15th United States Congress

Letter of December 1818

Two major treaties with the United Kingdom were approved, finalized and signed during the 15th Congress, both the Rush–Bagot Treaty and the Treaty of 1818, both of which pertained to the United States-Canada border, and both of which were overwhelmingly popular in the United States. President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams were credited with the accomplishments. A letter signed by many members of congress expressing "Gratitude, amity and brotherhood with Great Britain" was addressed to British Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, British foreign secretary Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh and Britain's minister plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinaire to the United States Charles Bagot. The letter also attacked King Louis XVIII of France for insulting remarks he had made towards American diplomats and about the United States, as well as his refusal to pay reparations owed to the United States from damages incurred during the Quasi-War. The letter was signed in December 1818 by Joel Abbot, Thomas W. Cobb, Zadock Cook, Joel Crawford, John Forsyth, William Terrell, Charles Tait, William Smith, John Gaillard, Henry Middleton, William Lowndes, James Ervin, Joseph Bellinger, Starling Tucker, Eldred Simkins, Elias Earle, Wilson Nesbitt, Stephen Decatur Miller, Montfort Stokes, Nathaniel Macon, Lemuel Sawyer, Joseph Hunter Bryan, Thomas H. Hall, Jesse Slocumb, James Owen, Weldon Nathaniel Edwards, James Stewart, James Strudwick Smith, Thomas Settle, George Mumford, Daniel Munroe Forney, Felix Walker, Lewis Williams, John J. Crittenden, Isham Talbot, David Trimble, Henry Clay, Richard Mentor Johnson, Joseph Desha, Anthony New, David Walker, George Robertson, Richard Clough Anderson Jr., Tunstall Quarles, Thomas Speed, William Hendricks, James Noble, Waller Taylor, John Eaton, John Williams, John Rhea, William Grainger Blount, Francis Jones, Samuel E. Hogg, Thomas Claiborne, George W.L. Marr, George Poindexter, Prentiss Mellen, Harrison Gray Otis, Enoch Lincoln, Jonathan Mason, Nathaniel Silsbee, Jeremiah Nelson, Timothy Fuller, Elijah H. Mills, Samuel Clesson Allen, Henry Shaw, Zabdiel Sampson, Walter Folger Jr., Marcus Morton, Benjamin Adams, Solomon Strong, Nathaniel Ruggles, John Holmes, Ezekiel Whitman, Benjamin Orr, John Wilson, Thomas Rice, Joshua Gage and Albion Parris, all of whom also voted to ratify both of the aforementioned treaties. Several governors also signed the letter, which was entirely symbolic and intended as a gesture of goodwill, including Gabriel Slaughter, William Rabun, John Geddes, John Branch, John Brooks, James Patton Preston and David Holmes. This was significant because the governors and the members of congress were from different regions (both Massachusetts and several southern states were represented), and because signers came from both the Whig Party and the Democratic-Republicans. Many members of congress and Washington DC had a very hostile relationship with France's notoriously combative ambassador Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville, which contributed to the letters contents as per France.

Major events

Main article: 1817 in the United States, 1818 in the United States, 1819 in the United States

• March 4, 1817: James Monroe became President of the United States
• July 4, 1817: Construction on the Erie Canal began
• November 20, 1817: The first Seminole War began in Florida
• January 2, 1819: The Panic of 1819, the first major financial crisis in the United States, began.
• February 2, 1819: Dartmouth College v. Woodward: Supreme Court allowed Dartmouth to keep its charter and remain a private institution.

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation#15th United States Congress

• April 4, 1818: Flag Act of 1818, Sess. 1, ch. 34,

Treaties

• April 29, 1817: Rush–Bagot Treaty signed between the U.S. and the United Kingdom
• October 20, 1818: Treaty of 1818 between the U.S. and the United Kingdom established the northern boundary as the 49th parallel from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, also creating the Northwest Angle.
• February 22, 1819: Adams-Onís Treaty: Spain ceded Florida to the United States

States admitted and territories created

• December 10, 1817: Mississippi admitted as the 20th state
• December 3, 1818: Illinois admitted as the 21st state
• March 2, 1819: Arkansas Territory was created, ; it was formerly part of the Missouri Territory

Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

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

House of Representatives

During this congress, one House seat was added for each of the new states of Mississippi and Illinois.

Leadership

Daniel D. Tompkins}} Henry Clay}}

Senate

• President: Daniel D. Tompkins (DR)
• President pro tempore:
  • John Gaillard (DR), elected March 4, 1817
  • James Barbour (DR), elected February 15, 1819

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Henry Clay (DR)

Members

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

Senate

Main article: List of United States senators in the 15th Congress

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 re-election in 1820; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1822; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1818.

