5th United States Congress explained

Number:	5th
Imagename:	Congress Hall
Imagedate:	2007
Start:	March 4, 1797
End:	March 3, 1799
Vp:	Thomas Jefferson (DR)
Pro Tem:	William Bradford (F) Jacob Read (F) Theodore Sedgwick (F) John Laurance (F) James Ross (F)
Speaker:	Jonathan Dayton (F)
Senators:	32
Reps:	106
S-Majority:	Federalist
H-Majority:	Federalist
Sessionnumber1:	Special
Sessionstart1:	March 4, 1797
Sessionend1:	March 4, 1797
Sessionnumber2:	1st
Sessionstart2:	May 15, 1797
Sessionend2:	July 10, 1797
Sessionnumber3:	2nd
Sessionstart3:	November 13, 1797
Sessionend3:	July 16, 1798
Sessionnumber4:	Special
Sessionstart4:	July 17, 1798
Sessionend4:	July 19, 1798
Sessionnumber5:	3rd
Sessionstart5:	December 3, 1798
Sessionend5:	March 3, 1799
Previous:	4th
Next:	6th

The 5th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 4, 1797, to March 4, 1799, during the first two years of John Adams' presidency. In the context of the Quasi-War with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by Congress. The Acts were overwhelmingly supported by the Federalists and mostly opposed by the Democratic-Republicans. Some Democratic-Republicans, such as Timothy Bloodworth, said they would support formally going to war against France but they opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts which Bloodworth and others believed were unconstitutional.^[1]

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1790 United States census. Both chambers had a Federalist majority.

Major events

See main article: 1797 in the United States, 1798 in the United States and 1799 in the United States.

• • March 4, 1797 – John Adams became President of the United States July 8, 1797 – The Senate expelled Tennessee Senator William Blount for conspiring with the British
• July 11, 1798 – The United States Marine Corps was established
• XYZ Affair in the U.S., followed by naval skirmishes but no war is declared. The XYZ affair led to several Democratic-Republicans breaking ranks with Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson took pains to avoid blaming France for the incident, as a result John Hunter, Josiah Tattnall, Timothy Bloodworth, Alexander Martin, Lemuel Benton, Thomas Sumter, William Smith, John Milledge, Abraham Baldwin, Joseph McDowell, Matthew Locke, Robert Williams, Richard Stanford, Nathaniel Macon, James Gillespie, Dempsey Burges, Thomas Blount, Nathan Bryan, John Brown, Thomas T. Davis, John Fowler and Joseph Anderson all publicly broke ranks with Jefferson, despite the fact he was the de facto leader of their party, and sided with Alexander Hamilton. The aforementioned congressmen and senators were referred to by Jefferson as a "reign of witches" and were described as the "Pro-British republicans" (as opposed to the "pro-French republicans" led by Jefferson).^[2]

Major legislation

• April 7, 1798: Mississippi Organic Act ("An Act for an amicable settlement of limits with the state of Georgia, and authorizing the establishment of a government in the Mississippi territory"), Sess. 2, ch. 28,
• April 30, 1798: The U.S. Department of the Navy was established, Sess. 2, ch. 35,
• June 18, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts: ("An Act to establish a uniform rule of naturalization") (Naturalization Act of 1798), Sess. 2, ch. 54,
• June 25, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts: ("An Act concerning Aliens"), Sess. 2, ch. 58,
• July 6, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts: ("An Act respecting Alien Enemies"), Sess. 2, ch. 66,
• July 9, 1798: Act Further to Protect the Commerce of the United States, Sess. 2, ch. 68,
• July 11, 1798: The United States Marine Corps was established, Sess. 2, ch. 72,
• July 14, 1798: Alien and Sedition Acts: ("An Act for the punishment of certain crimes against the United States") (Sedition Act), Sess. 2, ch. 74,
• July 16, 1798: Marine Hospital Service Act ("An Act for the relief of sick and disabled Seamen"), Sess. 2, ch. 77,

Treaties ratified

• June 7, 1797: Treaty of Tripoli between the United States and Tripoli.^[3]
• July 7, 1797: Existing treaties with France were rescinded, Sess. 2, ch. 67,

Party summary

Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

House of Representatives

Leadership

Senate

• President

Thomas Jefferson (DR)

• President pro tempore: William Bradford (F), elected July 6, 1797
  • Jacob Read (F), elected November 22, 1797
  • Theodore Sedgwick (F), elected June 27, 1798
  • John Laurance (F), elected December 6, 1798
  • James Ross (F), elected March 1, 1799

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Jonathan Dayton (F)

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and representatives are listed by district.

