7th United States Congress

Major events

Main article: 1801 in the United States, 1802 in the United States, 1803 in the United States

• March 4, 1801: Thomas Jefferson became President of the United States.
• May 10, 1801: The pascha of Tripoli declared war on United States by having the flagpole on the consulate chopped down
• March 16, 1802: West Point established
• February 24, 1803: First time an Act of Congress was declared unconstitutional: U.S. Supreme Court case, Marbury v. Madison

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation#7th United States Congress

• April 29, 1802: Judiciary Act of 1802, ch. 31,
• April 30, 1802: Enabling Act of 1802, ch. 40,

States admitted

• Ohio was admitted as a state, having previously been a portion of the Northwest Territory. The exact date is unclear and in dispute, but it is undisputed that it was during this Congress. The official date when Ohio became a state was not set until 1953, when the 83rd U.S. Congress passed legislation retrospectively designating the date of the first meeting of the Ohio state legislature, March 1, 1803, as that date. However, on April 30, 1802, the 7th U.S. Congress had passed an act "authorizing the inhabitants of Ohio to form a Constitution and state government, and admission of Ohio into the Union." (Sess. 1, ch. 40, ) On February 19, 1803, the same Congress passed an act "providing for the execution of the laws of the United States in the State of Ohio." (Sess. 2, ch. 7, ) The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress states that Ohio was admitted to the Union on November 29, 1802, and counts its seats as vacant from that date.

Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

The Federalists still controlled the Senate when they held a two-day special Senate session in March 1801, which was called by outgoing President John Adams so that the Senate could provide advice to the new President Thomas Jefferson, but by the time Congress began its first regular session in December 1801 to start official business, the Democratic-Republicans had gained Senate control.

House of Representatives

Leadership

Senate

Aaron Burr Abraham Baldwin}}

• President: Aaron Burr (DR)
• President pro tempore: Abraham Baldwin (DR), first elected December 7, 1801
  • Stephen R. Bradley (DR), first elected December 14, 1802

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Nathaniel Macon, (DR), elected December 7, 1801

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

Senate

Main article: List of United States senators in the 7th Congress

:Skip to House of Representatives, below 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, facing re-election in 1802; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1804; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1806.

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

: 1. James Hillhouse (F) : 3. Uriah Tracy (F)

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

: 1. Samuel White (F) : 2. William H. Wells (F)

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

: 2. Abraham Baldwin (DR) : 3. James Jackson (DR)

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

: 2. John Brown (DR) : 3. John Breckinridge (DR)

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

: 1. John Eager Howard (F) : 3. William Hindman (F), until November 19, 1801 :: Robert Wright (DR), from November 19, 1801

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

: 1. Jonathan Mason (F) : 2. Dwight Foster (F), until March 2, 1803

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

: 2. Samuel Livermore (F), until June 12, 1801 :: Simeon Olcott (F), from June 17, 1801 : 3. James Sheafe (F), until June 14, 1802 :: William Plumer (F), from June 17, 1802

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

: 1. Aaron Ogden (F) : 2. Jonathan Dayton (F)

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

: 1. Gouverneur Morris (F) : 3. John Armstrong Jr. (DR), until February 5, 1802 :: DeWitt Clinton (DR), from February 9, 1802

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

: 2. Jesse Franklin (DR) : 3. David Stone (DR)

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

Due to uncertainty over Ohio's exact admittance date (see "States admitted, above") its two senators were not elected until the next Congress. : 1: Vacant (newly admitted state) : 3: Vacant (newly admitted state)

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

: 1. James Ross (F) : 3. John Peter G. Muhlenberg (DR), until June 30, 1801 :: George Logan (DR), from July 13, 1801

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

: 1. Theodore Foster (F) : 2. Ray Greene (F), until March 5, 1801 :: Christopher Ellery (DR), from May 6, 1801

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

: 2. Charles Pinckney (DR), until June 6, 1801 :: Thomas Sumter (DR), from December 15, 1801 : 3. John E. Colhoun (DR), until October 26, 1802 :: Pierce Butler (DR), from November 4, 1802

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

: 1. Joseph Anderson (DR) : 2. William Cocke (DR)

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

: 1. Nathaniel Chipman (F) : 3. Elijah Paine (F), until September 1, 1801 :: Stephen R. Bradley (DR), from October 15, 1801

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

: 1. Stevens Mason (DR) : 2. Wilson C. Nicholas (DR)

]]

House of Representatives

Main article: List of United States representatives in the 7th Congress

The names of representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "At-large," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Samuel W. Dana (F) : . John Davenport (F) : . Calvin Goddard (F), from May 14, 1801 : . Roger Griswold (F) : . Elias Perkins (F) : . John Cotton Smith (F) : . Benjamin Tallmadge (F), from September 21, 1801

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

: . James A. Bayard (F)

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . John Milledge (DR), until May 1802 :: Peter Early (DR), from January 10, 1803 : . Benjamin Taliaferro (DR), until May 1802 :: David Meriwether (DR), from December 6, 1802

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

: . Thomas T. Davis (DR) : . John Fowler (DR)

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

: . John Campbell (F) : . Richard Sprigg Jr. (DR), until February 11, 1802 :: Walter Bowie (DR), from March 24, 1802 : . Thomas Plater (F) : . Daniel Hiester (DR) : . Samuel Smith (DR) : . John Archer (DR) : . Joseph H. Nicholson (DR) : . John Dennis (F)

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

: . John Bacon (DR) : . William Shepard (F) : . Ebenezer Mattoon (F) : . Levi Lincoln Sr. (DR), until March 5, 1801 :: Seth Hastings (F), from January 11, 1802 : . Lemuel Williams (F) : . Josiah Smith (DR) : . Phanuel Bishop (DR) : . William Eustis (DR) : . Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR) : . Nathan Read (F) : . Manasseh Cutler (F) : . Silas Lee (F), until August 20, 1801 :: Samuel Thatcher (F), from December 6, 1802 : . Peleg Wadsworth (F) : . Richard Cutts (DR), from December 7, 1801

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Abiel Foster (F) : . Joseph Peirce (F), until June 1802 :: Samuel Hunt (F), from December 6, 1802 : . Samuel Tenney (F) : . George B. Upham (F)

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

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . John Condit (DR) : . Ebenezer Elmer (DR) : . William Helms (DR) : . James Mott (DR) : . Henry Southard (DR)

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

: . John Smith (DR) : . Samuel L. Mitchill (DR) : . Philip Van Cortlandt (DR) : . Lucas C. Elmendorf (DR) : . Thomas Tillotson (DR), until August 10, 1801 :: Theodorus Bailey (DR), from December 7, 1801 : . John Bird (F), until July 25, 1801 :: John P. Van Ness (DR), December 7, 1801 – January 17, 1803; vacant thereafter : . David Thomas (DR) : . Killian K. Van Rensselaer (F) : . Benjamin Walker (F) : . Thomas Morris (F)

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

: . James Holland (DR) : . Archibald Henderson (F) : . Robert Williams (DR) : . Richard Stanford (DR) : . Nathaniel Macon (DR) : . William H. Hill (F) : . William Barry Grove (F) : . Charles Johnson (DR), from December 7, 1801 until July 23, 1802 :: Thomas Wynns (DR), from December 7, 1802 : . Willis Alston (F, then D-R) : . John Stanly (F)

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

: . vacant (newly admitted state)

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

: . William Jones (DR) : . Michael Leib (DR) : . Joseph Hemphill (F) : : Robert Brown (DR) : : Isaac Van Horne (DR) : . Joseph Hiester (DR) : . John A. Hanna (DR) : . Thomas Boude (F) : . John Stewart (DR) : . Andrew Gregg (DR) : . Henry Woods (F) : . John Smilie (DR) : . William Hoge (DR)

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

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. : . Joseph Stanton Jr. (DR) : . Thomas Tillinghast (DR)

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

: . Thomas Lowndes (F) : . John Rutledge Jr. (F) : . Benjamin Huger (F) : . Thomas Sumter (DR), until December 15, 1801 :: Richard Winn (DR), from January 24, 1802 : . William Butler Sr. (DR) : . Thomas Moore (DR)

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

: . William Dickson (DR)

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

: . Israel Smith (DR) : . Lewis R. Morris (F)

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

: . John Smith (DR) : . David Holmes (DR) : . George Jackson (DR) : . Abram Trigg (DR) : . John J. Trigg (DR) : . Matthew Clay (DR) : . John Randolph (DR) : . Thomas Claiborne (DR) : . William B. Giles (DR) : . Edwin Gray (DR) : . Thomas Newton Jr. (DR) : . John Stratton (F) : . John Clopton (DR) : . Samuel J. Cabell (DR) : . John Dawson (DR) : . Anthony New (DR) : . Richard Brent (DR) : . Philip R. Thompson (DR) : . John Taliaferro (DR)

Non-voting members

: . Narsworthy Hunter (DR), until March 11, 1802 :: Thomas M. Green Jr. (DR), from December 6, 1802 : . Paul Fearing (F)

Changes in membership

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

Senate

There was 1 death, 8 resignations, and 2 seats added for a new state. Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

|- | Rhode Island (2) | | Ray Greene (F) | Resigned March 5, 1801, after being nominated for a judicial position. His successor was elected. | | Christopher Ellery (DR) | Seated May 6, 1801

|- | South Carolina (2) | | Charles Pinckney (DR) | Resigned June 6, 1801, after being appointed Minister to Spain. His successor was elected. | | Thomas Sumter (DR) | Seated December 15, 1801

|- | New Hampshire (2) | | Samuel Livermore (F) | Resigned June 12, 1801. His successor was elected. | | Simeon Olcott (F) | Seated June 17, 1801

|- | Pennsylvania (3) | | Peter Muhlenberg (DR) | Resigned June 30, 1801. His successor was appointed July 13, 1801, and then elected December 17, 1801. | | George Logan (DR) | Seated July 13, 1801

|- | Vermont (3) | | Elijah Paine (F) | Resigned September 1, 1801. His successor was elected. | | Stephen R. Bradley (DR) | Seated October 15, 1801

|- | Maryland (3) | | William Hindman (F) | Resigned November 19, 1801. His successor was elected. | | Robert Wright (DR) | Seated November 19, 1801

|- | Massachusetts (3) | | Dwight Foster (F) | Resigned March 2, 1803. Not filled this Congress | Vacant

|- | New York (3) | | John Armstrong Jr. (DR) | Resigned February 5, 1802. His successor was elected. | | DeWitt Clinton (DR) | Seated February 9, 1802

|- | New Hampshire (3) | | James Sheafe (F) | Resigned June 14, 1802. His successor was elected. | | William Plumer (F) | Seated June 17, 1802

|- | South Carolina (3) | | John E. Colhoun (DR) | Died October 26, 1802. His successor was elected. | | Pierce Butler (DR) | Seated November 4, 1802

|- | Ohio (1) | Vacant

|- | Ohio (3) | Vacant

|}

House of Representatives

• Replacements: 8
  • Democratic-Republicans: no net change
  • Federalists: no net change
• Deaths: 1
• Resignations: 9
• Forfeiture: 1
• Vacancy: 1
• Total seats with changes: 11 Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy -- Main article: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives

|- | | Vacant | Elizur Goodrich (F) resigned before the beginning of this Congress. | | Calvin Goddard (F) | May 14, 1801

|- | | Vacant | William Edmond (F) resigned before the beginning of this Congress. | | Benjamin Tallmadge (F) | September 21, 1801

