3rd United States Congress

3rd United States Congress

2nd ← → 4th Congress Hall (2007) Duration: March 4, 1793 – March 4, 1795 Senate President: John Adams Senate Pres. pro tem: John Langdon Ralph Izard Henry Tazewell House Speaker: Frederick Muhlenberg Members: 30 (with 0-3 vacancies) Senators 105 (with 0-4 vacancies) Representatives 1 Non-voting members Senate Majority: Pro-Administration House Majority: Anti-Administration Sessions Special: March 4, 1793 – March 4, 1793 1st: December 2, 1793 – June 9, 1794 2nd: November 3, 1794 – March 3, 1795

The Third 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 at Congress Hall in Philadelphia Pennsylvania from March 4, 1793 to March 4, 1795, during the fifth and sixth years of George Washington's Presidency.

The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was governed by the Apportionment Act of 1792 and based on the 1790 Census. The Senate had a Pro-Administration majority, and the House had an Anti-Administration majority.

House of Representatives chamber at Congress Hall

Major events

Main articles: 1793 in the United States, 1794 in the United States, and 1795 in the United States

• April 22, 1793: George Washington signed the Neutrality Proclamation
• February 11, 1794: Wishing to avoid charges of being a Star Chamber The Senate holds its first public session, resolving "That the Senate doors be opened".
• March 14, 1794: Eli Whitney was granted a patent for the cotton gin
• March 27, 1794: The federal government authorized the construction of the original six frigates of the United States Navy
• August 7, 1794: Whiskey Rebellion began: Farmers in the Monongahela Valley of Pennsylvania rebelled against the federal tax on liquor and distilled drinks.
• August 20, 1794: Battle of Fallen Timbers — American troops under General Anthony Wayne forced a confederacy of Shawnee, Mingo, Delaware, Wyandot, Miami, Ottawa, Chippewa and Pottawatomie warriors into a disorganized retreat.

Senate chamber at Congress Hall

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation § 3rd United States Congress

• March 22, 1794: Slave Trade Act of 1794
• March 27, 1794: Naval Act of 1794, Sess. 1, ch. 12, 1 Stat. 350
• January 29, 1795: Naturalization Act of 1795, Sess. 2, ch. 20, 1 Stat. 414

Constitutional amendments

• March 4, 1794: The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress. 1 Stat. 402
• February 7, 1795: The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the states, clarifying judicial power over foreign nationals, and limiting the ability of citizens to sue states in federal courts and under federal law.

Treaties

• November 19, 1794: The United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain signed the Jay Treaty, which attempted to clear up some of the lingering problems left over from the American Revolutionary War

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

	Faction (Shading shows control)		Total	Vacant
	Anti- Administration (A)	Pro- Administration (P)
End of the previous congress	13	16	29	1
Begin	13	16	29	1
End		17	30	0
Final voting share	43.3%	56.7%
Beginning of the next congress	10 (Democratic-Republican)	20 (Federalist)	30	2

House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives as shared by each state

	Faction (Shading shows control)		Total	Vacant
	Anti- Administration (A)	Pro- Administration (P)
End of the previous congress	32	40	72	1
Begin	55	50	105	0
End	54	49	103	2
Final voting share	52.4%	47.6%
Non-voting members	1	0	1	0
Beginning of the next congress	58 (Democratic-Republican)	47 (Federalist)	105	0

Senate President John Adams

Leadership

Senate

Senate Presidents pro tempore

John Langdon
(until December 2, 1793)

Ralph Izard
(May 31, 1794 – November 9, 1794)

Henry Tazewell
(from February 20, 1795)

• President: John Adams (P)
• President pro tempore: John Langdon (P), until December 2, 1793
  • Ralph Izard (P), May 31, 1794 – November 9, 1794
  • Henry Tazewell (P), from February 20, 1795

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Frederick Muhlenberg (A)

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, 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 the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1796; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1798; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1794.