[[List of United States senators from Connecticut|Connecticut]]

: 1. Samuel W. Dana (F) : 3. David Daggett (F)

[[List of United States senators from Delaware|Delaware]]

: 1. Outerbridge Horsey (F) : 2. Nicholas Van Dyke (F)

[[List of United States senators from Georgia|Georgia]]

: 2. George Troup (DR), until September 23, 1818 :: John Forsyth (DR), November 23, 1818 – February 17, 1819 : 3. Charles Tait (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Illinois|Illinois]]

: 2. Jesse B. Thomas (DR), from December 3, 1818 (newly admitted state) : 3. Ninian Edwards (DR), from December 3, 1818 (newly admitted state)

[[List of United States senators from Indiana|Indiana]]

: 1. James Noble (DR) : 3. Waller Taylor (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Kentucky|Kentucky]]

: 2. John J. Crittenden (DR), until March 3, 1819 : 3. Isham Talbot (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Louisiana|Louisiana]]

: 2. William C. C. Claiborne (DR), died November 23, 1817 :: Henry Johnson (DR), from January 12, 1818 : 3. Eligius Fromentin (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Maryland|Maryland]]

: 1. Alexander C. Hanson (F) : 3. Robert H. Goldsborough (F)

[[List of United States senators from Massachusetts|Massachusetts]]

: 1. Eli P. Ashmun (F), until May 10, 1818 :: Prentiss Mellen (F), from June 5, 1818 : 2. Harrison Gray Otis (F)

[[List of United States senators from Mississippi|Mississippi]]

: 1. Walter Leake (DR), from December 10, 1817 (newly admitted state) : 2. Thomas H. Williams (DR), from December 10, 1817 (newly admitted state)

[[List of United States senators from New Hampshire|New Hampshire]]

: 2. David L. Morril (DR) : 3. Jeremiah Mason (F), until June 16, 1817 :: Clement Storer (DR), from June 27, 1817

[[List of United States senators from New Jersey|New Jersey]]

: 1. James J. Wilson (DR) : 2. Mahlon Dickerson (DR)

[[List of United States senators from New York|New York]]

: 1. Nathan Sanford (DR) : 3. Rufus King (F)

[[List of United States senators from North Carolina|North Carolina]]

: 2. Montfort Stokes (DR) : 3. Nathaniel Macon (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Ohio|Ohio]]

: 1. Benjamin Ruggles (DR) : 3. Jeremiah Morrow (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]

: 1. Jonathan Roberts (DR) : 3. Abner Lacock (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]

: 1. William Hunter (F) : 2. James Burrill Jr. (F)

[[List of United States senators from South Carolina|South Carolina]]

: 2. William Smith (DR) : 3. John Gaillard (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Tennessee|Tennessee]]

: 1. George W. Campbell (DR), until April 20, 1818 :: John H. Eaton (DR), from September 5, 1818 : 2. John Williams (DR)

[[List of United States senators from Vermont|Vermont]]

: 1. Isaac Tichenor (F) : 3. Dudley Chase (DR), until November 3, 1817 :: James Fisk (DR), November 4, 1817 – January 8, 1818 :: William A. Palmer (DR), from October 20, 1818

[[List of United States senators from Virginia|Virginia]]

: 1. James Barbour (DR) : 2. John W. Eppes (DR)

]]

House of Representatives

Main article: List of United States representatives in the 15th Congress

The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

[[List of United States representatives from Connecticut|Connecticut]]

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Uriel Holmes (F), until 1818 :: Sylvester Gilbert (DR), from November 16, 1818 : . Ebenezer Huntington (F) : . Jonathan O. Moseley (F) : . Timothy Pitkin (F) : . Samuel B. Sherwood (F) : . Nathaniel Terry (F) : . Thomas S. Williams (F)

[[List of United States representatives from Delaware|Delaware]]

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Willard Hall (DR) : . Louis McLane (F)

[[List of United States representatives from Georgia|Georgia]]

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Joel Abbot (DR) : . Thomas W. Cobb (DR) : . Zadock Cook (DR) : . Joel Crawford (DR) : . John Forsyth (DR), until November 23, 1818 :: Robert R. Reid (DR), from February 18, 1819 : . William Terrell (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Illinois|Illinois]]

: . John McLean (DR), from December 3, 1818 (newly admitted state)

[[List of United States representatives from Indiana|Indiana]]

