First United States Congress
|
|
| Contents |
|
|
Dates of Sessions
1789-1791
- The first session of this Congress took place in New York City from March 4, 1789 to September 29, 1789.
- The second session took place in New York City from January 4, 1790 to August 12, 1790.
- The third session took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from December 6, 1790 to March 3, 1791.
Major Political Events
- Senate and House of Representatives of eleven States first convene in New York, March 4, 1789.
- House first meets with quorum of members to elect first Speaker, April 1, 1789
- Frederick Muhlenberg, first House Speaker
- Senate first meets with quorum of members to elect first President pro tempore and tally results of Presidential election
- John Langdon, first Senate President pro Tempore
- Inauguration of George Washington, first President of the United States, April 30, 1789
- Foreign Affairs (State) Department Established, July 27, 1789
- War Department Established, August 7, 1789
- Adopts provisions of the Northwest Ordinance under the U.S. Constitution, August 7, 1789
- Treasury Department Established, September 2, 1789
- Judiciary Act of 1789 established Office of Attorney General, the composition of Supreme Court, and the entire Judiciary system, September 24, 1789
- North Carolina ratifies Constitution, November 21, 1789
- Makes provisions for the first U.S. Census, March 1, 1790
- Accepts the cession of claims on western territory (which was to become the state of Tennessee) by North Carolina on April 2, 1790
- Passes first legislation regulating Patents, April 10, 1790
- Organizes the Southwest Territory out of territory ceded by North Carolina, May 26, 1790
- Passes first copyright legislation, May 31, 1790
- Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ratifies Constitution, May 29, 1790
- Kentucky admitted to Union, February 4, 1791, effective June 1, 1792
- Vermont admitted to Union, February 18, 1791, effective March 4, 1791
Officers
Senate
- President of the Senate - John Adams
- President pro tempore - John Langdon (6 April 1789-21 April 1789, 7 August 1789-9 August 1789)
- Secretary of the Senate - Samuel Allyne Otis
- Senate Sergeant at Arms - James Mathers
- Senate Chaplain -
- Samuel Provoost (April 25, 1789-December 9, 1790
- William White (from December 9, 1790)
House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House - Frederick Muhlenberg
- Clerk of the House - John Beckley
- House Doorkeeper - Gifford Dalley
- House Sergeant at Arms - Joseph Wheaton
- Chaplain of the House - William Lynn
Members of the First United States Congress
Missing image
1st_Senate_composition_1_3.png
1st_Senate_composition_1_3.png
Original partisan composition of the 1st United States Senate. Red states were represented by two Federalists, blue states by two Anti-Federalists, and purple states by one senator from each party.
Missing image
1st_Senate_composition_2.png
1st_Senate_composition_2.png
Second composition. The Senate later reverted back to the original partisan makeup when Monroe was elected Walker's seat.
Senate
- Oliver Ellsworth, Federalist, CT
- William Samuel Johnson, Federalist, CT
- Richard Bassett, Anti-Federalist, DE
- George Read, Federalist, DE
- William Few, Anti-Federalist, GA
- James Gunn, Anti-Federalist, GA
- Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Federalist, MD
- John Henry, Federalist, MD
- Tristram Dalton, Federalist, MA
- Caleb Strong, Federalist, MA
- John Langdon, Federalist, NH
- Paine Wingate, Anti-Federalist, NH
- William Paterson, Federalist, and then Philemon Dickinson, Federalist, NJ
- Jonathan Elmer, Federalist, NJ
- Rufus King, Federalist, NY
- Philip Schuyler, Federalist, NY
- Benjamin Hawkins, Federalist, NC
- Samuel Johnston, Federalist, NC
- William Maclay, Anti-Federalist, PA
- Robert Morris, Federalist, PA
- Theodore Foster, Federalist, RI
- Joseph Stanton, Jr., Anti-Federalist, RI
- Pierce Butler, Federalist, SC
- Ralph Izard, Federalist, SC
- William Grayson, Anti-Federalist, and then John Walker, Federalist and then James Monroe, Anti-Federalist, VA
- Richard Henry Lee, Anti-Federalist, VA
House of Representatives
Connecticut
- Benjamin Huntington, At-Large
- Roger Sherman, At-Large
- Jonathan Sturges, At-Large
- Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., At-Large
- Jeremiah Wadsworth, At-Large
Delaware
- John Vining, At-Large
Georgia
- Abraham Baldwin, At-Large
- James Jackson, At-Large
- George Mathews, At-Large
Maryland
- Daniel Carroll, At-Large
- Benjamin Contee, At-Large
- George Gale, At-Large
- Joshua Seney, At-Large
- William Smith, At-Large
- Michael J. Stone, At-Large
Massachusetts
- Fisher Ames, 1st District
- Benjamin Goodhue, 2nd District
- Elbridge Gerry, 3rd District
- Theodore Sedgwick, 4th District
- George Partridge, 5th District
- George Thatcher, 6th District
- George Leonard, 7th District
- Jonathan Grout, 8th District
New Hampshire
- Abiel Foster, At-Large
- Nicholas Gilman, At-Large
- Samuel Livermore, At-Large
New Jersey
- Elias Boudinot, At-Large
- Lambert Cadwalader, At-Large
- James Schureman, At-Large
- Thomas Sinnickson, At-Large
New York
- William Floyd, 1st District
- John Laurance, 2nd District
- Egbert Benson, 3rd District
- John Hathorn, 4th District
- Peter Silvester, 5th District
- Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, 6th District
North Carolina
- John Baptista Ashe, At-Large
- Timothy Bloodworth, At-Large
- John Sevier, At-Large
- John Steele, At-Large
- Hugh Williamson, At-Large
Pennsylvania
- George Clymer, At-Large
- Thomas Fitzsimons, At-Large
- Thomas Hartley, At-Large
- Daniel Hiester, At-Large
- Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg, At-Large
- John P. G. Muhlenberg, At-Large
- Thomas Scott, At-Large
- Henry Wynkoop, At-Large
Rhode Island
- Benjamin Bourne, At-Large
South Carolina
- Aedanus Burke, At-Large
- Daniel Huger, At-Large
- William Loughton Smith, At-Large
- Thomas Sumter, At-Large
- Thomas Tudor Tucker, At-Large
Virginia
- Theodorick Bland and then William B. Giles, At-Large
- John Brown, At-Large
- Isaac Coles, At-Large
- Samuel Griffin, At-Large
- Richard B. Lee, At-Large
- James Madison, At-Large
- Andrew Moore, At-Large
- John Page, At-Large
- Josiah Parker, At-Large
- Alexander White, At-Large
External Links
- First Federal Congress Project (http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/) at GWU
| Previous: — | United States Congress 1789–1791 | Next: |