7th United States Congress

The Seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4 1801 to March 3 1803, during the first two years of the first administration of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the First Census of the United States in 1790. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority, except during the Special session of the Senate, when there was a Federalist majority in the Senate.

Dates of sessions

March 4 1801 - March 3 1803
*Special session of the Senate: March 4 1801 - March 5 1801
*First session: December 7 1801 - May 3 1802
*Second session: December 6 1802 - March 3 1803 — a lame duck sessionPrevious: 6th Congress • Next: 8th Congress

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.

enate

*Democratic-Republican " (DR) ": 17 "(majority)"
*Federalist "(F)": 15
*vacant: 2TOTAL members: 34

House of Representatives

*Democratic-Republican " (DR) ": 68 "(majority)"
*Federalist "(F)": 38
*vacant: 1TOTAL members: 107

Leadership

enate

* President: Aaron Burr (DR)
*President "pro tempore":
** Abraham Baldwin (DR), first elected December 7 1801
** Stephen R. Bradley (DR), first elected December 14 1802

House of Representatives

*Speaker: Nathaniel Macon, (DR), elected December 7 1801

Major events

* 1801-03-04 — Presidential inauguration of Thomas Jefferson
* 1801-05-10 — The pascha of Tripoli declared war on United States by having the flagpole on the consulate chopped down
* 1802-03-16 — West Point established
* 1803-02-24 — First time an Act of Congress was declared unconstitutional: U.S. Supreme Court case, "Marbury v. Madison"

Major legislation

*April 29 1802 — Judiciary Act of 1802, ch. 31, USStat|2|156
*April 30 1802 — Enabling Act of 1802, ch. 40, USStat|2|173

tates admitted

*November 29 1802 — Ohio admitted as a state. It was formerly a portion of the Northwest Territory

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.

enate

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 ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1802; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1804; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1806.

:Connecticut
*1: James Hillhouse "(F)"
*3: Uriah Tracy "(F)" :Delaware
*2: William H. Wells "(F)"
*1: Samuel White "(F)" :Georgia
*2: Abraham Baldwin "(DR)"
*3: James Jackson "(DR)" :Kentucky
*2: John Brown "(DR)"
*3: John Breckinridge "(DR)" :Maryland
*1: John Eager Howard "(F)"
*3: William Hindman "(F)"
*: Robert Wright "(DR)" :Massachusetts
*2: Dwight Foster "(F)"
*1: Jonathan Mason "(F)"

:New Hampshire
*2: Samuel Livermore "(F)"
*: Simeon Olcott "(F)"
*3: James Sheafe "(F)"
*: William Plumer "(F)" :New Jersey
*2: Jonathan Dayton "(F)"
*1: Aaron Ogden "(F)" :New York
*1: Gouverneur Morris "(F)"
*3: John Armstrong, Jr. "(DR)"
*: DeWitt Clinton "(DR)" :North Carolina
*2: Jesse Franklin "(DR)"
*3: David Stone "(DR)" :Ohio
*1: vacant The official date when Ohio became a state was not set until 1953, when the 83rd U.S. Congress passed legislation retrospectively designating the date of the first meeting of the Ohio state legislature, March 1, 1803, as that date. However, on April 30, 1802 the 7th U.S. Congress had passed an act "authorizing the inhabitants of Ohio to form a Constitution and state government, and admission of Ohio into the Union." (Sess. 1, ch. 40, USStat|2|173) On February 19, 1803 the same Congress passed an act "providing for the execution of the laws of the United States in the State of Ohio." (Sess. 2, ch. 7, USStat|2|201) The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress states that Ohio was admitted to the Union on November 29, 1802, and counts its seats as vacant from that date.]
*3: vacant :Pennsylvania
*1: James Ross "(F)"
*3: John Peter G. Muhlenberg "(DR)"
*: George Logan "(DR)" :Rhode Island
*1: Theodore Foster "(DR)"
*2: Ray Greene "(F)"
*: Christopher Ellery "(DR)" :South Carolina
*2: Charles Pinckney "(DR)"
*: Thomas Sumter "(DR)"
*3: John Ewing Colhoun "(DR)"
*: Pierce Butler "(DR)" :Tennessee
*1: Joseph Anderson "(DR)"
*2: William Cocke "(DR)" :Vermont
*3: Elijah Paine "(F)"
*: Stephen R. Bradley "(DR)"
*1: Nathaniel Chipman "(F)" :Virginia
*1: Stevens T. Mason "(DR)"
*2: Wilson C. Nicholas "(DR)"

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

=Connecticut=

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
*: Samuel W. Dana (F)
*: John Davenport (F)
*: Elizur Goodrich (F), elected but did not serve because appointed collector of customs for the Port of New Haven
*: Calvin Goddard (F), May 14, 1801 – End
*: Roger Griswold (F)
*: Elias Perkins (F)
*: John Cotton Smith (F)
*: Benjamin Tallmadge (F)

=Delaware=

*: James A. Bayard (F)

=Georgia=

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
*: John Milledge (DR), Until May 1802 (resigned to become Governor)
*: Peter Early (DR), January 10, 1803 – End
*: Benjamin Taliaferro (DR), Until May 1802 (resigned)
*: David Meriwether (DR), December 6, 1802 – End

=Kentucky=

*: Thomas T. Davis (DR)
*: John Fowler (DR)

