2nd United States Congress

The Second 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 1791 to March 3 1793, during the third and fourth years of George Washington's Presidency.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the provisions of of the United States Constitution. Both chambers had a Pro-Administration majority, except that during the lame duck session, the Senate had an Anti-Administration majority.

Dates of sessions

March 4 1791 - March 3 1793
*Special session of the Senate: March 4 1791
*First session: October 24 1791 - May 8 1792
*Second session: November 5 1792 - March 2 1793 — a lame duck sessionPrevious: 1st Congress • Next: 3rd Congress

Major events

*April 5 1792 - United States President George Washington used the veto for the first time, vetoing a bill designed to apportion representatives among U.S. states.
*October 13 1792 - Foundation of Washington, D.C.: The cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion, now known as the White House, was laid.

Major legislation

* February 20 1792 — Postal Service Act, Sess. 1, ch. 7, USStat|1|232, established the U.S. Post Office
* April 2 1792 — Coinage Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 16, USStat|1|246, established the U.S. Mint and regulated coinage
* May 2 1792 — First Militia Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 28, USStat|1|264, enabled the President to call in militia in case of invasion or rebellion, while providing for the organizations of state militias
* May 8 1792 — Second Militia Act of 1792, Sess. 1, ch. 33, USStat|1|271
* February 12 1793 — Fugitive Slave Law of 1793, Sess. 2, ch. 7, USStat|1|302
* March 2 1793 — Judiciary Act of 1793 (including Anti-Injunction Act), Sess. 2, ch. 22, USStat|1|333

tates admitted

* March 4 1791 — Vermont was admitted as the 14th state, USStat|1|191
* June 1 1792 — Kentucky was admitted as the 15th state, USStat|1|189

Constitutional amendments ratified

*December 15 1791 — The United States Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, were ratified by the states.

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. [cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.]

Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

enate

House of Representatives

There were 3 resignations, 1 vacancy of a member-elect, 1 contested election, and 4 new seats of admitted states, resulting in a 3 seat net gain of the Anti-Administration members and a 1 seat net gain of the Pro-Administration members.

Employees

enate

*Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts
*Doorkeeper: James Mathers of New York
*Chaplain: William White ("Episcopalian")

House of Representatives

*Clerk: John Beckley of Virginia
*Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island
*Doorkeeper: Gifford Dalley
*Chaplain:
** Samuel Blair ("Presbyterian", elected October 24 1791
** Ashbel Green, "Presbyterian", elected November 5 1792

References

*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1989|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =
*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1982|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =

External links

* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwsllink.html Statutes at Large, 1789-1875]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwsjlink.html Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwhjlink.html#anchor2 House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress]
* [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-222/index.html Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress]
* [http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html U.S. House of Representatives: House History]
* [http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/stats_and_lists.htm U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists]