United States House of Representatives elections, 1790

United States House of Representatives elections, 1790

April 27, 1790 - October 11, 1791
All 67 seats to the United States House of Representatives 34 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Jonathan Trumbull Frederick Muhlenberg Party Pro-Administration Anti-Administration Leader's seat Connecticut-4th Pennsylvania-2nd Last election 37 seats 28 seats Seats won 39 30 Seat change 2 2
Results:   Federalist majority   Anti-Federalist majority   Even split
Speaker before election Frederick Muhlenberg Pro-Administration Elected Speaker Jonathan Trumbull Pro-Administration

Elections to the House of Representatives for the 2nd Congress took place in 1790 and 1791, in the middle of President George Washington's first term. While formal political parties still did not exist, coalitions of pro-Washington (pro-Administration) representatives and anti-Administration representatives each gained two seats as a result of the addition of new states to the union. Speaker Frederick Muhlenberg, who had led the Pro-Administrationists in 1789, switched loyalties to the Anti-Administrationists during the tenure of the 1st Congress. He failed to win election to the Speakership as their leader as a result of these elections, and was succeeded by Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., who became the 2nd Speaker of the House.

Election summaries

In this period, each state fixed its own date for congressional general elections, as early as April 27, 1790 (in New York) and as late as October 11, 1791 (in Pennsylvania). Elections to a Congress took place both in the even-numbered year before and in the odd-numbered year when the Congress convened. In some states, the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year). The first session of this Congress was convened in Philadelphia on October 24, 1791.

Kentucky and Vermont became states during the 2nd Congress, adding two seats each. The legislation admitted Vermont was passed at the end of the 1st Congress taking effect on March 4, 1791, the first day of the 2nd Congress, so that Vermont was represented from the start of the Congress, while Kentucky was unrepresented until the 2nd session.

State	Type	Date	Total seats	Pro- Administration		Anti- Administration
				Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Connecticut	At-large	September 20, 1790	5	5		0
Delaware	At-large	November 8, 1790	1	1		0
Maryland	At-large/District (6)	October 4, 1790	6	3	1	3	1
Massachusetts	District (8)	October 4, 1790	8	7	1	1	1
New Hampshire	At-large	August 30, 1790	3	3	1	0	1
New York	District (6)	April 27–29, 1790	6	4	1	2	1
Rhode Island	At-large	October 19, 1790	1	1		0
South Carolina	District (5)	October 12, 1790	5	3	1	2	1
Virginia	District (10)	September 1, 1790	10	2	1	8	1
1791 elections
Georgia	District (3)	January 3, 1791	3	0		3
New Jersey	At-large	January 26, 1791	4	4		0
North Carolina	District (5)	January 28, 1791	5	2		3
Pennsylvania	District (8)	October 11, 1791	8	4	2	4	2
Vermont	District (2)	July 13, 1791	2	0		2	2
1792 elections
Kentucky	District (2)	September 7, 1792	2	0		2	2
Total			69	39 56.5%	2	30 43.5%	2

House composition

End of the last Congress

A	A
A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
A	A	A	A	A	A	V	P	P	P
Majority→									P
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
P	P

Beginning of the next Congress

A	A	A	A
A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A
A	A	A	A	A	V	P	P	P	P
Majority→									P
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
P	P	P	P

Key:	A = Anti-Administration P = Pro-Administration V = Vacant

Late elections to the 1st Congress

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 1789

North Carolina and Rhode Island ratified the Constitution on November 21, 1789, and May 29, 1790, respectively. Neither state elected congressional representatives until after their admission to the union.

