8th United States Congress
| 8th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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United States Capitol with "Brick Oven"
The Eighth 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, 1803 to March 4, 1805, during the last two years of the first administration of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Second Census of the United States in 1800. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.
Major events
- April 30, 1803: Louisiana Purchase was made by the United States from France
- February 16, 1804: In the First Barbary War, Stephen Decatur led a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate Philadelphia
- May 14, 1804: Lewis and Clark Expedition departed from Camp Dubois to begin their historic journey by traveling up the Missouri River
- July 11, 1804: Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton
- November 30, 1804: Impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase
- December 3, 1804: United States presidential election, 1804: Incumbent Thomas Jefferson (DR) beat challenger Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (F)
- March 1, 1805: Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate
Major legislation
Constitutional amendments
- December 9, 1803: Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress.
- June 15, 1804: Twelfth Amendment was ratified by the states.
Treaties
- October 20, 1803: Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty
States admitted and territories organized
- March 26, 1804: Territory of Orleans was organized. It was formerly a portion of the District of Louisiana.
- January 11, 1805: Michigan Territory was organized.
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
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 18 | 14 | 32 | 2 |
| Begin | 22 | 9 | 31 | 3 |
| End | 25 | 34 | 0 | |
| Final voting share | 73.5% | 26.5% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 27 | 7 | 34 | 0 |
House of Representatives
Following the 1800 census, the size of the House was increased to 142 seats from 108.
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 64 | 41 | 105 | 3 |
| Begin | 101 | 40 | 141 | 1 |
| End | 102 | 39 | ||
| Final voting share | 72.3% | 27.7% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 113 | 26 | 139 | 3 |
Leadership
President of the Senate Aaron Burr
Senate
- President: Aaron Burr (DR)
- President pro tempore: John Brown (DR), October 17, 1803 – February 26, 1804
- Jesse Franklin (DR), March 10, 1804 – November 4, 1804
- Joseph Anderson (DR), January 15, 1805 – December 1, 1805
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Nathaniel Macon (DR)
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 with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1808; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1804; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1806.
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
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North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
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House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio (1) |
Vacant | Failure to elect | John Smith (DR) | Seated April 1, 1803 |
| Ohio (3) |
Vacant | Failure to elect | Thomas Worthington (DR) | Seated April 1, 1803 |
| New Jersey (1) |
Vacant | Failure to elect | John Condit (DR) | Seated September 1, 1803 |
| Virginia (1) |
Stevens T. Mason (DR) | Died May 10, 1803 | John Taylor (DR) | Appointed June 4, 1803 |
| New York (3) |
DeWitt Clinton (DR) | Resigned November 4, 1803 to become Mayor of New York City | John Armstrong, Jr. (DR) | Appointed December 7, 1803 |
| Virginia (1) |
John Taylor (DR) | Successor elected December 7, 1803 | Abraham B. Venable (DR) | Elected December 7, 1803 |
| New York (1) |
Theodorus Bailey (DR) | Resigned January 16, 1804 to become Postmaster of New York City | John Armstrong, Jr. (DR) | Seated February 25, 1804 |
| New York (3) |
John Armstrong, Jr. (DR) | Successor elected February 23, 1804 | John Smith (DR) | Elected February 23, 1804 |
| Virginia (2) |
Wilson C. Nicholas (DR) | Resigned May 22, 1804 to become Collector of Port of Norfolk | Andrew Moore (DR) | Appointed August 11, 1804 |
| Virginia (1) |
Abraham B. Venable (DR) | Resigned June 7, 1804 | William B. Giles (DR) | Appointed August 11, 1804 |
| New York (1) |
John Armstrong, Jr. (DR) | Resigned June 30, 1804 after being appointed Minister to France | Samuel Latham Mitchill (DR) | Seated November 23, 1804 |
| Rhode Island (1) |
Samuel J. Potter (DR) | Died October 14, 1804 | Benjamin Howland (DR) | Seated October 29, 1804 |
| Delaware (2) |
William H. Wells (F) | Resigned November 6, 1804 | James A. Bayard (F) | Seated November 13, 1804 |
| South Carolina (3) |
Pierce Butler (DR) | Resigned November 21, 1804 | John Gaillard (DR) | Seated December 6, 1804 |
| Virginia (1) |
William B. Giles (DR) | Successor elected December 4, 1804 | Andrew Moore (DR) | Elected December 4, 1804 |
| Virginia (2) |
Andrew Moore (DR) | Successor elected December 4, 1804 | William B. Giles (DR) | Elected December 4, 1804 |
House of Representatives
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York 7th |
Vacant | John Cantine (DR) was elected, but resigned before the Congress began. | Josiah Hasbrouck (DR) | October 17, 1803 |
| New York 6th |
Isaac Bloom (DR) | Died April 26, 1803 | Daniel C. Verplanck (DR) | October 17, 1803 |
| New York 1st |
John Smith (DR) | Resigned February 23, 1804 after being elected to US Senate | Samuel Riker (DR) | November 5, 1804 |
| Virginia 5th |
Thomas Lewis, Jr. (F) | Lost contested election March 5, 1804 | Andrew Moore (DR) | March 5, 1804 |
| Maryland 4th |
Daniel Hiester (DR) | Died March 7, 1804 | Roger Nelson (DR) | November 6, 1804 |
| Virginia 13th |
John J. Trigg (DR) | Died May 17, 1804 | Christopher H. Clark (DR) | November 5, 1804 |
| Massachusetts 12th |
Thomson J. Skinner (DR) | Resigned August 10, 1804 | Simon Larned (DR) | November 5, 1804 |
| Virginia 5th |
Andrew Moore (DR) | Resigned August 11, 1804 after being appointed to US Senate | Alexander Wilson (DR) | December 4, 1804 |
| Pennsylvania 10th |
William Hoge (DR) | Resigned October 15, 1804 | John Hoge (DR) | November 2, 1804 |
| New York 3rd |
Samuel L. Mitchill (DR) | Resigned November 22, 1804 after being elected to US Senate | George Clinton, Jr. (DR) | February 14, 1805 |
| North Carolina 5th |
James Gillespie (DR) | Died January 11, 1805 | Vacant | Not filled for remainder of term |
| Georgia At-large |
Samuel Hammond (DR) | Resigned February 2, 1805 after becoming Civil and Military Governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory | Vacant | Not filled for remainder of term |
Officers
- Architect of the Capitol: Benjamin H. Latrobe, appointed March 6, 1803
Senate
- Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts, elected April 8, 1789
- Sergeant at Arms: James Mathers of New York, elected April 7, 1789
- Chaplain:
- Edward Gantt, Episcopalian
- Alexander T. McCormick, Episcopalian, elected November 7, 1804
House of Representatives
- Clerk: John Beckley of Virginia, elected October 17, 1803
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island, elected October 17, 1803
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton, elected October 17, 1803
- Chaplain:
- William Parkinson, Baptist
- The Rev. James Laurie, Presbyterian, elected November 5, 1804
References
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
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
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