a-letter-without-accompanying-papers-to-which-it (accessed 2026-10-17).