Connecticut

• 1. Oliver Ellsworth (P)
• 3. Roger Sherman (P), until July 23, 1793
  • Stephen Mitchell (P), from December 2, 1793

Delaware

• 1. George Read (P), until September 18, 1793
  • Henry Latimer (P), from February 7, 1795
• 2. John Vining (P)

Georgia

• 3. James Gunn (A)
• 2. James Jackson (A)

Kentucky

• 3. John Edwards (A)
• 2. John Brown (A)

Maryland

• 3. John Henry (P)
• 1. Richard Potts (P)

Massachusetts

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

New Hampshire

• 3. John Langdon (A)
• 2. Samuel Livermore (P)

New Jersey

• 1. John Rutherfurd (P)
• 2. Frederick Frelinghuysen (P)

New York

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

North Carolina

• 3. Benjamin Hawkins (A)
• 2. Alexander Martin (A)

Pennsylvania

• 3. Robert Morris (P)
• 1. Vacant until December 2, 1793
  • Albert Gallatin (A), December 2, 1793 – February 28, 1794
  • James Ross (P), from April 24, 1794

Rhode Island

• 1. Theodore Foster (P)
• 2. William Bradford (P)

South Carolina

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

Vermont

• 1. Moses Robinson (A)
• 3. Stephen R. Bradley (A)

Virginia

• 1. James Monroe (A), until March 29, 1794
  • Stevens Mason (A), from November 18, 1794
• 2. John Taylor (A), until May 11, 1794
  • Henry Tazewell (A), from November 18, 1794

House of Representatives

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

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 1792

Connecticut

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. Joshua Coit (P)
• At-large. James Hillhouse (P)
• At-large. Amasa Learned (P)
• At-large. Zephaniah Swift (P)
• At-large. Uriah Tracy (P)
• At-large. Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (P)
• At-large. Jeremiah Wadsworth (P)

Delaware

• At-large. John Patten (A), until February 14, 1794
  • Henry Latimer (P), February 14, 1794 – February 7, 1795
  • Vacant thereafter

Georgia

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket,

• At-large. Abraham Baldwin (A)
• At-large. Thomas P. Carnes (A)

Kentucky

• 1. Christopher Greenup (A)
• 2. Alexander D. Orr (A)

Maryland

• 1. George Dent (P)
• 2. John Mercer (A), until April 13, 1794
  • Gabriel Duvall (A), from November 11, 1794
• 3. Uriah Forrest (P), until November 8, 1794
  • Benjamin Edwards (P), from January 2, 1795
• 4. Thomas Sprigg (A)
• 5. Samuel Smith (A)
• 6. Gabriel Christie (A)
• 7. William Hindman (P)
• 8. William Vans Murray (P)

Massachusetts

There was a single at-large seat along with four plural districts, each of which had multiple representatives elected at-large on a general ticket.

• 1a. Fisher Ames (P)
• 1b. Samuel Dexter (P)
• 1c. Benjamin Goodhue (P)
• 1d. Samuel Holten (A)
• 2a. Dwight Foster (P)
• 2b. William Lyman (A)
• 2c. Theodore Sedgwick (P)
• 2d. Artemas Ward (P)
• 3a. Shearjashub Bourne (P)
• 3b. Peleg Coffin, Jr. (P)
• 4a. Henry Dearborn (A)
• 4b. George Thatcher (P)
• 4c. Peleg Wadsworth (P)
• At-large. David Cobb (P)

New Hampshire

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. Nicholas Gilman (P)
• At-large. John Sherburne (A)
• At-large. Jeremiah Smith (P)
• At-large. Paine Wingate (P)

New Jersey

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. John Beatty (P)
• At-large. Elias Boudinot (P)
• At-large. Lambert Cadwalader (P)
• At-large. Abraham Clark (P), until September 15, 1794
  • Aaron Kitchell (P), from January 29, 1795
• At-large. Jonathan Dayton (P)

New York

• 1. Thomas Tredwell (A)
• 2. John Watts (P)
• 3. Philip Van Cortlandt (A)
• 4. Peter Van Gaasbeck (P)
• 5. Theodorus Bailey (A)
• 6. Ezekiel Gilbert (P)
• 7. John E. Van Alen (P)
• 8. Henry Glen (P)
• 9. James Gordon (P)
• 10. Silas Talbot (P), until June 5, 1794
  • Vacant thereafter

North Carolina

• 1. Joseph McDowell (A)
• 2. Matthew Locke (A)
• 3. Joseph Winston (A)
• 4. Alexander Mebane (A)
• 5. Nathaniel Macon (A)
• 6. James Gillespie (A)
• 7. William Barry Grove (P)
• 8. William Johnston Dawson (A)
• 9. Thomas Blount (A)
• 10. Benjamin Williams (A)

Pennsylvania

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. James Armstrong (P)
• At-large. William Findley (A)
• At-large. Thomas Fitzsimons (P)
• At-large. Andrew Gregg (A)
• At-large. Thomas Hartley (P)
• At-large. Daniel Hiester (A)
• At-large. William Irvine (A)
• At-large. John Wilkes Kittera (P)
• At-large. William Montgomery (A)
• At-large. Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg (A)
• At-large. John Peter G. Muhlenberg (A)
• At-large. Thomas Scott (P)
• At-large. John Smilie (A)

Rhode Island

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. Benjamin Bourne (P)
• At-large. Francis Malbone (P)

South Carolina

• 1. William L. Smith (P)
• 2. John Hunter (A)
• 3. Lemuel Benton (A)
• 4. Richard Winn (A)
• 5. Alexander Gillon (A), until October 6, 1794
  • Robert Goodloe Harper (P), from February 9, 1795
• 6. Andrew Pickens (A)

Vermont

• 1. Israel Smith (A)
• 2. Nathaniel Niles (A)

Virginia

• 1. Robert Rutherford (A)
• 2. Andrew Moore (A)
• 3. Joseph Neville (A)
• 4. Francis Preston (A)
• 5. George Hancock (P)
• 6. Isaac Coles (A)
• 7. Abraham B. Venable (A)
• 8. Thomas Claiborne (A)
• 9. William B. Giles (A)
• 10. Carter B. Harrison (A)
• 11. Josiah Parker (P)
• 12. John Page (A)
• 13. Samuel Griffin (P)
• 14. Francis Walker (A)
• 15. James Madison (A)
• 16. Anthony New (A)
• 17. Richard Bland Lee (P)
• 18. John Nicholas (A)
• 19. John Heath (A)

Non-voting members

• Territory South of the River Ohio ("Southwest Territory," later "Tennessee"). James White, seated September 3, 1794

Speaker of the House of Representatives Frederick Muhlenberg

Changes in membership

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

Senate

There were 1 death, 3 resignations, 1 late election, and 1 contested election.

See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation
Pennsylvania (1)	Vacant	Pennsylvania failed to elect a new Senator on time.	Albert Gallatin (A)	Elected December 2, 1793
Connecticut (3)	Roger Sherman (P)	Died July 23, 1793	Stephen M. Mitchell (P)	Elected December 2, 1793
Delaware (1)	George Read (P)	Resigned on September 18, 1793. Kensey Johns was appointed on March 19, 1794, but not permitted to qualify.	Henry Latimer (P)	Appointed February 7, 1795
Pennsylvania (1)	Albert Gallatin (A)	Credentials were contested and the seat was declared vacant February 28, 1794	James Ross (P)	Elected April 24, 1794
Virginia (1)	James Monroe (A)	Resigned May 11, 1794, to become United States Minister to France	Stevens T. Mason (A)	Elected November 18, 1794
Virginia (2)	John Taylor (A)	Resigned May 11, 1794	Henry Tazewell (A)	Elected November 18, 1794

House of Representatives

There were 2 deaths, 3 resignations, and 1 contested election.

Main article: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date successor seated
Delaware at-large	John Patten (A)	Contested election; served until February 14, 1794	Henry Latimer (P)	Seated February 14, 1794
Territory South of the River Ohio	Vacant	Delegate seat established	James White Non-voting delegate	Elected September 3, 1794
Maryland 2nd	John Francis Mercer (A)	Resigned April 13, 1794	Gabriel Duvall (A)	Seated November 11, 1794
New York 10th	Silas Talbot (P)	accepted appointment to the U.S. Navy June 5, 1794	vacant	no special election called
New Jersey at-large	Abraham Clark (P)	Died September 15, 1794	Aaron Kitchell (A)	Seated January 29, 1795
South Carolina 3rd	Alexander Gillon (A)	Died October 6, 1794	Robert Goodloe Harper (P)	Seated February 9, 1795
Maryland 3rd	Uriah Forrest (P)	Resigned November 8, 1794	Benjamin Edwards (P)	Seated January 2, 1795
Delaware at-large	Henry Latimer (P)	Resigned February 7, 1795, having been elected U.S. Senator	Vacant	Not filled in this Congress

Employees

• Architect of the Capitol: William Thornton

Senate

• Chaplain: William White, Episcopalian
• Doorkeeper: James Mathers of New York
• Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts

House of Representatives

• Chaplain: Ashbel Green, Presbyterian
• Clerk: John Beckley of Virginia,
• Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
• Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island

External links

• Statutes at Large, 1789-1875
• Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
• U.S. House of Representatives: House History
• U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists