1st United States Congress explained

1st United States Congress should not be confused with First Continental Congress.

Ordinal:	1
Previous:	Congress of the Confederation
Imagename:	Federal Hall
Imagedate:	1789
Start:	March 4, 1789
End:	March 3, 1791
Vp:	John Adams (P)
Pro Tem:	John Langdon (P)
Speaker:	Frederick Muhlenberg (P)
Senators:	22–26
Reps:	59–65
S-Majority:	Pro-Administration
H-Majority:	Pro-Administration
Sessionnumber1:	1st
Sessionstart1:	March 4, 1789
Sessionend1:	September 29, 1789
Sessionnumber2:	2nd
Sessionstart2:	January 4, 1790
Sessionend2:	August 12, 1790
Sessionnumber3:	3rd
Sessionstart3:	December 6, 1790
Sessionend3:	March 3, 1791

The 1st United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall in New York City and later at Congress Hall in Philadelphia. With the initial meeting of the First Congress, the United States federal government officially began operations under the new (and current) frame of government established by the 1787 Constitution. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the provisions of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, of the Constitution. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority. Twelve articles of amendment to the Constitution were passed by this Congress and sent to the states for ratification; the ten ratified as additions to the Constitution on December 15, 1791, are collectively known as the Bill of Rights, with an additional amendment ratified more than two centuries later to become the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Major events

See main article: 1789 in the United States, 1790 in the United States and 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.^[1]
• April 21, 1789: John Adams was inaugurated as the nation's first vice president.^{[2] [3]}
• 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

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 amendments to the United States Constitution establishing specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on government power, and submitted them to the state legislatures for ratification. :
  • Article one has not been ratified and is still pending before the states.
  • Article two was much later ratified on May 7, 1992, as the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
  • Articles three through twelve, known as the "Bill of Rights," were later ratified on December 15, 1791.

States ratifying Constitution

• November 21, 1789: North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and thereby joined the Union.
• May 29, 1790: Rhode Island became the 13th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and thereby 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.^[4]

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

Senate

Beginning of the CongressFile:Make up of the United States Senate as of March 4th, 1791.svg

End of the Congress

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

	Faction (shading indicates faction control)		Total
	Anti-Administration (A)	Pro-Administration (P)		Vacant
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Begin March 4, 1789	7		13	20	2
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	July 25, 1789			14	21	1
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	July 27, 1789			15	22	0
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	November 27, 1789		17	24
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	March 12, 1790	6	23	1
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	March 31, 1790			18	24	0
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	June 7, 1790	7		19	26
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	November 9, 1790	8		18
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	November 13, 1790			17	25	1
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	November 23, 1790			18	26	0
Final voting share	30.8%		69.2%
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Beginning of the next Congress	8		17	25	1

House of Representatives

Beginning of the CongressFile:28-36-1V.svg

End of the Congress

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.

	Faction (shading indicates faction control)		Total
	Anti-Administration (A)	Pro-Administration (P)		Vacant
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Begin March 4, 1789	23		31	54	5
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	April 13, 1789			32	55	4
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	April 22, 1789		33	56	3
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	April 23, 1789	24	57	2
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	May 9, 1789	25	58	1
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	June 23, 1789		34	59	0
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	March 19, 1790	26	60
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	March 24, 1790	27	61
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	April 6, 1790	28	62
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	April 19, 1790		35	63
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	June 1, 1790	27	62	1
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	June 16, 1790				36	63
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	August 14, 1790		35	62	2
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	December 7, 1790	28	63	1
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	December 17, 1790				36	64
Final voting share	43.7%		56.3%
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Beginning of the next Congress	25		37	62	3

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

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.

Connecticut

1. Oliver Ellsworth (P)

3. William S. Johnson (P)

Delaware

1. George Read (P)

2. Richard Bassett (A)

Georgia

2. William Few (A)

3. James Gunn (A)

Maryland

1. Charles Carroll (P)

3. John Henry (P)

Massachusetts

1. Tristram Dalton (P)

2. Caleb Strong (P)

New Hampshire

2. Paine Wingate (A)

3. John Langdon (P)

New Jersey

1. Jonathan Elmer (P)

2. William Paterson (P), until November 13, 1790

Philemon Dickinson (P), from December 6, 1790

New York

1. Philip Schuyler (P), from July 27, 1789

3. Rufus King (P), from July 25, 1789

North Carolina

2. Samuel Johnston (P), from November 27, 1789

3. Benjamin Hawkins (P), from November 27, 1789

Pennsylvania

1. William Maclay (A)

3. Robert Morris (P)

Rhode Island

1. Theodore Foster (P), from June 25, 1790

2. Joseph Stanton Jr. (A), from June 25, 1790

South Carolina

2. Pierce Butler (P)

3. Ralph Izard (P)

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

The names of members of the House of Representatives are listed by their districts.

