1st United States Congress

Major events

Main article: 1789 in the United States, 1790 in the United States, 1791 in the United States

• 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 the Electoral College ballots, then certified that George Washington was unanimously elected President of the United States and John Adams (having received 34 of 69 votes) was elected as Vice President.
• April 21, 1789: John Adams was inaugurated as the nation's first vice president.
• April 30, 1789: George Washington was inaugurated as the nation's first president at Federal Hall in New York City.
• January 8, 1790: President Washington gave the first State 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.

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation, 1789–1901#1st United States Congress

Session 1

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,
• July 4, 1789: Tariff of 1789, ch. 2,
• July 27, 1789: United States Department of State was established, originally named the Department of Foreign Affairs, ch. 4, .
• July 31, 1789: Regulation of the Collection of Duties on Tonnage and Merchandise, ch.5, , which established the United States Customs Service and its ports of entry.
• 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 established the federal judiciary and the office of Attorney General

Session 2

Held January 4, 1790, through August 12, 1790, at Federal Hall in New York City

• March 1, 1790: Made provisions for the first census, ch. 2,
• March 26, 1790: Naturalization Act of 1790, ch. 3,
• April 10, 1790: Patent Act of 1790, ch. 7,
• April 30, 1790: Crimes Act of 1790, ch. 9,
• May 31, 1790: Copyright Act of 1790, ch. 15,
• July 16, 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.
• August 4, 1790: Funding Act of 1790, ch. 34, , authorized the "full assumption" of state debts by the federal government.
• August 4, 1790: Collection of Duties Act, ch.35, , among its provisions is Sec. 62, , authorizing establishment of the Revenue-Marine, since 1915 the United States Coast Guard.
• August 10, 1790: Tariff of 1790, ch. 39,

Session 3

Held December 6, 1790, through March 3, 1791, at Congress Hall in Philadelphia

• February 18, 1791: Admission of Vermont postdated to March 4, ch. 10,
• February 25, 1791: First Bank of the United States, ch. 10,
• March 3, 1791: Tariff of 1791, ch. 15, , which triggered the Whiskey Rebellion

Constitutional amendments

• September 25, 1789: Approved 12 proposed articles of amendment to the United States Constitution to guarantee individual rights and establish limits on federal government power, and dispatched them to the state legislatures for ratification. :
  • Article one has not been ratified and is still pending before the states.
  • Article two was ratified on May 8, 1992, as the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
  • Articles three through twelve were simultaneously ratified on December 15, 1791. Collectively called the "Bill of Rights," they were enumerated in the Constitution as Amendments I through X.

States ratifying Constitution

• 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

• May 26, 1790: Territory South of the River Ohio organized from land ceded by North Carolina.

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

During this congress, two Senate seats were added for North Carolina and Rhode Island when each ratified the Constitution.

House of Representatives

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.

Leadership

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 by class, and representatives are listed by district. :Skip to House of Representatives, below

Senate

Main article: List of United States senators in the 1st 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, 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.

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

: 1. Oliver Ellsworth (P) : 3. William Samuel Johnson (P)

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

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

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

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

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

: 1. Charles Carroll of Carrollton (P) : 3. John Henry (P)

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

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

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

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

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

: 1. Jonathan Elmer (P) : 2. William Paterson (P), until November 13, 1790 :: Philemon Dickinson (P), from December 6, 1790

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

: 1. Philip Schuyler (P), from July 27, 1789 : 3. Rufus King (P), from July 25, 1789

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

: 2. Samuel Johnston (P), from November 27, 1789 : 3. Benjamin Hawkins (P), from November 27, 1789

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

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

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

: 1. Theodore Foster (P), from June 25, 1790 : 2. Joseph Stanton Jr. (A), from June 25, 1790

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

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

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

: 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)

]]

House of Representatives

Main article: List of United States representatives in the 1st Congress

The names of representatives are listed by their districts.

