This is a list of members of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 7th United States Congress by seniority. For the most part, representatives are ranked by the beginning of their terms in office.
As an historical article, the districts and party affiliations listed reflect those during the 7th Congress (March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803). Seats and party affiliations on similar lists for other Congresses will be different for certain members.
This article describes the criteria for seniority in the House of Representatives and sets out the list of members by seniority. It is prepared on the basis of the interpretation of seniority applied to the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress. In the absence of information to the contrary, it is presumed that the twenty-first century practice is identical to the seniority customs used during the 7th Congress.[1]
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Seniority in the House, for Congressmen with unbroken service, depends on the date on which the members first term began. That date is either the start of the Congress (4th March in odd numbered years, for the era up to and including the 73rd Congress starting in 1933) or the date of a special election during the Congress. Since many members start serving on the same day as others, ranking between them is based on alphabetical order by the last name of the congressman.
Congressmen, in early Congresses, were often elected after the legal start of the Congress. Such representatives are attributed with unbroken seniority, from the legal start of the congressional term, if they were the first person elected to a seat in a Congress. The date of the election is indicated in a note.
The seniority date is normally taken from the members entry in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, except where the date given is the legal start of the Congress and the actual election (for someone who was not the first person elected to the seat in that Congress) was later. The date of election is taken from United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997. In a few instances the latter work provides dates, for the start and end of terms, which correct those in the Biographical Directory.
The Biographical Directory normally uses the date of a special election, as the seniority date. However, mostly in early Congresses, the date of the member taking his seat can be the one given. The date of the special election is mentioned in a note to the list below, when that date is not used as the seniority date by the Biographical Directory.
Representatives who returned to the House, after having previously served, are credited with service equal to one less than the total number of terms they served. When a representative has served a prior term of less than two terms (i.e., prior term minus one equals less than one), he is ranked above all others whose service begins on the same day.
In this Congress the only formal leader was the Speaker of the House. A Speakership ballot was held on December 7, 1801 and Nathaniel Macon (DR-NC) was elected. [2]
The House created its first standing committee, on April 13, 1789. There were four standing committees, listed in the rules initially used by the 7th Congress. In addition there was a Ways and Means Committee. The Ways and Means Committee was not formally added to the main list of standing committees, until the rules were revised on January 7, 1802. The modern Ways and Means Committee dates its foundation as a standing committee to 1802, but considers the pre-1802 panel to be its forerunner.
Committees, in this period, were appointed for a session at a time and not necessarily for every one in a Congress. The Speaker appointed the members.
This list refers to the standing committees of the House in the 7th Congress, the year of establishment as a standing committee, the number of members assigned to the committee and the dates of appointment in each session, the end of the session and its chairman. Chairmen, who were re-appointed after serving in the previous Congress, are indicated by an *. [3]
The first session was December 7, 1801 – May 3, 1802 (148 days) and the second session was December 6, 1802 – March 3, 1803 (88 days).
No. | Committee | From | Mbrs | Appointed | Chairman |
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01 | Claims | 1794 | 7 | December 8, 1801 – May 3, 1802 | John C. Smith (F-CT) |
December 8, 1802 – March 3, 1803 | |||||
02 | Commerce and Manufactures | 1795 | 7 | December 8, 1801 – May 3, 1802 | *Samuel Smith (DR-MD) |
December 8, 1802 – March 3, 1803 | |||||
03 | Elections | 1789 | 7 | December 8, 1801 – May 3, 1802 | John Milledge (DR-GA) |
December 8, 1802 – March 3, 1803 | John Bacon (DR-MA) | ||||
04 | Revisal and Unfinished Business | 1795 | 3 | December 8, 1801 – May 3, 1802 | John Davenport (F-CT) |
December 8, 1802 – March 3, 1803 | |||||
05 | Ways and Means | [1794] 1802 | 9 | December 8, 1801 – May 3, 1802 | John Randolph (DR-VA) |
7 | December 14, 1802 – March 3, 1803 |
A numerical rank is assigned to each of the 106 members initially elected to the 7th Congress. Other members, who were not the first person elected to a seat but who joined the House during the Congress, are not assigned a number.
Twelve Representatives-elect were not sworn in, as one died and eleven resigned. The list below includes the Representatives-elect (with name in italics), with the seniority they would have held if they had been sworn in.
Party designations used in this article are DR for Democratic-Republican members and F for Federalist representatives. Designations used for service in the first three congresses are (A) for Anti-Administration members and (P) for Pro-Administration representatives.
Rank | Representative | Party | District | Seniority date | Notes |
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Seven consecutive terms | |||||
001 | George Thatcher | F | MA-14 | March 4, 1789 | (P) 1789-95. Resigned as Representative-elect. [4] |
Six consecutive terms | |||||
002 | Andrew Gregg | DR | PA-9 | March 4, 1791 | (A) 1791-95 |
003 | William B. Grove | F | NC-7 | (P) 1791-95. Last term. | |
004 | Nathaniel Macon | DR | NC-5 | (A) 1791-95. Speaker of the House. | |
Six non-consecutive terms | |||||
005 | William B. Giles | DR | VA-9 | March 4, 1801 | Previosly served (A) December 7, 1790-95 and (DR) 1795- October 2, 1798. Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. Last term. |
Five consecutive terms | |||||
006 | Anthony New | DR | VA-16 | March 4, 1793 | (A) 1793-95. Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. |
007 | Samuel Smith | DR | MD-5 | (A) 1793-95. Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801. Chairman: Commerce and Manufactures. Last term until 14th Congress. |
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008 | Philip Van Cortlandt | DR | NY-3 | (A) 1793-95 | |
009 | Peleg Wadsworth | F | MA-13 | (P) 1793-95 | |
Five non-consecutive terms | |||||
010 | Thomas Sumter | DR | SC-4 | March 4, 1797 | Previously served (A) 1789-93. Resigned, to become US Senator: December 15, 1801. |
011 | Abiel Foster | F | NH-al | March 4, 1795 | Previously served (P) June 22, 1789-91. Last term. |
012 | Daniel Hiester | DR | MD-4 | March 4, 1801 | Previously served (PA-A) 1789-95 and (PA-DR) 1795-July 1, 1796. Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801. |
Four consecutive terms | |||||
013 | Samuel J. Cabell | DR | VA-14 | March 4, 1795 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. Last term. |
014 | Albert Gallatin | DR | PA-12 | Resigned as Representative-elect, to become Secretary of the Treasury [5] |
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015 | Roger Griswold | F | CT-al | ||
016 | Joseph B. Varnum | DR | MA-9 | ||
017 | Samuel W. Dana | F | CT-al | January 3, 1797 | |
Four non-consecutive terms | |||||
018 | Thomas Claiborne | DR | VA-8 | March 4, 1801 | Previously served (A) 1793-95 and (DR) 1795-99. Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. |
019 | Peter Muhlenberg | DR | PA-4 | March 4, 1799 | Previously served (A) 1789-91 and 1793-95. Resigned, as Representative-elect, to become a US Senator. [6] |
020 | Israel Smith | DR | VT-1 | March 4, 1801 | Previously served (A) October 17, 1791-95 and (DR) 1795-97. Last term. |
Three consecutive terms | |||||
021 | James A. Bayard | F | DE-al | March 4, 1797 | Last term (elected to 9th Congress but did not serve) |
022 | Matthew Clay | DR | VA-6 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
023 | Thomas T. Davis | DR | KY-1 | Elected to this Congress: August 3, 1801. Last term. | |
024 | John Dawson | DR | VA-15 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
025 | John Dennis | F | MD-8 | Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801 | |
026 | Lucas C. Elmendorf | DR | NY-4 | Last term | |
027 | John Fowler | DR | KY-2 | Elected to this Congress: August 3, 1801 | |
028 | John A. Hanna | DR | PA-6 | ||
029 | David Holmes | DR | VA-2 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
030 | John Rutledge, Jr. | F | SC-2 | Last term | |
031 | William Shepard | F | MA-2 | ||
032 | Richard Stanford | DR | NC-4 | ||
033 | Abram Trigg | DR | VA-4 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
034 | John J. Trigg | DR | VA-5 | ||
035 | Robert Williams | DR | NC-3 | Last term | |
036 | Lewis R. Morris | F | VT-2 | May 22, 1797 | |
037 | William Edmond | F | CT-al | November 13, 1797 | Resigned as Representative-elect: c. August 1801 [7] |
038 | William Claiborne | DR | TN-al | November 23, 1797 | Elected to this Congress: August 3-4, 1801. Resigned as Representative-elect: September 22, 1801. [8] |
039 | Joseph Hiester | DR | PA-5 | December 1, 1798 | |
040 | Robert Brown | DR | PA-4 | December 4, 1798 | |
Three non-consecutive terms | |||||
041 | Richard Brent | DR | VA-17 | March 4, 1801 | Previously (DR) 1795-99. Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. Last term. |
042 | John Clopton | DR | VA-13 | Previously served (DR) 1795-99. Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. |
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043 | George Jackson | DR | VA-3 | March 4, 1799 | Previously served (DR) 1795-97. Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. Last term. |
044 | John Smilie | DR | PA-11 | Previously served (A) 1793-95 | |
045 | Richard Sprigg, Jr. | DR | MD-2 | March 4, 1801 | Previously served (DR) May 5, 1796-99. Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801. Resigned February 11, 1802. |
Two consecutive terms | |||||
046 | Willis Alston | DR | NC-9 | March 4, 1799 | |
047 | John Bird | F | NY-6 | Resigned as Representative-elect: July 25, 1801 [9] | |
048 | Phanuel Bishop | DR | MA-7 | ||
049 | John Condit | DR | NJ-al | Last term until 16th Congress | |
050 | John Davenport | F | CT-al | Chairman: Revisal and Unfinished Business | |
051 | Edwin Gray | DR | VA-10 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
052 | Archibald Henderson | F | NC-2 | Last term | |
053 | William H. Hill | F | NC-6 | ||
054 | Benjamin Huger | F | SC-3 | ||
055 | James Jones | F | GA-al | Died as Representative-elect: January 11, 1801 [10] | |
056 | Silas Lee | F | MA-12 | Resigned as Representative-elect: August 20, 1801 [11] | |
057 | Michael Leib | DR | PA-2 | ||
058 | Joseph H. Nicholson | DR | MD-7 | Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801 | |
059 | John Randolph | DR | VA-7 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. Chairman: Ways and Means. | |
060 | David Stone | DR | NC-8 | Resigned, as Representative-elect, to become a US Senator [12] | |
061 | Benjamin Taliaferro | DR | GA-al | (F) 1799-1801. Resigned February 1802. | |
062 | Lemuel Williams | F | MA-5 | ||
063 | Henry Woods | F | PA-10 | Last term | |
064 | Elizur Goodrich | F | CT-al | September 16, 1799 | Special election. Resigned as Repreentative-elect: March 3, 1801. [13] |
065 | John Smith | DR | NY-1 | February 6, 1800 | |
066 | Nathan Read | F | MA-10 | November 25, 1800 | Last term |
067 | John C. Smith | F | CT-al | November 17, 1800 | Chairman: Claims |
068 | Samuel Tenney | F | NH-al | November 18, 1800 | |
069 | Levi Lincoln | DR | MA-4 | December 15, 1800 | Resigned, as Representative-elect, to become Attorney General: March 5, 1801 [14] |
070 | John Stewart | DR | PA-8 | January 15, 1801 | |
071 | Ebenezer Mattoon | F | MA-3 | February 2, 1801 | Last term |
Two non-consecutive terms | |||||
072 | James Holland | DR | NC-1 | March 4, 1801 | Previously served (DR) 1795-97 |
073 | Thomas Tillinghast | DR | RI-al | Previously served (F) November 13, 1797-99. Last term. | |
One term | |||||
074 | John Archer | DR | MD-6 | March 4, 1801 | Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801 |
075 | John Bacon | DR | MA-1 | Elected to this Congress: March 9, 1801. Chairman: Elections (1802–03). Only term. |
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076 | Thomas Boude | F | PA-7 | Only term | |
077 | William Butler | DR | SC-5 | ||
078 | John Campbell | F | MD-1 | Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801 | |
079 | Manasseh Cutler | F | MA-11 | ||
080 | Ebenezer Elmer | DR | NJ-al | ||
081 | William Eustis | DR | MA-8 | ||
082 | William Helms | DR | NJ-al | ||
083 | Joseph Hemphill | F | PA-3 | Only term until 16th Congress | |
084 | William Jones | DR | PA-1 | Only term | |
085 | Thomas Lowndes | F | SC-1 | ||
086 | Samuel L. Mitchill | DR | NY-2 | ||
087 | Thomas Moore | DR | SC-6 | ||
088 | Thomas Morris | F | NY-10 | Only term | |
089 | James Mott | DR | NJ-al | ||
090 | Thomas Newton, Jr. | DR | VA-11 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
091 | Joseph Peirce | F | NH-al | Resigned 1802 | |
092 | Elias Perkins | F | CT-al | Only term | |
093 | Thomas Plater | F | MD-3 | Elected to this Congress: April 6, 1801 | |
094 | John Smith | DR | VA-1 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
095 | Josiah Smith | DR | MA-6 | Elected to this Congress: March 9, 1801. Only term. | |
096 | Henry Southard | DR | NJ-al | ||
097 | John Stanly | F | NC-10 | Only term until 11th Congress | |
098 | Joseph Stanton, Jr. | DR | RI-al | Elected to this Congress: April 15, 1801 | |
099 | John Stratton | F | VA-12 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. Only term. | |
100 | John Taliaferro | DR | VA-1 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801. Only term until 12th Congress. | |
101 | David Thomas | DR | NY-7 | ||
102 | Thomas Tillotson | DR | NY-7 | Resigned as Representative-elect: August 10, 1801 [15] | |
103 | Philip R. Thompson | DR | VA-18 | Elected to this Congress: April 22, 1801 | |
104 | George B. Upham | F | NH-al | ||
105 | Killian K. Van Rensselaer | F | NY-8 | ||
106 | Benjamin Walker | F | NY-9 | Only term | |
Members joining the House, after the start of the Congress | |||||
... | John Milledge | DR | GA-al | March 23, 1801 | Previously served (A) November 22, 1792-93 and (DR) 1795-99. Special election. Chairman: Elections (1801–02). Resigned to become Governor: November 9, 1802. |
... | Calvin Goddard | F | CT-al | May 18, 1801 | Special election: April 9, 1801 |
... | Richard Cutts | DR | MA-14 | June 22, 1801 | Special election |
... | Charles Johnson | DR | NC-8 | August 7, 1801 | Special election: August 6-7, 1801. Died July 23, 1802. |
... | Seth Hastings | F | MA-14 | August 24, 1801 | Special election. Seated January 11, 1802. |
... | Benjamin Tallmadge | F | CT-al | September 21, 1801 | Special election |
... | Theodorus Bailey | DR | NY-5 | October 6, 1801 | Previouly served (A) 1793-95 and (DR) 1795-97 and 1799-1801. Special election: October 6-8, 1801. Last term. |
... | John P. Van Ness | DR | NY-6 | Special election: October 6-8, 1801. Seated December 7, 1801. Seat declared forfeited: January 17, 1803. |
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... | William Hoge | DR | PA-12 | October 13, 1801 | Special election |
... | Isaac Van Horne | DR | PA-4 | ||
... | William Dickson | DR | TN-al | October 30, 1801 | Special election: October 29-30, 1801 |
... | Walter Bowie | DR | MD-2 | March 24, 1802 | Special election: March 2, 1802 |
... | Samuel Hunt | F | NH-al | December 6, 1802 | Special election: August 30, 1802 |
... | David Meriwether | DR | GA-al | Special election: April 5, 1802 | |
... | Samuel Thatcher | F | MA-12 | Special election: July 29, 1802 | |
... | Thomas Wynns | DR | NC-8 | December 7, 1802 | Special election: October 15, 1802 |
... | Peter Early | DR | GA-al | January 10, 1803 | Special election: December 15, 1802 |
... | Richard Winn | DR | SC-4 | January 24, 1803 | Previouly served (A) 1793-95 and (DR) 1795-97. Special election: April 12-14, 1802. |
Non voting members | |||||
a | Paul Fearing | F | OH-al | March 4, 1801 | Delegate for Northwest Territory (future OH). Term ended on OH admission. |
b | Narsworthy Hunter | - | MS-al | Delegate for Mississippi Territory. Died March 11, 1802. | |
c | Thomas M. Greene, Jr. | DR | MS-al | December 6, 1802 | Delegate for Mississippi Territory. Special election. Only term. |
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