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)

. John Vining (P)

. James Jackson (A)

. Abraham Baldwin (A)

. George Mathews (A)

. Michael J. Stone (A)

. Joshua Seney (A)

. Benjamin Contee (A)

. William Smith (A)

. George Gale (P)

. Daniel Carroll (P)

. 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)

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Abiel Foster (P), from June 23, 1789

. Nicholas Gilman (P)

. Samuel Livermore (A)

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Elias Boudinot (P)

. Lambert Cadwalader (P)

. James Schureman (P)

. Thomas Sinnickson (P)

. 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

. 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

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)

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

. William L. Smith (P), from April 13, 1789

. Aedanus Burke (A)

. Daniel Huger (P)

. Thomas Sumter (A)

. Thomas Tudor Tucker (A)

. Alexander White (P)

. John Brown (A)

. Andrew Moore (A)

. Richard Bland Lee (P)

. James Madison (A)

. Isaac Coles (A)

. John Page (A)

. Josiah Parker (P)

. 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.^[4]

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

See also: List of special elections to the United States 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.|-| New York (3)| rowspan=4 | New seats| rowspan=2 style="font-size:80%" | State legislature failed to choose senator until after Congress began.| | Rufus King (P)| July 25, 1789|-| New York (1)| | Philip John Schuyler (P)| July 27, 1789|-| North Carolina (3)| rowspan=2 style="font-size:80%" | North Carolina ratified the constitution on November 21, 1789.| | Benjamin Hawkins (P)| rowspan=2 | Elected November 27, 1789|-| North Carolina (2)| | Samuel Johnston (P)|-| Virginia
(1)| | William Grayson (A)| style="font-size:80%" | Died March 12, 1790.| | John Walker (P)| Appointed March 31, 1790|-| Rhode Island (1)| rowspan=2 | New seats| rowspan=2 style="font-size:80%" | Rhode Island ratified the constitution on May 29, 1790.| | Theodore Foster (P)| rowspan=2 | Elected June 7, 1790|-| Rhode Island (2)| | Joseph Stanton Jr. (A)|-| Virginia
(1)| | John Walker (P)| style="font-size:80%" | James Monroe was elected to the seat of Senator William Grayson.| | James Monroe (A)| Elected November 9, 1790|-| New Jersey (2)| | William Paterson (P)| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned November 13, 1790,
having been elected Governor of New Jersey.| | Philemon Dickinson (P)| Elected November 23, 1790|}

House of Representatives

See also: List of special elections to the United States 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.|-| | | Benjamin West (P)| Member-elect declined to serve and a new member was elected in the first congressional special election.| | Abiel Foster (P)| June 23, 1789|-| | rowspan=5 | New seats| rowspan=5 | North Carolina ratified the constitution November 21, 1789.| | John Baptista Ashe (A)| March 24, 1790|-| | | Hugh Williamson (A)| March 19, 1790|-| | | Timothy Bloodworth (A)| April 6, 1790|-| | | John Steele (P)| April 19, 1790|-| | | John Sevier (P)| June 16, 1790|-| | New seat| Rhode Island ratified the constitution May 29, 1790.| | Benjamin Bourne (P)| December 17, 1790|-| | | Theodorick Bland (A)| Died June 1, 1790.| | William B. Giles (A)| December 7, 1790|-| | | George Partridge (P)| Resigned August 14, 1790.| colspan=2 | Remained vacant until next Congress|}

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.^[5]

See also

• 1788–89 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
  • 1788–89 United States presidential election
  • 1788–89 United States Senate elections
  • 1788–89 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1790 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1790–91 United States Senate elections
  • 1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections

Further reading

• Bickford, Charlene Bangs, and Kenneth R. Bowling. Birth of the nation: the First Federal Congress, 1789–1791 (Rowman & Littlefield, 1989)
• Bordewich, Fergus M. The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government (2016)
• Bowling, Kenneth R. Politics in the first Congress, 1789–1791 (Taylor & Francis, 1990)
• Christman, Margaret C.S. The first federal congress, 1789–1791 (Smithsonian Inst Pr, 1989.)
• Currie, David P. "The Constitution in Congress: Substantive Issues in the First Congress, 1789–1791." The University of Chicago Law Review 61 (1994): 775–865. online
• Jillson, Calvin C., and Rick K. Wilson. Congressional Dynamics: Structure, Coordination, and Choice in the First American Congress, 1774–1789 (Stanford University Press, 1994)
• 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

• 1st Federal Congress Project
• Statutes at Large, 1789–1875
• Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• House History from the U.S. House of Representatives
• Statistics & Lists from the U.S. Senate

Notes and References

1. Web site: Senate Journal . 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 . 1820 .
2. Book: Unger, Harlow Giles. John Quincy Adams. registration. john adams new york city vice president inauguration April 20.. September 4, 2012. Da Capo Press. 9780306821301. 71. en.
3. Web site: Vice Presidential Inaugurations. Architect of the Capitol. Washington, D.C.. July 15, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170731161258/https://www.aoc.gov/nations-stage/vice-president-inaugurations. July 31, 2017.
4. Book: Martis, Kenneth C.. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress.
5. Web site: American Memory: Remaining Collections. memory.loc.gov. 2018-02-13.