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Benjamin Huntington (P) : . Roger Sherman (P) : . Jonathan Sturges (P) : . Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (P) : . Jeremiah Wadsworth (P)

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

: . John Vining (P)

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

: . James Jackson (A) : . Abraham Baldwin (A) : . George Mathews (A)

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

: . Michael J. Stone (A) : . Joshua Seney (A) : . Benjamin Contee (A) : . William Smith (A) : . George Gale (P) : . Daniel Carroll (P)

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

: . Fisher Ames (P) : . Benjamin Goodhue (P) : . Elbridge Gerry (A) : . Theodore Sedgwick (P) : . George Partridge (P), until August 14, 1790, vacant thereafter : . George Thatcher (P) : . George Leonard (P) : . Jonathan Grout (A)

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Abiel Foster (P), from June 23, 1789 : . Nicholas Gilman (P) : . Samuel Livermore (A)

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Elias Boudinot (P) : . Lambert Cadwalader (P) : . James Schureman (P) : . Thomas Sinnickson (P)

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

: . William Floyd (A) : . John Laurance (P) : . Egbert Benson (P) : . John Hathorn (A), from April 23, 1789 : . Peter Silvester (P), from April 22, 1789 : . Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (A), from May 9, 1789

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

: . John Baptista Ashe (A), from March 24, 1790 : . Hugh Williamson (A), from March 19, 1790 : . Timothy Bloodworth (A), from April 6, 1790 : . John Steele (P), from April 19, 1790 : . John Sevier (P), from June 16, 1790

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . George Clymer (P) : . Thomas Fitzsimons (P) : . Thomas Hartley (P) : . Daniel Hiester (A) : . Frederick Muhlenberg (P) : . Peter Muhlenberg (A) : . Thomas Scott (P) : . Henry Wynkoop (P)

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

: . Benjamin Bourne (P), from December 17, 1790

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

: . William L. Smith (P), from April 13, 1789 : . Aedanus Burke (A) : . Daniel Huger (P) : . Thomas Sumter (A) : . Thomas Tudor Tucker (A)

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

: . Alexander White (P) : . John Brown (A) : . Andrew Moore (A) : . Richard Bland Lee (P) : . James Madison (P) : . Isaac Coles (A) : . John Page (A) : . Josiah Parker (A) : . Theodorick Bland (A), until June 1, 1790 :: William B. Giles (A), from December 7, 1790 : . 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, due to their late ratification, were unable to send full representation at the beginning of this Congress. Six 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 6 new seats. The Anti-Administration Senators picked up 1 new seat and the Pro-Administration Senators picked up 5 new seats. Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

|- | New York (3) | | Rufus King (P)

House of Representatives

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. Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

|- | | | Benjamin West (P) | Member-elect declined to serve and a new member was elected in the first congressional special election. | | Abiel Foster (P)

| | | John Baptista Ashe (A)

| | | Hugh Williamson (A)

| | | Timothy Bloodworth (A)

| | | John Steele (P)

| | | John Sevier (P)

| | New seat | Rhode Island ratified the constitution May 29, 1790. | | Benjamin Bourne (P)

| | | Theodorick Bland (A) | Died June 1, 1790. | | William B. Giles (A)

| | | George Partridge (P) | Resigned August 14, 1790. |}

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

• Whole

House of Representatives

• Elections (Chairman: N/A)
• Rules (Select)
• Ways and Means (Chairman: Thomas Fitzsimons)
• Whole

Joint committees

• Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Paine Wingate)

Employees

Senate

• Secretary: Samuel A. Otis, elected April 8, 1789
• Doorkeeper: James Mathers, 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
• Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton, elected May 12, 1789
• Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
• Chaplain:
  • William Linn (Presbyterian), elected May 1, 1789
  • Samuel Blair (Presbyterian), elected December 10, 1790
• Reading Clerks: John Beckley.

Notes

References

References

1. (1820). "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". Gales & Seaton.
2. Unger, Harlow Giles. (September 4, 2012). "John Quincy Adams". Da Capo Press.
3. "Vice Presidential Inaugurations". Architect of the Capitol.
4. Martis, Kenneth C.. "The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress".
5. "American Memory: Remaining Collections".