First United States Congress

Dates of Sessions

1789-1791

• The first session of this Congress took place in New York City from March 4, 1789 to September 29, 1789.
• The second session took place in New York City from January 4, 1790 to August 12, 1790.
• The third session took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from December 6, 1790 to March 3, 1791.

Major Political Events

• Senate and House of Representatives of eleven States first convene in New York, New York, March 4, 1789
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Virginia
• House first meets with quorum of members to elect first Speaker, April 1, 1789
  • Frederick Muhlenberg, first House Speaker
• Senate first meets with quorum of members to elect first President pro tempore and tally results of Presidential election
  • John Langdon, first Senate President pro Tempore
• Inauguration of George Washington, first President of the United States, April 30, 1789
• Foreign Affairs (State) Department Established, July 27, 1789
• War (Defense) Department Established, August 7, 1789
• Adopts provisions of the Northwest Ordinance under the U.S. Constitution, August 7, 1789
• Treasury Department Established, September 2, 1789
• Judiciary Act established Office of Attorney General, the composition of Supreme Court, and the entire Judiciary system, September 24, 1789
• North Carolina ratifies Constitution, November 21, 1789
• Makes provisions for the first U.S. Census, March 1, 1790
• Accepts the cession of claims on western territory (which was to become the state of Tennessee) by North Carolina on April 2, 1790
• Passes first legislation regulating Patents, April 10, 1790
• Organizes the Southwest Territory out of territory ceded by North Carolina, May 26, 1790
• Passes first copyright legislation, May 31, 1790
• Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ratifies Constitution, May 29, 1790
• Kentucky admitted to Union, February 4, 1791, effective June 1, 1792
• Vermont admitted to Union, February 18, 1791, effective March 4, 1791

Officers

Senate

• President of the Senate - John Adams
• President pro tempore - John Langdon (6 April 1789-21 April 1789, 7 August 1789-9 August 1789)
• Secretary of the Senate - Samuel Allyne Otis
• Senate Sergeant at Arms - James Mathers
• Senate Chaplain -
  1. Samuel Provoost (April 25, 1789-December 9, 1790
  2. William White (from December 9, 1790)

House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House - Frederick Muhlenberg
• Clerk of the House - John Beckley
• House Doorkeeper - Gifford Dalley
• House Sergeant at Arms - Joseph Wheaton
• Chaplain of the House - William Lynn

Members of the First United States Congress

• Fisher Ames (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA
• John Baptista Ashe (Representative), -, NC
• Abraham Baldwin (Representative), -, GA
• Richard Bassett (Senator), Anti-Administration, DE
• Egbert Benson (Representative), Pro-Administration, NY
• Theodorick Bland (Representative), -, VA
• Timothy Bloodworth (Representative), -, NC
• Elias Boudinot (Representative), -, NJ
• Benjamin Bourne (Representative), Pro-Administration, RI
• John Brown (Representative), Anti-Administration, Kentucky District of VA
• Aedanus Burke (Representative), -, SC
• Pierce Butler (Senator), Pro-Administration, SC
• Lambert Cadwalader (Representative), Pro-Administration, NJ
• Charles Carroll of Carrollton (Senator), Pro-Administration, MD
• Daniel Carroll (Representative), -, MD
• George Clymer (Representative), -, PA
• Isaac Coles (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA
• Benjamin Contee (Representative), -, MD
• Tristram Dalton (Senator), Pro-Administration, MA
• Philemon Dickinson (Senator), Pro-Administration, NJ
• Oliver Ellsworth (Senator), Pro-Administration, CT
• Jonathan Elmer (Senator), Pro-Administration, NJ
• William Few (Senator), Anti-Administration, GA
• Thomas Fitzsimons (Representative), -, PA
• William Floyd (Representative), -, NY
• Abiel Foster (Representative), Pro-Administration, NH
• Theodore Foster (Senator), Pro-Administration, RI
• George Gale (Representative), -, MD
• Elbridge Gerry (Representative), -, MA
• William Branch Giles (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA
• Nicholas Gilman (Representative), Anti-Administration, NH
• Benjamin Goodhue (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA
• William Grayson (Senator), Anti-Administration, VA
• Samuel Griffin (Representative), -, VA
• Jonathan Grout (Representative), -, MA
• James Gunn (Senator), Anti-Administration, GA
• Thomas Hartley (Representative), Pro-Administration, PA
• John Hathorn (Representative), Anti-Administration, NY
• Benjamin Hawkins (Senator), Pro-Administration, NC
• John Henry (Senator), Pro-Administration, MD
• Daniel Hiester (Representative), Anti-Administration, PA
• Daniel Huger (Representative), -, SC
• Benjamin Huntington (Representative), -, CT
• Ralph Izard (Senator), Pro-Administration, SC
• James Jackson (Representative), Anti-Administration, GA
• William Samuel Johnson (Senator), Pro-Administration, CT
• Samuel Johnston (Senator), Pro-Administration, NC
• Rufus King (Senator), Pro-Administration, NY
• John Langdon (Senator), Pro-Administration, NH
• John Laurance (Representative), -, NY
• Richard Bland Lee (Representative), -, VA
• Richard Henry Lee (Senator), Anti-Administration, VA
• George Leonard (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA
• Samuel Livermore (Representative), Pro-Administration, NH
• William Maclay (Senator), Anti-Administration, PA
• James Madison (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA
• George Mathews (Representative), -, GA
• James Monroe (Senator), Anti-Administration, VA
• Andrew Moore (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA
• Robert Morris (Senator), Pro-Administration, PA
• Frederick Muhlenberg (Representative, Speaker of the House), Pro-administration, PA
• John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (Representative), -, PA
• John Page (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA
• Josiah Parker (Representative), Pro-Administration, VA
• George Partridge (Representative), -, MA
• William Paterson (Senator), Pro-Administration, NJ
• George Read (Senator), Pro-Administration, DE
• James Schureman (Representative), Pro-Administration, NJ
• Philip John Schuyler (Senator), Pro-Administration, NY
• Thomas Scott (Representative), -, PA
• Theodore Sedgwick (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA
• Joshua Seney (Representative), -, MD
• John Sevier (Representative), Anti-Administration, NC
• Roger Sherman (Representative), -, CT
• Peter Silvester (Representative), -, NY
• Thomas Sinnickson (Representative), Pro-Administration, NJ
• William Smith (Representative), -, MD
• William Loughton Smith (Representative), Pro-Administration, SC
• Joseph Stanton, Jr. (Senator), Anti-Administration, RI
• John Steele (Representative), -, NC
• Michael Jenifer Stone (Representative), -, MD
• Caleb Strong (Senator), Pro-Administration, MA
• Jonathan Sturges (Representative), -, CT
• Thomas Sumter (Representative), Anti-Administration, SC
• George Thatcher (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA
• Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (Representative), -, CT
• Thomas Tudor Tucker (Representative), -, SC
• Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (Representative), -, NY
• John Vining (Representative), -, DE
• Jeremiah Wadsworth (Representative), -, CT
• John Walker (Senator), Pro-Administration, VA
• Alexander White (Representative), -, VA
• Hugh Williamson (Representative), Pro-Administration, NC
• Paine Wingate (Senator), Anti-Administration, NH
• Henry Wynkoop (Representative), -, PA

External Links

• at GWU

United States Congress

Second United States Congress