Senate

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 this Congress, requiring reelection in 1802; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1798; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1800.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

1. James Hillhouse (F)

3. Uriah Tracy (F)

1. Henry Latimer (F)

2. John Vining (F), until January 19, 1798

Joshua Clayton (F), from January 19, 1798, until August 11, 1798

William H. Wells (F), from January 17, 1799

2. Josiah Tattnall (DR)

3. James Gunn (F)

2. John Brown (DR)

3. Humphrey Marshall (F)

1. John Eager Howard (F)

3. John Henry (F), until December 10, 1797

James Lloyd (F), from December 11, 1797

1. Benjamin Goodhue (F)

2. Theodore Sedgwick (F)

2. Samuel Livermore (F)

3. John Langdon (DR)

1. John Rutherfurd (F), until November 26, 1798

Franklin Davenport (F), from December 5, 1798

2. Richard Stockton (F)

1. Philip Schuyler (F), until January 3, 1798

John Sloss Hobart (F), from January 11, 1798, until April 16, 1798

William North (F), from May 5, 1798, until August 17, 1798

James Watson (F), from August 17, 1798

3. John Laurance (F)

2. Alexander Martin (DR)

3. Timothy Bloodworth (DR)

1. James Ross (F)

3. William Bingham (F)

1. Theodore Foster (F)

2. William Bradford (F), until October ????, 1797

Ray Greene (F), from November 13, 1797

2. John Hunter (DR) until November 26, 1798

Charles Pinckney (DR), from December 6, 1798

3. Jacob Read (F)

1. William Cocke (DR), May 15, 1797 - September 26, 1797

Andrew Jackson (DR), September 26, 1797 - April ????, 1798

Daniel Smith (DR), from October 6, 1798

2. William Blount (DR), until July 8, 1797

Joseph Anderson (DR), from September 26, 1797

1. Isaac Tichenor (F), until October 17, 1797

Nathaniel Chipman (F), from October 17, 1797

3. Elijah Paine (F)

1. Stevens Mason (DR)

2. Henry Tazewell (DR), until January 24, 1799

House of Representatives

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. John Allen (F)

. Joshua Coit (F), until September 5, 1798

Jonathan Brace (F), from December 3, 1798

. Samuel W. Dana (F)

. James Davenport (F), until August 3, 1797

William Edmond (F), from November 13, 1797

. Chauncey Goodrich (F)

. Roger Griswold (F)

. Nathaniel Smith (F)

. James A. Bayard (F)

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Abraham Baldwin (DR)

. John Milledge (DR)

. Thomas T. Davis (DR)

. John Fowler (DR)

. George Dent (F)

. Richard Sprigg Jr. (DR)

. William Craik (F)

. George Baer Jr. (F)

. Samuel Smith (DR)

. William Matthews (F)

. William Hindman (F)

. John Dennis (F)

. Thomson J. Skinner (DR)

. William Shepard (F)

. Samuel Lyman (F)

. Dwight Foster (F)

. Nathaniel Freeman Jr. (DR)

. John Reed Sr. (F)

. Stephen Bullock (F)

. Harrison Gray Otis (F)

. Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR)

. Samuel Sewall (F)

. Theophilus Bradbury (F), until July 24, 1797

Bailey Bartlett (F), from November 27, 1797

. Isaac Parker (F)

. Peleg Wadsworth (F)

. George Thatcher (F)

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Abiel Foster (F)

. Jonathan Freeman (F)

. William Gordon (F)

. Jeremiah Smith (F), until July 26, 1797

Peleg Sprague (F), from December 15, 1797

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Jonathan Dayton (F)

. James H. Imlay (F)

. James Schureman (F)

. Thomas Sinnickson (F)

. Mark Thomson (F)

. Jonathan N. Havens (DR)

. Edward Livingston (DR)

. Philip Van Cortlandt (DR)

. Lucas C. Elmendorf (DR)

. David Brooks (F)

. Hezekiah L. Hosmer (F)

. John E. Van Alen (F)

. Henry Glen (F)

. John Williams (F)

. James Cochran (F)

. Joseph McDowell (DR)

. Matthew Locke (DR)

. Robert Williams (DR)

. Richard Stanford (DR)

. Nathaniel Macon (DR)

. James Gillespie (DR)

. William Barry Grove (F)

. Dempsey Burges (DR)

. Thomas Blount (DR)

. Nathan Bryan (DR), until June 4, 1798

Richard Dobbs Spaight (DR), from December 10, 1798

The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.

. John Swanwick (DR), until July 31, 1798

Robert Waln (F), from December 3, 1798

. Blair McClenachan (DR)

. Richard Thomas (F)

. John Chapman (F)

. Samuel Sitgreaves (F), until 1798

Robert Brown (DR), from December 4, 1798

. George Ege (F), until October 1797

Joseph Hiester (DR), from December 1, 1797

. John A. Hanna (DR)

. John Wilkes Kittera (F)

. Thomas Hartley (F)

. Andrew Gregg (DR)

. David Bard (DR)

. William Findley (DR)

. Albert Gallatin (DR)

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Christopher G. Champlin (F)

. Elisha R. Potter (F), until 1797

Thomas Tillinghast (F), from November 13, 1797

. William L. Smith (F), until July 10, 1797

Thomas Pinckney (F), from November 23, 1797

. John Rutledge Jr. (F)

. Lemuel Benton (DR)

. Thomas Sumter (DR)

. Robert Goodloe Harper (F)

. William Smith (DR)

. Andrew Jackson (DR), until September, 1797

William C. C. Claiborne (DR), from November 23, 1797

. Matthew Lyon (DR)

. Lewis R. Morris (F), from May 24, 1797

. Daniel Morgan (F)

. David Holmes (DR)

. James Machir (F)

. Abram Trigg (DR)

. John J. Trigg (DR)

. Matthew Clay (DR)

. Abraham B. Venable (DR)

. Thomas Claiborne (DR)

. William B. Giles (DR), until October 2, 1798

Joseph Eggleston (DR), from December 3, 1798

. Carter B. Harrison (DR)

. Josiah Parker (F)

. Thomas Evans (F)

. John Clopton (DR)

. Samuel J. Cabell (DR)

. John Dawson (DR)

. Anthony New (DR)

. Richard Brent (DR)

. John Nicholas (DR)

. Walter Jones (DR)

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress

Senate

There were 9 resignations, 2 deaths, 1 expulsion, 1 late selection, and 2 elections to replace appointees. Neither party had a net gain of seats.

See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate.

|-| Tennessee
(1)| Vacant| Tennessee failed to elect a Senator on time| | William Cocke (DR)| Appointed May 15, 1797

|-| Tennessee
(2)| | William Blount (DR)| Expelled July 8, 1797| | Joseph Anderson (DR)| Elected September 26, 1797

|-| Tennessee
(1)| | William Cocke (DR)| Interim appointment until September 26, 1797| | Andrew Jackson (DR)| Elected September 26, 1797

|-| Rhode Island
(2)| | William Bradford (F)| Resigned sometime in October, 1797| | Ray Greene (F)| Elected November 13, 1797

|-| Vermont
(1)| | Isaac Tichenor (F)| Resigned October 17, 1797| | Nathaniel Chipman (F)| Elected October 17, 1797

|-| Maryland
(3)| | John Henry (F)| Resigned December 10, 1797| | James Lloyd (F)| Elected December 11, 1797

|-| New York
(1)| | Philip John Schuyler (F)| Resigned January 3, 1798| | John Sloss Hobart (F)| Elected January 11, 1798

|-| Delaware
(2)| | John Vining (F)| Resigned January 19, 1798| | Joshua Clayton (F)| Elected January 19, 1798

|-| Tennessee
(1)| | Andrew Jackson (DR)| Resigned sometime in April, 1798| | Daniel Smith (DR)| Appointed October 6, 1798

|-| New York
(1)| | John Sloss Hobart (F)| Resigned April 16, 1798| | William North (F)| Appointed May 5, 1798

|-| Delaware
(2)| | Joshua Clayton (F)| Died August 11, 1798| | William H. Wells (F)| Elected January 17, 1799

|-| New York
(1)| | William North (F)| Interim appointment until August 17, 1798| | James Watson (F)| Elected August 17, 1798

|-| New Jersey
(1)| | John Rutherfurd (F)| Resigned November 26, 1798| | Franklin Davenport (F)| Appointed December 5, 1798

|-| South Carolina
(2)| | John Hunter (DR)| Resigned November 26, 1798| | Charles Pinckney (DR)| Elected December 6, 1798

|-| Virginia
(2)| | Henry Tazewell (DR)| Died January 24, 1799| Vacant| Not filled in this Congress|}

House of Representatives

There were 9 resignations and 3 deaths. The Federalists had a 1-seat net loss and the Democratic-Republicans had a 1-seat net gain.

