1st United States Congress
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Federal Hall (1789), site of the first two sessions of the Congress
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The "Main Hall" at Federal Hall
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Congress Hall in Philadelphia, meeting place of this Congress's third session.
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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 the first administration of U.S. President George Washington, first at Federal Hall at 26 Wall Street in New York City and later at Congress Hall in Philadelphia.
The apportionment of seats in this 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.
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Major events
- 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
- July 27, 1789 — Department of Foreign Affairs (later renamed the Department of State), was established
- August 7, 1789 — The War Department was established
- September 2, 1789 — The Treasury Department was founded
- September 25, 1789 - the First Congress of the United States proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution
- January 8, 1790 — President Washington gave the first State of the Union Address
- March 1, 1790 — The first United States census was authorized
- April 10, 1790 — The United States 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
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 — The United States Department of State, was established, originally named the Department of Foreign Affairs, ch. 4, 1 Stat. 28.
- August 7, 1789 — The United States Department of War was established, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 49.
- September 2, 1789 — The United States Department of the Treasury was established, ch. 12, 1 Stat. 65
- September 24, 1789 — Judiciary Act of 1789, ch. 20, which created:
Session 2
- March 1, 1790 - Made provisions for the first first Census
- 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 26, 1790 - Southwest Territory was created from a portion of North Carolina: Southwest Ordinance, ch. 14, 1 Stat. 123.
- 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 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
- November 21, 1789 - North Carolina ratified the United States Constitution and became the 12th U.S. state
- May 29, 1790 - Rhode Island ratified the United States Constitution and became the 13th U.S. state
Party summary
Federal Hall (2006)
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Statue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall, where he was first inaugurated as President.
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President of the Senate John Adams
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Speaker of the House Frederick Muhlenberg
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President pro tempore John Langdon
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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.[1]
Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
Senate
| Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
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Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-Administration | Anti-Administration | Vacant | ||
| Begin (1789-03-04) | 14 | 7 | 21 | 1 |
| 1789-07-16 | 15 | 22 | 0 | |
| 1789-11-27 | 17 | 24 | 0 | |
| 1790-03-12 | 6 | 23 | 1 | |
| 1790-03-31 | 18 | 24 | 0 | |
| 1790-06-07 | 19 | 7 | 26 | 0 |
| 1790-11-09 | 18 | 8 | ||
| Latest voting share | 69.2% | 30.8% | ||
House of Representatives
| Affiliation | Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-Administration | Anti-Administration | Vacant | ||
| Begin (1789-03-04) | 34 | 25 | 59 | 0 |
| 1790-03-19 | 26 | 60 | ||
| 1790-03-24 | 27 | 61 | ||
| 1790-04-06 | 28 | 62 | ||
| 1790-04-19 | 35 | 63 | ||
| 1790-06-16 | 36 | 64 | ||
| 1790-06-01 | 27 | 63 | 1 | |
| 1790-08-14 | 35 | 62 | 2 | |
| 1790-12-07 | 28 | 63 | 1 | |
| 1790-12-17 | 36 | 64 | ||
| Latest voting share | 56.25% | 43.75% | ||
Leadership
Senate
- President: John Adams (Pro-Administration)
- President pro tempore: John Langdon (Pro-Administration)
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Frederick Muhlenberg (Pro-Administration)
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
- See also: 1st United States Congress - political parties
- See also: 1st United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 1789
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.
- See also: Category:United States Senators
- See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
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North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Virginia
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House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "At-large," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
- See also: Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives
- See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state
ConnecticutAll representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
Delaware
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts
New HampshireAll representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
New JerseyAll representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
New York
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North Carolina
PennsylvaniaAll representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Virginia
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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. [2]
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
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 (Pro-Adm.) | Elected July 16, 1789 |
| North Carolina (class 3) | North Carolina ratified the constitution on November 21, 1789. | Benjamin Hawkins (Pro-Adm.) | Elected November 27, 1789 | |
| North Carolina (class 2) | Samuel Johnston (Pro-Adm.) | |||
| Virginia (class 1) |
William Grayson (Anti-Adm.) | Died March 12, 1790. | John Walker (Pro-Adm.) | Appointed March 31, 1790 |
| Rhode Island (class 1) | New seats | Rhode Island ratified the constitution on May 29, 1790. | Theodore Foster (Pro-Adm.) | Elected June 7, 1790 |
| Rhode Island (class 2) | Joseph Stanton, Jr. (Anti-Adm.) | |||
| Virginia (class 1) |
John Walker (Pro-Adm.) | James Monroe was elected to the seat of Senator William Grayson. | James Monroe (Anti-Adm.) | Elected November 9, 1790 |
| New Jersey (class 2) | William Paterson (Pro-Adm.) | Resigned November 13, 1790, having been elected Governor of New Jersey. |
Philemon Dickinson (Pro-Adm.) | Elected November 13, 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 seat | North Carolina ratified the constitution on November 21, 1789. | John Baptista Ashe (Anti-Adm.) | March 24, 1790 |
| North Carolina 2nd | Hugh Williamson (Anti-Adm.) | March 19, 1790 | ||
| North Carolina 3rd | Timothy Bloodworth (Anti-Adm.) | April 6, 1790 | ||
| North Carolina 4th | John Steele (Pro-Adm.) | April 19, 1790 | ||
| North Carolina 5th | John Sevier (Pro-Adm.) | June 16, 1790 | ||
| Rhode Island At-large | New seat | Rhode Island ratified the constitution on May 29, 1790. | Benjamin Bourne (Pro-Adm.) | December 17, 1790 |
| Virginia 9th |
Theodorick Bland (Anti-Adm.) | Died June 1, 1790. | William B. Giles (Anti-Adm.) | December 7, 1790 |
| Massachusetts 5th | George Partridge (Pro-Adm.) | Resigned August 14, 1790. | Remained vacant until next Congress | |
Officers
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
Notes
References
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
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 U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives. House History
- U.S. Senate. Statistics and Lists
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