2nd United States Congress

Last updated

2nd United States Congress
1st  
  3rd
Congress Hall exterior.jpg

March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793
Members26–30 senators
65-69 representatives
Senate majority Pro-Administration
Senate President John Adams (P)
House majority Pro-Administration
House Speaker Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (P)
Sessions
Special: March 4, 1791 – March 4, 1791
1st: October 24, 1791 – May 8, 1792
2nd: November 5, 1792 – March 2, 1793
Modern tour group visiting the House of Representatives chamber at Congress Hall Congress Hall House Chamber.jpg
Modern tour group visiting the House of Representatives chamber at Congress Hall
Senate chamber at Congress Hall Congress Hall senate.jpg
Senate chamber at Congress Hall

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 4, 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. Additional House seats were assigned to the two new states of Vermont and Kentucky. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority.

Contents

Major events

Major legislation

States admitted

Constitutional amendments

Party summary

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.

Senate

During this congress, two new Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Vermont and Kentucky.

Faction
(Shading indicates faction control)
Total
Anti-Administration
(A)
Pro-Administration
(P)
Vacant
End of
previous Congress
818260
Begin817251
March 4, 1791 [lower-alpha 1] 16242
June 13, 1791 [lower-alpha 2] 17251
November 4, 1791 [lower-alpha 3] 1027
June 18, 1792 [lower-alpha 4] 1229
October 8, 1792 [lower-alpha 5] 11282
October 18, 1792 [lower-alpha 6] 12291
November 30, 1792 [lower-alpha 7] 16282
January 10, 1793 [lower-alpha 8] 17291
February 28, 1793 [lower-alpha 9] 13300
Final voting share43.3%56.7%
Beginning of the
next Congress
1416300

House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives as shared by each state 2ndHouse.svg
Members of the House of Representatives as shared by each state

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)

Faction
(Shading indicates faction control)
Total
Anti-Administration
(A)
Pro-Administration
(P)
Vacant
End of
previous Congress
2836641
Begin
March 4, 1791
2537623
April 4, 1791 [lower-alpha 10] 38632
October 24, 1791 [lower-alpha 11] 28661
November 1791 [lower-alpha 12] 37652
February 6, 1792 [lower-alpha 13] 29661
March 21, 1792 [lower-alpha 14] 28652
April 2, 1792 [lower-alpha 15] 38661
June 1, 1792 [lower-alpha 16] 27654
November 8, 1792 [lower-alpha 17] 28663
November 9, 1792 [lower-alpha 18] 29672
November 22, 1792 [lower-alpha 19] 30681
December 6, 1792 [lower-alpha 20] 29672
January 30, 1793 [lower-alpha 21] 39681
Final voting share42.6%57.4%
Beginning of the
next Congress
55501050

Leadership

Senate President
John Adams Official Presidential portrait of John Adams (by John Trumbull, circa 1792).jpg
Senate President
John Adams

Senate

House of Representatives

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, 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 this Congress, facing re-election in 1796; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1794.

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their districts.

Membership changes

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]

Vermont and Kentucky were newly admitted as states and are first represented in this Congress.

Senate

There were three resignations, one contested election, and four new seats of admitted states, resulting in a four-seat net gain of the Anti-Administration Senators.

Senate changes
State
(class)
Vacated byReason for changeSuccessorDate of successor's
formal installation [lower-alpha 22]
Pennsylvania
(1)
VacantLegislature failed to elect senator.
Successor elected February 28, 1793.
Albert Gallatin (A)December 2, 1793
Connecticut
(3)
William S. Johnson (P)Resigned March 4, 1791.
Successor elected June 13, 1791.
Roger Sherman (P)June 13, 1791
Vermont
(3)
New seatVermont was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791.
Winners elected October 17, 1791.
Stephen R. Bradley (A)November 4, 1791
Vermont
(1)
Moses Robinson (A)November 4, 1791
Kentucky
(3)
New seatKentucky was admitted to the Union June 1, 1792.
Winners elected June 18, 1792.
John Edwards (A)June 18, 1792
Kentucky
(2)
John Brown (A)June 18, 1792
Virginia
(2)
Richard Henry Lee (A)Resigned October 8, 1792.
Successor elected October 18, 1792.
John Taylor (A)October 18, 1792
Maryland
(1)
Charles Carroll (P)Resigned November 30, 1792.
Successor elected January 10, 1793.
Richard Potts (P)January 10, 1793

House of Representatives

There were 3 resignations, 1 vacancy of a member-elect, 1 contested election, 2 late elections, 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.

House changes
DistrictVacated byReason for changeSuccessorDate of successor's
formal installation [lower-alpha 22]
Massachusetts 8th VacantDue to failure to reach a majority, four ballots were needed to elect. Incumbent was elected late April 4, 1791. George Thatcher (P)April 4, 1791
New York 1st VacantRepresentative-elect James Townsend died on May 24, 1790, before Congress assembled. Thomas Tredwell (A)October 24, 1791
Vermont 1st New seatVermont 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 (P)Resigned November 1791 John Francis Mercer (A)February 6, 1792
Massachusetts 6th VacantDue to failure to reach a majority, eight ballots were needed to elect. Incumbent was elected late April 2, 1792. George Leonard (P)April 2, 1792
Virginia 2nd John Brown (A)Resigned June 1, 1792, to become U.S. Senator from Kentucky.VacantSeat went with Kentucky
Kentucky 2nd New seatKentucky 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

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

House of Representatives

Joint committees

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes

  1. In Connecticut: William Samuel Johnson resigned.
  2. In Connecticut: Roger Sherman was elected to fill the vacancy created when William Samuel Johnson resigned.
  3. In Vermont: the state was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791, and elected two Senators.
  4. In Kentucky: the state was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, and elected two Senators.
  5. In Virginia: Richard Henry Lee resigned.
  6. In Virginia: John Taylor was elected to fill the vacancy created when Richard Henry Lee resigned.
  7. In Maryland: Charles Carroll resigned.
  8. In Maryland: Richard Potts was elected to fill the vacancy created when Charles Carroll resigned.
  9. In Pennsylvania: the legislature, having failed to elect a Senator at the start of the Congress, did so now. Albert Gallatin was not actually seated until the next Congress.
  10. In Massachusetts's 8th district , George Thatcher was seated late after three runoff elections.
  11. In New York's 1st district , Representative-elect James Townsend died before the Congress began, and Thomas Tredwell was elected to fill the seat. In Vermont, two seats were added as the state joined the union.
  12. In Maryland's 3rd district , William Pinkney resigned.
  13. In Maryland's 3rd district , John Francis Mercer was elected to fill the vacancy created when William Pinkney resigned.
  14. In Georgia's 1st district , Anthony Wayne had been elected in a contested election, and his seat was now declared vacant.
  15. In Massachusetts's 6th district , George Leonard was seated late after seven runoff elections.
  16. When Kentucky entered the union, it received two seats. In Virginia's 2nd district , John Brown resigned to become a Senator from Kentucky. the seat was not filled until the next Congress
  17. In Kentucky's 2nd district , Alexander D. Orr was elected to the new seat.
  18. In Kentucky's 1st district , Christopher Greenup was elected to the new seat.
  19. In Georgia's 1st district , John Milledge was elected to the seat declared vacant because the previous election was contested.
  20. In Maryland's 2nd district , Joshua Seney resigned to become a judge.
  21. In Maryland's 2nd district , William Hindman was elected to fill the vacancy created when Joshua Seney resigned.
  22. 1 2 When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st United States Congress</span> 1789-91 meeting of the U.S. Congress, first in New York City and later in Philadelphia

The 1st United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall in New York City and later at Congress Hall in Philadelphia. With the initial meeting of the First Congress, the United States federal government officially began operations under the new frame of government established by the 1787 Constitution. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the provisions of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, of the Constitution. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority. Twelve articles of amendment to the Constitution were passed by this Congress and sent to the states for ratification; the ten ratified as additions to the Constitution on December 15, 1791, are collectively known as the Bill of Rights, with an additional amendment ratified more than two centuries later to become the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd United States Congress</span> Legislative term from 1793-1795

The 3rd 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 from March 4, 1793, to March 4, 1795, during the fifth and sixth years of George Washington's presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th United States Congress</span> 1797-1799 legislative term

The 5th 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, from March 4, 1797, to March 4, 1799, during the first two years of John Adams' presidency. In the context of the Quasi-War with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress. The Acts were overwhelmingly supported by the Federalists and mostly opposed by the Democratic-Republicans. Some Democratic-Republicans, such as Timothy Bloodworth, said they would support formally going to war against France but they opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts which Bloodworth and others believed were unconstitutional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th United States Congress</span> Meeting of the U.S. federal legislature from 1799 to 1801

The 6th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the Senate and the 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 1790 United States census. Both chambers had a Federalist majority. This was the last Congress in which the Federalist Party controlled the presidency or either chamber of Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th United States Congress</span> 1801–1803 U.S. Congress

The 7th 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 in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1801, to March 4, 1803, during the first two years of Thomas Jefferson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1790 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority, except during the Special session of the Senate, when there was a Federalist majority in the Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th United States Congress</span> 1819-1821 U.S. Congress

The 16th 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 in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1819, to March 4, 1821, during the third and fourth years of James Monroe's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1810 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18th United States Congress</span> 1823-1825 U.S. Congress

The 18th 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 in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1823, to March 4, 1825, during the seventh and eighth years of James Monroe's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1820 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th United States Congress</span> 1847-1849 U.S. Congress

The 30th 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 in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847, to March 4, 1849, during the last two years of the administration of President James K. Polk. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House had a Whig majority. It was the only Congress in which Abraham Lincoln served.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">72nd United States Congress</span> 1931–1933 U.S. Congress

The 72nd 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 in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931, to March 4, 1933, during the last two years of Herbert Hoover's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1910 United States census. The Senate had a Republican majority. The House started with a very slim Republican majority, but by the time it first met in December 1931, the Democrats had gained a majority through special elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">31st United States Congress</span> 1849-1851 U.S. Congress

The 31st 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 in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1849, to March 4, 1851, during the 16 months of the Zachary Taylor presidency and the first eight months of the administration of Millard Fillmore's. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. The Senate had a Democratic majority, while there was a Democratic plurality in the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">74th United States Congress</span> 1935–1937 U.S. Congress

The 74th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1935, to January 3, 1937, during the third and fourth years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1930 United States census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">77th United States Congress</span> 1941–1943 U.S. Congress

The 77th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1941, to January 3, 1943, during the ninth and tenth years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1930 United States census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">38th United States Congress</span> 1863-1865 U.S. Congress

The 38th 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 in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1863, to March 4, 1865, during the last two years of President Abraham Lincoln's first term in office. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1860 United States census. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House of Representatives had a Republican plurality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">39th United States Congress</span> Legislative branch of the U.S. federal government from March 4, 1865 to March 4, 1867

The 39th 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 in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1865, to March 4, 1867, during Abraham Lincoln's final month as president, and the first two years of the administration of his successor, Andrew Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th United States Congress</span> 1861-1863 U.S. Congress

The 37th 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 in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1861, to March 4, 1863, during the first two years of Abraham Lincoln's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1850 United States census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">41st United States Congress</span> 1869-1871 U.S. Congress

The 41st 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 in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, to March 4, 1871, during the first two years of Ulysses S. Grant's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1860 United States census. Both chambers had a Republican majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">54th United States Congress</span> 1895-1897 U.S. Congress

The 54th 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 in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1895, to March 4, 1897, during the last two years of Grover Cleveland's second presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1890 United States census. The House had a Republican majority, and the Republicans were the largest party in the Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1792–93 United States House of Representatives elections</span> House elections for the 3rd U.S. Congress

The 1792–93 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between August 27, 1792 and September 6, 1793. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 3rd United States Congress convened on December 2, 1793. With the addition of the new state of Kentucky's representatives, and the congressional reapportionment based on the 1790 United States census, the size of the House increased to 105 seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections</span> House elections for the 2nd U.S. Congress

The 1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between April 27, 1790, and October 11, 1791. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 2nd United States Congress convened on October 24, 1791. This was the first midterm election cycle, which took place in the middle of President George Washington's first term. The size of the House increased to 67 seats after the new state of Vermont elected its first representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1792–93 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1792–93 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President George Washington's unanimous re-election. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1792 and 1793, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the ten senators in Class 2.

References

  1. 1 2 Martis, Kenneth C. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress.