2nd United States Congress

Independence Hall (about 1780)

The Second 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 1791 to March 3 1793, during the last two years of the first administration of U.S. President George Washington.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the provisions of the United States Constitution. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority.

Dates of sessions

March 4 1791 - March 3 1793

• Special session of the Senate: March 4 1791
• First session: October 24 1791 - May 8 1792
• Second session: November 5 1792 - March 2 1793 — a lame duck session

Previous congress: 1st Congress
Next congress: 3rd Congress

Party summary

Vermont and Kentucky were newly admitted to the union and first represented as states in this Congress.

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.

The count below identifies 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 Anti-Administration (A): 13 Pro-Administration (P): 16 (majority) vacant: 1 TOTAL members: 30

House of Representatives Anti-Administration (A): 30 Pro-Administration (P): 39 (majority) TOTAL members: 69

Leadership

President of the Senate
Vice President
John Adams

Senate

• Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
  • John Adams, Pro-Administration of Massachusetts
• President pro tempore of the Senate:
  • Richard Henry Lee, Pro-Administration of Virginia, elected April 18 1792
  • John Langdon, Pro-Administration of New Hampshire, first elected November 5 1792

House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House
  • Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., Pro-Administration of Connecticut, elected October 24 1791

Major events

Main article: Events of 1791; Events of 1792; Events of 1793

• December 15 1791 - The United States Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, were ratified by the states.
• April 5 1792 - United States President George Washington used the veto for the first time, vetoing a bill designed to apportion representatives among U.S. states.
• October 13 1792 - Foundation of Washington, D.C.: The cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion, now known as the White House, was laid.
• French Revolution (1789 - 1792)
• French Revolutionary Wars (1793 - 1797) of the First Coalition
• Russo-Turkish War, 1787-1792

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation in the 2nd Congress

• March 4 1791 - Vermont was admitted as a state to the Union. It was formerly a portion of New York
• February 20 1792: The U.S. Post Office was established, Postal Service Act, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 232
• April 2 1792: Coinage Act, established the U.S. Mint and regulated coinage
• May 2 1792: Militia Act of 1792, enabled the President to call in militia in case of invasion or rebellion, while providing for the organizations of state militias
• June 1 1792 - Kentucky was admitted as a state to the Union. It was formerly a portion of Virginia
• February 12 1793 - Fugitive Slave Law of 1793, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 302
• March 2 1793 - Judiciary Act of 1793 (including Anti-Injunction Act), ch. 22, 1 Stat. 333

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: 2nd United States Congress - political parties

See also: 2nd United States Congress - State Delegations

See also: United States House elections, 1790

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 1796; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1794.

See also: Category:United States Senators

See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state

Connecticut 1: Oliver Ellsworth (P) 3: William S. Johnson (P) Roger Sherman (P) Delaware 2: Richard Bassett (P) 1: George Read (P) Georgia 2: William Few (A) 3: James Gunn (A) Kentucky 3: John Edwards (A) 2: John Brown (A) Maryland 3: John Henry (P) 1: Charles Carroll (P) Richard Potts (P)

Massachusetts 2: Caleb Strong (P) 1: George Cabot (P) New Hampshire 3: John Langdon (P) 2: Paine Wingate (A) New Jersey 2: Philemon Dickinson (P) 1: John Rutherfurd (P) New York 3: Rufus King (P) 1: Aaron Burr (A) North Carolina 3: Benjamin Hawkins (A) 2: Samuel Johnston (P)

Pennsylvania 3: Robert Morris (P) 1: vacant Rhode Island 1: Theodore Foster (P) 2: Joseph Stanton, Jr. (A) South Carolina 2: Pierce Butler (A) 3: Ralph Izard (P) Vermont 1: Moses Robinson (A) 3: Stephen R. Bradley (A) Virginia 2: Richard Henry Lee (A) John Taylor (A) 1: James Monroe (A)

President pro tempore Richard Henry Lee

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 "A/L," 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

Connecticut A/L: James Hillhouse (P) A/L: Amasa Learned (P) A/L: Jonathan Sturges (P) A/L: Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (P) A/L: Jeremiah Wadsworth (P) Delaware A/L: John Vining (P) Georgia 1: Anthony Wayne (A) John Milledge (A) 2: Abraham Baldwin (A) 3: Francis Willis (A) Kentucky 1: Christopher Greenup (A) 2: Alexander D. Orr (A) Maryland 1: Philip Key (P) 2: Joshua Seney (A) William Hindman (P) 3: William Pinkney (P) John F. Mercer (A) 4: Samuel Sterett (A) 5: William Vans Murray (P) 6: Upton Sheredine (A)

Massachusetts 1: Fisher Ames (P) 2: Benjamin Goodhue (P) 3: Elbridge Gerry (A) 4: Theodore Sedgwick (P) 5: Shearjashub Bourne (P) 6: George Leonard (P) 7: Artemas Ward (P) 8: George Thatcher (P) New Hampshire A/L: Nicholas Gilman (P) A/L: Samuel Livermore (P) A/L: Jeremiah Smith (P) New Jersey A/L: Elias Boudinot (P) A/L: Abraham Clark (P) A/L: Jonathan Dayton (P) A/L: Aaron Kitchell (P) New York 1: Thomas Tredwell (A) 2: John Laurance (P) 3: Egbert Benson (P) 4: Cornelius C. Schoonmaker (A) 5: Peter Silvester (P) 6: James Gordon (P) North Carolina 1: John Steele (P) 2: Nathaniel Macon (A) 3: John Baptista Ashe (A) 4: Hugh Williamson (A) 5: William Barry Grove (P)

Pennsylvania 1: Thomas Fitzsimons (P) 2: Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg (A) 3: Israel Jacobs (P) 4: Daniel Hiester (A) 5: John Wilkes Kittera (P) 6: Andrew Gregg (A) 7: Thomas Hartley (P) 8: William Findley (A) Rhode Island A/L: Benjamin Bourne (P) South Carolina 1: William L. Smith (P) 2: Robert Barnwell (P) 3: Daniel Huger (P) 4: Thomas Sumter (A) 5: Thomas Tudor Tucker (A) Vermont 1: Israel Smith (A) 2: Nathaniel Niles (A) Virginia 1: Alexander White (P) 2: John Brown (A) 3: Andrew Moore (A) 4: Richard Bland Lee (P) 5: James Madison (A) 6: Abraham B. Venable (A) 7: John Page (A) 8: Josiah Parker (A) 9: William B. Giles (A) 10: Samuel Griffin (A)

Speaker of the House Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.

Changes in membership

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

See also: 2nd United States Congress - Membership Changes

Senate replacements: 2 Anti-Administration: no net change Pro-Administration: no net change deaths: 0 resignations: 3 contested elections; 1 seats of newly admitted states: 4 Total seats with changes: 8

House of Representatives replacements: 2 Anti-Administration: no net change Pro-Administration: no net change deaths: 0 resignations: 3 contested elections: 1 vacancies: 1 seats of newly admitted states: 4 Total seats with changes: 9

Officers

Senate Secretary of the Senate: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts, elected April 8 1789 Doorkeeper of the Senate: James Mathers of New York, elected April 7 1789 Chaplain of the Senate The Rev. William White, Episcopalian, elected December 9 1790

House of Representatives Clerk of the House: John Beckley of Virginia, elected October 24 1791 Sergeant at Arms of the House: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island, elected October 24 1791 Doorkeeper of the House: Gifford Dalley, elected October 24 1791 Chaplain of the House The Rev. Samuel Blair, Presbyterian, elected October 24 1791 The Rev. Ashbel Green, Presbyterian, elected November 5 1792

References

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• 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