5th United States Congress

The 5th Congress of the United States , consisting of the House and Senate , was the legislature of the United States . Its legislative period lasted from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1799. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the senators ( Class I ) were elected in 1798 in the congressional elections. This resulted in a majority for the Federalist Party in both chambers . The Democratic-Republican Party only had the role in the opposition. The Congress met in the Congress Hall in Philadelphia . The United States then consisted of 16 states. President was John Adams .

The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1790 census .

Important events

See also 1797 1798 and 1799

• March 4, 1797: beginning of the legislative period of the 5th Congress. At the same time, John Adams is inducted into office as second US President. He takes over from George Washington .
• 1797–1800: The entire legislative period is overshadowed by the XYZ affair and tensions with France, see also quasi-war .
• June 7, 1797: Treaty between the USA and what would later become Libya. ( Treaty of Tripoli ).
• June 7, 1797: Many existing treaties with France are canceled.
• July 8, 1797: US Senator William Blount of Tennessee is expelled from the Senate for high treason.
• April 7, 1798: Mississippi Territory is founded .
• July 11, 1798: United States Marine Corps is founded .
• 1798: The federalists win a majority in both chambers for the last time in the congressional elections.

The main laws

During the session of the 5th Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):

• April 30, 1798: The Congress decides to establish the Ministry of the Navy. See also United States Department of the Navy .
• June 18 - July 14, 1798: Congress passes a total of four so-called Alien and Sedition Acts .
• July 9, 1798: Act Further to Protect the Commerce of the United States
• July 11, 1798: United States Marine Corps founded, see above
• July 16, 1798: Marine Hospital Service Act

Composition according to parties

senate

• Democratic Republican Party: 9
• Federalist Party: 22
• Others (0
• Vacant: 1

Total: 32 at the end of the legislative period

House of Representatives

• Democratic Republican Party: 50
• Federalist Party: 57
• Others (0
• Vacant: 0

Total: 107 at the end of the legislative period

Public officials

senate

• President of the Senate : Thomas Jefferson (DR)
• President pro tempore :
  • William Bradford (F), until November 22, 1797
  • Jacob Read (F), until June 27, 1798
  • Theodore Sedgwick (F), until December 6, 1798
  • John Laurance (F), until March 1, 1799
  • James Ross (F), until March 4, 1799

House of Representatives

• House Speaker : Jonathan Dayton (Politician) (F)

Senate members

→ Main article : List of Senate members in the 5th United States Congress

The senators were elected by the state legislatures for six-year terms. The Senate seats are divided into three roughly equal classes , one of which is available for election every two years. The number in front of the name indicates the class assignment of the respective senator.

Connecticut 1. James Hillhouse (F) 3. Uriah Tracy (F) Delaware 2. John Vining (F) until January 19, 1798 2 Joshua Clayton (F) from January 19, 1798 to August 11, 1798 2 William H. Wells (F) from January 17, 1799 1. Henry Latimer (F) Georgia 3. James Gunn (F) 2. Josiah Tattnall (DR) Kentucky 2. John Brown (DR) 3. Humphrey Marshall (F) Maryland 3. John Henry (F) until December 10, 1797 3 James Lloyd (F) from December 11, 1797 1. John Eager Howard (F), Massachusetts 2. Theodore Sedgwick (F) 1. Benjamin Goodhue (F), New Hampshire 3. John Langdon (DR) 2. Samuel Livermore (F)

New Jersey 1. John Rutherfurd (F) until November 26, 1798 1 Franklin Davenport (F) since December 5, 1798 2. Richard Stockton (F) new York 3. John Laurance (F) 1. Philip Schuyler (F) until January 3, 1798 1 John Sloss Hobart (F) January 11 to April 16, 1798 1 William North (F) May 5 to August 17, 1798 1 James Watson (F) North Carolina 2. Alexander Martin (DR) 3. Timothy Bloodworth (DR) Pennsylvania 1. James Ross (F) 3. William Bingham (F) Rhode Island 1. Theodore Foster (F) 2. William Bradford (F) by October 1797 2 Ray Greene (F) since November 13, 1797 South carolina 2. John Hunter (DR), until November 26, 1798 2 Charles Pinckney (DR) from December 6, 1798 3. Jacob Read (F) Tennessee 2. William Blount (DR), until July 8, 1797 2 Joseph Anderson (DR) since September 26, 1797 1. William Cocke (DR), from August 2, 1796 to September 26, 1797 1. Andrew Jackson (DR) Sept. 26, 1797 to April 1798 1. Daniel Smith (DR) as of October 6, 1798 Vermont 1. Isaac Tichenor (F), until October 17, 1797 1. Nathaniel Chipman (F) 3. Elijah Paine (F) Virginia 2. Henry Tazewell (DR) 1. Stevens Mason (DR)

Members of the House of Representatives

The seats in the House of Representatives were distributed among the states and elected there every two years by the electorate. Each state decided for itself whether the seats were to be distributed over several constituencies or occupied jointly.