: . William Hendricks (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Kentucky|Kentucky]]

: . David Trimble (DR) : . Henry Clay (DR) : . Richard M. Johnson (DR) : . Joseph Desha (DR) : . Anthony New (DR) : . David Walker (DR) : . George Robertson (DR) : . Richard C. Anderson Jr. (DR) : . Tunstal Quarles (DR) : . Thomas Speed (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Louisiana|Louisiana]]

: . Thomas B. Robertson (DR), until April 20, 1818 :: Thomas Butler (DR), from November 16, 1818

[[List of United States representatives from Maryland|Maryland]]

The 5th district was a plural district with two representatives. : . Philip Stuart (F) : . John C. Herbert (F) : . George Peter (F) : . Samuel Ringgold (DR) : . Peter Little (DR) : . Samuel Smith (DR) : . Philip Reed (DR) : . Thomas Culbreth (DR) : . Thomas Bayly (F)

[[List of United States representatives from Massachusetts|Massachusetts]]

: . Jonathan Mason (F) : . Nathaniel Silsbee (DR) : . Jeremiah Nelson (F) : . Timothy Fuller (DR) : . Elijah H. Mills (F) : . Samuel C. Allen (F) : . Henry Shaw (DR) : . Zabdiel Sampson (DR) : . Walter Folger Jr. (DR) : . Marcus Morton (DR) : . Benjamin Adams (F) : . Solomon Strong (F) : . Nathaniel Ruggles (F) : . John Holmes (DR) : . Ezekiel Whitman (F) : . Benjamin Orr (F) : . John Wilson (F) : . Thomas Rice (F) : . Joshua Gage (DR) : . Albion K. Parris (DR), until February 3, 1818 :: Enoch Lincoln (DR), from November 4, 1818

[[List of United States representatives from Mississippi|Mississippi]]

: . George Poindexter (DR), from December 10, 1817

[[List of United States representatives from New Hampshire|New Hampshire]]

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Josiah Butler (DR) : . Clifton Clagett (DR) : . Salma Hale (DR) : . Arthur Livermore (DR) : . John F. Parrott (DR) : . Nathaniel Upham (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from New Jersey|New Jersey]]

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Ephraim Bateman (DR) : . Benjamin Bennet (DR) : . Joseph Bloomfield (DR) : . Charles Kinsey (DR) : . John Linn (DR) : . Henry Southard (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from New York|New York]]

There were six plural districts, the 1st, 2nd, 12th, 15th, 20th & 21st, each had two representatives. : . Tredwell Scudder (DR) : . George Townsend (DR) : . William Irving (DR) : . Peter H. Wendover (DR) : . Caleb Tompkins (DR) : . James Tallmadge Jr. (DR), from December 1, 1817 : . Philip J. Schuyler (F) : . James W. Wilkin (DR) : . Josiah Hasbrouck (DR) : . Dorrance Kirtland (DR) : . Rensselaer Westerlo (F) : . John P. Cushman (F) : . John W. Taylor (DR) : . John Palmer (DR) : . John Savage (DR) : . Thomas Lawyer (DR) : . John Herkimer (DR) : . John R. Drake (DR) : . Isaac Williams Jr. (DR) : . Henry R. Storrs (F) : . Thomas H. Hubbard (DR) : . David A. Ogden (F) : . James Porter (DR) : . Oliver C. Comstock (DR) : . Daniel Cruger (DR) : . Benjamin Ellicott (DR) : . John C. Spencer (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from North Carolina|North Carolina]]

: . Lemuel Sawyer (DR) : . Joseph H. Bryan (DR) : . Thomas H. Hall (DR) : . Jesse Slocumb (F) : . James Owen (DR) : . Weldon N. Edwards (DR) : .James Stewart (F), from January 5, 1818 : . James S. Smith (DR) : . Thomas Settle (DR) : . George Mumford (DR), until December 31, 1818 :: Charles Fisher (DR), from February 11, 1819 : . Daniel M. Forney (DR), until 1818 :: William Davidson (F), from December 2, 1818 : . Felix Walker (DR) : . Lewis Williams (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Ohio|Ohio]]

: . William Henry Harrison (DR) : . John W. Campbell (DR) : . Levi Barber (DR) : . Samuel Herrick (DR) : . Philemon Beecher (F) : . Peter Hitchcock (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]

There were six plural districts, the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th & 10th had two representatives each, the 1st had four representatives. : . William Anderson (DR) : . Joseph Hopkinson (F) : . John Sergeant (F) : . Adam Seybert (DR) : . Isaac Darlington (F) : . Levi Pawling (F) : . James M. Wallace (DR) : . John Whiteside (DR) : . Jacob Spangler (DR), until April 20, 1818 :: Jacob Hostetter (DR), from November 16, 1818 : . Andrew Boden (DR) : . William Maclay (DR) : . Samuel D. Ingham (DR), until July 6, 1818 :: Samuel Moore (DR), from October 13, 1818 : . John Ross (DR), until February 24, 1818 :: Thomas J. Rogers (DR), from March 3, 1818 : . Joseph Hiester (DR) : . Alexander Ogle (DR) : . William P. Maclay (DR) : . John Murray (DR), from October 14, 1817 : . William Wilson (DR) : . David Marchand (DR) : . Thomas Patterson (DR) : . Christian Tarr (DR) : . Henry Baldwin (DR) : . Robert Moore (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . John L. Boss Jr. (F) : . James B. Mason (F)

[[List of United States representatives from South Carolina|South Carolina]]

: . Henry Middleton (DR) : . William Lowndes (DR) : . James Ervin (DR) : . Joseph Bellinger (DR) : . Starling Tucker (DR) : . John C. Calhoun (DR), until November 3, 1817 :: Eldred Simkins (DR), from January 24, 1818 : . Elias Earle (DR) : . Wilson Nesbitt (DR) : . Stephen D. Miller (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Tennessee|Tennessee]]

: . John Rhea (DR) : . William G. Blount (DR) : . Francis Jones (DR) : . Samuel Hogg (DR) : . Thomas Claiborne (DR) : . George W. L. Marr (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Vermont|Vermont]]

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Heman Allen (DR), until April 20, 1818; vacant thereafter : . Samuel C. Crafts (DR) : . William Hunter (DR) : . Orsamus C. Merrill (DR) : . Charles Rich (DR) : . Mark Richards (DR)

[[List of United States representatives from Virginia|Virginia]]

: . James Pindall (F) : . Edward Colston (F) : . Henry St. George Tucker (DR) : . William McCoy (DR) : . John Floyd (DR) : . Alexander Smyth (DR) : . Ballard Smith (DR) : . Charles F. Mercer (F) : . William Lee Ball (DR) : . George F. Strother (DR) : . Philip P. Barbour (DR) : . Robert S. Garnett (DR) : . Burwell Bassett (DR) : . William A. Burwell (DR) : . William J. Lewis (DR) : . Archibald Austin (DR) : . James Pleasants (DR) : . Thomas M. Nelson (DR) : . Peterson Goodwyn (DR), until February 21, 1818 :: John Pegram (DR), from April 21, 1818 : . James Johnson (DR) : . Thomas Newton Jr. (DR) : . Hugh Nelson (DR) : . John Tyler (DR)

Non-voting members

: . John Crowell, from January 29, 1818 : . Nathaniel Pope, until November 30, 1818, vacant thereafter : . Vacant until statehood December 10, 1817 : . John Scott, from August 4, 1817

Changes in membership

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

Senate

Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

|- | New Hampshire (3) | | Jeremiah Mason (F) | | Clement Storer (DR)

House of Representatives

Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

Main article: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives

|- | nowrap | | Vacant | Member-elect Henry B. Lee died before this Congress began | | James Tallmadge Jr. (DR) | Seated June 6, 1817

|- | | Vacant | Seat remained vacant from March 4, 1817, to August 4, 1817 | John Scott | Seated August 4, 1817

|- | | Vacant | Member-elect David Scott resigned before this Congress began | | John Murray (DR) | Seated October 14, 1817

|- | | Vacant | Member-elect Alexander McMillan died before this Congress began | | James Stewart (F) | Seated January 5, 1818

|- | | | John C. Calhoun (DR) | Resigned November 3, 1817, after being appointed United States Secretary of War | | Eldred Simkins (DR) | Seated January 24, 1818

|- |

|- |

|- | | | Uriel Holmes (F) | Resigned sometime in 1818 | | Sylvester Gilbert (DR) | Seated November 16, 1818

|- | | | Daniel Forney (DR) | Resigned sometime in 1818 | | William Davidson (F) | Seated December 2, 1818

|- | | Vacant | The first delegate from this new territory was not seated until January 29, 1818. | John Crowell | Seated January 29, 1818

|- | | | Albion K. Parris (DR | Resigned February 3, 1818 | | Enoch Lincoln (DR) | Seated November 4, 1818

|- | | | Peterson Goodwyn (DR) | Died February 21, 1818 | | John Pegram (DR) | Seated April 21, 1818

|- | | | John Ross (DR) | Resigned February 24, 1818, to become President Judge of Pennsylvania's 7th Judicial Circuit | | Thomas J. Rogers (DR) | Seated March 3, 1818

|- | | | Thomas B. Robertson (DR) | Resigned April 20, 1818 | | Thomas Butler (DR) | Seated November 16, 1818

|- | | | Jacob Spangler (DR) | Resigned April 20, 1818 | | Jacob Hostetter (DR) | Seated November 16, 1818

|- | | | Samuel D. Ingham (DR) | Resigned July 6, 1818 | | Samuel Moore (DR) | Seated October 13, 1818

|- | | | John Forsyth (DR) | Resigned November 23, 1818, after being elected to the U.S. Senate | | Robert R. Reid (DR) | Seated February 18, 1819

|- |

|- |

|- | | | George Mumford (DR) | Died December 31, 1818 | | Charles Fisher (DR) | Seated February 11, 1819

|- | | | Heman Allen (DR) | resigned April 20, 1818 | Vacant

|}

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

• Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Abner Lacock)
• Claims (Chairman: Jonathan Roberts then Robert Henry Goldsborough)
• Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Nathan Sanford)
• District of Columbia (Chairman: Robert Henry Goldsborough)
• Engrossed Bills (Chairman: John J. Crittenden)
• Finance (Chairman: George W. Campbell then John Wayles Eppes)
• Foreign Relations (Chairman: James Barbour then Nathaniel Macon)
• Indian Title to Certain Lands (Select)
• Judiciary (Chairman: John J. Crittenden then James Burrill Jr.)
• Military Affairs (Chairman: George M. Troup then John Williams)
• Militia (Chairman: Clement Storer then Benjamin Ruggles)
• Mississippi's Admission to the Union (Select)
• Naval Affairs (Chairman: Charles Tait then Nathan Sanford)
• Pensions (Chairman: James Noble then Abner Lacock)
• Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: James J. Wilson then Montfort Stokes)
• Public Lands (Chairman: Jeremiah Morrow)
• Seminole War (Select)
• Slave Trade (Select)
• Whole

House of Representatives

• Accounts (Chairman: Peter Little)
• Alabama's Admission to the Union (Select)
• Arkansas Territory (Select)
• Bank of the United States (Select)
• Claims (Chairman: Lewis Williams)
• Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Thomas Newton Jr.)
• District of Columbia (Chairman: John C. Herbert)
• Elections (Chairman: John W. Taylor)
• Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: James Pleasants)
• Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Samuel D. Ingham)
• Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: John Forsyth)
• Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: William Lowndes)
• Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Richard M. Johnson)
• Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Henry S. Tucker)
• Judiciary (Chairman: Hugh Nelson)
• Pensions and Revolutionary War Claims (Chairman: John Rhea)
• Private Land Claims (Chairman: Samuel Herrick then George Robertson)
• Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Samuel D. Ingham then Arthur Livermore)
• Public Expenditures (Chairman: Joseph Desha)
• Public Lands (Chairman: Thomas B. Robertson then George Poindexter)
• Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: John Savage then John W. Taylor)
• Rules (Select)
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Ways and Means (Chairman: William Lowndes then Samuel Smith)
• Whole

Joint committees

• Enrolled Bills
• The Library (Chairman: N/A)

Employees

[[List of federal agencies in the United States#United States Congress|Legislative branch agency]] directors

• Architect of the Capitol: Benjamin H. Latrobe, resigned November 20, 1817
  • Charles Bulfinch, appointed January 8, 1818
• Librarian of Congress: George Watterston

Senate

• Chaplain: Sereno Edwards Dwight, Congregationalist, until December 9, 1817
  • William D. Hawley, Episcopalian, elected December 9, 1817
  • John Clark, Presbyterian, elected November 19, 1818
• Secretary: Charles Cutts
• Sergeant at Arms: Mountjoy Bayly

House of Representatives

• Chaplain: Burgiss Allison (Baptist)
• Clerk: Thomas Dougherty
• Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
• Reading Clerks:
• Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn

Notes

References

References

1. The American Response to Canada Since 1776 by Gordon T. Stewart
2. John Quincy Adams: Policymaker for the Union by James E. Lewis Jr.
3. The Undefended Border: The Myth and the Reality by Charles Perry Stacey, Canadian Historical Association, 1967
4. The American Entente by Robert Balmain Moway pg. 41-45
5. America in the French mind during the Bourbon Restoration by John deWitt MacBride 1955 pg. 45-46