Speaker of the House Orr and Congressman Hughes of Indiana exchange insults and almost come to blows in the U.S. Capital

Speaker James Orr of South Carolina and Congressman James Hughes of Indiana, both Democrats and both retiring from Congress after the "lame duck" session, argued on the floor of the House and exchanged language that the New York Times reporter called "racy, vigorous, and original." The Speaker then offered to meet the Mexican War veteran Hughes outside "to settle their differences" but before this took place cooler heads prevailed and apologies were exchanged. This was the latest in a series of altercations that had occurred between members of the Thirty-Fifth Congress, some of which had led to blows. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Our Honorable Gentlemen," New York Times, January 31, 1859, p. 4.
    Date Certainty
    Exact
    Type
    Lawmaking/Litigating
    Relevance
    Personal
    How to Cite This Page: "Speaker of the House Orr and Congressman Hughes of Indiana exchange insults and almost come to blows in the U.S. Capital," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/22659.