List of members of the United States House of Representatives in the 10th Congress by seniority
This is a complete list of members of the United States House of Representatives during the 10th United States Congress listed by seniority. For the most part, representatives are ranked by the beginning of their terms in office.[1]
As an historical article, the districts and party affiliations listed reflect those during the 10th Congress (March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1809). Seats and party affiliations on similar lists for other Congresses will be different for certain members.
This article describes the criteria for seniority in the House of Representatives and sets out the list of members by seniority. It is prepared on the basis of the interpretation of seniority applied to the House of Representatives in the current congress. Without information to the contrary, it is presumed that the twenty-first century-practice is identical to the seniority customs used during the 10th Congress.[2]
House seniority
Seniority in the House, for Congressmen with unbroken service, depends on the date on which the members first term began. That date is either the start of the Congress (4 March in odd numbered years, for the era up to and including the 73rd Congress starting in 1933) or the date of a special election during the Congress. Since many members start serving on the same day as others, ranking between them is based on alphabetical order by the last name of the congressman.
Congressmen, in early Congresses, were often elected after the legal start of the Congress. Such representatives are attributed with unbroken seniority, from the legal start of the congressional term, if they were the first person elected to a seat in a Congress. The date of the election is indicated in a note.
The seniority date is normally taken from the members entry in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, except where the date given is the legal start of the Congress and the actual election (for someone who was not the first person elected to the seat in that Congress) was later. The date of election is taken from United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997. In a few instances the latter work provides dates, for the start and end of terms, which correct those in the Biographical Directory.
The Biographical Directory normally uses the date of a special election, as the seniority date. However, mostly in early Congresses, the date of the member taking his seat can be the one given. The date of the special election is mentioned in a note to the list below, when that date is not used as the seniority date by the Biographical Directory.
Representatives who returned to the House, after having previously served, are credited with service equal to one less than the total number of terms they served. When a representative has served a prior term of less than two terms (i.e. prior term minus one equals less than one), he is ranked above all others whose service begins on the same day.
Leadership
In this Congress the only formal leader was the Speaker of the House. A Speakership ballot was held on October 26, 1807 and Joseph B. Varnum (DR-MA) was elected.[3]
Candidate | Ballot |
---|---|
Joseph B. Varnum (DR-MA) | 59 |
Burwell Bassett (DR-VA) | 17 |
Charles Goldsborough (F-MD) | 17 |
Josiah Masters (DR-NY) | 8 |
Thomas Blount (DR-NC) | 7 |
John Dawson (DR-VA) | 4 |
John Smilie (DR-PA) | 2 |
Roger Nelson (DR-MD) | 1 |
Timothy Pitkin (F-CT) | 1 |
Benjamin Tallmadge (F-CT) | 1 |
The title Dean of the House (sometimes known, in the nineteenth century, as Father of the House) was held by the member with the longest continuous service. It was not a leadership position.
Standing Committees
The House created its first standing committee, on April 13, 1789. There were seven standing committees, listed in the rules initially used by the 10th Congress. In 1808, new District of Columbia and Post Office & Post Roads Committees were added as standing committees.
Committees, in this period, were appointed for a session at a time by the Speaker.
This list refers to the standing committees of the House in the 10th Congress, the year of establishment as a standing committee, the number of members assigned to the committee and the dates of appointment in each session, the end of the session and its chairman. Chairmen, who were re-appointed after serving in the previous Congress, are indicated by an *.[4]
The first session was October 26, 1807-April 25, 1808 (182 days) and the second session was November 7, 1808-March 3, 1809 (117 days).
