2nd United States Congress
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The Second United States Congress, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from March 4, 1791 to March 4, 1793, during the third and fourth years of George Washington's Presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the provisions of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. Additional House seats were assigned to the two new states of Vermont and Kentucky. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority.
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Major events
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- April 5, 1792: 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.
Major legislation
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- February 20, 1792: Postal Service Act, Sess. 1, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 232, established the U.S. Post Office
- April 2, 1792: Coinage Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 16, 1 Stat. 246, established the United States Mint and regulated coinage
- April 14, 1792: Apportionment Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 23 1 Stat. 253, increased the size of the House of Representatives from 69 seats in the 2nd Congress to 105 in the 3rd and apportioned those seats among the several states according to the 1790 Census
- May 2, 1792: First Militia Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 28, 1 Stat. 264, enabled the President to call in militia in case of invasion or rebellion, while providing for the organizations of state militias
- May 8, 1792: Second Militia Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 33, 1 Stat. 271
- February 12, 1793: Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, Sess. 2, ch. 7, 1 Stat. 302
- March 2, 1793: Judiciary Act of 1793 (including Anti-Injunction Act), Sess. 2, ch. 22, 1 Stat. 333
States admitted
- March 4, 1791: Vermont was admitted as the 14th state, 1 Stat. 191
- June 1, 1792: Kentucky was admitted as the 15th state, 1 Stat. 189
Constitutional amendments
- December 15, 1791: The United States Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, were ratified by the states.
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
During this congress, two new Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Vermont and Kentucky.
| Faction (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti- Administration (A) |
Pro- Administration (P) |
|||
| End of the previous congress | 8 | 18 | 26 | 0 |
| Begin | 8 | 17 | 25 | 1 |
| End | 12 | 29 | ||
| Final voting share | 41.4% | 58.6% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 13 | 16 | 29 | 1 |
House of Representatives
During this congress, two new House seats were added for each of the new states of Vermont and Kentucky. (Sess. 3, ch. 9, 1 Stat. 191)
| Faction (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti- Administration (A) |
Pro- Administration (P) |
|||
| End of the previous congress | 28 | 36 | 64 | 1 |
| Begin | 29 | 39 | 68 | 1 |
| End | 32 | 40 | 72 | |
| Final voting share | 44.4% | 55.6% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 55 | 50 | 105 | 0 |
Leadership
Senate
- President: John Adams (P)
- President pro tempore:
- Richard Henry Lee (P)
- John Langdon (P), elected November 5, 1792
House of Representatives
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 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.
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House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their districts.
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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]
Vermont and Kentucky were newly admitted as states and are first represented in this Congress.
Senate
There were three resignations, one contested election, and four new seats of admitted states, resulting in a four-seat net gain of the Anti-Administration Senators.
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| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania (1) |
Vacant | Legislature elected successor late in the Congress. Credentials of Albert Gallatin (A) were presented February 28, 1793, but not approved until the next Congress. |
Vacant | Not filled this congress |
| Connecticut (3) |
William S. Johnson (P) | Resigned March 4, 1791. | Roger Sherman (P) | Elected June 13, 1791 |
| Vermont (1) |
New seat | Vermont was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791. | Stephen R. Bradley (A) | Elected November 4, 1791 |
| Vermont (3) |
Moses Robinson (A) | Elected November 4, 1791 | ||
| Kentucky (2) |
New seat | Kentucky was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792. | John Edwards (A) | Elected June 18, 1792 |
| Kentucky (2) |
John Brown (A) | Elected June 18, 1792 | ||
| Virginia (2) |
Richard Henry Lee (A) | Resigned October 8, 1792. | John Taylor (A) | Elected October 18, 1792 |
| Maryland (1) |
Charles Carroll (P) | Resigned November 30, 1792. | Richard Potts (P) | Elected January 10, 1793 |
House of Representatives
There were 3 resignations, 1 vacancy of a member-elect, 1 contested election, and 4 new seats of admitted states, resulting in a 3-seat net gain of the Anti-Administration members and a 1-seat net gain of the Pro-Administration members.
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| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York 1st | Vacant | Representative-elect James Townsend died on May 24, 1790, before Congress assembled. | Thomas Tredwell (A) | October 24, 1791 |
| Vermont 1st | New seat | Vermont was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791. | Israel Smith (A) | October 24, 1791 |
| Vermont 2nd | Nathaniel Niles (A) | October 24, 1791 | ||
| Maryland 3rd | William Pinkney (A) | Resigned November 1791 | John Francis Mercer (A) | February 6, 1792 |
| Virginia 2nd | John Brown (A) | Resigned June 1, 1792, to become U.S. Senator from Kentucky. | Vacant | Seat went with Kentucky |
| Kentucky 2nd | New seat | Kentucky was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792. | Alexander D. Orr (A) | November 8, 1792 |
| Kentucky 1st | Christopher Greenup (A) | November 9, 1792 | ||
| Georgia 1st | Anthony Wayne (A) | Anthony Wayne served until March 21, 1792, when seat declared vacant because the election was contested | John Milledge (A) | November 22, 1792 |
| Maryland 2nd | Joshua Seney (A) | Resigned December 6, 1792. | William Hindman (P) | January 30, 1793 |
Employees
Senate
- Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts
- Doorkeeper: James Mathers of New York
- Chaplain: William White (Episcopalian)
House of Representatives
- Clerk: John Beckley of Virginia
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island
- Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
- Chaplain:
- Samuel Blair (Presbyterian, elected October 24, 1791
- Ashbel Green, Presbyterian, elected November 5, 1792
References
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