1788 and 1789 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 1st Congress were held in 1788 and 1789, coinciding with the election of George Washington as first President of the United States. The dates and methods of election were set by the states. Actual political parties did not yet exist, but new members of Congress were informally categorized as either "pro-Administration" or "anti-Administration".
The first session of the first House of Representatives came to order in Federal Hall, New York City on March 4, 1789, with only thirteen members present. The requisite quorum was not present until April 1, 1789. The first order of business was the election of a Speaker of the House. On the first ballot, Frederick Muhlenberg was elected Speaker by a majority of votes. The business of the first session was largely devoted to legislative procedure rather than policy.
Election summaries
In the 18th and much of the 19th century, each state set its own date for elections. In many years, elections were even held after the legal start of the Congress, although typically before the start of the first session. In the elections for the 1st Congress, five states held elections in 1788, electing a total of 29 Representatives, and six held elections in 1789, electing a total of 30 Representatives. Two states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, did not ratify the Constitution until November 21, 1789 and May 29, 1790 respectively, well after the Congress had met for the first time, and, consequently, elected representatives late, in 1790, leaving North Carolina unrepresented in the 1st session and Rhode Island in the 1st and 2nd sessions of a total of 3 sessions.House composition
Beginning of the 1st Congress
End of the 1st Congress (1791)
Six seats were filled late because North Carolina and Rhode Island ratified the Constitution late. One pro-Administration representative resigned and the seat remained open at the end of the Congress.Special election
This was the first special election to the United States House of Representatives.| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Results ↑ | Candidates |
| Benjamin West | Pro-Administration | 1788/89 | Representative-elect chose not to serve. New member elected June 22, 1789. Pro-Administration hold. |
Connecticut
| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win |
Delaware
Delaware had a single representative. The election was held January 7, 1789. Under the law at the time, each voter cast two votes for representative, at least one of whom had to be from a different county.| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win. |
Georgia
Georgia had a mixed at-large/district system for the 1st Congress. Representatives were elected at-large, but for three district-based seats.| District | Result | Candidates |
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win |
Maryland
Maryland had a mixed district/at-large system similar to Georgia's. Under Maryland law, "candidates were elected at-large but had to be residents of a specific district with the statewide vote determining winners from each district."| District | Result | Candidates |
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win |
Massachusetts
Massachusetts required a majority vote, necessitating additional votes if no one won a majority. This was necessary in 4 of the districts.In the fourth district,
In the fifth district,
In the eighth district,
| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | : : | |
| Anti-Administration win | : : | |
| Pro-Administration win | : : Third ballot: : : | |
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | : : ''': |
New Hampshire
New Hampshire law required a winning candidate to receive votes from a majority of voters. No candidate won such a majority on the first ballot, so a second ballot was held February 2, 1789.| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win. First place winner chose not to serve before the start of the Congress. A special election was held June 22, 1789, [|see above]. | : : | |
| Anti-Administration win. | : : | |
| Pro-Administration win. | : : |
New Jersey
| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win |
The election of all four representatives was contested, but the records that explained the precise grounds on which the election was contested have been lost due to the burning of Washington in the War of 1812. It is known to have related to questions of regularity and procedure. All four representatives' elections were ruled valid.
New York
New York held elections to the 1st Congress on March 3 and 4, 1789. At the time, districts were unnumbered. They are retroactively numbered in this section.| District | Result | Candidates |
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win |
North Carolina
North Carolina ratified the Constitution late and thus elected representatives to the 1st Congress in 1790.Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania held elections to the 1st Congress on November 26, 1788. For this first election, Pennsylvania chose to elect all of its representatives on a single statewide general ticket, an attempt by the pro-Administration-majority legislature to prevent anti-Administration candidates from winning seats.| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win |
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ratified the Constitution late and thus elected representatives to the 1st Congress in 1790.South Carolina
| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win |
In the, William L. Smith 's election was contested by David Ramsay who claimed that Smith had not been a citizen for the required 7 years at the time of his election, the House Committee on Elections ruled in Smith's favor
Virginia
| District | Result | Candidates |
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Anti-Administration win | ||
| Pro-Administration win |