Federal Hall (1789), site of the first two sessions of the Congress

The First 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 from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1791, during the first two years of the first administration of U.S. President George Washington, first at Federal Hall at 26 Wall Street in New York City and later at Congress Hall in Philadelphia.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the provisions of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority.

Congress Hall in Philadelphia, meeting place of this Congress's third session.

Dates of sessions

March 4, 1789 - March 3, 1791

• First session: March 4, 1789 - September 29, 1789 (in New York City)
• Second session: January 4, 1790 - August 12, 1790 (in New York City)
• Third session: December 6, 1790 - March 3, 1791 (in Philadelphia) — a lame duck session

Previous: Confederation Congress • Next: 2nd Congress

Statue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall, where he was first inaugurated as President.

Major events

Main articles: 1789, 1790, and 1791

• April 1, 1789 — House of Representatives first achieved a quorum and elected its officers
• April 30, 1789 — George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in New York City
• July 27, 1789 — Department of Foreign Affairs (later renamed the Department of State), was established
• August 7, 1789 — The War Department was established
• September 2, 1789 — The Treasury Department was founded
• January 8, 1790 — President Washington gave the first State of the Union Address
• March 1, 1790 — The first United States census was authorized
• April 10, 1790 — The United States patent system was established
• April 17, 1790 — Ben Franklin died
• June 20, 1790 — Compromise of 1790: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton come to an agreement: Madison agrees to not be "strenuous" in opposition for the assumption of state debts by the federal government; Hamilton agrees to support the capital site being above the Potomac.

The "Main Hall" at Federal Hall

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation#1st United States Congress

Session 1

• June 1, 1789 - An act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths, ch. 1, 1 Stat. 23
• July 4, 1789 - Hamilton Tariff, ch. 2, 1 Stat. 24
• July 27, 1789 - The United States Department of State, was established, originally named the Department of Foreign Affairs.
• August 7, 1789 - The United States War Department was established.
• September 2, 1789 - The United States Department of the Treasury was established.
• September 24, 1789 - Judiciary Act of 1789, ch. 20, the Office of the U.S. Attorney General (1 Stat. 73) and the U.S. Judicial System (1 Stat. 73)

Session 2

• March 1, 1790 - Made provisions for the first U.S. Census
• March 26, 1790 - Naturalization Act of 1790, ch. 3, 1 Stat. 103
• April 10, 1790 - Patent Act, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 109
• May 26, 1790 - Southwest Territory was created from a portion of North Carolina: Southwest Ordinance, ch. 14, 1 Stat. 123.
• May 31, 1790 - Copyright Act of 1790, ch. 15, 1 Stat. 124
• July 6, 1790 - Residence Act, ch. 28, 1 Stat. 130, established Washington, D.C. as the seat of government of the United States.
• July 22, 1790 - Indian Intercourse Act of 1790, ch. 33, 1 Stat. 137, regulated commerce with the Indian tribes.

Session 3

• February 25, 1791 - First Bank of the United States, ch. 10, 1 Stat. 191
• March 3, 1791 - Whiskey Act, ch. 15, 1 Stat. 199, which triggered the Whiskey Rebellion

Federal Hall (2006)

Constitutional amendments proposed

• September 25, 1789 - Twelve proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution were passed and sent to the states for ratification. 1 Stat. 97. Ten were ratified as "The Bill of Rights," and one was ratified two centuries later as the 27th Amendment.

States admitted

• November 21, 1789 - North Carolina ratified the United States Constitution and became the 12th U.S. state
• May 29, 1790 - Rhode Island ratified the United States Constitution and became the 13th U.S. state

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.^[1]

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

Senate

House of Representatives

President of the Senate John Adams

Leadership

Senate

• President: John Adams (Pro-Administration)
• President pro tempore: John Langdon (Pro-Administration)

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Frederick Muhlenberg (Pro-Administration)

President pro tempore John Langdon

Members

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

See also: 1st United States Congress - political parties

See also: 1st United States Congress - State Delegations

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 1789

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 reelection in 1790; Class 2 meant their term ended with the next Congress, requiring reelection in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term lasted through the next two Congresses, requiring reelection in 1794.

See also: Category:United States Senators

See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state

Speaker of the House Frederick Muhlenberg

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House 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.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

See also: Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives

See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state

Changes in membership

Main article: 1st United States Congress - Membership Changes

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. ^[2]

New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island, were the last states to ratify the U.S. Constitution, and because of their late ratification, were unable to send full representation at the beginning of this Congress. Five Senators and nine Representatives were subsequently seated from these states during the sessions as noted.

Senate

• Replacements: 2
  • Anti-Administration: 0 seat net change
  • Pro-Administration: 0 seat net change
• Deaths: 1
• Resignations: 1
• Interim appointments: 1
• Late appointments: 1
• Seats of newly ratifying states: 4
• Total seats with changes: 7

House of Representatives

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

• replacements: 1
  • Anti-Administration: no net change
  • Pro-Administration: no net change
• deaths: 1
• resignations: 1
• seats of newly ratifying states: 6
• Total seats with changes: 8

Officers

Senate

• Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts, elected April 8, 1789
• Doorkeeper: James Mathers of New York, 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 of Virginia
• Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island
• Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
• Chaplain:
  • William Linn, Presbyterian, elected May 1, 1789
  • Samuel Blair, Presbyterian, elected January 4, 1790

Notes

References

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

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 U.S. Congress
• U.S. House of Representatives. House History
• U.S. Senate. Statistics and Lists