First United States Congress
Dates of Sessions
\n1789-1791\n*The first session of this Congress took place in New York City from March 4, 1789 to September 29, 1789.\n*The second session took place in New York City from January 4, 1790 to August 12, 1790.\n*The third session took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from December 6, 1790 to March 3, 1791.
Major Political Events
- Senate and House of Representatives of eleven States first convene in New York, New York, March 4, 1789\n** Connecticut\n** Delaware\n** Georgia\n** Maryland\n** Massachusetts\n** New Hampshire\n** New Jersey\n** New York\n** Pennsylvania\n** South Carolina\n** Virginia\n* House first meets with quorum of members to elect first Speaker, April 1, 1789\n** Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, first House Speaker\n* Senate first meets with quorum of members to elect first President pro tempore and tally results of Presidential election\n** John Langdon, first Senate President pro Tempore\n* Inauguration of George Washington, first President of the United States, April 30, 1789\n* Foreign Affairs (State) Department Established, July 27, 1789\n* War (Defense) Department Established, August 7, 1789\n* Adopts provisions of the Northwest Ordinance under the U.S. Constitution, August 7, 1789\n* Treasury Department Established, September 2, 1789\n* Judiciary Act established Office of Attorney General, the composition of Supreme Court, and the entire Judiciary system, September 24, 1789\n* North Carolina ratifies Constitution, November 21, 1789\n* Makes provisions for the first U.S. Census, March 1, 1790\n* Accepts the cession of claims on western territory (which was to become the state of Tennessee) by North Carolina on April 2, 1790\n* Passes first legislation regulating Patents, April 10, 1790\n* Organizes the Southwest Territory out of territory ceded by North Carolina, May 26, 1790\n* Passes first copyright legislation, May 31, 1790\n* Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ratifies Constitution, May 29, 1790\n* Kentucky admitted to Union, February 4, 1791, effective June 1, 1792\n* Vermont admitted to Union, February 18, 1791, effective March 4, 1791
Members of the First United States Congress
\n* Fisher Ames (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA\n* John Baptista Ashe (Representative), -, NC\n* Abraham Baldwin (Representative), -, GA\n* Richard Bassett (Senator), Anti-Administration, DE\n* Egbert Benson (Representative), Pro-Administration, NY\n* Theodorick Bland (Representative), -, VA\n* Timothy Bloodworth (Representative), -, NC\n* Elias Boudinot (Representative), -, NJ\n* Benjamin Bourne (Representative), Pro-Administration, RI\n* John Brown (Representative), Anti-Administration, Kentucky District of VA\n* Aedanus Burke (Representative), -, SC\n* Pierce Butler (Senator), Pro-Administration, SC\n* Lambert Cadwalader (Representative), Pro-Administration, NJ\n* Charles Carroll of Carrollton (Senator), Pro-Administration, MD\n* Daniel Carroll (Representative), -, MD\n* George Clymer (Representative), -, PA\n* Isaac Coles (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA\n* Benjamin Contee (Representative), -, MD\n* Tristram Dalton (Senator), Pro-Administration, MA\n* Philemon Dickinson (Senator), Pro-Administration, NJ\n* Oliver Ellsworth (Senator), Pro-Administration, CT\n* Jonathan Elmer (Senator), Pro-Administration, NJ\n* William Few (Senator), Anti-Administration, GA\n* Thomas Fitzsimons (Representative), -, PA\n* William Floyd (Representative), -, NY\n* Abiel Foster (Representative), Pro-Administration, NH\n* Theodore Foster (Senator), Pro-Administration, RI\n* George Gale (Representative), -, MD\n* Elbridge Gerry (Representative), -, MA\n* William Branch Giles (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA\n* Nicholas Gilman (Representative), Anti-Administration, NH\n* Benjamin Goodhue (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA\n* William Grayson (Senator), Anti-Administration, VA\n* Samuel Griffin (Representative), -, VA\n* Jonathan Grout (Representative), -, MA\n* James Gunn (Senator), Anti-Administration, GA\n* Thomas Hartley (Representative), Pro-Administration, PA\n* John Hathorn (Representative), Anti-Administration, NY\n* Benjamin Hawkins (Senator), Pro-Administration, NC\n* John Henry (Senator), Pro-Administration, MD\n* Daniel Hiester (Representative), Anti-Administration, PA\n* Daniel Huger (Representative), -, SC\n* Benjamin Huntington (Representative), -, CT\n* Ralph Izard (Senator), Pro-Administration, SC\n* James Jackson (Representative), Anti-Administration, GA\n* William Samuel Johnson (Senator), Pro-Administration, CT\n* Samuel Johnston (Senator), Pro-Administration, NC\n* Rufus King (Senator), Pro-Administration, NY\n* John Langdon (Senator), Pro-Administration, NH\n* John Laurance (Representative), -, NY\n* Richard Bland Lee (Representative), -, VA\n* Richard Henry Lee (Senator), Anti-Administration, VA\n* George Leonard (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA\n* Samuel Livermore (Representative), Pro-Administration, NH\n* William Maclay (Senator), Anti-Administration, PA\n* James Madison (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA\n* George Mathews (Representative), -, GA\n* James Monroe (Senator), Anti-Administration, VA\n* Andrew Moore (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA\n* Robert Morris (Senator), Pro-Administration, PA\n* Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg (Representative, Speaker of the House), Pro-administration, PA\n* John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (Representative), -, PA\n* John Page (Representative), Anti-Administration, VA\n* Josiah Parker (Representative), Pro-Administration, VA\n* George Partridge (Representative), -, MA\n* William Paterson (Senator), Pro-Administration, NJ\n* George Read (Senator), Pro-Administration, DE\n* James Schureman (Representative), Pro-Administration, NJ\n* Philip John Schuyler (Senator), Pro-Administration, NY\n* Thomas Scott (Representative), -, PA\n* Theodore Sedgwick (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA\n* Joshua Seney (Representative), -, MD\n* John Sevier (Representative), Anti-Administration, NC\n* Roger Sherman (Representative), -, CT\n* Peter Silvester (Representative), -, NY\n* Thomas Sinnickson (Representative), Pro-Administration, NJ\n* William Smith (Representative), -, MD\n* William Loughton Smith (Representative), Pro-Administration, SC\n* Joseph Stanton, Jr (Senator), Anti-Administration, RI\n* John Steele (Representative), -, NC\n* Michael Jenifer Stone (Representative), -, MD\n* Caleb Strong (Senator), Pro-Administration, MA\n* Jonathan Sturges (Representative), -, CT\n* Thomas Sumter (Representative), Anti-Administration, SC\n* George Thatcher (Representative), Pro-Administration, MA\n* Jonathan Trumbull, Jr (Representative), -, CT\n* Thomas Tudor Tucker (Representative), -, SC\n* Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (Representative), -, NY\n* John Vining (Representative), -, DE\n* Jeremiah Wadsworth (Representative), -, CT\n* John Walker (Senator), Pro-Administration, VA\n* Alexander White (Representative), -, VA\n* Hugh Williamson (Representative), Pro-Administration, NC\n* Paine Wingate (Senator), Anti-Administration, NH\n* Henry Wynkoop (Representative), -, PA
External Links
\n*First Federal Congress Project at GWU
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