Ask a Historian - Early Fall, 2010
Did You Know?
That there have been 24 sets of brothers and 1 set of sisters who have served in the House simultaneously?
Here's the History
There have been 24 sets of brothers and 1 set of sisters who have served in the House simultaneously. That's a total of 51 Representatives who have served in the House simultaneously with their brothers and sisters. One set, the Washburn brothers, had three brothers serving simultaneously.
Perhaps one of the more interesting of the sets of brothers were the three Washburns. Brothers Israel Washburn, Jr. (1813-1833), Elihu Washburne (1816-1887) and Cadwallader C. Washburn (1818-1882) all served as Members of the House of Representatives in the 1850's - 1860's.[1] All three brothers served concurrently from 1855 to 1860 in the 34th - 36th Congresses, with each serving other terms but non-concurrently.[2] While the Washburns arrived in Washington representing different states- Israel from Maine, Elihu from Illinois, and Cadwallader from Wisconsin-- they all firmly supported the anti-slavery cause.
Israel was an outspoken opponent of legislation furthering slavery, such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which allowed new territories in the vast Louisiana Territory requesting statehood the option of allowing slavery.[3] He was one of the first members of the Republican Party and is credited with giving it its name at an 1854 meeting of Members who opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act.[4] Israel eventually became the Chairman of the Committee on Elections. The second brother, Elihu, was also an early member of the Republican Party. In 1862, he became the Chairman of the Committee on Commerce and the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, earning the nickname the "Watchdog of the Treasury."[5] Finally, Cadwallader concerned himself mainly with local issues, but was vocal in his support of anti-slavery measures. In 1858, Cadwallader and another Wisconsin Member got into a fistfight with a few southern Members over whether Kansas should allow slavery.[6] Cadwallader served as a colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War and was present at the Battle of Vicksburg and other major campaigns.
While the Washburns represented districts in different states and never served on any of the same committees, their mutual support of the Republican Party and their fight against anti-slavery typify the great service families have given to the House and their country. Their story, however, represents only one of the 25 sets of siblings who served in the House of Representatives. Other families contributed to the nation through their terms as Members in significant ways as well.
1. Elihu added an "e" to the end of his surname, but his brothers did not choose to adopt the change. See "Elihu Benjamin Washburne," American National Biography Online, Feb. 2000,
2 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774-2005. United States: Government Printing Office, 2005.
3 Gaillard Hunt, Israel, Elihu and Cadwallader Washburn: A Chapter in American Biography (LOCATION: Ayer Publishing, 1971), 29.
4 William E. Gienapp, The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852-1856 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), 89.
5 Mark Washburne, A Biography of Elihu Benjamin Washburne: Congressman, Secretary of State, Envoy Extraordinary, vol. 1 (New Jersey: Xlibris, 2000), 252.
6 "Cadwallader Colden Washburn," American National Biography Online, Feb. 2000,