This committee consisted of one representative from each state and was tasked with drafting a proposal aimed at averting a civil war following Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency.

[12] His proposal, which was essentially a modified version of the Crittenden Compromise, was reportedly prepared in a secret consultation with Abraham Lincoln in late January 1861.

[9] Kellogg was criticized for this speech both by his Republican colleagues and by his constituents, in part because his proposal allowed slavery to continue south of latitude thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes in both the states and territories.

On May 24, 1862, Kellogg presented an address to the House in which he supported a bill "to confiscate the property and free from servitude the slaves of rebels" during the civil war.

[14] In January 1863, Kellogg submitted a report to this committee in which he supported the authority of the postmaster general to deny the transmittal of certain newspapers through the mails of the United States.

Following his service as chief justice, William Kellogg was appointed by President Johnson as collector of internal revenue for the Peoria district, a position that he held from 1867 to 1869.