1789–91 meeting of the U.S. Congress
The1st United States Congress , comprising theUnited States Senate and theUnited States House of Representatives , met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years ofGeorge Washington's presidency , first atFederal Hall in New York City and later atCongress Hall inPhiladelphia . With the initial meeting of the First Congress, theUnited States federal government officially began operations under the new (and current) frame of government established by the 1787Constitution . The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the provisions ofArticle I, Section 2, Clause 3 , of the Constitution. Both chambers had aPro-Administration majority. Twelve articles of amendment to the Constitution were passed by this Congress and sent to the states forratification ; the ten ratified as additions to the Constitution on December 15, 1791, are collectively known as theBill of Rights , with an additional amendment ratified more than two centuries later to become theTwenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution .
Congress Hall inPhiladelphia , meeting place of this Congress's third session.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 6, 1789: The House and Senate, meeting in joint session, counted theElectoral College ballots, then certified that George Washington was unanimously electedPresident of the United States andJohn Adams (having received 34 of 69 votes) was elected asVice President .[ 1] April 21, 1789:John Adams was inaugurated as the nation's first vice president.[ 2] [ 3] April 30, 1789:George Washington wasinaugurated as the nation's first president atFederal Hall in New York City. January 8, 1790: President Washington gave the firstState of the Union Address June 20, 1790:Compromise of 1790 :James Madison agreed to not be "strenuous" in opposition to the assumption of state debts by the federal government;Alexander Hamilton agreed to support a national capital site in the South. English
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Statue ofGeorge Washington in front ofFederal Hall , where he was first inaugurated as president. Held March 4, 1789, through September 29, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City
June 1, 1789:An act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths ,ch. 1 , 1 Stat. 23 July 4, 1789:Tariff of 1789 ,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 . July 31, 1789: Regulation of the Collection of Duties on Tonnage and Merchandise,ch.5 , 1 Stat. 29 , which established theUnited States Customs Service and itsports of entry . 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 , 1 Stat. 73 , which established thefederal judiciary and the office ofAttorney General Held January 4, 1790, through August 12, 1790, at Federal Hall in New York City
March 1, 1790: Made provisions for thefirst 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 April 30, 1790:Crimes Act of 1790 ,ch. 9 , 1 Stat. 112 May 31, 1790:Copyright Act of 1790 ,ch. 15 , 1 Stat. 124 July 16, 1790:Residence Act ,ch. 28 , 1 Stat. 130 , established Washington, D.C., as theseat of government of the United States. July 22, 1790:Indian Intercourse Act of 1790 ,ch. 33 , 1 Stat. 137 , regulated commerce with theIndian tribes. August 4, 1790:Funding Act of 1790 ,ch. 34 , 1 Stat. 138 , authorized the "full assumption" of state debts by the federal government. August 4, 1790: Collection of Duties Act,ch.35 , 1 Stat. 145 , among its provisions is Sec. 62, 1 Stat. 175 , authorizing establishment of theRevenue-Marine , since 1915 theUnited States Coast Guard . August 10, 1790:Tariff of 1790 ,ch. 39 , 1 Stat. 180 Held December 6, 1790, through March 3, 1791, at Congress Hall in Philadelphia
February 18, 1791: Admission ofVermont postdated to March 4,ch. 10 , 1 Stat. 191 February 25, 1791:First Bank of the United States ,ch. 10 , 1 Stat. 191 March 3, 1791:Tariff of 1791 ,ch. 15 , 1 Stat. 199 , which triggered theWhiskey Rebellion Constitutional amendments [ edit ] States ratifying Constitution [ edit ] November 21, 1789:North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and thereby re-joined the Union. May 29, 1790:Rhode Island became the 13th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and thereby re-joined the Union. Territories organized [ edit ] 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.[ 4]
Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership " section.
During this congress, two Senate seats were added for North Carolina and Rhode Island when each ratified the Constitution.
Faction(shading indicates faction control)
Total Anti-Administration Pro-Administration Vacant Begin 7 13 20 2 July 25, 1789[ a] 14 21 1 July 27, 1789[ a] 15 22 0 November 27, 1789[ b] 17 24 March 12, 1790[ c] 6 23 1 March 31, 1790[ d] 18 24 0 June 7, 1790[ e] 7 19 26 November 9, 1790[ f] 8 18 November 13, 1790[ g] 17 25 1 November 23, 1790[ h] 18 26 0 Final voting share 30.8% 69.2% Beginning of thenext Congress 8 17 25 1
House of Representatives [ edit ] During this congress, five House seats were added for North Carolina and one House seat was added for Rhode Island when they ratified the Constitution.
