11-29-21

[Trivia Master]

How many United States Senators were expelled during the American civil war for supporting the confederacy?

credit: @gentlemanrob

 

[hughes]

14 (one expulsion was later revoked)

 

[bayouace]

14

 

[Brenal]

Ten

James M. Mason of Virginia
Robert M.T. Hunter of Virginia
Thomas L. Clingman of North Carolina
Thomas Bragg of North Carolina
James Chesnut, Jr., of South Carolina
A.O.P. Nicholson of Tennessee
William K. Sebastian of Arkansas
Charles B. Mitchel of Arkansas
John Hemphill of Texas
Louis T. Wigfall of Texas

Issues
Disloyalty to the Union

Chronology
Resolution introduced: July 10, 1861
Senate vote: July 11, 1861. The Senate voted 32 to 10 to expel the ten senators

Result: Expelled
www.cop.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/expulsion/036CivilWarCases1_expulsion.htm

Edit - These ten were expelled by vote on July 11, 1861, but the question asked how many were expelled during the course of the war. By the time the war had ended, four more had been expelled.

hoosier

 

[kholland]

Since 1789, the Senate has expelled only fifteen of its entire membership. Of that number, fourteen were charged with support of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

U.S. Senate: 404 Error Page

404 Error Page

www.senate.gov

 

[JOHN42768]

11 in 1861 and 3 more in 1862 for a total of 14

The senators expelled in July 1861 were: James Mason and Robert M. T. Hunter, of Virginia; Thomas L. Clingman and Thomas Bragg, of North Carolina; James Chesnut Jr., of South Carolina; A.O.P. Nicholson, of Tennessee; William K. Sebastian and Charles B. Mitchel, of Arkansas; and John Hemphill and Louis T. Wigfall, of Texas.

John Breckinridge, of Kentucky, was expelled later, on Dec. 4, 1861, for disloyalty to the Union who had "joined the enemies of his country, and is now in arms against the Government he had sworn the support," according to the Senate.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...elled-1861-supporting-confederacy/4107713001/

in 1862:

Trusten Polk Missouri
Waldo P. Johnson Missouri
Jesse D. Bright Indiana

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_senators_expelled_or_censured

 

[streetwiseprof]

Fourteen.

A fifteenth (Powell of Kentucky) was charged but not expelled. The expulsion of one (Sebastian of Arkansas) was reversed posthumously.

 

[John Taylor]

14

 

[sarladaise]

14

 

[JFW22]

Fourteen U.S Senators were expelled and charged with support of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Reference:

U.S. Senate: 404 Error Page

404 Error Page

www.senate.gov

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Source: https://www.cop.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/expulsion/CivilWar_Expulsion.htm

Using this article to count those who were specifically expelled from the Senate vs those whose term expired, my estimate is:

20 U.S. Senators were expelled for supporting the Confederacy

Edit - As far as I can see, the article cited as a source lists only 14 that were expelled.

hoosier

 

[DBF]

According to the website United States Senate (gov) there were 15 originally charged with expulsion yet when it was all said and done there was 14 that was expelled for supporting the Confederacy. Senator Lazarus W. Powell of Kentucky was originally charged with expulsion but successfully defended himself against the charges and in a March 14, 1862 a Senate vote was allowed to keep his seat. William K. Sebastian from Arkansas was originally expelled only to be reinstated by a posthumous resolution in 1877.

The others were Mason, Hunter, Clingman, Bragg, Chesnut, Nicholson, Mitchel, Hemphill, Wigfall, Breckinridge, Polk, Johnson, Bright for a total of 13 "officially charged and expelled" from the United States Senate for supporting the confederacy. Since reinstating Sebastian allowed his children to be paid an amount equal to his Senate salary between the time of his expulsion and the date of his death in 1865, I'm not sure if he should be included in the official count. As someone once said from Washington "Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?"
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/expulsion_cases/intro.htm

 

[Ole Miss]

14 US Senators were expelled for Support for Confederate rebellion in 1861-1862*
Regards
David

*https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/expulsion.htm

 

[WJC]

How many United States Senators were expelled during the American civil war for supporting the confederacy?

credit: @gentlemanrob

Fourteen.

1. Expelled July 11, 1861: (1) James M. Mason (1798-1871) and (2) Robert M. T. Hunter, of Virginia (1809-1887); (3) Thomas L. Clingman (1812-1897) and (4) Thomas Bragg (1810-1872), of North Carolina; (5) James Chesnut Jr. (1815-1885), of South Carolina; (6) A.O.P. Nicholson (1808-1876), of Tennessee; (7) William K. Sebastian (1812-1865) and (8) Charles B. Mitchel (1815-1864), of Arkansas; and (9) John Hemphill (1803-1862) and (10) Louis T. Wigfall (1816-1874), of Texas alledging they had "engaged in said conspiracy for the destruction of the Union and Government, or, with full knowledge of such conspiracy, have failed to advise the Government of its progress or aid in its suppression."
2. Expelled December 4, 1861, (11) John C. Breckinridge (1821-1875) of Kentucky for taking up "arms against the Government he had sworn to support."
3. Expelled January 10, 1862, Missouri's two senators, (12) Waldo P. Johnson (1817-1885) and (13) Trusten T. Polk (1811-1876) for "sympathy with and participation in the rebellion against the Government of the United States."
4. Expelled February 5, 1862, (14) Jesse D. Bright (1812-1875) of Indiana for disloyalty to the Union based on a letter he addressed to "His Excellency Jefferson Davis," in which Bright introduced his acquaintance, a Texas arms dealer, to the rebel president.

One Senator, Lazarus W. Powell (1812-1867) of Kentucky was accused of supporting the rebellion in 1862 but not expelled.

Source: "The Civil War Senate Reacts to Secession", United States Senate. https://www.cop.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/expulsion/CivilWar_Expulsion.htm
Source: James A. Ramage, "Lazarus Whitehead Powell (1851-1855)", Kentucky's Governors. (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2004), pp. 71-74.

 

[damYankee]

14

 

[ErnieMac]

14.

U.S. Senate: About Expulsion

www.senate.gov

 

[hoosier]

Fourteen.

Interestingly, one of them was from Indiana.

 

[Peace Society]

Stab in the dark: I don't think any were expelled. They left of their own accord if they did leave.

 

[Gibbon]

9

 

[Pollaco]

The majority of sources seem to report that number as 14 though 15 have been mentioned. But I'll go with 14.