15th United States Congress
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The Fifteenth 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 the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1817, to March 4, 1819, during the first two years of James Monroe's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Third Census of the United States in 1810. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1817: James Monroe became President of the United States
- July 4, 1817: Construction on the Erie Canal began
- November 20, 1817: The first Seminole War began in Florida
- January 2, 1819: The Panic of 1819, the first major financial crisis in the United States, began.
- February 2, 1819: Dartmouth College v. Woodward: Supreme Court allowed Dartmouth to keep its charter and remain a private institution.
Major legislation
Treaties
- April 29, 1817: Rush–Bagot Treaty signed between the U.S. and the United Kingdom
- October 20, 1818: Treaty of 1818 between the U.S. and the United Kingdom established the northern boundary as the 49th parallel from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, also creating the Northwest Angle.
- February 22, 1819: Adams-Onís Treaty: Spain ceded Florida to the United States
States admitted and territories created
- August 15, 1817: Alabama Territory created by splitting the Mississippi Territory
- December 10, 1817: Mississippi admitted as the 20th state
- December 3, 1818: Illinois admitted as the 21st state
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 Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Mississippi and Illinois.
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 25 | 13 | 38 | 0 |
| Begin | 25 | 13 | 38 | 0 |
| End | 28 | 12 | 40 | 2 |
| Final voting share | 70.0% | 30.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 30 | 10 | 40 | 2 |
House of Representatives
During this congress, one House seat was added for each of the new states of Mississippi and Illinois.
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 136 | 46 | 182 | 1 |
| Begin | 142 | 38 | 180 | 3 |
| End | 146 | 39 | 185 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 78.9% | 21.1% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 158 | 25 | 183 | 2 |
Leadership
President of the Senate
Daniel D. Tompkins
Daniel D. Tompkins
Senate
- President: Daniel D. Tompkins (DR)
- President pro tempore:
- John Gaillard (DR), elected March 4, 1817
- James Barbour (DR), elected February 15, 1819
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Henry Clay (DR)
Speaker of the House
Henry Clay
Henry Clay
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 1820; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1822; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1818.
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
New Hampshire
|
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire (3) |
Jeremiah Mason (F) | Resigned June 16, 1817 | Clement Storer (DR) | Seated June 27, 1817 |
| Vermont (3) |
Dudley Chase (DR) | Resigned November 3, 1817, to become Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court | James Fisk (DR) | Seated November 4, 1817 |
| Louisiana (2) |
William C. C. Claiborne (DR) | Died November 23, 1817 | Henry Johnson (DR) | Seated January 12, 1818 |
| Mississippi (1) |
New seats | Mississippi was admitted to the Union on December 10, 1817 | Walter Leake (DR) | Installed December 10, 1817 |
| Mississippi (2) |
Thomas H. Williams (DR) | |||
| Vermont (3) |
James Fisk (DR) | Resigned January 8, 1818, to become Vermont Collector of Customs. Winner elected October 20, 1818. |
William A. Palmer (DR) | Seated October 20, 1818 |
| Tennessee (1) |
George W. Campbell (DR) | Resigned April 20, 1818, to become Ambassador to Russia | John Eaton (DR) | Seated September 5, 1818 |
| Massachusetts (1) |
Eli P. Ashmun (F) | Resigned May 10, 1818. Winner elected June 5, 1818. |
Prentiss Mellen (F) | Seated June 5, 1818 |
| Georgia (2) |
George Troup (DR) | Resigned September 23, 1818, to run for Governor of Georgia. Winner elected September 23, 1818. |
John Forsyth (DR) | Seated November 23, 1818 |
| Illinois (2) |
New seats | Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818. | Jesse B. Thomas (DR) | Installed December 3, 1818 |
| Illinois (3) |
Ninian Edwards (DR) | |||
| Georgia (2) |
John Forsyth (DR) | Resigned February 17, 1819, to become U.S. Minister to Spain. Winner was elected in the next Congress. |
Not filled until next Congress | |
| Kentucky (2) |
John J. Crittenden (DR) | Resigned March 3, 1819, to return to private practice. Winner was elected in the next Congress. | ||
House of Representatives
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York 4th |
Vacant | Rep.-elect Henry B. Lee died before this Congress began | James Tallmadge, Jr. (DR) | Seated June 6, 1817 |
| Missouri Territory At-large |
Vacant | Seat remained vacant from March 4, 1817, to August 4, 1817 | John Scott | Seated August 4, 1817 |
| Pennsylvania 10th |
Vacant | Rep.-elect David Scott resigned before this Congress began | John Murray (DR) | Seated October 14, 1817 |
| North Carolina 7th |
Vacant | Rep.-elect Alexander McMillan died before this Congress began | James Stewart (DR) | Seated January 5, 1818 |
| South Carolina 6th |
John C. Calhoun (DR) | Resigned November 3, 1817, after being appointed United States Secretary of War | Eldred Simkins (DR) | Seated January 24, 1818 |
| Mississippi Territory At-large |
Vacant | Seat remained vacant until Mississippi was admitted to the Union December 10, 1817 | George Poindexter (DR) | Seated December 10, 1817 |
| Mississippi At-large | ||||
| Connecticut At-large |
Uriel Holmes (F) | Resigned sometime in 1818 | Sylvester Gilbert (DR) | Seated November 16, 1818 |
| North Carolina 11th |
Daniel Forney (DR) | Resigned sometime in 1818 | William Davidson (F) | Seated December 2, 1818 |
| Alabama Territory At-large |
Vacant | The first delegate from this new territory was not seated until January 29, 1818. | John Crowell | Seated January 29, 1818 |
| Massachusetts 20th |
Albion K. Parris (DR | Resigned February 3, 1818 | Enoch Lincoln (DR) | Seated November 4, 1818 |
| Virginia 19th |
Peterson Goodwyn (DR) | Died February 21, 1818 | John Pegram (DR) | Seated April 21, 1818 |
| Pennsylvania 6th |
John Ross (DR) | Resigned February 24, 1818, to become President Judge of Pennsylvania's 7th Judicial Circuit | Thomas J. Rogers (DR) | Seated March 3, 1818 |
| Louisiana At-large |
Thomas B. Robertson (DR) | Resigned April 20, 1818 | Thomas Butler (DR) | Seated November 16, 1818 |
| Pennsylvania 4th |
Jacob Spangler (DR) | Resigned April 20, 1818 | Jacob Hostetter (DR) | Seated November 16, 1818 |
| Pennsylvania 6th |
Samuel D. Ingham (DR) | Resigned July 6, 1818 | Samuel Moore (DR) | Seated October 13, 1818 |
| Georgia At-large |
John Forsyth (DR) | Resigned November 23, 1818, after being elected to the U.S. Senate | Robert R. Reid (DR) | Seated February 18, 1819 |
| Illinois Territory At-large |
Nathaniel Pope | Pope's term ended November 30, 1818, and the seat remained vacant until Illinois was admitted to the Union December 3, 1818 | John McLean (DR) | Seated December 3, 1818 |
| Illinois At-large | ||||
| North Carolina 10th |
George Mumford (DR) | Died December 31, 1818 | Charles Fisher (DR) | Seated February 11, 1819 |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Claims
- Commerce and Manufactures
- District of Columbia
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Title to Certain Lands (Select)
- Judiciary
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Mississippi's Admission to the Union (Select)
- Naval Affairs
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Public Lands
- Seminole War (Select)
- Slave Trade (Select)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Alabama's Admission to the Union (Select)
- Arkansas Territory (Select)
- Bank of the United States (Select)
- Claims
- Commerce and Manufactures
- District of Columbia
- Elections
- Expenditures in the Navy Department
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department
- Expenditures in the State Department
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department
- Expenditures in the War Department
- Expenditures on Public Buildings
- Pensions and Revolutionary War Claims
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Public Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Revisal and Unfinished Business
- Rules (Select)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
Employees
- Architect of the Capitol:
- Benjamin H. Latrobe, resigned November 20, 1817
- Charles Bulfinch, appointed January 8, 1818
- Librarian of Congress: George Watterston
Senate
- Chaplain:
- Sereno Edwards Dwight, Congregationalist, elected December 16, 1816
- William D. Hawley, Episcopalian, elected December 9, 1817
- John Clark, Presbyterian, elected November 19, 1818
- Secretary: Charles Cutts
- Sergeant at Arms: Mountjoy Bayly
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Burgess Allison (Baptist)
- Clerk: Thomas Dougherty
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
- Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn
See also
- United States elections, 1816 (elections leading to this Congress)
- United States elections, 1818 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
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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