Connecticut All MPs were state-elected. John Allen (F) Joshua Coit (F) until September 5, 1798 Jonathan Brace (F) since December 3, 1798 Samuel W. Dana (F) James Davenport (F) until August 3, 1797 William Edmond (F) from November 13, 1797 Chauncey Goodrich (F) Roger Griswold (F) Nathaniel Smith (F) Delaware James A. Bayard (F) (elected state-wide) Georgia All MPs were elected state-wide. Abraham Baldwin (DR) John Milledge (DR) Kentucky Two constituencies 1. Thomas Terry Davis (DR) 2. John Fowler (DR) Maryland Eight constituencies 1. George Dent (F) 2. Richard Sprigg (DR) 3. William Craik (F) 4. George Baer (F) 5. Samuel Smith (DR) 6. William Matthews (F) 7. William Hindman (F) 8. John Dennis (F) Massachusetts Fourteen constituencies 1. Thomson J. Skinner (DR) 2. William Shepard (F) 3. Samuel Lyman (F) 4. Dwight Foster (F) 5. Nathaniel Freeman, Jr. (F) 6. John Reed, Sr. (F) 7. Stephen Bullock (F) 8. Harrison Gray Otis (F) 9. Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR) 10. Samuel Sewall (F) 11. Theophilus Bradbury (F) until July 24, 1797 Bailey Bartlett (F) from November 27, 1797 12. Isaac Parker (F) 13. Peleg Wadsworth (F) 14. George Thatcher (F) New Hampshire All MPs were state-elected. Abiel Foster (F) Jonathan Freeman (F) William Gordon (F) Jeremiah Smith (F) until July 26, 1797 Peleg Sprague (F) from December 15, 1797 New Jersey All MPs were elected state-wide. Jonathan Dayton (F) James Henderson Imlay (F) James Schureman (F) Thomas Sinnickson (F) Mark Thomson (F) New York Ten Congressional Constituencies 1. Jonathan Havens (DR) 2. Edward Livingston (DR) 3. Philip Van Cortlandt (DR) 4. Lucas Elmendorf (DR) 5. David Brooks (F) 6. Hezekiah L. Hosmer (F) 7. John Evert Van Alen (F) 8. Henry Glen (F) 9. John Williams (F) 10. James Cochran (F)

North Carolina Ten Congressional Constituencies 1. Joseph McDowell (DR) 2. Matthew Locke (DR) 3. Robert Williams (DR) 4. Richard Stanford (DR) 5. Nathaniel Macon (DR) 6. James Gillespie (DR) 7. William Barry Grove (F) 8. Dempsey Burges (DR) 9. Thomas Blount (DR) 10. Nathan Bryan (DR) until June 4, 1798 Richard Spaight (DR) from December 10, 1798 Pennsylvania Twelve Congressional Constituencies. The fourth constituency had two congressmen. 1. John Swanwick (DR) until August 1, 1798 Robert Waln (F) from December 3, 1798 2. Blair McClenachan (DR) 3. Richard Thomas (F) 4. John Chapman (F) 4. Samuel Sitgreaves (F) until 1798 Robert Brown (DR) 5. Daniel Hiester (DR), until July 1, 1796 5. George Ege (F), until October 1797 Joseph Hiester (DR) from December 1, 1797 6. John A. Hanna (DR) 7. John Kittera (F) 8. Thomas Hartley (F) 9. Andrew Gregg (DR) 10. David Bard (DR) 11. William Findley (DR) 12. Albert Gallatin (DR) Rhode Island All MPs were state-elected. Christopher G. Champlin (F) Elisha Potter (F) until 1797 Thomas Tillinghast (F) South Carolina Six congressional whale districts 1. William L. Smith (F) until July 10, 1797 Thomas Pinckney (F) 2. John Rutledge (F) 3. Lemuel Benton (DR) 4. Thomas Sumter (DR) 5. Robert Goodloe Harper (F) 6. William Smith (DR) Tennessee Elected to the State Andrew Jackson (DR), until September 1797 William CC Claiborne (DR) Vermont Two constituencies 1. Matthew Lyon (DR) 2. Lewis R. Morris (F) from May 24, 1797 Virginia Nineteen Constituencies 1. Daniel Morgan (F) 2. David Holmes (DR) 3. James Machir (F) 4. Abram Trigg (DR) 5. John John's Trigg (DR) 6. Matthew Clay (DR) 7. Abraham B. Venable (DR) 8. Thomas Claiborne (DR) 9. William Giles (DR) until October 2, 1798 Joseph Eggleston (DR) 10. Carter Harrison (DR) 11. Josiah Parker (F) 12. Thomas Evans (F) 13. John Clopton (DR) 14. Samuel Jordan Cabell (DR) 15. John Dawson (DR) 16. Anthony New (DR) 17. Richard Brent (DR) 18. John Nicholas (DR) 19. Walter Jones (DR)

Web links

Commons : 5th United States Congress  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

• bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 5 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 5th Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)