No. | Committee | From | Mbrs | Appointed | Chairman |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Accounts | 1805 | 3 | October 28, 1807-April 25, 1808 | Nicholas R. Moore (DR-MD) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | |||||
2 | Claims | 1794 | 7 | October 28, 1807-April 25, 1808 | *David Holmes (DR-VA) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | |||||
3 | Commerce and Manufactures | 1795 | 7 | October 28, 1807-April 25, 1808 | Thomas Newton, Jr. (DR-VA) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | |||||
4 | District of Columbia | 1808 | 7 | January 27, 1808-April 25, 1808 | Philip B. Key (F-MD) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | Joseph Lewis, Jr. (F-VA) | ||||
5 | Elections | 1789 | 7 | October 28, 1807-April 25, 1808 | *William Findley (DR-PA) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | |||||
6 | Post Office and Post Roads | 1808 | 17 | November 9, 1808-March 3, 1809 | John Rhea (DR-TN) |
7 | Public Lands | 1805 | 7 | October 28, 1807-April 25, 1808 | *John Boyle (DR-KY) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | Jeremiah Morrow (DR-OH) | ||||
8 | Revisal and Unfinished Business | 1795 | 3 | October 28, 1807-April 25, 1808 | John Clopton (DR-VA) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | |||||
9 | Ways and Means | 1802 | 7 | October 28, 1807-April 25, 1808 | George W. Campbell (DR-TN) |
November 8, 1808-March 3, 1809 | |||||
List of Representatives by seniority
A numerical rank is assigned to each of the 142 members initially elected to the 10th Congress. Other members, who were not the first person elected to a seat but who joined the House during the Congress, are not assigned a number.
Three Representatives-elect were not sworn in, as one died and two resigned. The list below includes the Representatives-elect (with name in italics), with the seniority they would have held if they had been sworn in.
Party designations used in this article are DR for Democratic-Republican members and F for Federalist representatives. Designations used for service in the first three congresses are (A) for Anti-Administration members and (P) for Pro-Administration representatives.
Rank | Representative | Party | District | Seniority date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nine consecutive terms | |||||
1 | Nathaniel Macon | DR | NC-6 | March 4, 1791 | (A) Previously served 1791-95 while as a member of the House. Dean of the House. |
Eight consecutive terms | |||||
2 | Philip Van Cortlandt | DR | NY-4 | March 4, 1793 | (A) Previously served 1793-95 while as a member of the House. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. |
Seven consecutive terms | |||||
3 | Joseph B. Varnum | DR | MA-4 | March 4, 1795 | Speaker of the House |
4 | Samuel W. Dana | F | CT-al | January 3, 1797 | |
Seven non-consecutive terms | |||||
5 | William Findley | DR | PA-8 | March 4, 1803 | Previously served (A) 1791-95 and (DR) 1795-99 while as a member of the House. Chairman: Elections. |
Six consecutive terms | |||||
6 | Matthew Clay | DR | VA-14 | March 4, 1797 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 |
7 | John Dawson | DR | VA-10 | ||
8 | David Holmes | DR | VA-4 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Chairman: Claims. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
9 | Richard Stanford | DR | NC-8 | ||
10 | Abram Trigg | DR | VA-6 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
11 | Robert Brown | DR | PA-2 | December 4, 1798 | |
Six non-consecutive terms | |||||
12 | John Clopton | DR | VA-22 | March 4, 1801 | Previously served (DR) 1795-99 while still serving as a member of the House. Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Chairman: Revisal and Unfinished Business. |
13 | John Smilie | DR | PA-9 | March 4, 1799 | Previously served (A) 1793-95 while as a member of the House. |
14 | Richard Winn | DR | SC-5 | January 24, 1803 | Previously served (A) 1793-95 and (DR) 1795-97 while as a member of the House. |
Five consecutive terms | |||||
15 | Willis Alston | DR | NC-2 | March 4, 1799 | |
16 | John Davenport | F | CT-al | ||
17 | Edwin Gray | DR | VA-19 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 | |
18 | John Randolph | DR | VA-15 | ||
Five non-consecutive terms | |||||
19 | David Bard | DR | PA-4 | March 4, 1803 | Previously served (DR) 1795-99 |
20 | Thomas Blount | DR | NC-3 | March 4, 1805 | Previously served (A) 1793-95 and (DR) 1795-99 while as a member of the House. Last term while still serving as a member of the House until 12th Congress. |
21 | James Holland | DR | NC-11 | March 4, 1801 | Previously served (DR) 1795-97 while as a member of the House. |
22 | Matthew Lyon | DR | KY-1 | March 4, 1803 | Previously served (DR-VT) 1797–1801 while as a member of the House. |
Four consecutive terms | |||||
23 | William Butler | DR | SC-2 | March 4, 1801 | |
24 | John Campbell | F | MD-1 | ||
25 | William Helms | DR | NJ-al | ||
26 | Thomas Moore | DR | SC-7 | ||
27 | Thomas Newton, Jr. | DR | VA-20 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Chairman: Commerce and Manufactures. | |
28 | John Smith | DR | VA-3 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 | |
29 | Henry Southard | DR | NJ-al | ||
30 | David Thomas | DR | NY-12 | Resigned on February 17, 1808 while still serving in the House.[5] | |
31 | Killian K. Van Rensselaer | F | NY-9 | ||
32 | Richard Cutts | DR | MA-14 | June 22, 1801 | |
33 | Benjamin Tallmadge | F | CT-al | September 21, 1801 | |
Four non-consecutive terms | |||||
34 | Walter Jones | DR | VA-8 | March 4, 1803 | Previously served (DR) 1797-99 while as a member of the House. Elected to this Congress: April 1807. |
Three consecutive terms | |||||
35 | William Blackledge | DR | NC-4 | March 4, 1803 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House until 12th Congress |
36 | John Boyle | DR | KY-2 | Chairman: Public Lands (1807–08). Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
37 | George W. Campbell | DR | TN-2 | Elected to this Congress: August 3–4, 1807. Hamilton District. Chairman: Ways and Means. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
38 | Levi Casey | DR | SC-6 | Died as Representative-elect: February 3, 1807 [6] | |
39 | Martin Chittenden | F | VT-4 | ||
40 | Joseph Clay | DR | PA-1 | Resigned after March 28, 1808 while still serving as a member of the House. | |
41 | Jacob Crowninshield | DR | MA-2 | Died on April 15, 1808 while still serving as a member of the House. | |
42 | James Elliot | F | VT-2 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
43 | John W. Eppes | DR | VA-16 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 | |
44 | Peterson Goodwyn | DR | VA-18 | ||
45 | John G. Jackson | DR | VA-1 | ||
46 | Nehemiah Knight | DR | RI-al | Died on June 13, 1808 while still serving as a member of the House. | |
47 | Joseph Lewis, Jr. | F | VA-7 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Chairman: District of Columbia (1808–09). | |
48 | William McCreery | DR | MD-5 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
49 | Nicholas R. Moore | DR | MD-5 | Chairman: Accounts | |
50 | Jeremiah Morrow | DR | OH-al | Chairman: Public Lands (1808–09) | |
51 | John Rea | DR | PA-7 | ||
52 | John Rhea | DR | TN-1 | Elected to this Congress: August 3–4, 1807. Washington District. Chairman: Post Office and Post Roads. | |
53 | Jacob Richards | DR | PA-1 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
54 | Ebenezer Seaver | DR | MA-13 | ||
55 | James Sloan | DR | NJ-al | Last term while serving as a member of the House. | |
56 | William Stedman | F | MA-11 | ||
57 | Samuel Taggart | F | MA-6 | ||
58 | Marmaduke Williams | DR | NC-9 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
59 | Daniel C. Verplanck | DR | NY-6 | October 17, 1803 | |
60 | Roger Nelson | DR | MD-4 | November 6, 1804 | |
61 | Alexander Wilson | DR | VA-5 | December 4, 1804 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. |
62 | George Clinton, Jr. | DR | NY-2/3 | February 14, 1805 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. |
Three non-consecutive terms | |||||
63 | William Hoge | DR | PA-10 | March 4, 1807 | Previously served (DR) October 13, 1801-October 15, 1804. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. |
Two consecutive terms | |||||
64 | Joseph Barker | DR | MA-7 | March 4, 1805 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. |
65 | Burwell Bassett | DR | VA-12 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 | |
66 | Barnabas Bidwell | DR | MA-12 | Resigned, as Representative-elect: July 13, 1807 [7] | |
67 | John Blake, Jr. | DR | NY-5 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
68 | John Chandler | DR | MA-17 | ||
69 | John Claiborne | DR | VA-17 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Died on October 9, 1808 while still serving in the House. | |
70 | Orchard Cook | DR | MA-16 | ||
71 | Ezra Darby | DR | NJ-al | Died on January 27, 1808 while still serving in the House. | |
72 | William Ely | F | MA-5 | ||
73 | James Fisk | DR | VT-3 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House until 12th Congress | |
74 | James M. Garnett | DR | VA-11 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
75 | Charles Goldsborough | F | MD-8 | ||
76 | Isaiah L. Green | DR | MA-8 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House until 12th Congress. | |
77 | James Kelly | F | PA-6 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
78 | John Lambert | DR | NJ-al | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
79 | Robert Marion | DR | SC-1 | ||
80 | Josiah Masters | DR | NY-10 | Last term while serving as a member of the House. | |
81 | John Morrow | DR | VA-2 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
82 | Jonathan O. Moseley | F | CT-al | ||
83 | Gurdon S. Mumford | DR | NY-2/3 | ||
84 | John Pugh | DR | PA-2 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
85 | Josiah Quincy | F | MA-1 | ||
86 | John Russell | DR | NY-14 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
87 | David R. Williams | DR | SC-3 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House until 12th Congress. | |
88 | Thomas Kenan | DR | NC-5 | August 8, 1805 | |
89 | Timothy Pitkin | F | CT-al | September 16, 1805 | |
90 | Lewis B. Sturges | F | CT-al | ||
91 | James M. Broom | F | DE-al | October 1, 1805 | Resigned as Representative-elect: July 1807 [8] |
92 | Samuel Smith | DR | PA-11 | November 7, 1805 | |
93 | Robert Whitehill | DR | PA-4 | ||
94 | Evan S. Alexander | DR | NC-10 | February 24, 1806 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. |
95 | Dennis Smelt | DR | GA-al | September 1, 1806 | |
96 | William A. Burwell | DR | VA-13 | December 1, 1806 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 |
097 | Edward Lloyd | DR | MD-7 | December 3, 1806 | Last term while still serving as a member of the House. |
98 | John Porter | DR | PA-1 | December 8, 1806 | |
99 | William W. Bibb | DR | GA-al | January 26, 1807 | |
Two non-consecutive terms | |||||
100 | John Thompson | DR | NY-11 | March 4, 1807 | Previously served (DR) 1799–1801 while as a member of the House. |
101 | Samuel Riker | DR | NY-1 | Previously served (DR) November 5, 1804-05 while as a member of the House. Last term while still serving as a member of the House. | |
One term | |||||
102 | Lemuel J. Alston | DR | SC-8 | March 4, 1807 | |
103 | Peter Carleton | DR | NH-al | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
104 | Epaphroditus Champion | F | CT-al | ||
105 | Howell Cobb | DR | GA-al | ||
106 | John Culpepper | F | NC-7 | Seat declared vacant, after election challenge: January 2, 1808. Returned to the House on February 23, 1808. | |
107 | Josiah Dean | DR | MA-9 | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
108 | Joseph Desha | DR | KY-6 | ||
109 | Daniel M. Durell | DR | NH-al | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
110 | Meshack Franklin | DR | NC-12 | ||
111 | Barent Gardenier | F | NY-7 | ||
112 | Francis Gardner | DR | NH-al | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
113 | John Harris | DR | NY-17 | ||
114 | John Hiester | DR | PA-3 | ||
115 | Benjamin Howard | DR | KY-5 | ||
116 | Reuben Humphrey | DR | NY-16 | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
117 | Daniel Ilsley | DR | MA-15 | ||
118 | Robert Jenkins | F | PA-3 | ||
119 | Richard M. Johnson | DR | KY-4 | ||
120 | Philip B. Key | F | MD-3 | Chairman: District of Columbia (1808) | |
121 | William Kirkpatrick | DR | NY-15 | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
122 | Edward S. Livermore | F | MA-3 | ||
123 | John Love | DR | VA-9 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 | |
124 | William Milnor | F | PA-2 | ||
125 | Daniel Montgomery, Jr. | DR | PA-5 | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
126 | John Montgomery | DR | MD-6 | ||
127 | Thomas Newbold | DR | NJ-al | ||
128 | Wilson C. Nicholas | DR | VA-21 | Elected to this Congress: April 1807 | |
129 | Matthias Richards | DR | PA-3 | ||
130 | John Rowan | DR | KY-3 | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
131 | Lemuel Sawyer | DR | NC-1 | ||
132 | Jedediah K. Smith | DR | NH-al | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
133 | Clement Storer | DR | NH-al | ||
134 | Peter Swart | DR | NY-13 | ||
135 | John Taylor | DR | SC-4 | ||
136 | George M. Troup | DR | GA-al | ||
137 | Jabez Upham | F | MA-10 | ||
138 | James I. Van Alen | DR | NY-8 | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
139 | Archibald Van Horne | DR | MD-2 | ||
140 | Jesse Wharton | DR | TN-3 | Elected to this Congress: August 3–4, 1807. Mero District. Only term. | |
141 | Isaac Wilbour | DR | RI-al | Only term while serving as a member of the House. | |
142 | James Witherell | DR | VT-1 | Resigned on May 1, 1808 while still serving as a member of the House. | |
Members joining the House, after the start of the Congress [9] | |||||
... | Joseph Calhoun | DR | SC-6 | June 2, 1807 | Special election: June 1–2, 1807 |
... | Ezekiel Bacon | DR | MA-12 | September 16, 1807 | Special election: July 13, 1807 |
... | Nicholas Van Dyke | F | DE-al | October 6, 1807 | Special election |
... | Adam Boyd | DR | NJ-al | March 8, 1808 | Previously served (DR) 1803-05 while as a member of the House. Special election: March 8–9, 1808. |
... | Joseph Story | DR | MA-2 | May 23, 1808 | Special election: May 4, 1808. Only term while serving as a member of the House. |
... | Nathan Wilson | DR | NY-12 | June 3, 1808 | Special election: April 26–28, 1808. Only term while serving as a member of the House. |
... | Samuel Shaw | DR | VT-1 | September 6, 1808 | Special election |
... | Thomas Gholson, Jr. | DR | VA-17 | November 7, 1808 | Special election: September (8, 12, 26), 1808 |
... | Richard Jackson, Jr. | F | RI-al | November 11, 1808 | Special election: August 30, 1808 |
... | Benjamin Say | DR | PA-1 | November 16, 1808 | Special election: October 11, 1808 |
Non voting members | |||||
a | Daniel Clark | - | OL-al | December 1, 1806 | Delegate from Orleans Territory. Last term. |
b | Benjamin Parke | - | IN-al | December 12, 1806 | Delegate from Indiana Territory. Resigned on March 1, 1808. |
c | George Poindexter | - | MS-al | March 4, 1807 | Delegate from Mississippi Territory |
d | Jesse B. Thomas | - | IN-al | October 22, 1808 | Delegate from Indiana Territory. Only term. |
See also
- 10th United States Congress
- List of United States congressional districts
- List of United States Senators in the 10th Congress by seniority
References
- Delegates are non-voting members and Representatives are voting members of the United States House of Representatives.
- "112th Congress official House seniority list" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
- Annals of Congress, for the date of election
- Based on Rule X Organisation of Committees, in the House Rules and Manual for the 112th Congress. For membership and chairmen, see the Journal of the House of Representatives for the 10th Congress for the dates of appointment specified.
- United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, resignation (note 10 on page 38)
- United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, for election (page 36) and death (note 15 on page 38)
- United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, for election (page 35) and resignation (note 7 on page 38)
- United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, for election (page 35) and resignation (note 1 on page 38)
- United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, for special elections to the 10th Congress (page 37)
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.
- United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, by Michael J. Dubin (McFarland and Company 1998) ISBN 0-7864-0283-0