1st United States Congress





The 1st United States Congress, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall at 26 Wall Street in New York City and later at Congress Hall in Philadelphia. 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.

Major events

 * 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 30, 1789: George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in New York City
 * January 8, 1790: President Washington gave the first State of the Union Address
 * March 1, 1790: First United States census was authorized
 * April 10, 1790: Patent system was established
 * April 17, 1790: Benjamin Franklin died
 * June 20, 1790: Compromise of 1790: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton come to an agreement: Madison agrees to not be "strenuous" in opposition for the assumption of state debts by the federal government; Hamilton agrees to support the capital site being above the Potomac.

Session 1

 * June 1, 1789: An act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths, ch. 1,
 * July 4, 1789: Hamilton Tariff, ch. 2,
 * July 27, 1789: United States Department of State, was established, originally named the Department of Foreign Affairs, ch. 4,.
 * August 7, 1789: Department of War was established, ch. 7,.
 * September 2, 1789: United States Department of the Treasury was established, ch. 12,
 * September 24, 1789: Judiciary Act of 1789, ch. 20, which created:
 * § 1: Supreme Court,
 * § 3: District courts,
 * § 4: Circuit courts,
 * § 35: District attorneys, and Attorney General,

Session 2

 * March 1, 1790: Made provisions for the first Census
 * March 26, 1790: Naturalization Act of 1790, ch. 3,
 * April 10, 1790: Patent Act of 1790, ch. 7,
 * May 31, 1790: Copyright Act of 1790, ch. 15,
 * July 6, 1790: Residence Act, ch. 28,, established Washington, D.C. as the seat of government of the United States.
 * July 22, 1790: Indian Intercourse Act of 1790, ch. 33,, regulated commerce with the Indian tribes.

Session 3

 * February 25, 1791: First Bank of the United States, ch. 10,
 * March 3, 1791: Whiskey Act, ch. 15,, which triggered the Whiskey Rebellion

Constitutional amendments

 * September 25, 1789: Twelve proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution were passed and sent to the states for ratification. . Ten were ratified as "The Bill of Rights," and one was ratified two centuries later as the 27th Amendment.

States admitted and territories organized

 * November 21, 1789: North Carolina ratified the United States Constitution and became the 12th U.S. state
 * May 26, 1790: Territory South of the River Ohio organized from land ceded by North Carolina
 * May 29, 1790: Rhode Island ratified the United States Constitution and became the 13th U.S. state

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.

Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

 * President: John Adams (P)
 * President pro tempore: John Langdon (P)

House of Representatives

 * Speaker: Frederick Muhlenberg (P)

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, all Senators were newly elected, and Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1790; Class 2 meant their term ended with the next Congress, requiring reelection in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term lasted through the next two Congresses, requiring reelection in 1794.

Connecticut

 * 1. Oliver Ellsworth (P)
 * 3. William S. Johnson (P)

Delaware

 * 2. Richard Bassett (A)
 * 1. George Read (P)

Georgia

 * 2. William Few (A)
 * 3. James Gunn (A)

Maryland

 * 3. John Henry (P)
 * 1. Charles Carroll (P)

Massachusetts

 * 1. Tristram Dalton (P)
 * 2. Caleb Strong (P)

New Hampshire

 * 3. John Langdon (P)
 * 2. Paine Wingate (A)

New Jersey

 * 1. Jonathan Elmer (P)
 * 2. William Paterson (P), until November 13, 1790
 * Philemon Dickinson (P), installed November 13, 1790

New York

 * 3. Vacant, until July 15, 1789
 * Rufus King (P), installed July 16, 1789
 * 1. Philip Schuyler (P)

North Carolina

 * 3. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – November 27, 1789
 * Benjamin Hawkins (P), installed November 27, 1789
 * 2. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – November 27, 1789
 * Samuel Johnston (P), installed November 27, 1789

Pennsylvania

 * 1. William Maclay (A)
 * 3. Robert Morris (P)

Rhode Island

 * 1. Vacant, May 29, 1790 – June 7, 1790
 * Theodore Foster (P), installed June 7, 1790
 * 2. Vacant, May 29, 1790 – June 7, 1790
 * Joseph Stanton, Jr. (A), installed June 7, 1790

South Carolina

 * 2. Pierce Butler (P)
 * 3. Ralph Izard (P)

Virginia

 * 1. William Grayson (A), until March 12, 1790
 * John Walker (P), March 31, 1790 – November 9, 1790
 * James Monroe (A), installed November 9, 1790
 * 2. Richard Henry Lee (A)



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

Connecticut
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Benjamin Huntington (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Roger Sherman (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Jonathan Sturges (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Jeremiah Wadsworth (P)

Delaware

 * Delaware's at-large congressional district. John Vining (P)

Georgia

 * Georgia's 1st congressional district. James Jackson (A)
 * Georgia's 2nd congressional district. Abraham Baldwin (A)
 * Georgia's 3rd congressional district. George Mathews (A)

Maryland

 * Maryland's 1st congressional district. Michael J. Stone (A)
 * Maryland's 2nd congressional district. Joshua Seney (A)
 * Maryland's 3rd congressional district. Benjamin Contee (A)
 * Maryland's 4th congressional district. William Smith (A)
 * Maryland's 5th congressional district. George Gale (P)
 * Maryland's 6th congressional district. Daniel Carroll (P)

Massachusetts

 * Massachusetts's 1st congressional district. Fisher Ames (P)
 * Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district. Benjamin Goodhue (P)
 * Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district. Elbridge Gerry (A)
 * Massachusetts's 4th congressional district. Theodore Sedgwick (P)
 * Massachusetts's 5th congressional district. George Partridge (P), until August 14, 1790, vacant thereafter
 * Massachusetts's 6th congressional district. George Thatcher (P)
 * Massachusetts's 7th congressional district. George Leonard (P)
 * Massachusetts's 8th congressional district. Jonathan Grout (A)

New Hampshire
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * New Hampshire's at-large congressional district. Abiel Foster (P)
 * New Hampshire's at-large congressional district. Nicholas Gilman (P)
 * New Hampshire's at-large congressional district. Samuel Livermore (A)

New Jersey
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. Elias Boudinot (P)
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. Lambert Cadwalader (P)
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. James Schureman (P)
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. Thomas Sinnickson (P)

New York

 * New York's 1st congressional district. William Floyd (A)
 * New York's 2nd congressional district. John Laurance (P)
 * New York's 3rd congressional district. Egbert Benson (P)
 * New York's 4th congressional district. John Hathorn (A)
 * New York's 5th congressional district. Peter Silvester (P)
 * New York's 6th congressional district. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (A)

North Carolina

 * North Carolina's 1st congressional district. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – March 23, 1790
 * John Baptista Ashe (A), installed March 23, 1790
 * North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – March 18, 1790
 * Hugh Williamson (A), installed March 19, 1790
 * North Carolina's 3rd congressional district. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – April 5, 1790
 * Timothy Bloodworth (A), installed April 6, 1790
 * North Carolina's 4th congressional district. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – April 18, 1790
 * John Steele (P), installed April 19, 1790
 * North Carolina's 5th congressional district. Vacant, November 21, 1789 – June 15, 1790
 * John Sevier (P), installed June 16, 1790

Pennsylvania
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. George Clymer (P)
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. Thomas Fitzsimons (P)
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. Thomas Hartley (P)
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. Daniel Hiester (A)
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. Frederick Muhlenberg (P)
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. Peter Muhlenberg (A)
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. Thomas Scott (P)
 * Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. Henry Wynkoop (P)

Rhode Island

 * Rhode Island's at-large congressional district. Vacant, May 29, 1790 – December 16, 1790
 * Benjamin Bourne (P), installed December 17, 1790

South Carolina

 * South Carolina's 1st congressional district. William L. Smith (P)
 * South Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Aedanus Burke (A)
 * South Carolina's 3rd congressional district. Daniel Huger (P)
 * South Carolina's 4th congressional district. Thomas Sumter (A)
 * South Carolina's 5th congressional district. Thomas Tudor Tucker (A)

Virginia

 * Virginia's 1st congressional district. Alexander White (P)
 * Virginia's 2nd congressional district. John Brown (A)
 * Virginia's 3rd congressional district. Andrew Moore (A)
 * Virginia's 4th congressional district. Richard Bland Lee (P)
 * Virginia's 5th congressional district. James Madison (A)
 * Virginia's 6th congressional district. Isaac Coles (A)
 * Virginia's 7th congressional district. John Page (A)
 * Virginia's 8th congressional district. Josiah Parker (A)
 * Virginia's 9th congressional district. Theodorick Bland (A), until June 1, 1790
 * William B. Giles (A), installed December 7, 1790
 * Virginia's 10th congressional district. Samuel Griffin (P)



Changes in membership
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.

New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, were the last states to ratify the U.S. Constitution, and because of their late ratification, were unable to send full representation at the beginning of this Congress. Five Senators and nine Representatives were subsequently seated from these states during the sessions as noted.

Senate
There was 1 resignation, 1 death, 1 replacement of a temporary appointee, and 5 new seats. The Anti-Administration Senators picked up a 1 seat net gain and the Pro-Administration Senators picked up 4 seats.

House of Representatives
There was 1 resignation, 1 death, and 6 new seats. Anti-Administration members picked up 3 seats and Pro-Administration members picked up 2 seats.

Senate

 * Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts, elected April 8, 1789
 * Doorkeeper: James Mathers of New York, elected April 7, 1789
 * Chaplain:
 * Samuel Provoost, Episcopalian, elected April 25, 1789
 * William White, Episcopalian, elected December 9, 1790

House of Representatives

 * Clerk: John J. Beckley of Virginia
 * Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island
 * Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
 * Chaplain:
 * William Linn, Presbyterian, elected May 1, 1789
 * Samuel Blair, Presbyterian, elected January 4, 1790