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.
| 6th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
5th ← → 7th | |
 United States Capitol (1800) | |
March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801 | |
| Members | 32 senators 106 representatives 1 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Federalist |
| Senate President | Thomas Jefferson (DR) |
| House majority | Federalist |
| House Speaker | Theodore Sedgwick (F) |
| Sessions | |
| 1st: December 2, 1799 – May 14, 1800 2nd: November 17, 1800 – March 3, 1801 | |
Major events
edit- 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
edit- 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
editThe 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
edit| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of previous congress | 9 | 22 | 31 | 1 |
| Begin | 9 | 22 | 31 | 1 |
| End | 11 | 21 | 32 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 34.4% | 65.6% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 17 | 15 | 32 | 0 |
House of Representatives
edit
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of previous congress | 50 | 56 | 106 | 0 |
| Begin | 46 | 60 | 106 | 0 |
| End | 49 | 56 | 105 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 46.7% | 53.3% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 72 | 33 | 105 | 1 |
Leadership
edit.jpg)
Samuel Livermore
Senate
edit- 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
edit- Speaker: Theodore Sedgwick (F)
Members
editThis list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
Senate
editSenators 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 the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1802; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1804; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1800.
|
|
 2 Democratic-Republicans 1 Democratic-Republican and 1 Federalist 2 Federalists
|
House of Representatives
editThe names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "At-large," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
editThe count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress
Senate
editThere 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.
| State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia (2) |
Vacant | Henry Tazewell (DR) died before the beginning of this Congress | Wilson C. Nicholas (DR) | Elected December 5, 1799 |
| New York (1) |
James Watson (F) | Resigned March 19, 1800 | Gouverneur Morris (F) | Elected April 3, 1800 |
| Massachusetts (2) |
Samuel Dexter (F) | Resigned May 30, 1800 | Dwight Foster (F) | Elected June 6, 1800 |
| New York (3) |
John Laurance (F) | Resigned sometime in August, 1800 | John Armstrong (DR) | Elected November 6, 1800 |
| Massachusetts (1) |
Benjamin Goodhue (F) | Resigned November 8, 1800 | Jonathan Mason (F) | Elected November 14, 1800 |
| Maryland (3) |
James Lloyd (F) | Resigned December 1, 1800 | William Hindman (F) | Elected December 12, 1800 |
| New Jersey (1) |
James Schureman (F) | Resigned February 16, 1801 | Aaron Ogden (F) | Elected February 28, 1801 |
| Delaware (1) |
Henry Latimer (F) | Resigned February 28, 1801 | Samuel White (F) | Appointed February 28, 1801 |
House of Representatives
editThere were 6 resignations and 3 deaths. The Federalists had a 4-seat net loss and the Democratic-Republicans had a 3-seat net gain.
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York 1st |
Jonathan Havens (DR) | Died October 25, 1799 | John Smith (DR) | February 27, 1800 |
| Northwest Territory at-large |
William Henry Harrison | Resigned May 14, 1800, to become Territorial Governor of Indiana | William McMillan (F) | November 24, 1800 |
| Connecticut at-large |
Jonathan Brace (F) | Resigned sometime in 1800 | John Cotton Smith (F) | November 17, 1800 |
| Massachusetts 10th |
Samuel Sewall (F) | Resigned January 10, 1800, to become a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Nathan Read (F) | November 25, 1800 |
| Massachusetts 4th |
Dwight Foster (F) | Resigned June 6, 1800, having been elected U.S. Senator | Levi Lincoln (DR) | December 15, 1800 |
| Virginia 13th |
John Marshall (F) | Resigned June 7, 1800, to become Secretary of State | Littleton W. Tazewell (DR) | November 26, 1800 |
| New Hampshire at-large |
William Gordon (F) | Resigned June 12, 1800, to become New Hampshire Attorney General | Samuel Tenney (F) | December 8, 1800 |
| Massachusetts 3rd |
Samuel Lyman (F) | Resigned November 6, 1800 | Ebenezer Mattoon (F) | February 2, 1801 |
| Pennsylvania 8th |
Thomas Hartley (F) | Died December 21, 1800 | John Stewart (DR) | February 3, 1801 |
| Georgia at-large |
James Jones (F) | Died January 11, 1801 | Vacant until next Congress | |
Committees
editLists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
editHouse of Representatives
edit- 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
edit- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Dwight Foster)
Administrative officers
editSenate
edit- 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
edit- 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: [data missing]
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton
See also
edit- 1798 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1800 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
References
edit- ^ "Annals of Congress, House of Representatives, 6th Congress, 2nd Session". A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875. pp. 1033–1034. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.