| 2nd United States Congress | |||
Congress Hall (2007) |
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| Duration: March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793 | |||
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| Senate President: | John Adams | ||
| Senate Pres. pro tem: | Richard Henry Lee John Langdon |
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| House Speaker: | Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. | ||
| Members: | 30–34 (four additions)(with one vacancy) Senators 69–73 (four additions)(with 1-3 vacancies) Representatives |
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| Senate Majority: | Pro-Administration, then Anti-Administration |
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| House Majority: | Pro-Administration | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| Special: March 4, 1791 – March 4, 1791 1st: October 24, 1791 – May 8, 1792 2nd: November 5, 1792 – March 2, 1793 (lame duck) |
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The 2nd United States Congress, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from March 4, 1791 to March 3, 1793, during the third and fourth years of George Washington's Presidency. 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, except that during the third/last session, the Senate had an Anti-Administration majority.
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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.
During this congress, two new Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Vermont and Kentucky.
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti- Administration (A) |
Pro- Administration (P) |
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| End of the previous congress | 8 | 18 | 26 | 0 |
| Begin | 8 | 17 | 25 | 1 |
| End | 12 | 29 | ||
| Final voting share | 41.4% | 58.6% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 13 | 16 | 29 | 1 |
During this congress, two new House seats were added for each of the new states of Vermont and Kentucky. (Sess. 3, ch. 9, 1 Stat. 191)
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti- Administration (A) |
Pro- Administration (P) |
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| End of the previous congress | 28 | 36 | 64 | 1 |
| Begin | 29 | 39 | 68 | 1 |
| End | 32 | 40 | 72 | |
| Final voting share | 44.4% | 55.6% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 55 | 50 | 105 | 0 |
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
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, Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1796; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1794.
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their districtss.
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]
Vermont and Kentucky were newly admitted as states and are first represented in this Congress.
There were 3 resignations, 1 contested election, and 4 new seats of admitted states, resulting in a 4 seat net gain of the Anti-Administration Senators.
| State (class) |
Former senator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's installation |
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| Pennsylvania (1) |
Vacant | Credentials of Albert Gallatin were presented February 28, 1793, but not approved until the next Congress | Vacant | Not filled this congress |
| Connecticut (3) |
William S. Johnson (P) | Resigned March 4, 1791 | Roger Sherman (P) | Elected June 13, 1791 |
| Vermont (1) |
New seat | Vermont was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791 | Stephen R. Bradley (A) | Elected November 4, 1791 |
| Vermont (3) |
Moses Robinson (A) | Elected November 4, 1791 | ||
| Kentucky (2) |
New seat | Kentucky was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792. | John Edwards (A) | Elected June 18, 1792 |
| Kentucky (2) |
John Brown (A) | Elected June 18, 1792 | ||
| Virginia (2) |
Richard Henry Lee (A) | Resigned October 8, 1792 | John Taylor (A) | Elected October 18, 1792 |
| Maryland (1) |
Charles Carroll (P) | Resigned November 30, 1792 | Richard Potts (P) | Elected January 10, 1793 |
There were 3 resignations, 1 vacancy of a member-elect, 1 contested election, and 4 new seats of admitted states, resulting in a 3 seat net gain of the Anti-Administration members and a 1 seat net gain of the Pro-Administration members.
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's installation |
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| New York 1st | Vacant | Representative-elect James Townsend died on May 24, 1790, before Congress assembled. | Thomas Tredwell (A) | October 24, 1791 |
| Vermont 1st | New seat | Vermont was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791. | Israel Smith (A) | October 24, 1791 |
| Vermont 2nd | Nathaniel Niles (A) | October 24, 1791 | ||
| Maryland 3rd | William Pinkney (A) | Resigned November, 1791 | John Francis Mercer (A) | February 6, 1792 |
| Virginia 2nd | John Brown (A) | Resigned June 1, 1792, to become U.S. Senator from Kentucky. | Vacant | Seat went with Kentucky |
| Kentucky 2nd | New seat | Kentucky was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792. | Alexander D. Orr (A) | November 8, 1792 |
| Kentucky 1st | Christopher Greenup (A) | November 9, 1792 | ||
| Georgia 1st | Anthony Wayne (A) | Anthony Wayne served until March 21, 1792, when seat declared vacant because the election was contested | John Milledge (A) | November 22, 1792 |
| Maryland 2nd | Joshua Seney (A) | Resigned December 6, 1792. | William Hindman (P) | January 30, 1793 |
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