Page "Speaker of the United States House of Representatives" Paragraph 21

Another, more prolonged fight occurred in 1855 in the 34th United States Congress.

The new Republican Party was not fully formed, and significant numbers of politicians, mostly former Whigs, ran for office under the Opposition label.

This label was likely used because the Whig name had been discredited and abandoned, but former Whigs still needed to advertise that they were opposed to the Democrats.

Following the election, the Opposition Party actually was the largest party in the U. S. House of Representatives, with the party makeup of the 234 Representatives being 100 Oppositionists, 83 Democrats, and 51 Americans ( Know Nothing ).

Neither the Republican nor the Democratic candidate could attain a majority because of the American Party.

As a compromise, the Republicans nominated Nathaniel Prentiss Banks, an American candidate.

This is the first example in U. S. history of a form of coalition government in either house of Congress.

The House found itself in the same dilemma in the 36th, 37th and the 38th United States Congress.

The three speakers elected during these House sessions where William Pennington, ironically the New Jersey governor who certified the disputed Whig candidates during the earlier Broad Seal War controversy, Galusha A.

Grow, and Schuyler Colfax, who later became Vice-President under Ulysses Grant.