|- | | Vacant | Representative-elect George Thatcher declined to serve. Successor elected June 22, 1801. | | Richard Cutts (DR) | December 7, 1801

|- | | | Levi Lincoln (DR) | Resigned March 5, 1801, after being appointed US Attorney General. | | Seth Hastings (F) | January 11, 1802

|- | | | John Bird (F) | Resigned July 25, 1801. | | John Peter Van Ness (DR) | December 7, 1801

|- | | | Thomas Tillotson (DR) | Resigned August 10, 1801, upon appointment as NY Secretary of State. | | Theodorus Bailey (DR) | December 7, 1801

|- | | | Silas Lee (F) | Resigned August 20, 1801. | | Samuel Thatcher (F) | December 6, 1802

|- | | | Thomas Sumter (DR) | Resigned December 15, 1801, after being elected to the US Senate. | | Richard Winn (DR) | January 24, 1802

|- | | | Benjamin Taliaferro (DR) | Resigned sometime in 1802. | | David Meriwether (DR) | December 6, 1802

|- | | | Joseph Peirce (F) | Resigned sometime in 1802. | | Samuel Hunt (F) | December 6, 1802

|- | | | Richard Sprigg Jr. (DR) | Resigned February 11, 1802. | | Walter Bowie (DR) | March 24, 1802

|- | | |Narsworthy Hunter (DR) | Died March 11, 1802. | |Thomas M. Green Jr. (DR) | December 6, 1802

|- | | | John Milledge (DR) | Resigned May 1802 after being elected Governor. | | Peter Early (DR) | January 10, 1803

|- | | | Charles Johnson (DR) | Died July 23, 1802. | | Thomas Wynns (DR) | December 7, 1802

|- | | New seat | Ohio was admitted to the Union on November 29, 1802. | Vacant

|- | | | John Peter Van Ness (DR) | Seat declared forfeited January 17, 1803. | Vacant

|}

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

• Whole

House of Representatives

• Claims (Chairman: John C. Smith)
• Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Samuel Smith)
• Elections (Chairman: John Milledge then John Bacon)
• Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: John Davenport)
• Rules (Select)
• Standards of Official Conduct (Chairman: N/A)
• Ways and Means (Chairman: John Randolph)
• Whole

Joint committees

• Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Dwight Foster)

Officers

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

• Architect of the Capitol: William Thornton
• Librarian of Congress: John J. Beckley, from 1802

Senate

• Chaplain: Thomas J. Claggett (Episcopalian), until December 9, 1801
  • Edward Gantt (Episcopalian), elected December 9, 1801
• Secretary: Samuel A. Otis
• Doorkeeper: James Mathers

House of Representatives

• Chaplain: Thomas Lyell (Methodist), until December 10, 1801
  • William Parkinson (Baptist), elected December 10, 1801
• Clerk: John Holt Oswald, until December 7, 1801
  • John Beckley, elected December 7, 1801
• Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
• Reading Clerks:
• Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton

Notes

References

References

1. (March 1801). "Congressional Record, March 1801". Congressional Record.
2. (June 2001). "Explanation of the Types of Sessions of Congress".
3. The official date when Ohio became a state was not set until 1953, when the [[83rd United States Congress. 83rd U.S. Congress]] passed legislation retrospectively designating the date of the first meeting of the [[Ohio state legislature]], March 1, 1803, as that date. However, on April 30, 1802, the 7th U.S. Congress had passed an act "authorizing the inhabitants of Ohio to form a Constitution and state government, and admission of Ohio into the Union." (Sess. 1, ch. 40, {{USStat. 2. 173) On February 19, 1803, the same Congress passed an act "providing for the execution of the laws of the United States in the State of Ohio." (Sess. 2, ch. 7, {{USStat. 2. 201) The [[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]] states that Ohio was admitted to the Union on November 29, 1802, and counts its seats as vacant from that date.
4. Pennsylvania's 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.
5. "Seventh Congress March 4, 1801 to March 3, 1803". Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives.