6th United States Congress
Template:Short description Template:Infobox United States Congress
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. Template:TOC limit
Major events
- 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).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | States for Jefferson Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | States for Burr Template:No result - Georgia
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- South Carolina
Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican |Total: 10 (63%) Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican |Total: 4 (25%) Total: 2 (12%)
Major legislation
- April 4, 1800: Bankruptcy Act of 1800, Sess. 1, ch. 19, Template:USStat
- May 7, 1800: Indiana Organic Act, Sess. 1, ch. 41, Template:USStat; effective July 4, 1800
- May 10, 1800: Slave Trade Act of 1800, Sess. 2, ch. 51, Template:USStat
- February 13, 1801: Judiciary Act of 1801, Sess. 2, ch. 4, Template:USStat
- February 27, 1801: District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Sess.2, ch. 15, Template:USStat
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
Template:Main 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 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. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break
- Template:Party stripe1. Henry Latimer (F), until February 28, 1801
- Template:Party stripe Samuel White (F), from February 28, 1801
- Template:Party stripe2. William H. Wells (F)
- Template:Party stripe1. John Eager Howard (F)
- Template:Party stripe3. James Lloyd (F), until December 1, 1800
- Template:Party stripe William Hindman (F), from December 12, 1800
- Template:Party stripe1. Benjamin Goodhue (F), until November 8, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Jonathan Mason (F), from November 14, 1800
- Template:Party stripe2. Samuel Dexter (F), until May 30, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Dwight Foster (F), from June 6, 1800
- Template:Party stripe1. James Schureman (F), until February 16, 1801
- Template:Party stripe Aaron Ogden (F), from February 28, 1801
- Template:Party stripe2. Jonathan Dayton (F)
- Template:Party stripe1. James Watson (F), until March 19, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Gouverneur Morris (F), from April 3, 1800
- Template:Party stripe3. John Laurance (F), until August 1800
- Template:Party stripe John Armstrong Jr. (DR), from November 6, 1800
- Template:Party stripe1. Stevens Mason (DR)
- Template:Party stripe2. Wilson C. Nicholas (DR), from December 5, 1799
House of Representatives
Template:Main The names 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. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Jonathan Brace (F), until May 1800
- Template:Party stripe John Cotton Smith (F), from November 17, 1800
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Samuel W. Dana (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Davenport (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. William Edmond (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Chauncey Goodrich (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Elizur Goodrich (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Roger Griswold (F)
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. James Jones (F), until January 11, 1801, vacant thereafter
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Benjamin Taliaferro (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Thomas T. Davis (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Fowler (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. George Dent (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John C. Thomas (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. William Craik (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. George Baer Jr. (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Samuel Smith (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Gabriel Christie (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Joseph H. Nicholson (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Dennis (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Theodore Sedgwick (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. William Shepard (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Samuel Lyman (F), until November 6, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Ebenezer Mattoon (F), from February 2, 1801
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Dwight Foster (F), until June 6, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Levi Lincoln Sr. (DR), from December 15, 1800
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Lemuel Williams (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Reed Sr. (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Phanuel Bishop (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Harrison Gray Otis (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Samuel Sewall (F), until January 10, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Nathan Read (F), from November 25, 1800
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Bailey Bartlett (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Silas Lee (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Peleg Wadsworth (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. George Thatcher (F)
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Abiel Foster (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Jonathan Freeman (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. William Gordon (F), until June 12, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Samuel Tenney (F), from December 8, 1800
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. James Sheafe (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Condit (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Aaron Kitchell (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. James Linn (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. James H. Imlay (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Franklin Davenport (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Jonathan N. Havens (DR), until October 25, 1799
- Template:Party stripe John Smith (DR), from February 27, 1800
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Edward Livingston (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Philip Van Cortlandt (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Lucas C. Elmendorf (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Theodorus Bailey (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Bird (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Thompson (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Henry Glen (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Jonas Platt (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. William Cooper (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Joseph Dickson (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Archibald Henderson (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Robert Williams (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Richard Stanford (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Nathaniel Macon (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. William H. Hill (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. William Barry Grove (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. David Stone (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Willis Alston (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Richard Dobbs Spaight (DR)
The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Robert Waln (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Michael Leib (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Richard Thomas (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Robert Brown (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Peter G. Muhlenberg (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Joseph Hiester (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John A. Hanna (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Wilkes Kittera (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Thomas Hartley (F), until December 21, 1800
- Template:Party stripe John Stewart (DR), from January 15, 1801
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Andrew Gregg (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Henry Woods (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Smilie (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Albert Gallatin (DR)
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Brown (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Christopher G. Champlin (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Thomas Pinckney (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Rutledge Jr. (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Benjamin Huger (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Thomas Sumter (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Robert Goodloe Harper (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Abraham Nott (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Matthew Lyon (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Lewis R. Morris (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Robert Page (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. David Holmes (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. George Jackson (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Abram Trigg (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John J. Trigg (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Matthew Clay (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Randolph (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Samuel Goode (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Joseph Eggleston (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Edwin Gray (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Josiah Parker (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Thomas Evans (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Marshall (F), until June 7, 1800
- Template:Party stripe Littleton W. Tazewell (DR), from November 26, 1800
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Samuel J. Cabell (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Dawson (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Anthony New (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Leven Powell (F)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. John Nicholas (DR)
- Template:Party stripeTemplate:Ushr. Henry Lee (F)
Non-voting members
- Template:Ushr. William Henry Harrison, until May 14, 1800
- Template:Party stripeWilliam McMillan (F), from November 24, 1800
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. Template:See also Template:Ordinal US Congress change
|-
| Virginia
(2)
| Vacant
| Henry Tazewell (DR) died before the beginning of this Congress
| Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | Wilson C. Nicholas (DR)
| Elected December 5, 1799
|-
| New York
(1)
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | James Watson (F)
| Resigned March 19, 1800
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Gouverneur Morris (F)
| Elected April 3, 1800
|-
| Massachusetts
(2)
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Samuel Dexter (F)
| Resigned May 30, 1800
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Dwight Foster (F)
| Elected June 6, 1800
|-
| New York
(3)
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | John Laurance (F)
| Resigned sometime in August, 1800
| Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | John Armstrong (DR)
| Elected November 6, 1800
|-
| Massachusetts
(1)
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Benjamin Goodhue (F)
| Resigned November 8, 1800
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Jonathan Mason (F)
| Elected November 14, 1800
|-
| Maryland
(3)
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | James Lloyd (F)
| Resigned December 1, 1800
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | William Hindman (F)
| Elected December 12, 1800
|-
| New Jersey
(1)
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | James Schureman (F)
| Resigned February 16, 1801
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Aaron Ogden (F)
| Elected February 28, 1801
|-
| Delaware
(1)
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Henry Latimer (F)
| Resigned February 28, 1801
| Template:Party shading/Federalist | Samuel White (F)
| Appointed February 28, 1801
|}
House of Representatives
Template:Main There were 6 resignations and 3 deaths. The Federalists had a 4-seat net loss and the Democratic-Republicans had a 3-seat net gain. Template:Ordinal US Congress change
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | Jonathan Havens (DR) | Died October 25, 1799 | Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | John Smith (DR) | February 27, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | William Henry Harrison | Resigned May 14, 1800, to become Territorial Governor of Indiana | Template:Party shading/Federalist|William McMillan (F) | November 24, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Jonathan Brace (F) | Resigned sometime in 1800 | Template:Party shading/Federalist | John Cotton Smith (F) | November 17, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Samuel Sewall (F) | Resigned January 10, 1800, to become a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Nathan Read (F) | November 25, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Dwight Foster (F) | Resigned June 6, 1800, having been elected U.S. Senator | Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | Levi Lincoln (DR) | December 15, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | John Marshall (F) | Resigned June 7, 1800, to become Secretary of State | Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | Littleton W. Tazewell (DR) | November 26, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | William Gordon (F) | Resigned June 12, 1800, to become New Hampshire Attorney General | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Samuel Tenney (F) | December 8, 1800
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Samuel Lyman (F) | Resigned November 6, 1800 | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Ebenezer Mattoon (F) | February 2, 1801
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | Thomas Hartley (F) | Died December 21, 1800 | Template:Party shading/Democratic-Republican | John Stewart (DR) | February 3, 1801
|- | Template:Ushr | Template:Party shading/Federalist | 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)