=Maryland=

*: John Campbell (F)
*: Richard Sprigg, Jr. (DR), Until February 11, 1802 (resigned)
*: Walter Bowie (DR), March 24, 1802 – End
*: Thomas Plater (F)
*: Daniel Hiester (DR)
*: Samuel Smith (DR)
*: John Archer (DR)
*: Joseph H. Nicholson (DR)
*: John Dennis (F)'

=Massachusetts=

*: John Bacon (DR)
*: William Shepard (F)
*: Ebenezer Mattoon (F)
*: Levi Lincoln, Sr. (DR), Until 1801-03-05 (resigned to become United States Attorney General
*: Seth Hastings (F), August 24, 1801 – End
*: Lemuel Williams (F)
*: Josiah Smith (DR)
*: Phanuel Bishop (DR)
*: William Eustis (DR)
*: Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR)
*: Nathan Read (F)
*: Manasseh Cutler (F)
*: Silas Lee (F), Until August 20, 1801 (resigned)
*: Samuel Thatcher (F), December 6, 1802 – End
*: Peleg Wadsworth (F)
*: Richard Cutts (DR)

=New Hampshire=

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
*: Abiel Foster (F)
*: Joseph Peirce (F)
*: Samuel Hunt (F)
*: Samuel Tenney (F)
*: George B. Upham (F)

=New Jersey=

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
*: John Condit (DR)
*: Ebenezer Elmer (DR)
*: William Helms (DR)
*: James Mott (DR)
*: Henry Southard (DR)

=New York=

*: John Smith (DR)
*: Samuel L. Mitchill (DR)
*: Philip Van Cortlandt (DR)
*: Lucas C. Elmendorf (DR)
*: Thomas Tillotson (DR)
*: Theodorus Bailey (DR)
*: John Bird (F)
*: John P. Van Ness (DR), seat declared forfeited January 17, 1803 to end of term
*: David Thomas (DR)
*: Killian K. Van Rensselaer (F)
*: Benjamin Walker (F)
*: Thomas Morris (F)

=North Carolina=

*: James Holland (DR)
*: Archibald Henderson (F)
*: Robert Williams (DR)
*: Richard Stanford (DR)
*: Nathaniel Macon (DR)
*: William H. Hill (F)
*: William Barry Grove (F)
*: Charles Johnson (DR)
*: Thomas Wynns (DR)
*: Willis Alston (DR)
*: John Stanly (F)

=Ohio=

*:

=Pennsylvania=

*: William Jones (DR)
*: Michael Leib (DR)
*: Joseph Hemphill (F)
*Pennsylvania's 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.] : Robert Brown (DR)
*: Isaac Van Horne (DR)
*: Joseph Hiester (DR)
*: John A. Hanna (DR)
*: Thomas Boude (F)
*: John Stewart (DR)
*: Andrew Gregg (DR)
*: Henry Woods (F)
*: John Smilie (DR)
*: William Hoge (DR)

=Rhode Island=

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
*: Joseph Stanton, Jr. (DR)
*: Thomas Tillinghast (DR)

=South Carolina=

*: Thomas Lowndes (F)
*: John Rutledge, Jr. (F)
*: Benjamin Huger (F)
*: Thomas Sumter (DR)
*: Richard Winn (DR)
*: William Butler, Sr. (DR)
*: Thomas Moore (DR)

=Tennessee=

*: William Dickson (DR)

=Vermont=

*: Israel Smith (DR)
*: Lewis R. Morris (F)

=Virginia=

*: John Smith (DR)
*: David Holmes (DR)
*: George Jackson (DR)
*: Abram Trigg (DR)
*: John J. Trigg (DR)
*: Matthew Clay (DR)
*: John Randolph (DR)
*: Thomas Claiborne (DR)
*: William B. Giles (DR)
*: Edwin Gray (DR)
*: Thomas Newton, Jr. (DR)
*: John Stratton (F)
*: John Clopton (DR)
*: Samuel J. Cabell (DR)
*: John Dawson (DR)
*: Anthony New (DR)
*: Richard Brent (DR)
*: Philip R. Thompson (DR)
*: John Taliaferro (DR)

Delegates

*: Narsworthy Hunter, until March 11, 1802:Thomas M. Green Jr. (DR), December 6, 1802 – end
*: Paul Fearing (F)

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

enate

*replacements: 5
** Democratic-Republicans: 1 seat net gain
** Federalists: 1 seat net loss
*deaths: 1
*resignations: 8
*interim appointments: 1
*vacancies: 1
*Total seats with changes: 10

House of Representatives

*replacements: 8
** Democratic-Republicans: no net change
** Federalists: no net change
*deaths: 1
*resignations: 9
*forfeiture: 1
*vacancy: 1
*Total seats with changes: 11

Officers

*Architect of the Capitol: William Thornton

enate

*Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts
*Doorkeeper: James Mathers of New York
*Chaplain:
** Thomas J. Claggett, Episcopalian
** Edward Gantt, Episcopalian, December 9 1801 – End

House of Representatives

*Clerk: John Beckley of Virginia, December 7 1801 – End
*Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton, December 7 1801 – End
*Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton, December 7 1801 – End
*Chaplain: William Parkinson, Baptist, December 7 1801 – End

Notes

References

*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1989|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =
*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1982|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =

External links

* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwsllink.html Statutes at Large, 1789-1875]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwsjlink.html Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwhjlink.html#anchor2 House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress]
* [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-222/index.html Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress]
* [http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html U.S. House of Representatives: House History]
* [http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/stats_and_lists.htm U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists]