6th United States Congress
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The Sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1799 to March 4, 1801, during the last two years of John Adams's presidency. It was the last Congress of the 18th century and the first to convene in the 19th. The apportionment of seats in House of Representatives was based on the First Census of the United States in 1790. Both chambers had a Federalist majority. This was the last Congress in which the Federalist Party controlled the presidency or either chamber of Congress.
Major events
- December 14, 1799 — Former President George Washington died
- February 24, 1800 — Library of Congress founded
- November 17, 1800 — Congress held its first session in Washington, D.C.
- January 20, 1801 — John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the United States
- February 19, 1801 — United States presidential election, 1800: John Adams became the first U.S. President to lose his bid for re-election. An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr was resolved when Jefferson was elected President and Burr Vice President by the House of Representatives. The Democratic-Republican Party also won control of both houses of Congress.
- February 27, 1801 — Washington, D.C. was placed under the jurisdiction of Congress
Major legislation
- February 13, 1801 — Judiciary Act of 1801, Sess. 2, ch. 4, 2 Stat. 89
- February 27, 1801 — District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Sess.2, ch. 15, 2 Stat. 103
States admitted and territories organized
- July 4, 1800 — Indiana Territory created from a portion of the Northwest Territory
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
Senate
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 9 | 22 | 31 | 1 |
| Begin | 9 | 22 | 31 | 1 |
| End | 11 | 21 | 32 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 34.4% | 65.6% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 15 | 17 | 32 | 0 |
House of Representatives
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 50 | 56 | 106 | 0 |
| Begin | 46 | 60 | 106 | 0 |
| End | 49 | 56 | 105 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 46.7% | 53.3% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 72 | 33 | 105 | 1 |
Leadership
Senate
- President: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
- President pro tempore: Samuel Livermore (F), elected December 2, 1799
- Uriah Tracy (F), elected May 14, 1800
- John E. Howard, (F), elected November 21, 1800
- James Hillhouse, (F), elected February 28, 1801
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Theodore Sedgwick (F)
Samuel Livermore
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, Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1802; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1804; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1800.
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
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New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
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.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress
Senate
There were 7 resignations and 1 vacancy at the beginning of Congress. The Federalists had a 1 seat net loss and the Democratic-Republicans had a 2 seat net gain.
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia (2) |
Vacant | Henry Tazewell (DR) died before the beginning of this Congress | Wilson C. Nicholas (DR) | Elected December 5, 1799 |
| New Jersey (1) |
James Schureman (F) | Resigned February 16, 1800 | Aaron Ogden (F) | Elected February 28, 1800 |
| Delaware (1) |
Henry Latimer (F) | Resigned February 28, 1800 | Samuel White (F) | Appointed February 28, 1800 |
| New York (1) |
James Watson (F) | Resigned March 19, 1800 | Gouverneur Morris (F) | Elected April 3, 1800 |
| Massachusetts (2) |
Samuel Dexter (F) | Resigned May 30, 1800 | Dwight Foster (F) | Elected June 6, 1800 |
| New York (3) |
John Laurance (F) | Resigned sometime in August, 1800 | John Armstrong (DR) | Elected November 6, 1800 |
| Massachusetts (1) |
Benjamin Goodhue (F) | Resigned November 8, 1800 | Jonathan Mason (F) | Elected November 14, 1800 |
| Maryland (3) |
James Lloyd (F) | Resigned December 1, 1800 | William Hindman (F) | Elected December 12, 1800 |
House of Representatives
There were 6 resignations and 3 deaths. The Federalists had a 4 seat net loss and the Democratic-Republicans had a 3 seat net gain.
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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New York 1st |
Jonathan Havens (DR) | Died October 25, 1799 | John Smith (DR) | February 27, 1800 |
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Northwest Territory At-large |
William Henry Harrison | Resigned May 14, 1800 to become Territorial Governor of Indiana | William McMillan | November 24, 1800 |
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Connecticut At-large |
Jonathan Brace (F) | Resigned sometime in 1800 | John Cotton Smith (F) | November 17, 1800 |
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Massachusetts 10th |
Samuel Sewall (F) | Resigned January 10, 1800 to become a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Nathan Read (F) | November 25, 1800 |
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Massachusetts 4th |
Dwight Foster (F) | Resigned June 6, 1800, having been elected U.S. Senator | Levi Lincoln (DR) | December 15, 1800 |
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Virginia 13th |
John Marshall (F) | Resigned June 7, 1800 to become Secretary of State | Littleton W. Tazewell (DR) | November 26, 1800 |
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New Hampshire At-large |
William Gordon (F) | Resigned June 12, 1800, to become New Hampshire Attorney General | Samuel Tenney (F) | December 8, 1800 |
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Massachusetts 3rd |
Samuel Lyman (F) | Resigned November 6, 1800 | Ebenezer Mattoon (F) | February 2, 1801 |
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Pennsylvania 8th |
Thomas Hartley (F) | Died December 21, 1800 | John Stewart (DR) | February 3, 1801 |
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Georgia At-large |
James Jones (F) | Died January 11, 1801 | Vacant until next Congress | |
Administrative officers
Senate
- Chaplain: William White, Episcopalian, elected December 9, 1790
- Thomas J. Claggett, Episcopalian, elected November 27, 1800
- Doorkeeper: James Mathers
- Secretary: Samuel Otis
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Ashbel Green, Presbyterian, elected December 2, 1799
- Thomas Lyell, Methodist, elected November 17, 1800
- Clerk: Jonathan W. Condy of Pennsylvania, elected December 2, 1799, resigned December 4, 1800
- John H. Oswald of Pennsylvania, elected December 9, 1800
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton, elected December 2, 1799
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island, elected December 2, 1799
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
- 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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