1st United States Congress

1st United States Congress
Congress of the Confederation ← → 2nd
Federal Hall, site of the first two sessions of the 1st Congress (1789)
March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791
Members	21–26 (five additions) senators 59–65(six additions)(with one vacancy) representatives 0 non-voting delegates
Senate majority	Pro-Administration
Senate President	John Adams
House majority	Pro-Administration
House Speaker	Frederick Muhlenberg
Sessions
1st: March 4, 1789 – September 29, 1789 2nd: January 4, 1790 – August 12, 1790 3rd: December 6, 1790 – March 3, 1791

The "Main Hall" at Federal Hall

Congress Hall in Philadelphia, meeting place of this Congress's third session.

The 1st United States Congress, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall at 26 Wall Street in New York City and later at Congress Hall in Philadelphia. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the provisions of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority.

Major events

Main articles: 1789, 1790, and 1791

• April 1, 1789: House of Representatives first achieved a quorum and elected its officers
• April 6, 1789: Senate first achieved a quorum and elected its officers
• April 30, 1789: George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in New York City
• January 8, 1790: President Washington gave the first State of the Union Address
• March 1, 1790: First United States census was authorized
• April 10, 1790: Patent system was established
• April 17, 1790: Benjamin Franklin died
• June 20, 1790: Compromise of 1790: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton come to an agreement: Madison agrees to not be "strenuous" in opposition for the assumption of state debts by the federal government; Hamilton agrees to support the capital site being above the Potomac.

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation § 1st United States Congress

Session 1

• June 1, 1789: An act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths, ch. 1, 1 Stat. 23
• July 4, 1789: Hamilton Tariff, ch. 2, 1 Stat. 24
• July 27, 1789: United States Department of State, was established, originally named the Department of Foreign Affairs, ch. 4, 1 Stat. 28.
• August 7, 1789: Department of War was established, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 49.
• September 2, 1789: United States Department of the Treasury was established, ch. 12, 1 Stat. 65
• September 24, 1789: Judiciary Act of 1789, ch. 20, which created:
  • § 1: Supreme Court, 1 Stat. 73
  • § 3: District courts, 1 Stat. 73
  • § 4: Circuit courts, 1 Stat. 73
  • § 35: District attorneys, 1 Stat. 92 and Attorney General, 1 Stat. 93

Session 2

• March 1, 1790: Made provisions for the first Census, ch. 2, 1 Stat. 101
• March 26, 1790: Naturalization Act of 1790, ch. 3, 1 Stat. 103
• April 10, 1790: Patent Act of 1790, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 109
• May 31, 1790: Copyright Act of 1790, ch. 15, 1 Stat. 124
• July 6, 1790: Residence Act, ch. 28, 1 Stat. 130, established Washington, D.C. as the seat of government of the United States.
• July 22, 1790: Indian Intercourse Act of 1790, ch. 33, 1 Stat. 137, regulated commerce with the Indian tribes.

Session 3

• February 4, 1791: State of Kentucky admitted to the Union effective June 1, 1792, ch. 4, 1 Stat. 189
• February 18, 1791: State of Vermont admitted to the Union effective March 4, 1791, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 191
• February 25, 1791: First Bank of the United States, ch. 10, 1 Stat. 191
• March 3, 1791: Whiskey Act, ch. 15, 1 Stat. 199, which triggered the Whiskey Rebellion

Constitutional amendments

• September 25, 1789: Twelve proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution were passed and sent to the states for ratification. 1 Stat. 97. Ten were ratified as "The Bill of Rights," and one was ratified two centuries later as the 27th Amendment.

States admitted and territories organized

• November 21, 1789: North Carolina ratified the United States Constitution and became the 12th U.S. state
• May 26, 1790: Territory South of the River Ohio organized from land ceded by North Carolina
• May 29, 1790: Rhode Island ratified the United States Constitution and became the 13th U.S. state

Party summary

Federal Hall (2006)

Statue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall, where he was first inaugurated as President.

There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.

Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Template:American politics/party colours/Pro-Administration |	Template:American politics/party colours/Anti-Administration |
	Pro-Administration	Anti-Administration		Vacant
Begin	14	7	21	1
July 16, 1789	15		22	0
November 27, 1789	17		24
March 12, 1790		6	23	1
March 31, 1790	18		24	0
June 7, 1790	19	7	26
November 9, 1790	18	8
Final voting share	69.2%	30.8%
Beginning of the next Congress	15	13	28	2

House of Representatives

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Template:American politics/party colours/Pro-Administration |	Template:American politics/party colours/Anti-Administration |
	Pro-Administration	Anti-Administration		Vacant
Begin	34	25	59	0
March 19, 1790		26	60
March 24, 1790		27	61
April 6, 1790		28	62
April 19, 1790	35		63
June 16, 1790	36		64
June 1, 1790		27	63	1
August 14, 1790	35		62	2
December 7, 1790		28	63	1
December 12, 1790	36		64
Final voting share	56.25%	43.75%
Beginning of the next Congress	39	29	68	1

Leadership

Senate

• President: John Adams (P)
• President pro tempore: John Langdon (P)

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Frederick Muhlenberg (P)

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.

Senate

Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, all Senators were newly elected, and Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1790; Class 2 meant their term ended with the next Congress, requiring reelection in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term lasted through the next two Congresses, requiring reelection in 1794.

Connecticut

• 1. Oliver Ellsworth (P)
• 3. William S. Johnson (P)

Delaware

• 2. Richard Bassett (A)
• 1. George Read (P)

Georgia

• 2. William Few (A)
• 3. James Gunn (A)

Maryland

• 3. John Henry (P)
• 1. Charles Carroll (P)

Massachusetts

• 1. Tristram Dalton (P)
• 2. Caleb Strong (P)

New Hampshire

• 3. John Langdon (P)
• 2. Paine Wingate (A)

New Jersey

• 1. Jonathan Elmer (P)
• 2. William Paterson (P), until November 13, 1790
  • Philemon Dickinson (P), installed November 13, 1790

New York

• 3. Vacant, until July 15, 1789
  • Rufus King (P), installed July 16, 1789
• 1. Philip Schuyler (P)

North Carolina

• 3. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – November 27, 1789
  • Benjamin Hawkins (P), installed November 27, 1789
• 2. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – November 27, 1789
  • Samuel Johnston (P), installed November 27, 1789

Pennsylvania

• 1. William Maclay (A)
• 3. Robert Morris (P)

Rhode Island

• 1. Vacant, May 29, 1790 – June 7, 1790
  • Theodore Foster (P), installed June 7, 1790
• 2. Vacant, May 29, 1790 – June 7, 1790
  • Joseph Stanton, Jr. (A), installed June 7, 1790

South Carolina

• 2. Pierce Butler (P)
• 3. Ralph Izard (P)

Virginia

• 1. William Grayson (A), until March 12, 1790
  • John Walker (P), March 31, 1790 – November 9, 1790
  • James Monroe (A), installed November 9, 1790
• 2. Richard Henry Lee (A)

President of the Senate John Adams

President pro tempore John Langdon

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are listed by their districts.

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 1789

Connecticut

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. Benjamin Huntington (P)
• At-large. Roger Sherman (P)
• At-large. Jonathan Sturges (P)
• At-large. Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (P)
• At-large. Jeremiah Wadsworth (P)

Delaware

• At-large. John Vining (P)

Georgia

• 1. James Jackson (A)
• 2. Abraham Baldwin (A)
• 3. George Mathews (A)

Maryland

• 1. Michael J. Stone (A)
• 2. Joshua Seney (A)
• 3. Benjamin Contee (A)
• 4. William Smith (A)
• 5. George Gale (P)
• 6. Daniel Carroll (P)

Massachusetts

• 1. Fisher Ames (P)
• 2. Benjamin Goodhue (P)
• 3. Elbridge Gerry (A)
• 4. Theodore Sedgwick (P)
• 5. George Partridge (P), until August 14, 1790, vacant thereafter
• 6. George Thatcher (P)
• 7. George Leonard (P)
• 8. Jonathan Grout (A)

New Hampshire

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. Abiel Foster (P)
• At-large. Nicholas Gilman (P)
• At-large. Samuel Livermore (A)

New Jersey

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. Elias Boudinot (P)
• At-large. Lambert Cadwalader (P)
• At-large. James Schureman (P)
• At-large. Thomas Sinnickson (P)

New York

• 1. William Floyd (A)
• 2. John Laurance (P)
• 3. Egbert Benson (P)
• 4. John Hathorn (A)
• 5. Peter Silvester (P)
• 6. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (A)

North Carolina

• 1. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – March 23, 1790
  • John Baptista Ashe (A), installed March 23, 1790
• 2. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – March 18, 1790
  • Hugh Williamson (A), installed March 19, 1790
• 3. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – April 5, 1790
  • Timothy Bloodworth (A), installed April 6, 1790
• 4. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – April 18, 1790
  • John Steele (P), installed April 19, 1790
• 5. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – June 15, 1790
  • John Sevier (P), installed June 16, 1790

