The6th United States Congress was the 6th meeting of thelegislative branch of theUnited States federal government, consisting of theSenate and theHouse of Representatives. It initially met atCongress Hall inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania and then was the first congress to meet in the newCapitol Building inWashington, D.C.. Its term was from March 4, 1799, to March 4, 1801, during the last two years ofJohn Adams'spresidency. It was the last Congress of the 18th century and the first to convene in the 19th. Theapportionment of seats in House of Representatives was based on the1790 United States census. Both chambers had aFederalist majority. This was the last Congress in which the Federalist Party controlled the presidency or either chamber of Congress.

6th United States Congress
5th ← → 7th
United States Capitol (1800)
March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801
Members	32 senators 106 representatives 1 non-voting delegates
Senate majority	Federalist
Senate President	Thomas Jefferson (DR)
House majority	Federalist
House Speaker	Theodore Sedgwick (F)
Sessions
1st: December 2, 1799 – May 14, 1800 2nd: November 17, 1800 – March 3, 1801

• December 14, 1799: Former PresidentGeorge Washington died
• February 24, 1800:Library of Congress founded
• November 17, 1800: Congress held its first session inWashington, D.C.
• January 20, 1801:John Marshall was appointedChief Justice of the United States
• February 17, 1801:1800 United States presidential election:Thomas Jefferson became the firstPresident of the United States elected by the House of Representatives as no candidate received a majority of theelectoral votes cast in the1800 presidential election. The House was required to choose between Jefferson andAaron Burr, with each of the 16states having a single vote. Jefferson was elected on the 36th ballot by 10 to 4 (with 2 abstentions).^[1]

States for Jefferson	States for Burr	States casting blank ballots
Georgia Kentucky Maryland New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Tennessee Vermont Virginia	Connecticut Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island	Delaware South Carolina
Total: 10 (63%)	Total: 4 (25%)	Total: 2 (12%)

• April 4, 1800:Bankruptcy Act of 1800, Sess. 1, ch. 19, 2 Stat. 19
• May 7, 1800:Indiana Organic Act, Sess. 1, ch. 41, 2 Stat. 58; effective July 4, 1800
• May 10, 1800:Slave Trade Act of 1800, Sess. 2, ch. 51, 2 Stat. 70
• 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

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.

• 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

• Speaker:Theodore Sedgwick (F)

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, below

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 areSenate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1802; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1804; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1800.

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on thegeneral 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.

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress

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.

There were 6 resignations and 3 deaths. TheFederalists had a 4-seat net loss and theDemocratic-Republicans had a 3-seat net gain.

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

• Whole

• Claims (Chairman:Dwight Foster thenNathaniel Macon)
• Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman:Samuel Smith)
• Elections (Chairman:Samuel W. Dana thenGeorge Dent)
• Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman:Roger Griswold thenJonas Platt)
• Rules (Select)
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Ways and Means (Chairman:Robert Goodloe Harper thenRoger Griswold)
• Whole

• Enrolled Bills (Chairman:Dwight Foster)

• Architect of the Capitol:William Thornton

• Chaplain:William White,Episcopalian, until November 27, 1800
  • Thomas J. Claggett,Episcopalian, elected November 27, 1800
• Doorkeeper:James Mathers
• Secretary:Samuel Otis

• Chaplain:Ashbel Green,Presbyterian, until November 27, 1800
  • Thomas Lyell,Methodist, elected November 27, 1800
• Clerk:Jonathan W. Condy, resigned December 4, 1800
  • John H. Oswald, elected December 9, 1800
• Doorkeeper:Thomas Claxton
• Reading Clerks:[data missing]
• Sergeant at Arms:Joseph Wheaton

• 1798 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
  • 1798–99 United States Senate elections
  • 1798–99 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1800 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1800 United States presidential election
  • 1800–01 United States Senate elections
  • 1800–01 United States House of Representatives elections

• 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.

• 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