The 1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between April 27, 1790, and October 11, 1791. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the

2nd United States Congress The 2nd United States Congress, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 4, 1791, to March 4, 1793, during the third and fourth years ...

convened on October 24, 1791. This was the first midterm election cycle, which took place in the middle of President George Washington's first term. The size of the House increased to 67 seats after the new state of Vermont elected its first representatives. While formal political parties still did not exist, coalitions of pro-Washington (pro-Administration) representatives and anti-Administration representatives each gained two seats as a result of the addition of new states to the union. Speaker Frederick Muhlenberg, who had led the Pro-Administrationists in 1789, switched loyalties to the Anti-Administrationists during the tenure of the 1st Congress. He failed to win election to the Speakership as their leader as a result of these elections, and was succeeded by

Jonathan Trumbull Jr. Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (March 26, 1740 – August 7, 1809) was an American politician who served as the 20th governor of Connecticut, the second speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Connectic ...

, who became the 2nd Speaker of the House.

Retirements

Either five or six incumbents did not seek re-election.

Anti-Administration

# Maryland 4: William Smith retired. # Virginia 6: Isaac Coles retired. Aedanus Burke, a U.S. representative from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district, either retired or lost re-election but it is not known

Pro-Administration

# Pennsylvania at-large: George Clymer retired. # Pennsylvania at-large: Henry Wynkoop retired. # Pennsylvania at-large: Thomas Scott retired.

Election summaries

In this period, each state fixed its own date for congressional general elections, as early as April 27, 1790 (in New York) and as late as October 11, 1791 (in Pennsylvania). Elections to a Congress took place both in the even-numbered year before and in the odd-numbered year when the Congress convened. In some states, the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year). The first session of this Congress was convened in Philadelphia on October 24, 1791. Kentucky and Vermont became states during the 2nd Congress, adding two seats each. The legislation admitted Vermont was passed at the end of the 1st Congress taking effect on March 4, 1791, the first day of the 2nd Congress, so that Vermont was represented from the start of the Congress, while Kentucky was unrepresented until the 2nd session. 2nd Congress United States House of Representatives

2nd Congress United States House of Representatives

Change in composition

End of the last Congress

Beginning of the next Congress

Special elections

There were special elections in 1790 and 1791 during the

1st United States Congress The 1st United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall in ...

and

. New states and newly ratified states are not included as special elections. Elections are sorted by date then district.

1st Congress

, - ! , Theodorick Bland , , Anti-Administration ,

1789 Events January–March * January – Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès publishes the pamphlet ''What Is the Third Estate?'' ('), influential on the French Revolution. * January 7 – The 1788-89 United States presidential election a ...

, , Incumbent died June 1, 1790.
New member elected July 1790.
Anti-Administration hold.
Winner was later elected to the next term, see below. , nowrap , , - ! ,

Pierpont Edwards Pierpont Edwards (April 8, 1750 – April 5, 1826) was a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation and was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Educa ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

1790 Events January–March * January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City. * January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took p ...

, , Predecessor declined election.
New member elected December 16, 1790.
Pro-Administration hold.
Winner had already been elected to the next term, see below. , nowrap ,

2nd Congress

, - ! , colspan=3 , Vacant , , Representative-elect James Townsend (Pro-Administration) died May 24, 1790.
New member elected April 26–28, 1791.
Anti-Administration gain. , nowrap , , - ! , Roger Sherman , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent-and-Representative-elect resigned March 31, 1791, to become U.S. Senator.
New member elected September 19, 1791.
Pro-Administration hold. , nowrap , , - ! ,

William Pinkney William Pinkney (March 17, 1764February 25, 1822) was an American statesman and diplomat, and was appointed the seventh U.S. Attorney General by President James Madison. Biography William Pinkney was born in 1764 in Annapolis in the Province ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent resigned.
New member elected October 26–29, 1791.
Anti-Administration gain.
Winner seated February 5, 1792. , nowrap ,

Connecticut

Connecticut elected all five of its representatives at-large on a

general ticket The general ticket, also known as party block voting (PBV) or ticket voting, is a type of block voting in which voters opt for a party, or a team's set list of candidates, and the highest-polling party/team becomes the winner. Unless specifically ...

on September 20, 1790. , - ! rowspan=5 ,
, Roger Sherman , , Pro-Administration ,

1788 Events January–March * January 1 – The first edition of ''The Times'', previously ''The Daily Universal Register'', is published in London. * January 2 – Georgia ratifies the United States Constitution, and becomes the fourth U.S ...

