16th United States Congress

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

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.

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

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.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

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.

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.

Senate changes

State (class)	Vacated by	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[b]
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.

House changes

District	Vacated by	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[b]
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

• Architect of the Capitol: Charles Bulfinch
• Librarian of Congress: George Watterston

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)
  • 1818–19 United States Senate elections
  • 1818–19 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1820 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1820 United States presidential election
  • 1820–21 United States Senate elections
  • 1820–21 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

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