Faction(shading indicates faction control)
Total Anti-Administration Pro-Administration Vacant Begin 23 31 54 5 April 13, 1789[ i] 32 55 4 April 22, 1789[ j] 33 56 3 April 23, 1789[ k] 24 57 2 May 9, 1789[ l] 25 58 1 June 23, 1789[ m] 34 59 0 March 19, 1790[ n] 26 60 March 24, 1790[ n] 27 61 April 6, 1790[ n] 28 62 April 19, 1790[ n] 35 63 June 1, 1790[ o] 27 62 1 June 16, 1790[ n] 36 63 August 14, 1790[ p] 35 62 2 December 7, 1790[ q] 28 63 1 December 17, 1790[ r] 36 64 Final voting share 43.7% 56.3% Beginning of thenext Congress 25 37 62 3
House of Representatives [ edit ] This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
Skip to House of Representatives , belowSenators 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 areSenate 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 re-election in 1790; Class 2 meant their term ended with the next Congress, requiring re-election in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term lasted through the next two Congresses, requiring re-election in 1794.
▌ 1.Oliver Ellsworth (P)▌ 3.William Samuel Johnson (P)▌ 1.George Read (P)▌ 2.Richard Bassett (A)▌ 2.William Few (A)▌ 3.James Gunn (A)▌ 1.Charles Carroll of Carrollton (P)▌ 3.John Henry (P)▌ 1.Tristram Dalton (P)▌ 2.Caleb Strong (P)▌ 2.Paine Wingate (A)▌ 3.John Langdon (P)▌ 1.Jonathan Elmer (P)▌ 2.William Paterson (P), until November 13, 1790▌ Philemon Dickinson (P), from December 6, 1790▌ 1.Philip Schuyler (P), from July 27, 1789▌ 3.Rufus King (P), from July 25, 1789▌ 2.Samuel Johnston (P), from November 27, 1789▌ 3.Benjamin Hawkins (P), from November 27, 1789▌ 1.William Maclay (A)▌ 3.Robert Morris (P)▌ 1.Theodore Foster (P), from June 25, 1790▌ 2.Joseph Stanton Jr. (A), from June 25, 1790▌ 2.Pierce Butler (P)▌ 3.Ralph Izard (P)▌ 1.William Grayson (A), until March 12, 1790▌ John Walker (P), March 31, 1790 – November 9, 1790▌ James Monroe (A), from November 9, 1790▌ 2.Richard Henry Lee (A)Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 1st Congress in March 1789. 2 Anti-Administration
1 Anti-Administration and 1 Pro-Administration
2 Pro-Administration
Senate PresidentJohn Adams Senate President pro temporeJohn Langdon
House of Representatives [ edit ] The names of representatives are listed by their districts.
All representatives were elected statewide on ageneral 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)▌ At-large John Vining (P)▌ 1 James Jackson (A)▌ 2 Abraham Baldwin (A)▌ 3 George Mathews (A)▌ 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)▌ 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)All representatives were elected statewide on ageneral ticket .
▌ At-large Abiel Foster (P), from June 23, 1789▌ At-large Nicholas Gilman (P)▌ At-large Samuel Livermore (A)All representatives were elected statewide on ageneral ticket .
▌ At-large Elias Boudinot (P)▌ At-large Lambert Cadwalader (P)▌ At-large James Schureman (P)▌ At-large Thomas Sinnickson (P)▌ 1 William Floyd (A)▌ 2 John Laurance (P)▌ 3 Egbert Benson (P)▌ 4 John Hathorn (A), from April 23, 1789▌ 5 Peter Silvester (P), from April 22, 1789▌ 6 Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (A), from May 9, 1789▌ 1 John Baptista Ashe (A), from March 24, 1790▌ 2 Hugh Williamson (A), from March 19, 1790▌ 3 Timothy Bloodworth (A), from April 6, 1790▌ 4 John Steele (P), from April 19, 1790▌ 5 John Sevier (P), from June 16, 1790All representatives were elected statewide on ageneral 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)▌ At-large Benjamin Bourne (P), from December 17, 1790▌ 1 William L. Smith (P), from April 13, 1789▌ 2 Aedanus Burke (A)▌ 3 Daniel Huger (P)▌ 4 Thomas Sumter (A)▌ 5 Thomas Tudor Tucker (A)▌ 1 Alexander White (P)▌ 2 John Brown (A)▌ 3 Andrew Moore (A)▌ 4 Richard Bland Lee (P)▌ 5 James Madison (P)▌ 6 Isaac Coles (A)▌ 7 John Page (A)▌ 8 Josiah Parker (A)▌ 9 Theodorick Bland (A), until June 1, 1790▌ William B. Giles (A), from December 7, 1790▌ 10 Samuel Griffin (P)Speaker of the HouseFrederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania
Changes in membership [ edit ] 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.[ 4]
New York ,North Carolina , andRhode Island were the last states to ratify theU.S. Constitution and, due to their late ratification, were unable to send full representation at the beginning of this Congress. SixSenators and nineRepresentatives were subsequently seated from these states during the sessions as noted.
There was 1 resignation, 1 death, 1 replacement of a temporary appointee, and 6 new seats. The Anti-Administration Senators picked up 1 new seat and the Pro-Administration Senators picked up 5 new seats.
Senate changes State Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's formal installation[ s] New York (3)New seats State legislature failed to choose senator until after Congress began. Rufus King (P)July 25, 1789 New York (1)Philip John Schuyler (P)July 27, 1789 North Carolina (3)North Carolina ratified the constitution on November 21, 1789. Benjamin Hawkins (P)Elected November 27, 1789 North Carolina (2)Samuel Johnston (P)Virginia William Grayson (A)Died March 12, 1790. John Walker (P)Appointed March 31, 1790 Rhode Island (1)New seats Rhode Island ratified the constitution on May 29, 1790. Theodore Foster (P)Elected June 7, 1790 Rhode Island (2)Joseph Stanton Jr. (A)Virginia John Walker (P)James Monroe was elected to the seat of SenatorWilliam Grayson .James Monroe (A)Elected November 9, 1790 New Jersey (2)William Paterson (P)Resigned November 13, 1790,Governor of New Jersey . Philemon Dickinson (P)Elected November 23, 1790
House of Representatives [ edit ] There was 2 resignations, 1 death, and 6 new seats. Anti-Administration members picked up 3 seats and Pro-Administration members picked up 2 seats.
House changes District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's formal installation[ s] New Hampshire at-large Benjamin West (P)Member-elect declined to serve and a new member was elected in thefirst congressional special election . Abiel Foster (P)June 23, 1789 North Carolina 1 New seats North Carolina ratified the constitution November 21, 1789. John Baptista Ashe (A)March 24, 1790 North Carolina 2 Hugh Williamson (A)March 19, 1790 North Carolina 3 Timothy Bloodworth (A)April 6, 1790 North Carolina 4 John Steele (P)April 19, 1790 North Carolina 5 John Sevier (P)June 16, 1790 Rhode Island at-large New seat Rhode Island ratified the constitution May 29, 1790. Benjamin Bourne (P)December 17, 1790 Virginia 9 Theodorick Bland (A)Died June 1, 1790. William B. Giles (A)December 7, 1790 Massachusetts 5 George Partridge (P)Resigned August 14, 1790. Remained vacant untilnext Congress
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
House of Representatives [ edit ] House of Representatives [ edit ] ^a b InNew York : the state legislature failed to choose Senators until after Congress began. ^ InNorth Carolina , the state ratified the Constitution and elected two Senators. ^ InVirginia ,William Grayson died. ^ InVirginia ,John Walker was appointed to fill the vacancy created whenWilliam Grayson died. ^ InRhode Island , the state ratified the Constitution and elected two Senators. ^ InVirginia ,James Monroe was elected to fill the vacancy created whenWilliam Grayson died. ^ InNew Jersey ,William Paterson resigned, having been electedGovernor of New Jersey . ^ InNew Jersey ,Philemon Dickinson was elected to fill the vacancy created whenWilliam Paterson resigned. ^ InSouth Carolina's 1st district William Loughton Smith was seated late after a contested election. ^ InNew York's 5th district Peter Silvester arrived late. ^ InNew York's 4th district John Hathorn arrived late. ^ InNew York's 6th district Jeremiah Van Rensselaer arrived late. ^ InNew Hampshire's at-large district Abiel Foster was elected afterBenjamin West refused to take his seat. ^a b c d e North Carolina ratified the Constitution on November 21, 1789, and elected five members. ^ InVirginia's 9th district Theodorick Bland died. ^ InMassachusetts's 5th district George Partridge resigned. ^ InVirginia's 9th district William Branch Giles was elected to fill the vacancy created whenTheodorick Bland died. ^ Rhode Island ratified the constitution May 29, 1790 and elected one member. ^a b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began. ^ "Journal of the First Session of the Senate of The United States of America, Begun and Held at the City of New York, March 4, 1789, And In The Thirteenth Year of the Independence of the Said States" .Senate Journal . Gales & Seaton. 1820.^ Unger, Harlow Giles (September 4, 2012).John Quincy Adams 71 .ISBN 9780306821301 john adams new york city vice president inauguration April 20. ^ "Vice Presidential Inaugurations" . Washington, D.C.: Architect of the Capitol.Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. RetrievedJuly 15, 2017 .^a b Martis, Kenneth C.The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress . ^ "American Memory: Remaining Collections" .memory.loc.gov . RetrievedFebruary 13, 2018 .Bickford, Charlene Bangs, and Kenneth R. Bowling.Birth of the nation: the First Federal Congress, 1789–1791 (Rowman & Littlefield, 1989) Bordewich, Fergus M.The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government (2016) Bowling, Kenneth R.Politics in the first Congress, 1789–1791 (Taylor & Francis, 1990) Christman, Margaret C.S.The first federal congress, 1789–1791 (Smithsonian Inst Pr, 1989.) Currie, David P. "The Constitution in Congress: Substantive Issues in the First Congress, 1789–1791."The University of Chicago Law Review 61 (1994): 775–865.online Jillson, Calvin C., and Rick K. Wilson.Congressional Dynamics: Structure, Coordination, and Choice in the First American Congress, 1774–1789 (Stanford University Press, 1994) 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. English
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