4th United States Congress

Major events

• September 17, 1796: George Washington's Farewell Address warned against partisan politics and foreign entanglements.
• November 4 - December 7, 1796: 1796 United States presidential election: Incumbent vice president John Adams defeated Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson.

Major legislation

Treaties ratified

• June 24, 1795: Treaty of London ("Jay's Treaty")
• March 7, 1796: Treaty of Madrid ("Pinckney's Treaty")

States admitted

• June 1, 1796: Tennessee admitted as a state; formerly the Territory South of the River Ohio, Sess. 1, ch. 47,

Party summary

This was the first Congress to have organized political parties. Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

House of Representatives

Leadership

Senate

• President: John Adams (F)
• President pro tempore:
  • Henry Tazewell (F), first elected December 7, 1795
  • Samuel Livermore (F), first elected May 6, 1796
  • William Bingham (F), first elected February 16, 1797

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Jonathan Dayton (F)

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 4th 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 ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1796; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1798; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1800.

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

: 1. Oliver Ellsworth (F), until March 8, 1796 :: James Hillhouse (F), from May 12, 1796 : 3. Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (F), until June 10, 1796 :: Uriah Tracy (F), from October 13, 1796

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

: 1. Henry Latimer (F) : 2. John Vining (F)

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

: 2. James Jackson (DR), until October 31, 1795 :: George Walton (F), November 16, 1795 – February 20, 1796 :: Josiah Tattnall (DR), from February 20, 1796 : 3. James Gunn (F)

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

: 2. John Brown (DR) : 3. Humphrey Marshall (F)

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

: 1. Richard Potts (F), until October 24, 1796 :: John Eager Howard (F), from November 30, 1796 : 3. John Henry (F)

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

: 1. George Cabot (F), until June 9, 1796 :: Benjamin Goodhue (F), from June 11, 1796 : 2. Caleb Strong (F), until June 1, 1796 :: Theodore Sedgwick (F), from June 11, 1796

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

: 2. Samuel Livermore (F) : 3. John Langdon (DR)

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

: 1. John Rutherfurd (F) : 2. Frederick Frelinghuysen (F), until November 12, 1796 :: Richard Stockton (F), from November 12, 1796

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

: 1. Aaron Burr (DR) : 3. Rufus King (F), until May 23, 1796 :: John Laurance (F), from November 9, 1796

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

: 2. Alexander Martin (DR) : 3. Timothy Bloodworth (DR)

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

: 1. James Ross (F) : 3. William Bingham (F)

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

: 1. Theodore Foster (F) : 2. William Bradford (F)

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

: 2. Pierce Butler (DR), until October 25, 1796 :: John Hunter (DR), from December 8, 1796 : 3. Jacob Read (F)

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

: 1. William Cocke (DR), from August 2, 1796 (newly admitted state) : 2. William Blount (DR), from August 2, 1796 (newly admitted state)

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

: 1. Moses Robinson (DR), until October 15, 1796 :: Isaac Tichenor (F), from October 18, 1796 : 3. Elijah Paine (F)

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

: 1. Stevens Mason (DR) : 2. Henry Tazewell (DR)

]]

House of Representatives

Main article: List of United States representatives in the 4th Congress

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Joshua Coit (F) : . Chauncey Goodrich (F) : . Roger Griswold (F) : . James Hillhouse (F), until July 1, 1796 :: James Davenport (F), from December 5, 1796 : . Nathaniel Smith (F) : . Zephaniah Swift (F) : . Uriah Tracy (F), until October 13, 1796 :: Samuel W. Dana (F), from January 3, 1797

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

: . John Patten (DR)

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

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Abraham Baldwin (DR) : . John Milledge (DR)

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

: . Christopher Greenup (DR) : . Alexander D. Orr (DR)

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

: . George Dent (F) : . Gabriel Duvall (DR), until March 28, 1796 :: Richard Sprigg Jr. (DR), from May 5, 1796 : . Jeremiah Crabb (F), until June 1, 1796 :: William Craik (F), from December 5, 1796 : . Thomas Sprigg (DR) : . Samuel Smith (DR) : . Gabriel Christie (DR) : . William Hindman (F) : . William Vans Murray (F)

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

: . Theodore Sedgwick (F), until June, 1796 :: Thomson J. Skinner (DR), from January 27, 1797 : . William Lyman (DR) : . Samuel Lyman (F) : . Dwight Foster (F) : . Nathaniel Freeman Jr. (F) : . John Reed Sr. (F) : . George Leonard (F) : . Fisher Ames (F) : . Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR) : . Benjamin Goodhue (F), until June 1796 :: Samuel Sewall (F), from December 7, 1796 : . Theophilus Bradbury (F) : . Henry Dearborn (DR) : . Peleg Wadsworth (F) : . George Thatcher (F)

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Abiel Foster (F) : . Nicholas Gilman (F) : . John Sherburne (DR) : . Jeremiah Smith (F)

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

: . Jonathan Dayton (F) : . Thomas Henderson (F) : . Aaron Kitchell (DR) : . Isaac Smith (F) : . Mark Thomson (F)

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

: . Jonathan N. Havens (DR) : . Edward Livingston (DR) : . Philip Van Cortlandt (DR) : . John Hathorn (DR) : . Theodorus Bailey (DR) : . Ezekiel Gilbert (F) : . John E. Van Alen (F) : . Henry Glen (F) : . John Williams (DR) : . William Cooper (F)

