12th United States Congress
| 12th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Twelfth 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, 1811, to March 4, 1813, during the third and fourth years of James Madison's presidency. 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
- November 6, 1811: Battle of Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison defeated Tecumseh's forces
- December 16, 1811: New Madrid earthquake
- April 4, 1812: President Madison enacted a 90-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom
- April 20, 1812: Vice President George Clinton died
- June 18, 1812: War of 1812: United States declared war on Great Britain
- August 16, 1812: War of 1812: Detroit surrendered to the British.
- October 13, 1812: War of 1812: the Battle of Queenston Heights
- November 5, 1812: Elections of 1812:
Major legislation
States admitted and territories organized
- April 30, 1812: Louisiana was admitted as a state into the Union. It was formerly known as the Territory of Orleans
- June 4, 1812: Missouri Territory was organized. It was formed from the remainder of the Territory of Orleans
George Clinton
William H. Crawford
Henry Clay
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
Senate
During this congress, two new Senate seats were added for the new state of Louisiana.
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 26 | 8 | 34 | 0 |
| Begin | 27 | 6 | 33 | 1 |
| End | 30 | 36 | 0 | |
| Final voting share | 83.3% | 16.7% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 27 | 6 | 33 | 3 |
House of Representatives
During this congress, one new House seat was added for the new state of Louisiana.
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 95 | 46 | 141 | 1 |
| Begin | 106 | 36 | 142 | 0 |
| End | 1 | |||
| Final voting share | 74.6% | 25.4% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 108 | 68 | 176 | 6 |
Leadership
Senate
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Henry Clay (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 in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1814; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1816; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1812
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
- replacements: 1
- Democratic-Republicans: no net change
- Federalists: no net change
- deaths: 0
- resignations: 4
- interim appointments: 1
- seats of newly admitted states: 2
- vacancies:1
- Total seats with changes: 6
| State (class) | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts (2) |
Vacant | Legislature elected late. Successor elected June 29, 1811, to finish the term ending March 4, 1817. |
Joseph B. Varnum (DR) | June 29, 1811 |
| Rhode Island (1) |
Christopher G. Champlin (F) | Resigned October 2, 1811 Successor elected October 28, 1811, to finish the term ending March 4, 1815. |
William Hunter (F) | October 28, 1811 |
| Tennessee (2) |
Jenkin Whiteside (DR) | Resigned October 8, 1811. Successor elected October 8, 1811, to finish the term ending March 4, 1817. |
George W. Campbell (DR) | October 8, 1811 |
| Louisiana (3) |
New seat | Louisiana was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812. Inaugural Senator elected September 3, 1812, for the term ending March 4, 1813. |
Allan B. Magruder (DR) | September 3, 1812 |
| Louisiana (2) |
New seat | Louisiana was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812. Inaugural Senator elected September 3, 1812, for the term ending March 4, 1817. |
Jean Noel Destréhan (DR) | September 3, 1812 |
| Jean N. Destréhan (DR) | Resigned October 1, 1812, without having qualified. Successor appointed October 8, 1812, to continue the term ending March 4, 1817. |
Thomas Posey (DR) | October 8, 1812 | |
| Thomas Posey (DR) | Appointee lost election to finish the term. Successor elected February 4, 1813, to finish the term ending March 4, 1817. |
James Brown (DR) | February 5, 1813 |
House of Representatives
- replacements: 3
- Democratic-Republicans: no net change
- Federalists: no net change
- deaths: 2
- resignations: 5
- contested election: 1
- seats of newly admitted states: 1
- vacancies: 1
- Total seats with changes: 10
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland 6th |
John Montgomery (DR) | Resigned April 29, 1811, to become Attorney General of Maryland | Stevenson Archer (DR) | Seated October 26, 1811 |
| Massachusetts 4th |
Joseph B. Varnum (DR) | Resigned June 29, 1811, to become U.S. Senator | William M. Richardson (DR) | Seated November 4, 1811 |
| Virginia 8th |
John Hungerford (DR) | Lost contested election November 29, 1811 | John Taliaferro (DR) | Seated November 29, 1811 |
| Massachusetts 17th |
Barzillai Gannett (DR) | Resigned sometime in 1812 before April 6 ([Data unknown/missing. You can help!]) | Francis Carr (DR) | Seated April 6, 1812 |
| North Carolina 3rd |
Thomas Blount (DR) | Died February 7, 1812 | William Kennedy (DR) | Seated January 30, 1813 |
| Orleans Territory | Julien de Lallande Poydras had resigned in the previous Congress, and the seat remained vacant until the territory became the state of Louisiana on April 30, 1812 | Thomas B. Robertson (DR) | Seated April 30, 1812 | |
| Louisiana At-large | ||||
| New York 6th |
Robert Le Roy Livingston (F) | Resigned May 6, 1812 | Thomas P. Grosvenor (F) | Seated January 29, 1813 |
| Georgia At-large |
Howell Cobb (DR) | Resigned sometime before October 1812 ([Data unknown/missing. You can help!]) | William Barnett (DR) | Seated October 5, 1812 |
| Missouri Territory | Territory delegate seat established | Edward Hempstead | Seated November 9, 1812 | |
| Illinois Territory | Territory delegate seat established | Shadrach Bond | Seated December 3, 1812 | |
| Pennsylvania 9th |
John Smilie (DR) | Died December 30, 1812 | Vacant | Not filled until next Congress |
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain: John Brackenridge (Presbyterian)
- Secretary: Samuel A. Otis
- Sergeant at Arms:
- James Mathers, died
- Mountjoy Bayly, elected November 6, 1811
House of Representatives
- Chaplain:
- Clerk: Patrick Magruder
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
- Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn
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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