See main article: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives.

|-| | | Vacant| Daniel Buck (F) had been re-elected, but declined to serve.
Successor elected May 23, 1797.^[4] | | Lewis R. Morris (F)| May 24, 1797

|-| | | Elisha Potter (F)| Resigned sometime in 1797.
Successor elected August 29, 1797.^[4] | | Thomas Tillinghast (F)| Seated November 13, 1797

|-| | | William L. Smith (F)| Resigned July 10, 1797.
Successor elected September 4–5, 1797.^[4] | | Thomas Pinckney (F)| Seated November 23, 1797

|-| | | Theophilus Bradbury (F)| Resigned July 24, 1797.
Successor elected August 4, 1797.^[4] | | Bailey Bartlett (F)| Seated November 27, 1797

|-| | | Jeremiah Smith (F)| Resigned July 26, 1797.
Successor elected August 28, 1797.^[4] | | Peleg Sprague (F)| Seated December 15, 1797

|-| | | James Davenport (F)| Died August 3, 1797.
Successor elected September 18, 1797.^[4] | | William Edmond (F)| Seated November 13, 1797

|-| | | Andrew Jackson (DR)| Resigned sometime in September 1797 to become U.S. Senator.
Successor elected September 26, 1797.^[5] | | William C.C. Claiborne (DR)| Seated November 23, 1797

|-| | | George Ege (F)| Resigned sometime in October 1797.
Successor elected October 10, 1797.^[4] | | Joseph Hiester (DR)| Seated December 1, 1797

|-| | | Samuel Sitgreaves (F)| Resigned sometime in 1798.
Successor elected October 9, 1798.^[4] | | Robert Brown (DR)| Seated December 4, 1798

|-| | | Nathan Bryan (DR)| Died June 4, 1798.
Successor elected August 2, 1798.^[4] | | Richard Dobbs Spaight (DR)| Seated December 10, 1798

|-| | | John Swanwick (DR)| Died July 31, 1798.
Successor elected October 9, 1798.^[4] | | Robert Waln (F)| Seated December 3, 1798

|-| | | Joshua Coit (F)| Died September 5, 1798.
Successor elected October 22, 1798.^[4] | | Jonathan Brace (F)| Seated December 3, 1798

|-| | | William Giles (DR)| Resigned October 2, 1798.
Successor elected November 1, 1798.^[4] | | Joseph Eggleston (DR)| Seated December 3, 1798

|}

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

• Whole

House of Representatives

• Claims (Chairman: Dwight Foster)
• Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Edward Livingston then Samuel Smith)
• Elections (Chairman: Joshua Coit then Joseph B. Varnum)
• Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Jeremiah Smith then Nathaniel Macon then George Thatcher)
• Rules (Select)
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Ways and Means (Chairman: William L. Smith then Robert Goodloe Harper)
• Whole

Joint committees

• Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Isaac Tichenor)

Employees

• Architect of the Capitol: William Thornton

Senate

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

House of Representatives

• Clerk: John J. Beckley, until May 15, 1797
  • Jonathan W. Condy, elected May 15, 1797
• Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton
• Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
• Reading Clerks:
• Chaplain: Ashbel Green, Presbyterian

See also

• 1796 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
  • 1796 United States presidential election
  • 1796–97 United States Senate elections
  • 1796–97 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1798 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1798–99 United States Senate elections
  • 1798–99 United States House of Representatives elections

References

• Book: Martis, Kenneth C.. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. 1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York.
• Book: Martis, Kenneth C.. The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. 1982. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York.

External links

• Statutes at Large, 1789-1875
• Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
  • Book: . 1797 . Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, at the First Session of the Fifth Congress . Begun and Held at the City of Philadelphia, From May 15, 1797, to July 10, 1797 . The Twenty-First Year of the Independence of the United States. Speaker of the House, Jonathan Dayton, of New Jersey; Speaker pro tempore, George Dent, of Maryland, elected April 20, 1798; Clerk of the House, Jonathan William Condy, of Pennsylvania . Philadelphia . Printed by W[illiam] Ross (1746–1829), near Congress Hall (152 pages) . ; ; ; .

1. Book: [{{GBurl|qGwuAAAAIAAJ|pg=PA79}} ''Via Google Books'' ]. .

• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
• U.S. House of Representatives: House History
• U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists

Notes and References

1. The Presidency of John Adams by Ralph A. Brown, University Press of Kansas, 1975
2. The Reign of Witches: The Struggle Against the Alien and Sedition Laws, 1789-1800 by Elizabeth Lawson
3. Web site: Executive Journal (Fourteenth session) . Library of Congress. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America . 1 . 244 . June 7, 1797 .
4. Date cited is the election date, but the winner in some cases "took" his seat on a later date. See Book: Dubin, Michael J. . United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses . McFarland and Company . 1998 . 0786402830 .
5. Election date, but winner was seated later. See https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/tufts:tn.ushouserepresentatives.1797