The House speaker bog-down, Dec. 3, 1855 On this day in 1855,
newly elected representatives, riven by sectional conflicts,
convened in the Old House Chamber — the present-day Statuary
Hall — and promptly bogged down in an effort to elect a speaker.
The main dividing issues were the spread of slavery, which
dominated U.S. politics in the run-up to the Civil War, and
immigration policy. No party held a majority of seats. With the
Republican Party still taking form, there were 100 members from
the Opposition Party, 83 Democrats and 51 nativist American
(“Know-Nothing”) Party members.Continue Reading After four
failed attempts to elect a speaker on opening day, the normal
first order of business for a newly seated Congress, the House
adjourned. In the absence of an elected speaker, John Forney,
the House clerk, presided over what became a record drawn-out
affair. In all, 21 members initially vied for the position. As
the balloting dragged on, some of them withdrew hoping to end
the impasse so legislative work cou