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

: . James Holland (DR) : . Matthew Locke (DR) : . Jesse Franklin (DR) : . Absalom Tatom (DR), until June 1, 1796 :: William Strudwick (F), from December 13, 1796 : . Nathaniel Macon (DR) : . James Gillespie (DR) : . William Barry Grove (F) : . Dempsey Burges (DR) : . Thomas Blount (DR) : . Nathan Bryan (DR)

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

The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives. : . John Swanwick (DR) : . Frederick Muhlenberg (DR) : . Richard Thomas (F) : . Vacant until January 18, 1796 :: John Richards (DR), from January 18, 1796 : . Samuel Sitgreaves (F) : . Daniel Hiester (DR), until July 1, 1796 :: George Ege (F), from December 8, 1796 : . Samuel Maclay (DR) : . John Wilkes Kittera (F) : . Thomas Hartley (F) : . Andrew Gregg (DR) : . David Bard (DR) : . William Findley (DR) : . Albert Gallatin (DR)

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

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Benjamin Bourne (F), until October 13, 1796 :: Elisha R. Potter (F), from December 19, 1796 : . Francis Malbone (F)

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

: . William L. Smith (F) : . Wade Hampton (DR) : . Lemuel Benton (DR) : . Richard Winn (DR) : . Robert Goodloe Harper (F) : . Samuel Earle (DR)

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

: . Andrew Jackson (DR), from December 5, 1796 (newly admitted state)

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

: . Israel Smith (DR) : . Daniel Buck (F)

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

: . Robert Rutherford (DR) : . Andrew Moore (DR) : . George Jackson (DR) : . Francis Preston (DR) : . George Hancock (F) : . Isaac Coles (DR) : . Abraham B. Venable (DR) : . Thomas Claiborne (DR) : . William B. Giles (DR) : . Carter B. Harrison (DR) : . Josiah Parker (F) : . John Page (DR) : . John Clopton (DR) : . Samuel J. Cabell (DR) : . James Madison (DR) : . Anthony New (DR) : . Richard Brent (DR) : . John Nicholas (DR) : . John Heath (DR)

Non-voting members

: ("Southwest Territory," later "Tennessee") James White (DR), until June 1, 1796

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress

Senate

There were 10 resignations, 2 new seats, and 1 election to replace an appointee. There was a 1-seat gain for both the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

|- | Georgia (2) | | James Jackson (DR) | Resigned sometime in 1795 | | George Walton (F)

House of Representatives

There were 9 resignations, 1 death of a Representative-elect, and 1 new seat. There was a 1-seat gain for both the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

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

|- | | Vacant | Election was contested and then the apparent winner, James Morris, died July 10, 1795. The House then declared the seat won by the challenger. | | John Richards (DR) | Seated January 18, 1796

|- | | | Jeremiah Crabb (F) | Resigned sometime in 1796. | | William Craik (F) | Seated December 5, 1796

|- | | | Benjamin Bourne (F) | Resigned sometime in 1796. | | Elisha Potter (F) | Seated December 19, 1796

|- | | | Theodore Sedgwick (F) | Resigned sometime in June, 1796, having been elected U.S. Senator. | | Thomson Skinner (DR) | Seated January 27, 1797

|- | | | Gabriel Duvall (DR) | Resigned March 28, 1796, having been elected judge of the Supreme Court of Maryland. | | Richard Sprigg Jr. (DR) | Seated May 5, 1796

|- | | | Absalom Tatom (DR) | Resigned June 1, 1796. | | William Strudwick (F) | Seated December 13, 1796

|- | | | Benjamin Goodhue (F) | Resigned sometime in June 1796, having been elected U.S. Senator. | | Samuel Sewall (F) | Seated December 7, 1796

|- | | | James Hillhouse (F) | Resigned July 1, 1796, having been elected U.S. Senator. | | James Davenport (F) | Seated December 5, 1796

|- | | James White | Served until June 1, 1796, when Tennessee was admitted to the Union.

|- | | New seat | Tennessee was admitted to the Union June 1, 1796. Seat remained vacant until December 5, 1796. | | Andrew Jackson (DR) | Seated December 5, 1796

|- | | | Daniel Hiester (DR) | Resigned July 1, 1796. | | George Ege (F) | Seated December 8, 1796

|- | | | Uriah Tracy (F) | Resigned October 13, 1796, having been elected U.S. Senator. | | Samuel Dana (F) | Seated January 3, 1797

|}

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

• Whole

House of Representatives

• Claims (Chairman: Uriah Tracy then Dwight Foster)
• Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Benjamin Goodhue then John Swanwick)
• Elections (Chairman: Abraham B. Venable)
• Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Nicholas Gilman)
• Rules (Select)
• Ways and Means (Chairman: William Loughton Smith)
• Whole

Joint committees

• Enrolled Bills (Chairman: N/A then Richard Stockton)

Officers

• Architect of the Capitol: William Thornton

Senate

• Chaplain: William White, Episcopalian
• Doorkeeper: James Mathers
• Secretary: Samuel A. Otis

House of Representatives

• Chaplain: Ashbel Green, Presbyterian
• Clerk: John Beckley
• Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
• Reading Clerks:
• Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton

Notes

References