2nd United States Congress

The 2nd United States Congress, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 4, 1791, to March 4, 1793, during the third and fourth years of George Washington's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the provisions of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution. Additional House seats were assigned to the two new states of Vermont and Kentucky. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority.

Major events

 * April 5, 1792: President Washington used the veto for the first time, vetoing a bill designed to apportion representatives among U.S. states.
 * April–May, 1792: the House conducted the government's first investigative hearings, examining Gen. Arthur St. Clair's Defeat in the Battle of the Wabash.
 * October 13, 1792: Foundation of Washington, D.C.: The cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion, now known as the White House, was laid.

Major legislation

 * February 20, 1792: Postal Service Act, Sess. 1, ch. 7,, established the U.S. Post Office
 * March 1, 1792: Act relative to the Election of a President and Vice President of the United States, and to Presidential Succession, Sess. 1, ch. 8,, stated the process for electors and Congress to follow when electing a president and vice president, and established which federal officer would act as president if both the offices of president and vice president became vacant.
 * April 2, 1792: Coinage Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 16,, established the United States Mint and regulated coinage
 * April 14, 1792: Apportionment Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 23, increased the size of the House of Representatives from 69 seats in the 2nd Congress to 105 in the 3rd and apportioned those seats among the several states according to the 1790 census
 * May 2, 1792: First Militia Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 28,, empowered the president to call out the militias of the various states in the event of an invasion or rebellion.
 * May 5, 1792: Debtors' Prison Relief Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 29,, established penal regulations and restrictions for persons' gaoled for property debt, tax evasion, and tax resistance.
 * May 8, 1792: Second Militia Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 33,, required that every free able-bodied white male citizen of the various states, between the ages of 18 and 45, enroll in the militia of the state in which they reside.
 * February 12, 1793: Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, Sess. 2, ch. 7,
 * March 2, 1793: Judiciary Act of 1793 (including Anti-Injunction Act), Sess. 2, ch. 22,

States admitted

 * March 4, 1791: Vermont was admitted as the 14th state,
 * June 1, 1792: Kentucky was admitted as the 15th state,

Constitutional amendments

 * December 15, 1791: The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified by the requisite number of states (then 11) to become part of the Constitution.

Party summary
There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.

Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate
During this congress, two new Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Vermont and Kentucky.

House of Representatives
During this congress, two new House seats were added for each of the new states of Vermont and Kentucky. (Sess. 3, ch. 9, )

Senate

 * President: John Adams (P)
 * President pro tempore:
 * Richard Henry Lee (P)
 * John Langdon (P), elected November 5, 1792

House of Representatives

 * Speaker: Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (P)

Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

Senate
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 this Congress, facing re-election in 1796; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1794.

Connecticut

 * 1. Oliver Ellsworth (P)
 * 3. William S. Johnson (P), until March 4, 1791
 * Roger Sherman (P), from June 13, 1791

Delaware

 * 1. George Read (P)
 * 2. Richard Bassett (P)

Georgia

 * 2. William Few (A)
 * 3. James Gunn (A)

Kentucky

 * 2. John Brown (A), from June 18, 1792
 * 3. John Edwards (A), from June 18, 1792

Maryland

 * 1. Charles Carroll (P), until November 30, 1792
 * Richard Potts (P), from February 4, 1793
 * 3. John Henry (P)

Massachusetts

 * 1. George Cabot (P)
 * 2. Caleb Strong (P)

New Hampshire

 * 2. Paine Wingate (A)
 * 3. John Langdon (P)

New Jersey

 * 1. John Rutherfurd (P)
 * 2. Philemon Dickinson (P)

New York

 * 1. Aaron Burr (A)
 * 3. Rufus King (P)

North Carolina

 * 2. Samuel Johnston (P)
 * 3. Benjamin Hawkins (P)

Pennsylvania

 * 1. Albert Gallatin (A), from February 28, 1793 (not formally installed until next Congress)
 * 3. Robert Morris (P)

Rhode Island

 * 1. Theodore Foster (P)
 * 2. Joseph Stanton Jr. (A)

South Carolina

 * 2. Pierce Butler (A)
 * 3. Ralph Izard (P)

Vermont

 * 1. Moses Robinson (A), from October 17, 1791
 * 3. Stephen R. Bradley (A), from October 17, 1791

Virginia

 * 2. Richard Henry Lee (A), until October 8, 1792
 * John Taylor of Caroline (A), from December 12, 1792
 * 1. James Monroe (A)





House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their districts.

Connecticut
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. James Hillhouse (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Amasa Learned (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Jonathan Sturges (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (P)
 * Connecticut's at-large congressional district. Jeremiah Wadsworth (P)

Delaware

 * Delaware's at-large congressional district. John Vining (P)

Georgia
All representatives were elected statewide from individual districts.
 * Georgia's 1st congressional district. Anthony Wayne (A), until March 21, 1792 (seat declared vacant)
 * John Milledge (A), from November 22, 1792
 * Georgia's 2nd congressional district. Abraham Baldwin (A)
 * Georgia's 3rd congressional district. Francis Willis (A)

Kentucky

 * Kentucky's 1st congressional district. Christopher Greenup (A), from November 9, 1792
 * Kentucky's 2nd congressional district. Alexander D. Orr (A), from November 8, 1792

Maryland
All representatives were elected statewide from individual districts.
 * Maryland's 1st congressional district. Philip Key (P)
 * Maryland's 2nd congressional district. Joshua Seney (A), until December 6, 1792
 * William Hindman (P), from January 30, 1793
 * Maryland's 3rd congressional district. William Pinkney (P), until November 9, 1791
 * John F. Mercer (A), from February 6, 1792
 * Maryland's 4th congressional district. Samuel Sterett (A)
 * Maryland's 5th congressional district. William Vans Murray (P)
 * Maryland's 6th congressional district. Upton Sheredine (A)

Massachusetts

 * Massachusetts's 1st congressional district. Fisher Ames (P)
 * Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district. Benjamin Goodhue (P)
 * Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district. Elbridge Gerry (A)
 * Massachusetts's 4th congressional district. Theodore Sedgwick (P)
 * Massachusetts's 5th congressional district. Shearjashub Bourne (P)
 * Massachusetts's 6th congressional district. George Leonard (P), from April 2, 1792 (late election)
 * Massachusetts's 7th congressional district. Artemas Ward (P)
 * Massachusetts's 8th congressional district. George Thatcher (P), from April 4, 1791 (late election)

New Hampshire
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * New Hampshire's at-large congressional district. Nicholas Gilman (P)
 * New Hampshire's at-large congressional district. Samuel Livermore (P)
 * New Hampshire's at-large congressional district. Jeremiah Smith (P)

New Jersey
All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. Elias Boudinot (P)
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. Abraham Clark (P)
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. Jonathan Dayton (P)
 * New Jersey's at-large congressional district. Aaron Kitchell (A)

New York

 * New York's 1st congressional district. Thomas Tredwell (A), from October 24, 1791
 * New York's 2nd congressional district. John Laurance (P)
 * New York's 3rd congressional district. Egbert Benson (P)
 * New York's 4th congressional district. Cornelius C. Schoonmaker (A)
 * New York's 5th congressional district. Peter Silvester (P)
 * New York's 6th congressional district. James Gordon (P)

North Carolina
There was a special redistricting for this Congress.
 * North Carolina's 1st congressional district. John Steele (P)
 * North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Nathaniel Macon (A)
 * North Carolina's 3rd congressional district. John Baptista Ashe (A)
 * North Carolina's 4th congressional district. Hugh Williamson (A)
 * North Carolina's 5th congressional district. William Barry Grove (P)

Pennsylvania

 * Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district. Thomas Fitzsimons (P)
 * Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district. Frederick Muhlenberg (A)
 * Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district. Israel Jacobs (P)
 * Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district. Daniel Hiester (A)
 * Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district. John Wilkes Kittera (P)
 * Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district. Andrew Gregg (A)
 * Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. Thomas Hartley (P)
 * Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district. William Findley (A)

Rhode Island

 * Rhode Island's at-large congressional district. Benjamin Bourne (P)

South Carolina

 * South Carolina's 1st congressional district. William L. Smith (P)
 * South Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Robert Barnwell (P)
 * South Carolina's 3rd congressional district. Daniel Huger (P)
 * South Carolina's 4th congressional district. Thomas Sumter (A)
 * South Carolina's 5th congressional district. Thomas Tudor Tucker (A)

Vermont

 * Vermont's 1st congressional district. Israel Smith (A), from October 31, 1791
 * Vermont's 2nd congressional district. Nathaniel Niles (A), from October 31, 1791

Virginia

 * Virginia's 1st congressional district. Alexander White (P)
 * Virginia's 2nd congressional district. John Brown (A), until June 1, 1792 (when his district became Kentucky)
 * Vacant thereafter
 * Virginia's 3rd congressional district. Andrew Moore (A)
 * Virginia's 4th congressional district. Richard Bland Lee (P)
 * Virginia's 5th congressional district. James Madison (A)
 * Virginia's 6th congressional district. Abraham B. Venable (A)
 * Virginia's 7th congressional district. John Page (A)
 * Virginia's 8th congressional district. Josiah Parker (P)
 * Virginia's 9th congressional district. William B. Giles (A)
 * Virginia's 10th congressional district. Samuel Griffin (A)



Membership changes
There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.

Vermont and Kentucky were newly admitted as states and are first represented in this Congress.

Senate
There were three resignations, one contested election, and four new seats of admitted states, resulting in a four-seat net gain of the Anti-Administration Senators.


 * Pennsylvania (1)
 * Vacant
 * Legislature failed to elect senator. Successor elected February 28, 1793.
 * | Albert Gallatin (A)
 * December 2, 1793
 * December 2, 1793


 * Connecticut (3)
 * | William S. Johnson (P)
 * Resigned March 4, 1791. Successor elected June 13, 1791.
 * | Roger Sherman (P)
 * June 13, 1791
 * June 13, 1791


 * Vermont (3)
 * rowspan=2 | New seat
 * rowspan=2 | Vermont was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791. Winners elected October 17, 1791.
 * | Stephen R. Bradley (A)
 * November 4, 1791
 * November 4, 1791


 * Vermont (1)
 * | Moses Robinson (A)
 * November 4, 1791
 * November 4, 1791


 * Kentucky (3)
 * rowspan=2 | New seat
 * rowspan=2 | Kentucky was admitted to the Union June 1, 1792. Winners elected June 18, 1792.
 * | John Edwards (A)
 * June 18, 1792
 * June 18, 1792


 * Kentucky (2)
 * | John Brown (A)
 * June 18, 1792
 * June 18, 1792


 * Virginia (2)
 * | Richard Henry Lee (A)
 * Resigned October 8, 1792. Successor elected October 18, 1792.
 * | John Taylor (A)
 * October 18, 1792
 * October 18, 1792


 * Maryland (1)
 * | Charles Carroll (P)
 * Resigned November 30, 1792. Successor elected January 10, 1793.
 * | Richard Potts (P)
 * January 10, 1793
 * January 10, 1793


 * }

House of Representatives
There were 3 resignations, 1 vacancy of a member-elect, 1 contested election, 2 late elections, and 4 new seats of admitted states, resulting in a 3-seat net gain of the Anti-Administration members and a 1-seat net gain of the Pro-Administration members.


 * nowrap | MA's 8th congressional district
 * Vacant
 * Due to failure to reach a majority, four ballots were needed to elect. Incumbent was elected late April 4, 1791.
 * | George Thatcher (P)
 * April 4, 1791
 * April 4, 1791


 * nowrap | New York's 1st congressional district
 * Vacant
 * Representative-elect James Townsend died on May 24, 1790, before Congress assembled.
 * | Thomas Tredwell (A)
 * October 24, 1791
 * October 24, 1791


 * nowrap | Vermont's 1st congressional district
 * rowspan=2 | New seat
 * rowspan=2 | Vermont was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791.
 * | Israel Smith (A)
 * October 24, 1791
 * October 24, 1791


 * nowrap | Vermont's 2nd congressional district
 * | Nathaniel Niles (A)
 * October 24, 1791
 * October 24, 1791


 * nowrap | Maryland's 3rd congressional district
 * | William Pinkney (P)
 * Resigned November 1791
 * | John Francis Mercer (A)
 * February 6, 1792
 * February 6, 1792


 * nowrap | MA's 6th congressional district
 * Vacant
 * Due to failure to reach a majority, eight ballots were needed to elect. Incumbent was elected late April 2, 1792.
 * | George Leonard (P)
 * April 2, 1792
 * April 2, 1792


 * nowrap | Virginia's 2nd congressional district
 * | John Brown (A)
 * Resigned June 1, 1792, to become U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
 * Vacant
 * Seat went with Kentucky
 * Seat went with Kentucky


 * nowrap | Kentucky's 2nd congressional district
 * rowspan=2 | New seat
 * rowspan=2 | Kentucky was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792.
 * | Alexander D. Orr (A)
 * November 8, 1792
 * November 8, 1792


 * nowrap | Kentucky's 1st congressional district
 * | Christopher Greenup (A)
 * November 9, 1792
 * November 9, 1792


 * nowrap | Georgia's 1st congressional district
 * | Anthony Wayne (A)
 * Anthony Wayne served until March 21, 1792, when seat declared vacant because the election was contested
 * | John Milledge (A)
 * November 22, 1792
 * November 22, 1792


 * nowrap | Maryland's 2nd congressional district
 * | Joshua Seney (A)
 * Resigned December 6, 1792.
 * | William Hindman (P)
 * January 30, 1793
 * January 30, 1793


 * }

Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

 * Whole

House of Representatives

 * Elections (Chairman: Samuel Livermore)
 * Rules (Select)
 * Whole

Joint committees

 * Enrolled Bills (Chairman: John Rutherfurd)

Senate

 * Secretary: Samuel A. Otis
 * Doorkeeper: James Mathers
 * Chaplain: William White (Episcopalian)

House of Representatives

 * Clerk: John Beckley
 * Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton
 * Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
 * Chaplain:
 * Samuel Blair Presbyterian
 * Ashbel Green, Presbyterian, elected November 5, 1792
 * Reading Clerks: