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 Third Census of the United States in 1810. 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".
- 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.
- 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,
- April 24, 1820: Land Act of 1820, Sess. 1, ch. 51,
Proposed but not enacted
- Tallmadge Amendment would bar slaves from the new state of Missouri. 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 : Spain ceded Florida to the United States.
States admitted
- December 14, 1819: Alabama was admitted as the 22nd state,.
- March 15, 1820: Maine was admitted as the 23rd state. It was formerly the District of Maine, part of Massachusetts,.
Party summary
Senate
During this congress, two Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Alabama and Maine.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.Leadership
Senate
- President: Daniel D. Tompkins
- President pro tempore: James Barbour,, until December 26, 1819
- * John Gaillard,, elected January 25, 1820
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Henry Clay, until October 28, 1820
- * John Taylor,, elected November 15, 1820
Members
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.[List of [United States Senators from Alabama|Alabama]]
- 2. William R. King, from December 14, 1819
- 3. John W. Walker, from December 14, 1819
Connecticut">List of United States Senators from Connecticut">Connecticut
- 1. Samuel W. Dana
- 3. James Lanman
Delaware">List of United States Senators from Delaware">Delaware
- 1. Outerbridge Horsey
- 2. Nicholas Van Dyke
Georgia">List of United States Senators from Georgia">Georgia
- 2. Freeman Walker, from November 6, 1819
- 3. John Elliott
Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois
- 2. Jesse B. Thomas
- 3. Ninian Edwards
Indiana">List of United States Senators from Indiana">Indiana
- 1. James Noble
- 3. Waller Taylor
Kentucky">List of United States Senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
- 2. Richard M. Johnson, from December 10, 1819
- 3. William Logan, until May 28, 1820
- * Isham Talbot, from October 19, 1820
Louisiana">List of United States Senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
- 2. Henry Johnson
- 3. James Brown
Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine
- 1. John Holmes, from June 13, 1820
- 2. John Chandler, from June 14, 1820
Maryland">List of United States Senators from Maryland">Maryland
- 1. Alexander C. Hanson, until April 23, 1819
- * William Pinkney, from December 21, 1819
- 3. Edward Lloyd, from December 21, 1819
Massachusetts">List of United States Senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- 1. Prentiss Mellen, until May 15, 1820
- * Elijah H. Mills, from June 12, 1820
- 2. Harrison Gray Otis
Mississippi">List of United States Senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
- 1. Walter Leake, until May 15, 1820
- * David Holmes, from August 30, 1820
- 2. Thomas H. Williams
New Hampshire">List of United States Senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- 2. David L. Morril
- 3. John F. Parrott
New Jersey">List of United States Senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
- 1. James J. Wilson, until January 8, 1821
- * Samuel L. Southard, from January 26, 1821
- 2. Mahlon Dickerson
New York">List of United States Senators from New York">New York
- 1. Nathan Sanford
- 3. Rufus King, from January 25, 1820
North Carolina">List of United States Senators from North Carolina">North Carolina
- 2. Montfort Stokes
- 3. Nathaniel Macon
Ohio">List of United States Senators from Ohio">Ohio
- 1. Benjamin Ruggles
- 3. William A. Trimble
Pennsylvania">List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- 1. Jonathan Roberts
- 3. Walter Lowrie
Rhode Island">List of United States Senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- 1. William Hunter
- 2. James Burrill, Jr., until December 25, 1820
- * Nehemiah R. Knight, from January 9, 1821
South Carolina">List of United States Senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
- 2. William Smith
- 3. John Gaillard
Tennessee">List of United States Senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
- 1. John H. Eaton
- 2. John Williams
Vermont">List of United States Senators from Vermont">Vermont
- 1. Isaac Tichenor
- 3. William A. Palmer
Virginia">List of United States Senators from Virginia">Virginia
- 1. James Barbour
- 2. John W. Eppes, until December 4, 1819
- * James Pleasants, from December 10, 1819
House of Representatives
[List of [United States Representatives from Alabama|Alabama]]
- . John Crowell, from December 14, 1819
Connecticut">List of United States Representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut
- . Henry W. Edwards
- . Samuel A. Foote
- . Jonathan O. Moseley
- . Elisha Phelps
- . John Russ
- . James Stevens
- . Gideon Tomlinson
Delaware">List of United States Representatives from Delaware">Delaware
- . Willard Hall, until January 22, 1821, vacant thereafter
- . Louis McLane
Georgia">List of United States Representatives from Georgia">Georgia
- . Joel Abbot
- . Thomas W. Cobb
- . Joel Crawford
- . John A. Cuthbert
- . Robert R. Reid
- . William Terrell
Illinois">List of United States Representatives from Illinois">Illinois
- . Daniel P. Cook
Indiana">List of United States Representatives from Indiana">Indiana
- . William Hendricks
Kentucky">List of United States Representatives from Kentucky">Kentucky
- . David Trimble
- . Henry Clay
- . William Brown
- . Thomas Metcalfe
- . Alney McLean
- . David Walker, until March 1, 1820
- * Francis Johnson, from November 13, 1820
- . George Robertson
- . Richard C. Anderson, Jr.
- . Tunstal Quarles, until June 15, 1820
- * Thomas Montgomery, from November 13, 1820
- . Benjamin Hardin
Louisiana">List of United States Representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana
- . Thomas Butler
Maine">List of United States Representatives from Maine">Maine
- . Joseph Dane, seated December 11, 1820
Maryland">List of United States Representatives from Maryland">Maryland
- . Raphael Neale
- . Joseph Kent
- . Henry R. Warfield
- . Samuel Ringgold
- . Peter Little
- . Samuel Smith
- . Stevenson Archer
- . Thomas Culbreth
- . Thomas Bayly
Massachusetts">List of United States Representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- . Jonathan Mason, until May 15, 1820
- * Benjamin Gorham, from November 27, 1820
- . Nathaniel Silsbee
- . Jeremiah Nelson
- . Timothy Fuller
- . Samuel Lathrop
- . Samuel C. Allen
- . Henry Shaw
- . Zabdiel Sampson, until July 26, 1820
- * Aaron Hobart, from December 18, 1820
- . Walter Folger, Jr.
- . Marcus Morton
- . Benjamin Adams
- . Jonas Kendall
- . Edward Dowse, until May 26, 1820
- * William Eustis, from November 13, 1820
- . John Holmes, until March 15, 1820, vacant thereafter
- . Ezekiel Whitman
- . Mark L. Hill
- . Martin Kinsley
- . James Parker
- . Joshua Cushman
- . Enoch Lincoln
Mississippi">List of United States Representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
- . Christopher Rankin
New Hampshire">List of United States Representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- . Joseph Buffum, Jr.
- . Josiah Butler
- . Clifton Clagett
- . Arthur Livermore
- . William Plumer, Jr.
- . Nathaniel Upham
New Jersey">List of United States Representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
- . Ephraim Bateman
- . Joseph Bloomfield
- . John Condit, until November 4, 1819
- * Charles Kinsey, from February 16, 1820
- . John Linn, until January 5, 1821, vacant thereafter
- . Bernard Smith
- . Henry Southard
New York">List of United States Representatives from New York">New York
- . James Guyon, Jr., from January 14, 1820
- . Silas Wood
- . Henry Meigs
- . Peter H. Wendover
- . Caleb Tompkins
- . Randall S. Street
- . James Strong
- . Walter Case
- . Jacob H. De Witt
- . Robert Clark
- . Solomon Van Rensselaer
- . John D. Dickinson
- . John W. Taylor
- . Ezra C. Gross
- . Nathaniel Pitcher
- . Harmanus Peek
- . John Fay
- . Joseph S. Lyman
- . Robert Monell
- . Henry R. Storrs
- . Aaron Hackley, Jr.
- . William D. Ford
- . George Hall
- . Caleb Baker
- . Jonathan Richmond
- . Nathaniel Allen
- . Albert H. Tracy
North Carolina">List of United States Representatives from North Carolina">North Carolina
- . Lemuel Sawyer
- . Hutchins G. Burton, from December 6, 1819
- . Thomas H. Hall
- . Jesse Slocumb, until December 20, 1820
- * William S. Blackledge, from February 7, 1821
- . Charles Hooks
- . Weldon N. Edwards
- . John Culpepper
- . James S. Smith
- . Thomas Settle
- . Charles Fisher
- . William Davidson
- . Felix Walker
- . Lewis Williams
Ohio">List of United States Representatives from Ohio">Ohio
- . Thomas R. Ross
- . John W. Campbell
- . Henry Brush
- . Samuel Herrick
- . Philemon Beecher
- . John Sloane
Pennsylvania">List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- . Samuel Edwards
- . Thomas Forrest
- . Joseph Hemphill
- . John Sergeant
- . William Darlington
- . Samuel Gross
- . Jacob Hibshman
- . James M. Wallace
- . Jacob Hostetter
- . Andrew Boden
- . David Fullerton, until May 15, 1820
- * Thomas G. McCullough, from November 13, 1820
- . Samuel Moore
- . Thomas J. Rogers
- . Joseph Hiester, until December 1820
- * Daniel Udree, from January 8, 1821
- . Robert Philson
- . William P. Maclay
- . George Denison
- . John Murray
- . David Marchand
- . Thomas Patterson
- . Christian Tarr
- . Henry Baldwin
- . Robert Moore
Rhode Island">List of United States Representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- . Samuel Eddy
- . Nathaniel Hazard, until December 17, 1820; vacant thereafter
South Carolina">List of United States Representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina
- . Charles Pinckney
- . William Lowndes
- . James Ervin
- . James Overstreet
- . Starling Tucker
- . Eldred Simkins
- . Elias Earle
- . John McCreary
- . Joseph Brevard
Tennessee">List of United States Representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee
- . John Rhea
- . John Cocke
- . Francis Jones
- . Robert Allen
- . Newton Cannon
- . Henry H. Bryan
Vermont">List of United States Representatives from Vermont">Vermont
- . Samuel C. Crafts
- . Ezra Meech
- . Orsamus C. Merrill, until January 12, 1820
- * Rollin C. Mallary, from January 13, 1820
- . Charles Rich
- . Mark Richards
- . William Strong
Virginia">List of United States Representatives from Virginia">Virginia
- . James Pindall, until July 26, 1820
- : Edward B. Jackson, from November 13, 1820
- . Thomas Van Swearingen
- . Jared Williams
- . William McCoy
- . John Floyd
- . Alexander Smyth
- . Ballard Smith
- . Charles F. Mercer
- . William Lee Ball
- . George F. Strother, until February 10, 1820
- * Thomas L. Moore, from November 13, 1820
- . Philip P. Barbour
- . Robert S. Garnett
- . Severn E. Parker
- . William A. Burwell, until February 16, 1821, vacant for remainder of term
- . George Tucker
- . John Randolph
- . James Pleasants, until December 14, 1819
- * William S. Archer, from January 18, 1820
- . Mark Alexander
- . James Jones
- . James Johnson, until February 1, 1820
- * John C. Gray, from November 13, 1820
- . Thomas Newton, Jr.
- . Hugh Nelson
- . John Tyler
Non-voting members
- : Vacant until statehood
- . James W. Bates, from December 21, 1819
- . William Woodbridge, until August 9, 1820
- * Solomon Sibley, from November 20, 1820
- . John Scott
Changes in membership
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.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.Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.Senate
- Amendments to the Constitution
- American Colonization Society
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Claims
- Commerce and Manufactures
- Constitution of the State of Alabama
- District of Columbia
- Engrossed Bills
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Land Commissioner Reports
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Missouri's Admission to the Union
- Naval Affairs
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Public Buildings
- Public Lands
- Purchase of Fire Engines
- Reduction of Congressional Salaries
- Roads and Canals
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Apportionment of Representatives
- Army Appropriations Inquiry
- Bank of the United States
- Brownstown Treaty
- Claims
- Commerce
- 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
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Pensions and Revolutionary Claims
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Revisal and Unfinished Business
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Enrolled Bills
- Investigate Safety of Roofs over Senate and House Wings of the Capitol
- The Library
Officers
Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States#Legislative branch">Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: Charles Bulfinch
- Librarian of Congress: George Watterston
Senate
- Chaplain: John Clark, until December 9, 1819
- * Reuben Post, elected December 9, 1819
- * William Ryland, elected November 17, 1820
- Secretary: Charles Cutts
- Sergeant at Arms: Mountjoy Bayly
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Burgiss Allison, until November 16, 1820
- * John N. Campbell, elected November 16, 1820
- Clerk: Thomas Dougherty
- Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
- Reading Clerks:
- Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn