6th United States Congress
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The 6th United States Congress was the 6th meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It initially met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and then was the first congress to meet in the new Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.. Its term was from March 4, 1799, to March 4, 1801, during the last two years of John Adams's presidency. It was the last Congress of the 18th century and the first to convene in the 19th. The apportionment of seats in House of Representatives was based on the 1790 United States census. Both chambers had a Federalist majority. This was the last Congress in which the Federalist Party controlled the presidency or either chamber of Congress.
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Major events
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- December 14, 1799: Former President George Washington died
- February 24, 1800: Library of Congress founded
- November 17, 1800: Congress held its first session in Washington, D.C.
- January 20, 1801: John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice of the United States
- February 17, 1801: 1800 United States presidential election: Thomas Jefferson became the first President of the United States elected by the House of Representatives as no candidate received a majority of the electoral votes cast in the 1800 presidential election. The House was required to choose between Jefferson and Aaron Burr, with each of the 16 states having a single vote. Jefferson was elected on the 36th ballot by 10 to 4 (with 2 abstentions).[1]
States for Jefferson States for Burr States casting blank ballots - Georgia
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- South Carolina
Total: 10 (63%) Total: 4 (25%) Total: 2 (12%)
Major legislation
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- April 4, 1800: Bankruptcy Act of 1800, Sess. 1, ch. 19, 2 Stat. 19
- May 7, 1800: Indiana Organic Act, Sess. 1, ch. 41, 2 Stat. 58; effective July 4, 1800
- May 10, 1800: Slave Trade Act of 1800, Sess. 2, ch. 51, 2 Stat. 70
- February 13, 1801: Judiciary Act of 1801, Sess. 2, ch. 4, 2 Stat. 89
- February 27, 1801: District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Sess.2, ch. 15, 2 Stat. 103
Party summary
The count below identifies party 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
Template:US Congress party summary
House of Representatives
Template:US Congress party summary
Leadership
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Samuel Livermore
Senate
- President: Thomas Jefferson (DR)
- President pro tempore: Samuel Livermore (F), elected December 2, 1799
- Uriah Tracy (F), elected May 14, 1800
- John E. Howard, (F), elected November 21, 1800
- James Hillhouse, (F), elected February 28, 1801
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Theodore Sedgwick (F)
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
Senate
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House of Representatives
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Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress
Senate
There were 7 resignations and 1 vacancy at the beginning of Congress. The Federalists had a 1-seat net loss and the Democratic-Republicans had a 2-seat net gain. Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Template:Ordinal US Congress change
|-
| Virginia
(2)
| Vacant
| Henry Tazewell (DR) died before the beginning of this Congress
| style="background-color:#AACC99" | Wilson C. Nicholas (DR)
| Elected December 5, 1799
|-
| New York
(1)
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | James Watson (F)
| Resigned March 19, 1800
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Gouverneur Morris (F)
| Elected April 3, 1800
|-
| Massachusetts
(2)
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Samuel Dexter (F)
| Resigned May 30, 1800
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Dwight Foster (F)
| Elected June 6, 1800
|-
| New York
(3)
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | John Laurance (F)
| Resigned sometime in August, 1800
| style="background-color:#AACC99" | John Armstrong (DR)
| Elected November 6, 1800
|-
| Massachusetts
(1)
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Benjamin Goodhue (F)
| Resigned November 8, 1800
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Jonathan Mason (F)
| Elected November 14, 1800
|-
| Maryland
(3)
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | James Lloyd (F)
| Resigned December 1, 1800
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | William Hindman (F)
| Elected December 12, 1800
|-
| New Jersey
(1)
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | James Schureman (F)
| Resigned February 16, 1801
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Aaron Ogden (F)
| Elected February 28, 1801
|-
| Delaware
(1)
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Henry Latimer (F)
| Resigned February 28, 1801
| style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Samuel White (F)
| Appointed February 28, 1801
|}
House of Representatives
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|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#AACC99" | Jonathan Havens (DR) | Died October 25, 1799 | style="background-color:#AACC99" | John Smith (DR) | February 27, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | William Henry Harrison | Resigned May 14, 1800, to become Territorial Governor of Indiana | style="background-color:#F6D6C9"|William McMillan (F) | November 24, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Jonathan Brace (F) | Resigned sometime in 1800 | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | John Cotton Smith (F) | November 17, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Samuel Sewall (F) | Resigned January 10, 1800, to become a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Nathan Read (F) | November 25, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Dwight Foster (F) | Resigned June 6, 1800, having been elected U.S. Senator | style="background-color:#AACC99" | Levi Lincoln (DR) | December 15, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | John Marshall (F) | Resigned June 7, 1800, to become Secretary of State | style="background-color:#AACC99" | Littleton W. Tazewell (DR) | November 26, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | William Gordon (F) | Resigned June 12, 1800, to become New Hampshire Attorney General | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Samuel Tenney (F) | December 8, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Samuel Lyman (F) | Resigned November 6, 1800 | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Ebenezer Mattoon (F) | February 2, 1801
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | Thomas Hartley (F) | Died December 21, 1800 | style="background-color:#AACC99" | John Stewart (DR) | February 3, 1801
|- | Template:Ushr | style="background-color:#F6D6C9" | James Jones (F) | Died January 11, 1801 | colspan=2 | Vacant until next Congress |}
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
House of Representatives
- Claims (Chairman: Dwight Foster then Nathaniel Macon)
- Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Samuel Smith)
- Elections (Chairman: Samuel W. Dana then George Dent)
- Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Roger Griswold then Jonas Platt)
- Rules (Select)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Ways and Means (Chairman: Robert Goodloe Harper then Roger Griswold)
- Whole
Joint committees
- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Dwight Foster)
Administrative officers
Senate
- Chaplain: William White, Episcopalian, until November 27, 1800
- Thomas J. Claggett, Episcopalian, elected November 27, 1800
- Doorkeeper: James Mathers
- Secretary: Samuel Otis
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Ashbel Green, Presbyterian, until November 27, 1800
- Thomas Lyell, Methodist, elected November 27, 1800
- Clerk: Jonathan W. Condy, resigned December 4, 1800
- John H. Oswald, elected December 9, 1800
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
- Reading Clerks: Template:Dm
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton
See also
- 1798 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1800 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
References
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