The Green Papers
The Green Papers
Political Party Breakdown of the
1st Congress of the United States, 1789-1791

Boldface (with superscript C) numbers indicate the majority Party in each house. Red (with superscript P) numbers (boldface or not) indicate the Party of the President in any event.

President Party Congress United States Senate House of Representatives
 OppositionAdministrationothervacanciesOppositionAdministrationother
Washington(none)1st 1789-1791717CP  2435CP 

NOTES re: POLITICAL PARTY LABELS IN THE 1st thru 4th CONGRESSES

Most historical literature refers to the "Party" of the Washington Administration as the Federalists with those in opposition to the policies of that Administration as Antifederalists; however, the use of these designations is, in fact, more than a little inaccurate. The term "Antifederalist" (originally applied to those who had opposed the ratification of the Constitution drafted by the Framers meeting in Convention in Philadelphia in 1787) ceased to have any real meaning as a designation of a political faction once the Constitution formally took effect on 4 March 1789, as anyone- whether previously "Antifederalist" or no- wishing to serve in the new Federal Government would have to take an oath to the new Constitution before entering upon their duties in any event: thus, referring to members of Congress as "Antifederalist" makes little- if any- sense.

Furthermore, there were no national Political Parties, at least in the modern sense of the term, prior to the Presidential Election of 1796 (although loose coalitions between, where these were not pre-arranged alliances among, State-based "factions" along the lines of so-called cosmopolitan vs. localist divisions in Revolutionary Era politics [as suggested by the work of the historian Jackson Turner Main] would prove to be the basis of the two Parties which would emerge in 1796 and also did have some effect on the political make-up of the first four Congresses). It is best, therefore, to treat those who served in the first four Congresses- that is, during the whole of the Washington Administration, as being either Administration (that is, generally allied with the Cosmopolitans led by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and most closely associated, in Congress, with the constitutional President of the Senate, Vice President John Adams) or Opposition (the Localists generally led by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and, in Congress, associated with Congressman James Madison)- with the caveat that, while there is an apparent lineal connection between these groupings and the later Federalists and Republicans, respectively, the Presidency of George Washington was an era of "factions" rather than one of "Parties" and that there were shifting sands in the political landscape of this early era in American political history.

For his part, President Washington is held, for purposes of this table, to be a member of neither faction soon enough to become Party. Although his political leanings would almost certainly be classified as generally more Cosmopolitan, thus "Federalist", than localist- "Republican", one has to believe Washington himself would have been quite surprised had he been able to live long enough to see himself listed in modern American History books as a dyed-in-the-wool Federalist simply because his own Vice President would himself be one as President.

1st CONGRESS- in General

SENATE: 17 Administration, 7 Opposition
HOUSE: 35 Administration, 24 Opposition
the 1st Administration of GEORGE WASHINGTON (1st Presidential Administration) "controlled" both chambers of the 1st Congress.

Although NEW YORK had been among the 11 States which had ratified the Constitution prior to the start of the 1st Congress on 4 March 1789 and elected its 6 Congressmen in time to be counted among those elected to the House of Representatives in the 1st Congress, the Legislature of the State of New York failed to elect the 2 Senators from that State in time for what became the date for the formal opening of the "quorum" session of that Congress on 6 April 1789. However, NEW YORK's 2 Senators were chosen by that State's Legislature in July 1789 and, as this date was on or before Saturday 5 December 1789, then- by rule- they are counted among those elected to the Senate of the 1st Congress.

NORTH CAROLINA was the 12th State to ratify the Constitution on 21 November 1789: North Carolina's 2 Senators were chosen by that State's General Assembly on 27 November 1789 and, as this date was on or before Saturday 5 December 1789, then- by rule- they are counted among those elected to the Senate of the 1st Congress; however, as North Carolina's 5 Congressmen were elected after Saturday 5 December 1789, then- by rule- they are NOT counted among those elected to the House of Representatives in that same Congress.

RHODE ISLAND was the 13th State (the last of the original 13 which had declared their independence from the British Empire, as the United States of America, on 4 July 1776) to ratify the Constitution on 29 May 1790: as this was after Satuday 5 December 1789, then- by rule- Rhode Island's 2 Senators are NOT counted among those elected to the Senate of the 1st Congress; neither is Rhode Island's 1 Congressman counted among those elected to the House of Representatives in that same Congress.

1st CONGRESS- United States SENATE
by 'Class' (as elected)
17 Administration, 7 Opposition

Class 1
(term expiring 3 March 1791)
Class 2
(term expiring 3 March 1793)
Class 3
(term expiring 3 March 1795)
Connecticut Ellsworth Adm Delaware Bassett Adm Connecticut Johnson Adm
Delaware Read Adm Georgia Few Opp Georgia Gunn Adm
Maryland Carroll Adm Massachusetts Strong Adm Maryland Henry Adm
Massachusetts Dalton Adm New Hampshire Wingate Adm New Hampshire Langdon Opp
New Jersey Elmer Adm New Jersey Paterson Adm New York King Adm
New York Schuyler Adm North Carolina Johnston Adm North Carolina Hawkins Opp
Pennsylvania Maclay Opp South Carolina Butler Opp Pennsylvania Morris Adm
Virginia Grayson Opp Virginia Lee Opp South Carolina Izard Adm
Class 1
 
6 Administration (Adm)
2 Opposition (Opp)
Class 2
 
5 Administration (Adm)
3 Opposition (Opp)
Class 3
 
6 Administration (Adm)
2 Opposition (Opp)
 
Entire SENATE
 
17 Administration (Adm)
7 Opposition (Opp)

1st CONGRESS- HOUSE of Representatives

STATE-BY-STATE BREAKDOWN
(as elected)
35 Administration 24 Opposition
STATE (number of Congressmen)
Method of Election
Administration Opposition
CONNECTICUT (5) General Ticket 5 --
DELAWARE (1) At-Large 1 --
GEORGIA (3) District residency General Ticket -- 3
MARYLAND (6) by District 2 4
MASSACHUSETTS (8) by District 6 2
NEW HAMPSHIRE (3) General Ticket 3 --
NEW JERSEY (4) General Ticket 4 --
NEW YORK (6) by District 3 3
PENNSYLVANIA (8) General Ticket 5 3
SOUTH CAROLINA (5) by District 2 3
VIRGINIA (10) by District 4 6
---------------------------
Totals (59 Congressmen) 35 24

Modified .