Pennsylvania

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. George Clymer (P)
• At-large. Thomas Fitzsimons (P)
• At-large. Thomas Hartley (P)
• At-large. Daniel Hiester (A)
• At-large. Frederick Muhlenberg (P)
• At-large. Peter Muhlenberg (A)
• At-large. Thomas Scott (P)
• At-large. Henry Wynkoop (P)

Rhode Island

• At-large. Vacant, May 29, 1790 – December 16, 1790
  • Benjamin Bourne (P), installed December 17, 1790

South Carolina

• 1. William L. Smith (P)
• 2. Aedanus Burke (A)
• 3. Daniel Huger (P)
• 4. Thomas Sumter (A)
• 5. Thomas Tudor Tucker (A)

Virginia

• 1. Alexander White (P)
• 2. John Brown (A)
• 3. Andrew Moore (A)
• 4. Richard Bland Lee (P)
• 5. James Madison (A)
• 6. Isaac Coles (A)
• 7. John Page (A)
• 8. Josiah Parker (A)
• 9. Theodorick Bland (A), until June 1, 1790
  • William B. Giles (A), installed December 7, 1790
• 10. Samuel Griffin (P)

Speaker of the House Frederick Muhlenberg

Changes in membership

There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.

New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, were the last states to ratify the U.S. Constitution, and because of their late ratification, were unable to send full representation at the beginning of this Congress. Five Senators and nine Representatives were subsequently seated from these states during the sessions as noted.

Senate

See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate

There was 1 resignation, 1 death, 1 replacement of a temporary appointee, and 5 new seats. The Anti-Administration Senators picked up a 1 seat net gain and the Pro-Administration Senators picked up 4 seats.

State	Vacator	Reason for Vacancy	Successor	Date of Successor's Installation
New York (class 3)	New seats	State legislature failed to pick Senator until after Congress began.	Rufus King (P)	Elected July 16, 1789
North Carolina (class 3)		North Carolina ratified the constitution on November 21, 1789.	Benjamin Hawkins (P)	Elected November 27, 1789
North Carolina (class 2)			Samuel Johnston (P)
Virginia (class 1)	William Grayson (A)	Died March 12, 1790.	John Walker (P)	Appointed March 31, 1790
Rhode Island (class 1)	New seats	Rhode Island ratified the constitution on May 29, 1790.	Theodore Foster (P)	Elected June 7, 1790
Rhode Island (class 2)			Joseph Stanton, Jr. (A)
Virginia (class 1)	John Walker (P)	James Monroe was elected to the seat of Senator William Grayson.	James Monroe (A)	Elected November 9, 1790
New Jersey (class 2)	William Paterson (P)	Resigned November 13, 1790, having been elected Governor of New Jersey.	Philemon Dickinson (P)	Elected November 23, 1790

House of Representatives

See also: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives

There was 1 resignation, 1 death, and 6 new seats. Anti-Administration members picked up 3 seats and Pro-Administration members picked up 2 seats.

District	Vacator	Reason for Vacancy	Successor	Date of successor's taking office
North Carolina 1st	New seats	North Carolina ratified the constitution on November 21, 1789.	John Baptista Ashe (A)	March 24, 1790
North Carolina 2nd			Hugh Williamson (A)	March 19, 1790
North Carolina 3rd			Timothy Bloodworth (A)	April 6, 1790
North Carolina 4th			John Steele (P)	April 19, 1790
North Carolina 5th			John Sevier (P)	June 16, 1790
Rhode Island At-large	New seat	Rhode Island ratified the constitution on May 29, 1790.	Benjamin Bourne (P)	December 17, 1790
Virginia 9th	Theodorick Bland (A)	Died June 1, 1790.	William B. Giles (A)	December 7, 1790
Massachusetts 5th	George Partridge (P)	Resigned August 14, 1790.	Remained vacant until next Congress

Employees

Senate

• Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts, elected April 8, 1789
• Doorkeeper: James Mathers of New York, elected April 7, 1789
• Chaplain:
  • Samuel Provoost, Episcopalian, elected April 25, 1789
  • William White, Episcopalian, elected December 9, 1790

House of Representatives

• Clerk: John J. Beckley of Virginia
• Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island
• Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
• Chaplain:
  • William Linn, Presbyterian, elected May 1, 1789
  • Samuel Blair, Presbyterian, elected January 4, 1790

References

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• 1st Federal Congress Project
• Statutes at Large, 1789-1875
• Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• House History from the U.S. House of Representatives
• Statistics & Lists from the U.S. Senate

This category contains eponymous categories.