North Carolina

District	Result	Candidates
North Carolina 1 Also known as Roanoke division	Anti-Administration win	John B. Ashe (A) 48.9% Nathaniel Macon (A) 41.5% Stephen Moore 8.9% Parsons 0.7%
North Carolina 2 Also known as Edenton and New Bern division	Anti-Administration win	Hugh Williamson (A) 73.9% Stephen Cabarrus 26.0%
North Carolina 3 Also known as Cape Fear division	Anti-Administration win	Timothy Bloodworth (A) 98.4% Benjamin Smith 1.6%
North Carolina 4 Also known as Yadkin division	Pro-Administration win	John Steele (P) Joseph MacDowell Waightstill Avery
North Carolina 5 Also known as Western division	Pro-Administration win	John Sevier (P)

The 5th district (or Western Division) covered areas beyond the Appalachian Mountains that were ceded to the federal government in May 1790 to form the Southwest Territory (later the State of Tennessee) during the 1st Congress. John Sevier, who held the seat for the 5th district, was permitted to retain his seat for the remainder of the 1st Congress in spite of the fact that the territory he represented was no longer part of a state. North Carolina would subsequently re-district to choose representatives for the 2nd Congress.

Rhode Island

District	Result	Candidates
Rhode Island At-Large	Pro-Administration win	Benjamin Bourne (P) 72.7% Job Comstock 23.2% James Sheldon 3.4%

Complete returns

Kentucky was admitted during the 2nd Congress and elected its first representatives in 1792

Connecticut

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Connecticut At-Large 5 seats on a general ticket	Benjamin Huntington	Pro-Administration	1788	Lost re-election Pro-Administration hold	Roger Sherman (P) 14.9% Pierpont Edwards 11.3% James Hillhouse 10.2% Jonathan Sturges (P) 8.7% Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (P) 8.7% Tapping Reeve 8.4% Jeremiah Wadsworth (P) 8.3% Amasa Learned (P) 7.4% Stephen M. Mitchell (P) 7.2% Benjamin Huntington 6.9% John Chester 4.1% James Davenport (P) 4.0%
	Roger Sherman	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected
	Jonathan Sturges	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected
	Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected
	Jeremiah Wadsworth	Pro-Administration	1788	Lost re-election Pro-Administration hold

There were two subsequent special elections. The first was held to fill the vacancy left by Pierpont Edwards (P) declining to serve and was won by Jeremiah Wadsworth (P). The second was held to fill the vacancy left by Roger Sherman (P)'s election to the Senate and was won by Amasa Learned (P).

Delaware

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Delaware At-Large	John M. Vining	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected	John M. Vining (P) 50.3% Joshua Clayton (P) 28.9% Thomas Duff 20.8%

Georgia

Georgia switched to a conventional district system for the Second Congress. At the time, the districts were not numbered, but are retroactively renumbered as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively here.

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Georgia 1 Called the Southern (or Eastern) District	James Jackson	Anti-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Anti-Administration hold	Anthony Wayne (A) 50.4% James Jackson (A) 49.5% Others 0.2%
Georgia 2 Called the Middle District	Abraham Baldwin	Anti-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Abraham Baldwin (A) 56.2% Thomas P. Carnes (A) James Jackson (A) 1.2% John Jones 0.3%
Georgia 3 Called the Northern (or Western) District	George Mathews	Anti-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Anti-Administration hold	Francis Willis (A) 66.5% George Mathews (A) 33.5%

Anthony Wayne's election to the 1st district was subsequently challenged, and after investigation, the House determined that electoral fraud had occurred. Anthony's seat was declared void and a special election was held for his successor which was won by John Milledge (A)

Maryland

Under Maryland law for the election for the 1st and 2nd Congresses "candidates were elected at-large but had to be residents of a specific district with the statewide vote determining winners from each district."

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Maryland 1	Michael J. Stone	Anti-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration gain	Philip Key (P) 56.8% Michael J. Stone (A) 43.2%
Maryland 2	Joshua Seney	Anti-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Joshua Seney (A) 57.1% James Tilghman 42.9%
Maryland 3	Benjamin Contee	Anti-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration gain	William Pinkney (P) 61.6% Benjamin Contee (A) 38.4%
Maryland 4	William Smith	Anti-Administration	1789	Retired Anti-Administration hold	Samuel Sterett (A) 100%
Maryland 5	George Gale	Pro-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration hold	William V. Murray (P) 56.4% George Gale (P) 43.6%
Maryland 6	Daniel Carroll	Pro-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Anti-Administration gain	Upton Sheredine (A) 55.5% Daniel Carroll (P) 44.5%

Joshua Seney (A) of the 2nd district resigned December 6, 1792 to accept a judicial position and was replaced in a special election by William Hindman (P)

William Pinkney (P) of the 3rd district resigned due to questions of ineligibility due to his residence and was replaced in a special election by John Francis Mercer (A).

