16th United States Congress
The 16th 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 Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1819, to March 4, 1821, during the third and fourth years of James Monroe's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1810 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.
| 16th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
15th ← → 17th | |
 United States Capitol (1827) | |
March 4, 1819 – March 4, 1821 | |
| Members | 46 senators 186 representatives 3 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Democratic-Republican |
| Senate President | Daniel D. Tompkins (DR) |
| House majority | Democratic-Republican |
| House Speaker | Henry Clay (DR) John W. Taylor (DR) |
| Sessions | |
| 1st: December 6, 1819 – May 15, 1820 2nd: November 13, 1820 – March 3, 1821 | |
Major events
- A "speech for Buncombe County, North Carolina" given by North Carolina representative Felix Walker in 1820 was credited with introducing into the language the term "bunkum".[1]
- March 6, 1819: McCulloch v. Maryland: Supreme Court ruled that the Bank of the United States is constitutional.
- July 3, 1820: United States House of Representatives elections, 1820 began in Louisiana
- August 7, 1820: 1820 United States Census conducted, eventually determining a population of 9,638,453, of which 1,538,022 were slaves.
- November 13–15, 1820: A special election for the House speakership takes 22 ballots.
- December 3, 1820: U.S. presidential election, 1820: James Monroe was re-elected, virtually unopposed.
Major legislation
- March 6, 1820: Missouri Compromise, Sess. 1, ch. 22, 3 Stat. 545
- April 24, 1820: Land Act of 1820, Sess. 1, ch. 51, 3 Stat. 566
Proposed but not enacted
- Tallmadge Amendment would allow Missouri into the Union as a slave state, but would also implement gradual emancipation in Missouri. The amendment passed the House of Representatives, but not the Senate. The Tallmadge Amendment led to the passage of the Missouri Compromise.
Treaties
- February 22, 1819: Adams-Onís Treaty (Transcontinental Treaty of 1819): Spain ceded Florida to the United States.
States admitted
- December 14, 1819: Alabama was admitted as the 22nd state, 3 Stat. 492.
- March 15, 1820: Maine was admitted as the 23rd state. It was formerly the District of Maine, part of Massachusetts, 3 Stat. 544.
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 Alabama and Maine.
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of previous congress | 28 | 12 | 40 | 2 |
| Begin | 29 | 9 | 38 | 4 |
| End | 38 | 8 | 46 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 82.6% | 17.4% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 40 | 4 | 44 | 2 |
House of Representatives
During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Alabama and one seat was reapportioned from Massachusetts to the new state of Maine. For the beginning of the next congress, six more seats from Massachusetts would be reapportioned to Maine.
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic- Republican (DR) |
Federalist (F) | |||
| End of previous congress | 146 | 39 | 185 | 0 |
| Begin | 155 | 28 | 183 | 2 |
| End | 27 | 182 | 5 | |
| Final voting share | 85.2% | 14.8% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 150 | 31 | 181 | 5 |
Leadership
President of the Senate Daniel D. Tompkins
Senate
- President: Daniel D. Tompkins (DR)
- President pro tempore: James Barbour, (DR), until December 26, 1819
- John Gaillard, (DR), elected January 25, 1820
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Henry Clay (DR), resigned October 28, 1820[2]
- John Taylor, (DR), elected November 15, 1820, on the 22nd ballot[3]
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class 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 ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1820; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1822; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1824.
Alabama
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
|
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
|
 Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 16th Congress in March 1819. The senators from Alabama and Maine were not seated until later in the Congress.
2 Democratic-Republicans
1 Democratic-Republican and 1 Federalist
2 Federalists
|
House of Representatives
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.
Senate
There were 5 resignations, 2 deaths, 2 vacancies before the Congress, and 4 new seats. The Democratic-Republicans had a 7-seat net gain and the Federalists had a 1-seat net loss.
| State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia (2) |
Vacant | John Forsyth had resigned before the beginning of the Congress. | Freeman Walker (DR) | Elected November 6, 1819 |
| Kentucky (2) |
Vacant | John J. Crittenden had resigned before the beginning of the Congress. | Richard Mentor Johnson (DR) | Elected December 10, 1819 |
| Maryland (3) |
Vacant | Legislature did not elect until after the term began. | Edward Lloyd (DR) | Elected December 14, 1819, and qualified December 21, 1819 |
| New York (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect, held late election. | Rufus King (F) | Elected January 8, 1820, and qualified January 25, 1820 |
| Maryland (1) |
Alexander C. Hanson (F) | Died April 23, 1819 | William Pinkney (DR) | Elected December 21, 1819 |
| Virginia (2) |
John W. Eppes (DR) | Resigned December 4, 1819 | James Pleasants (DR) | Elected December 10, 1819 |
| Alabama (2) |
New seats | Alabama was admitted to the Union December 14, 1819. | John W. Walker (DR) | Elected December 14, 1819 |
| Alabama (3) |
William R. King (DR) | Elected December 14, 1819 | ||
| Maine (2) |
New seats | Maine was admitted to the Union March 15, 1820. | John Holmes (DR) | Elected June 13, 1820 |
| Maine (1) |
John Chandler (DR) | Elected June 14, 1820 | ||
| Massachusetts (1) |
Prentiss Mellen (F) | Resigned May 15, 1820 | Elijah H. Mills (F) | Elected June 12, 1820 |
| Mississippi (1) |
Walter Leake (DR) | Resigned May 15, 1820, after becoming US Marshal for Mississippi | David Holmes (DR) | Appointed August 30, 1820 |
| Kentucky (3) |
William Logan (DR) | Resigned May 28, 1820, to run for Governor of Kentucky | Isham Talbot (DR) | Elected October 19, 1820 |
| Rhode Island (2) |
James Burrill Jr. (F) | Died December 25, 1820 | Nehemiah R. Knight (DR) | Elected January 9, 1821 |
| New Jersey (1) |
James J. Wilson (DR) | Resigned January 8, 1821 | Samuel L. Southard (DR) | Appointed January 26, 1821 |
House of Representatives
There were 13 resignations, 5 deaths, 2 contested elections, and 2 new seats. The Democratic-Republicans had a 1-seat net gain and the Federalists had no net change.
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina 2nd |
Vacant | Hutchins G. Burton (DR) | Seated December 6, 1819 | |
| Alabama Territory | Vacant | Seat remained vacant until statehood | John Crowell (DR) | Seated December 14, 1819 |
| Alabama at-large | ||||
| Arkansas Territory | Vacant | Arkansas Territory organized July 4, 1819 | James W. Bates | Seated December 21, 1819 |
| New York 1st |
Vacant | Contested election. Representative-elect Ebenezer Sage never qualified. | James Guyon Jr. (DR) | Seated January 14, 1820 |
| New Jersey at-large |
John Condit (DR) | Resigned November 4, 1819 | Charles Kinsey (DR) | Seated February 16, 1820 |
| Virginia 17th | James Pleasants (DR) | Resigned December 14, 1819 | William S. Archer (DR) | Seated January 18, 1820 |
| Vermont 1st | Orsamus C. Merrill (DR) | Contested election, served until January 12, 1820 | Rollin C. Mallary (DR) | Seated January 13, 1820 |
| Virginia 20th | James Johnson (DR) | Resigned February 1, 1820 | John C. Gray (DR) | Seated November 13, 1820 |
| Virginia 10th | George F. Strother (DR) | Resigned February 10, 1820 | Thomas L. Moore (DR) | Seated November 13, 1820 |
| Kentucky 6th |
David Walker (DR) | Died March 1, 1820 | Francis Johnson (DR) | Seated November 13, 1820 |
| Massachusetts 14th |
John Holmes (DR) | Resigned March 15, 1820, to become U.S. Senator from Maine. | District moved to Maine | District inactive until 1903 |
| Maine at-large |
New seat | Massachusetts's 14th district became Maine's at-large district | Joseph Dane (F) | Seated November 6, 1820 |
| Massachusetts 1st |
Jonathan Mason (F) | Resigned May 15, 1820 | Benjamin Gorham (DR) | Seated November 27, 1820 |
| Pennsylvania 5th |
David Fullerton (DR) | Resigned May 15, 1820 | Thomas G. McCullough (F) | Seated November 13, 1820 |
| Massachusetts 13th |
Edward Dowse (DR) | Resigned May 26, 1820 | William Eustis (DR) | |
| Kentucky 9th |
Tunstall Quarles (DR) | Resigned June 15, 1820 | Thomas Montgomery (DR) | |
| Virginia 1st | James Pindall (F) | Resigned July 26, 1820 | Edward B. Jackson (DR) | |
| Massachusetts 8th |
Zabdiel Sampson (DR) | Resigned July 26, 1820 | Aaron Hobart (DR) | Seated December 18, 1820 |
| Michigan Territory | William Woodbridge | Resigned August 9, 1820 | Solomon Sibley | Seated November 20, 1820 |
| Pennsylvania 7th |
Joseph Hiester (DR) | Resigned sometime in December 1820 | Daniel Udree (DR) | Seated January 8, 1821 |
| Rhode Island at-large |
Nathaniel Hazard (DR) | Died December 17, 1820 | Vacant | Not filled in this Congress |
| North Carolina 4th |
Jesse Slocumb (F) | Died December 20, 1820 | William S. Blackledge (DR) | Seated February 7, 1821 |
| New Jersey at-large |
John Linn (DR) | Died January 5, 1821 | Vacant | Not filled in this Congress |
| Delaware at-large |
Willard Hall (DR) | Resigned January 22, 1821 | Vacant | Not filled in this Congress |
| Virginia 14th | William A. Burwell (DR) | Died February 16, 1821 | Vacant | Not filled in this Congress |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
- Amendments to the Constitution (Select)
- American Colonization Society (Select)
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Jonathan Roberts)
- Claims (Chairman: Jonathan Roberts then James J. Wilson)
- Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Nathan Sanford then Mahlon Dickerson)
- Constitution of the State of Alabama (Select)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Outerbridge Horsey)
- Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Prentiss Mellen)
- Finance (Chairman: Nathan Sanford)
- Foreign Relations (Chairman: James Brown then James Barbour)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: David Holmes)
- Judiciary (Chairman: William Smith)
- Land Commissioner Reports (Select)
- Military Affairs (Chairman: John Williams)
- Militia (Chairman: James Noble)
- Missouri's Admission to the Union (Select)
- Naval Affairs (Chairman: James Pleasants)
- Pensions (Chairman: Nicholas Van Dyke then James Noble)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Montfort Stokes)
- Public Buildings (Select)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Thomas Hill Williams then Jesse B. Thomas)
- Purchase of Fire Engines (Select)
- Reduction of Congressional Salaries (Select)
- Roads and Canals (Select) (Chairman: Rufus King)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts (Chairman: James S. Smith)
- Agriculture (Chairman: Thomas Forrest)
- Apportionment of Representatives (Select)
- Army Appropriations Inquiry (Select)
- Bank of the United States (Select)
- Brownstown Treaty (Select)
- Claims (Chairman: Lewis Williams)
- Commerce (Chairman: Thomas Newton Jr.)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph Kent)
- Elections (Chairman: John W. Taylor then David Trimble)
- Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Stevenson Archer)
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Arthur Livermore)
- Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: John Holmes)
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: David Trimble)
- Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Henry Brush)
- Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Henry Meigs)
- Judiciary (Chairman: John Sergeant)
- Manufactures (Chairman: Henry Baldwin)
- Pensions and Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: John Rhea)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Arthur Livermore)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: John W. Campbell)
- Public Expenditures (Chairman: Eldred Simkins)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Richard C. Anderson Jr.)
- Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Marcus Morton)
- Rules (Select)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Ways and Means (Chairman: Samuel Smith)
- Whole
Joint committees
- Enrolled Bills
- Investigate Safety of Roofs over Senate and House Wings of the Capitol
- The Library
Officers
Legislative branch agency directors
Senate
- Chaplain: John Clark (Presbyterian), until December 9, 1819
- Reuben Post (Presbyterian), elected December 9, 1819
- William Ryland (Methodist), elected November 17, 1820
- Secretary: Charles Cutts
- Sergeant at Arms: Mountjoy Bayly
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Burgiss Allison (Baptist), until November 16, 1820
- John N. Campbell (Presbyterian), elected November 16, 1820
- Clerk: Thomas Dougherty
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
- Reading Clerks: [data missing]
- Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn
See also
- 1818 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1820 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
Notes
- Joseph Dane (Maine) was elected November 7, 1820.
- When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.
References
- "debunk". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth edition. Houghton Mifflin. 2000. Archived from the original on 2008-04-06. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
- "Proceedings and Debates of the House of Representatives of the United States at the Second Session of the Sixteenth Congress Begun at the City of Washington, Monday, November 13, 1820". Annuals of Congress: 434–435. November 1820.
- "Election of Speaker". Annuals of Congress: 437. November 1820.
- 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
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