Tyler Administration - Tyler and Congress
Tyler and Congress
Tyler presided over the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth sessions of Congress. The Whigs held a slight majority in each Senate session, while the midterm elections of 1842 saw a radical turnaround in party composition in the House—it went from a 133 to 102 Whig majority to a 142 to 79 Democratic majority. Tyler interpreted these election returns as a confirmation of popular support for his administration, but they more likely demonstrated support for the annexation of Texas—supported by Democrats and opposed by Whigs. It was this newly elected Congress that for the first time in history overrode a presidential veto for a 1845 tariff bill.
Tyler's presidency is known for its bad relations with Congress. The ill will began immediately after President Harrison's death, with congressional Whigs, led by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, urging Tyler to continue with the Whig agenda—an agenda with which Tyler...
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