Massachusetts

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 1790

Massachusetts' law at the time required a majority for election. This condition was met in four of the eight districts, the remaining four required between 2 and 8 ballots for election. Only the first and last are listed in this section to conserve space. Information on the intermediate ballots are available at United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 1790.

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
					First ballot	Final ballot
Massachusetts 1	Fisher Ames	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Fisher Ames (P) 75.1% Benjamin Austin 16.1% Thomas Dawes 8.8%
Massachusetts 2	Benjamin Goodhue	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Benjamin Goodhue (P) 88.8% Samuel Holten 11.2%
Massachusetts 3	Elbridge Gerry	Anti-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Elbridge Gerry (A) 60.4% Nathaniel Gorham 39.6%
Massachusetts 4	Theodore Sedgwick	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Theodore Sedgwick (P) 75.0% Samuel Lyman (P) 16.3% Scattering 8.7%
Massachusetts 5	Previous incumbent George Partridge (P) resigned August 14, 1790			Pro-Administration hold	Shearjashub Bourne (P) 41.8% Thomas Davis 37.3% Joshua Thomas 20.9%	Shearjashub Bourne (P) 65.3% Joshua Thomas 27.2% Thomas Davis 7.5%
Massachusetts 6	George Leonard Redistricted from the 7th district	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Walter Spooner 25.5% Phanuel Bishop (A) 22.6% George Leonard (P) 22.3% Peleg Coffin, Jr. (P) 16.7% David Cobb 12.9%	George Leonard (P) 55.6% Phanuel Bishop (A) 27.7% Peleg Coffin, Jr. (P) 16.7%
Massachusetts 7	Jonathan Grout Redistricted from the 8th district	Anti-Administration	1788	Lost re-election Pro-Administration gain	Jonathan Grout (A) 39.1% Artemas Ward (P) 39.0% John Sprague 14.5% Nathan Tyloer 7.4%	Artemas Ward (P) 56.6% Jonathan Grout (A) 43.4%
Massachusetts 8	George Thatcher Redistricted from the 6th district	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	George Thatcher (P) 37.2% William Lithgow 22.3% Nathaniel Wells 16.1% Josiah Thatcher 9.2% William Martin 4.9% Arthur Noble 3.6% Daniel Davis 1.8% Peleg Wadsworth (P) 1.5%	George Thatcher (P) 52.3% William Lithgow 41.1% Nathaniel Wells 6.6%

New Hampshire

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
New Hampshire at-large 3 seats on a general ticket	Abiel Foster	Pro-Administration	1789 (special)	Lost re-election Pro-Administration hold	Samuel Livermore (P) 25.1% Jeremiah Smith (P) 13.1% Nicholas Gilman (P) 11.8% John Samuel Sherburne (A) 11.1% Abiel Foster (P) 8.5% James Sheafe (P?) 7.8% Nathaniel Peabody 7.0% Others 15.5%
	Samuel Livermore	Anti-Administration	1788	Re-elected as Pro-Administration
	Nicholas Gilman	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected

New Jersey

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
New Jersey At-large 4 seats on a general ticket	Elias Boudinot	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Abraham Clark (P) 19.9% Jonathan Dayton (P) 13.8% Elias Boudinot (P) 13.7% Aaron Kitchell (P) 8.8% Lambert Cadwalader (P) 7.0% James Linn 5.5% Thomas Sinnickson (P) 5.1% Robert Hoops 4.9% Thomas Henderson 3.7% John Witherspoon 2.7% John Beatty (P) 2.3% John Sheppard 1.9% Joseph Ellis 1.7% Robert Ogden 1.5% James Schureman (P) 1.5% John Harring 1.1% John Hugg 1.1%
	Lambert Cadwalader	Pro-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration hold
	James Schureman	Pro-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration hold
	Thomas Sinnickson	Pro-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration hold

New York

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1790

New York's districts were not numbered at the time, numbering below is retroactive.

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
New York 1	William Floyd	Anti-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration gain	James Townsend (P) 35.5% John Vanderbilt (P) 19.6% William Floyd (A) 19.1% Thomas Tredwell (A) 17.0% Ezra L'Hommedieu (A) 8.8%
New York 2	John Laurance	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected	John Laurance (P) 98.4% Melancton Smith (A) 1.6%
New York 3	Egbert Benson	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Egbert Benson (P) 60.8% Theodorus Bailey (A) 39.2%
New York 4	John Hathorn	Anti-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Anti-Administration hold	Cornelius C. Schoonmaker (A) 52.1% Peter Van Gaasbeck (P) 43.7% John Hathorn (A) 3.5% Christopher Tappen (A) 0.8%
New York 5	Peter Silvester	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Peter Silvester (P) 58.4% John Livingston (A) 41.6%
New York 6	Jeremiah Van Rensselaer	Anti-Administration	1789	Lost re-election Pro-Administration gain	James Gordon (P) 59.0% Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (A) 41.0%

A vacancy occurred in the 1st district when Representative-election James Townsend (P) died on May 24, 1790, prior to the start of the 2nd Congress. A special election was held to fill the resulting vacancy, which was won by Thomas Tredwell (A)

North Carolina

Due to the cession of North Carolina's trans-Appalachian territory to form the Southwest Territory, the territory of the old 5th district was lost. North Carolina retained the same number of Representatives, and so it redistricted for the Second Congress.

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
North Carolina 1 Also called Yadkin Division	John Steele Redistricted from the 4th district	Pro-Administration	1790	Re-elected	John Steele (P) 87.3% Joseph MacDowell (A) 12.7%
North Carolina 2 Also called Centre Division	None (District created)			New seat Anti-Administration gain	Nathaniel Macon (A) Alexander Mebane (A)
North Carolina 3	John Baptista Ashe Redistricted from the 1st district	Anti-Administration	1790	Re-elected	Jonathan B. Ashe (A)
North Carolina 4 Also called Albemarle Division	Hugh Williamson Redistricted from the 2nd district	Anti-Administration	1790	Re-elected	Hugh Williamson (A) Charles Johnson (A)
North Carolina 5 Also called Cape Fear Division	Timothy Bloodworth Redistricted from the 3rd district	Anti-Administration	1790	Lost re-election Pro-Administration gain	William B. Grove (P) 65.2% Timothy Bloodworth (A) 34.6% Benjamin Smith (P) 0.2%

Pennsylvania

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 1791

Pennsylvania had elected its Representatives at-large in the 1st Congress, but switched to using districts in the 2nd Congress. Five incumbents ran for re-election, four of whom won, while three others retired leaving three open seats. Two districts had no incumbents residing in them, while one (the 8th) had a single representative who declined to run for re-election and one (the 2nd) had three incumbents, only one of whom ran for re-election.

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Pennsylvania 1	Thomas Fitzsimons redistricted from the at-large district	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Thomas Fitzsimons (P) 85.1% Charles Thompson (A) 14.9%
Pennsylvania 2	Frederick Muhlenberg redistricted from the at-large district	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected as Anti-Administration	Frederick Muhlenberg (A) Amos Greg (A) "Dr." Jones
	George Clymer redistricted from the at-large district	Pro-Administration	1788	Retired Anti-Administration gain
	Henry Wynkoop redistricted from the at-large district	Pro-Administration	1788	Retired Anti-Administration gain
Pennsylvania 3	John Peter Muhlenberg redistricted from the at-large district	Anti-Administration	1788	Lost re-election Pro-Administration gain	Israel Jacobs (P) 61.2% John Peter Muhlenberg (A) 38.8%
Pennsylvania 4	Daniel Hiester redistricted from the at-large district	Anti-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Daniel Hiester (A)
Pennsylvania 5	None (District created)			Pro-Administration gain	John W. Kittera (P)
Pennsylvania 6	None (District created)			Anti-Administration gain	Andrew Gregg (A) 51.2% John Allison (P) 18.3% James McLean (A) 10.9% Thomas Johnston (P) 10.3% William Montgomery (A) 9.3%
Pennsylvania 7	Thomas Hartley redistricted from the at-large district	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Thomas Hartley (P) 71.1% William Irvine (A) 28.9%
Pennsylvania 8	Thomas Scott redistricted from the at-large district	Pro-Administration	1788	Retired Anti-Administration gain	William Findley (A) 65.2% John Woods (P) 34.8%

Rhode Island

Rhode Island held elections for the Second Congress on October 18, 1790, about a month and a half after elections for the First Congress due to the late ratification of the Constitution

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Rhode Island At-Large	Benjamin Bourne	Pro-Administration	1790	Re-elected	Benjamin Bourne (P) 56.6% Paul Mumford 33.0% James Sheldon 10.1%

South Carolina

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
South Carolina 1 Also known as the Charleston Division	William L. Smith	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	William L. Smith (P)
South Carolina 2 Also known as the Beaufort Division	Aedanus Burke	Anti-Administration	1788	Retired? Pro-Administration gain	Robert Barnwell (P)
South Carolina 3 Also known as the Georgetown Division	Daniel Huger	Pro-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Daniel Huger (P)
South Carolina 4 Also known as the Camden Division	Thomas Sumter	Anti-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Thomas Sumter (A)
South Carolina 5 Also known as the Ninety-Six Division	Thomas Tudor Tucker	Anti-Administration	1788	Re-elected	Thomas Tudor Tucker (A)

Vermont

Vermont was admitted at the end of the First Congress, with the admission taking effect at the start of the Second Congress. Vermont was entitled to elect two representatives. Vermont law at the time required a majority to win an office. In the 1st district, no candidate won a majority, necessitating a run-off.

District	Result	Candidates
		First ballot	Second ballot
Vermont 1 Called the Western Division	Anti-Administration win	Matthew Lyon (A?) 28.7% Israel Smith (A) 24.6% Isaac Tichenor (P) 22.7% Samuel Hitchcock 18.1% Ira Allen 2.3% Ebenezer Marvin 1.6% Gideon Olin 1.3% Others 0.7%	Israel Smith (A) 68.4% Matthew Lyon (A?) 29.4% Isaac Tichenor 2.2%
Vermont 2 Called the Eastern Division	Anti-Administration win	Nathaniel Niles (A) Stephen Jacob Daniel Buck (P)

Virginia

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Virginia 1	Alexander White	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Alexander White (P) 93.3% J.P. Duvall 6.7%
Virginia 2	John Brown	Anti-Administration	1789	Re-elected	John Brown (A) James M. Marshall
Virginia 3	Andrew Moore	Anti-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Andrew Moore (A)
Virginia 4	Richard Bland Lee	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Richard Bland Lee (P) 62.1% Arthur Lee 37.9%
Virginia 5	James Madison, Jr.	Anti-Administration	1789	Re-elected	James Madison, Jr. (A) 97.8% James Monroe (A) 2.2%
Virginia 6	Isaac Coles	Anti-Administration	1789	Retired Anti-Administration hold	Abraham B. Venable (A) Charles Lintch Charles Clay
Virginia 7	John Page	Anti-Administration	1789	Re-elected	John Page (A) Meriwether Smith Francis Corbin Henry Lee
Virginia 8	Josiah Parker	Anti-Administration	1789	Re-elected	Josiah Parker (A) 76.1% Isaac Avery 23.9%
Virginia 9	William B. Giles	Anti-Administration	1790 (special)	Re-elected	William B. Giles (A) 59.3% Thomas Edmonds 40.6% John Mason 0.1%
Virginia 10	Samuel Griffin	Pro-Administration	1789	Re-elected as Anti-Administration	Samuel Griffin (A)

John Brown of the 2nd district resigned June 1, 1792 after being elected as Senator for the new state of Kentucky. The territory he represented covered the area that had been admitted as Kentucky (which was entitled to two seats), and therefore his seat was left vacant.

See also

• List of United States House of Representatives elections, 1789–1822
• United States Senate elections, 1790
• 1st United States Congress
• 2nd United States Congress

External links

• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)