, Incumbent re-elected.
Winner declined to serve and a new member would later be elected in a special election. , nowrap rowspan=5 , , - , Benjamin Huntington , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold. , - , Jonathan Sturges , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , - ,

, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , - , Jeremiah Wadsworth , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold.
Winner declined to serve and the incumbent was re-elected in a special election. There were two subsequent special elections.

The first The First may refer to: * ''The First'' (album), the first Japanese studio album by South Korean boy group Shinee * ''The First'' (musical), a musical with a book by critic Joel Siegel * The First (TV channel), an American conservative opinion ne ...

was held to fill the vacancy left by

(Pro-Administration) declining to serve and was won by Jeremiah Wadsworth (Pro-Administration). The second was held September 19, 1791, to fill the vacancy left by Roger Sherman (Pro-Administration)'s election to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and was won by

Amasa Learned Amasa Learned (November 15, 1750 – May 4, 1825) was an American preacher, lawyer, and politician from New London, Connecticut. He served in the state's House of Representatives and represented Connecticut in the U.S. House from 1791 until 179 ...

(Pro-Administration).

Delaware

, - ! ,

John M. Vining John Middleton "Jack" Vining (December 23, 1758February 1802) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a Continental Congressman from Delaware, and a member of the Federalist Party, who served in the ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap ,

Georgia

Georgia switched to a conventional district system for the Second Congress. At the time, the districts were not numbered, but are retroactively renumbered as the , , and respectively here. , - !
, James Jackson , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration hold.
Election was subsequently challenged, the House determined that electoral fraud had occurred, and the seat was declared void. , nowrap , , - !
, Abraham Baldwin , , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - !
, George Mathews , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration hold. , nowrap ,

Kentucky

Kentucky was admitted during the 2nd Congress and elected its first representatives in 1792.

Maryland

Under Maryland law for the election for the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and 2nd Congresses "candidates were elected at-large but had to be residents of a specific district with the statewide vote determining winners from each district." , - ! ,

Michael J. Stone Michael Jenifer Stone (1747 – 1812) was an American planter and statesman from Charles County, Maryland. He represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives. Early life and education Stone was born to David and Elizabet ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain. , nowrap , , - ! , Joshua Seney , , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! ,

Benjamin Contee Benjamin Contee (1755 – November 30, 1815) was an American Episcopal priest and statesman from Maryland. He was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Confederation Congress, and member of the first United States ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain.
Winner later resigned due to questions of ineligibility due to his residence and was replaced in a special election by

John Francis Mercer John Francis Mercer (May 17, 1759 – August 30, 1821) was an American lawyer, planter, and politician from Virginia and Maryland, who served as Maryland's governor, as well as terms in the Continental Congress (representing Virginia), U.S. H ...

(Anti-Administration). , nowrap , , - ! , William Smith , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent retired.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration hold. , nowrap , , - ! ,

George Gale George Gale may refer to: Politicians *George Gale (MP) (1490–1556), member of parliament for City of York *George Gale (congressman) (1756–1815), American politician Law *George Alexander Gale (1906–1997), Canadian jurist * George Gale (Wi ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold. , nowrap , , - ! , Daniel Carroll , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration gain. , nowrap ,

Massachusetts

Massachusetts law required a majority for election. This condition was met in four of the eight districts, the remaining four required between 2 and 9 ballots for election. , - ! , Fisher Ames , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! ,

Benjamin Goodhue Benjamin Goodhue (September 20, 1748July 28, 1814) was a Representative and a Senator from Massachusetts. He supported the Patriot during the American Revolution, and was a strong member of the Federalist Party. He was described by contemp ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! ,

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 18 ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Theodore Sedgwick , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! ,

George Partridge George Partridge (February 8, 1740 – July 7, 1828) was an American teacher and politician. He represented Massachusetts as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a Representative in the U.S. House. Background Partridge was born in Du ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent resigned August 14, 1790.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold. , nowrap , :
:
, - ! , George Leonard
, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , : , - ! , Jonathan Grout
, , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain. , nowrap , :
:
, - ! , George Thatcher
, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , :
:
:
:

New Hampshire

, - ! rowspan=3 ,
, Abiel Foster , , Pro-Administration , 1789 , , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold. , rowspan=3 nowrap , , - ,

Samuel Livermore Samuel Livermore (May 14, 1732May 18, 1803) was a U.S. politician. He was a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1793 to 1801 and served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1796 and again in 1799. Life and career Livermore ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent re-elected as Pro-Administration. , - ,

Nicholas Gilman Nicholas Gilman Jr. (August 3, 1755May 2, 1814) was an American Founding Father, a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the U.S. Constitution, represen ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected.

New Jersey

, - ! rowspan=4 ,
, Elias Boudinot , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , rowspan=4 nowrap , , - , Lambert Cadwalader , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold. , - , James Schureman , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold. , - , Thomas Sinnickson , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration hold.

New York

New York's districts were not numbered at the time, therefore the numbering here is retroactive. , - ! , William Floyd , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain.
Winner died May 24, 1790, before the start of the 2nd Congress. A special election was then held, see above. , nowrap , , - ! , John Laurance , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Egbert Benson , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , John Hathorn , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration hold. , nowrap , , - ! , Peter Silvester , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Jeremiah Van Rensselaer , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain. , nowrap ,

North Carolina

North Carolina ratified the Constitution November 21, 1789, and elected its representatives after admission.

1st Congress

, - !
, colspan=3 , State ratified the U.S. Constitution November 21, 1789. , , First member elected March 24, 1790.
Anti-Administration win.
Winner was later elected to the next term, see below. , nowrap , , - !
, colspan=3 , State ratified the U.S. Constitution November 21, 1789. , , First member elected March 24, 1790.
Anti-Administration win.
Winner was later elected to the next term, see below. , nowrap , , - !
, colspan=3 , State ratified the U.S. Constitution November 21, 1789. , , First member elected March 24, 1790.
Anti-Administration win.
Winner later lost re-election to the next term, see below. , nowrap , , - !
, colspan=3 , State ratified the U.S. Constitution November 21, 1789. , , First member elected March 24, 1790.
Pro-Administration win.
Winner was later elected to the next term, see below. , nowrap , , - !
, colspan=3 , State ratified the U.S. Constitution November 21, 1789. , , First member elected March 24, 1790.
Pro-Administration win.
District covered areas beyond the Appalachian Mountains that were ceded to in May 1790 to form the Southwest Territory, but member retained seat for the remainder of term. , nowrap ,

2nd Congress

Due to the cession of North Carolina's trans-Appalachian territory to form the Southwest Territory, the territory of the old was lost. North Carolina retained the same number of Representatives, and so it redistricted for the Second Congress. , - !
,

John Steele John Steele may refer to: Politics * John Steele (Nova Scotia politician) (died c. 1762), surgeon and political figure in Nova Scotia * John Steele (North Carolina politician) (1764–1815), U.S. Representative from North Carolina * John Hardy S ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - !
, colspan=3 , None (District created) , , New seat
Anti-Administration gain. , nowrap , , - ! ,

John Baptista Ashe John Ashe may refer to: *John Ashe (minister) (1671–1735), English dissenting minister * John Ashe (of Freshford) (1597–1658), MP for Westbury *John Ashe (priest) (born 1953), Church of England priest and Archdeacon of Lynn *John Ashe (general) ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - !
, Hugh Williamson
, , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - !
, Timothy Bloodworth
, , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain. , nowrap ,

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania had elected its Representatives at-large in the 1st Congress, but switched to using districts in the 2nd Congress. Five incumbents ran for re-election, four of whom won, while three others retired leaving three open seats. Two districts had no incumbents residing in them, while one (the ) had a single representative who declined to run for re-election and one (the ) had three incumbents, only one of whom ran for re-election. , - ! , Thomas Fitzsimons
, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! rowspan=3 , , Frederick Muhlenberg
, , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent re-elected as Anti-Administration. , rowspan=3 valign=top , , - , George Clymer
, , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent retired.
Pro-Administration loss. , - , Henry Wynkoop
, , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent retired.
Pro-Administration loss. , - ! , Peter Muhlenberg
, , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain. , nowrap , , - ! ,

Daniel Hiester Daniel Hiester (June 25, 1747 – March 7, 1804) was an American political and military leader from the Revolutionary War period to the early 19th Century. Born in Berks County in the Province of Pennsylvania, he was a member of the Hiester ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , colspan=3 , None (District created) , , New seat.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain. , nowrap , , - ! , colspan=3 , None (District created) , , New seat.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration gain. , nowrap , , - ! ,

Thomas Hartley Thomas Hartley (September 7, 1748December 21, 1800) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from York, Pennsylvania. Early life and education Hartley was born in Colebrookdale Township in the Province of Pennsylvania. At 18 years of ...

, , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Thomas Scott
, , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent retired.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration gain. , nowrap ,

Rhode Island

1st Congress

Rhode Island ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790. It elected its representatives after admission. , - ! , colspan=3 , State ratified the U.S. Constitution May 29, 1790. , , First member elected August 31, 1790.
Pro-Administration win.
Winner was later elected to the next term, see below. , nowrap ,

2nd Congress

Rhode Island held elections for the 2nd Congress on October 18, 1790, about six weeks after elections for the 1st Congress due to the state's late ratification of the Constitution. , - ! ,

Benjamin Bourne Benjamin Bourne (September 9, 1755September 17, 1808) was a United States representative from Rhode Island, a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island and a Uni ...

, , Pro-Administration , August 1790 , Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap ,

South Carolina

, - !
, William L. Smith , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - !
, Aedanus Burke , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.
New member elected.
Pro-Administration gain. , nowrap , , - !
, Daniel Huger , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - !
, Thomas Sumter , , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - !
, Thomas Tudor Tucker , , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap ,

Vermont

Vermont was admitted at the end of the First Congress, with the admission taking effect at the start of the Second Congress. Vermont was entitled to elect two representatives. Vermont law at the time required a majority to win an office. In the , no candidate won a majority, necessitating a run-off. , - !
, colspan=3 , New state admitted. , , First member elected.
Anti-Administration win. , nowrap , :
:
, - !
, colspan=3 , New state admitted. , , First member elected.
Anti-Administration win. , nowrap ,

Virginia

, - ! , Alexander White , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! ,

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Andrew Moore , , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Richard Bland Lee , , Pro-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , James Madison , , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Isaac Coles , , Anti-Administration ,

, , Incumbent retired.
New member elected.
Anti-Administration hold. , nowrap , , - ! , John Page , , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! ,

Josiah Parker Josiah Parker (May 11, 1751March 11, 1810) was an American politician, Revolutionary War officer and Virginia planter who served in the United States House of Representatives from Virginia in the First through Sixth United States Congresses as ...

, , Anti-Administration ,

, Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , William B. Giles , , Anti-Administration , 1790 , Incumbent re-elected. , nowrap , , - ! , Samuel Griffin , , Pro-Administration ,

, , Incumbent re-elected as Anti-Administration. , nowrap ,

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Office of the Historian
(Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives) {{DEFAULTSORT:1790-91 United States House of Representatives elections

Retirements

Anti-Administration

Pro-Administration

Election summaries

Change in composition

End of the last Congress

Beginning of the next Congress

Special elections

1st Congress

2nd Congress

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

Kentucky

Maryland

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

1st Congress

2nd Congress

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

1st Congress

2nd Congress

South Carolina

Vermont

Virginia

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links