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.

2nd CONGRESS- in General

SENATE: 16 Administration, 10 Opposition, 1 other, 1 vacancy
HOUSE: 43 Administration, 24 Opposition
the 1st Administration of GEORGE WASHINGTON (1st Presidential Administration) "controlled" both chambers of the 2nd Congress.

Although the latest date- as mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article I, Section 4, clause 2- for the convening of the "long" session of the 2nd Congress was 5 December 1791, the 2d Congress actually convened its "long" session on 24 October 1791.
[For further information about the types of and dates for sessions of Congress, please see our website's page containing an Explanation of the types of Sessions of Congress as well as the associated table re: the Sessions of the Congress of the United States ]

VERMONT was admitted as the 14th State of the Union on 4 March 1791: as that State's 2 Senators were elected by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont and both of that State's Congressmen were elected by the People within Vermont's respective Congressional Districts before 3 December 1791, Vermont's Senators and Congressmen are counted among the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives elected to the 2d Congress.

KENTUCKY was admitted as the 15th State of the Union on 1 June 1792: as this was after 3 December 1791, Kentucky's 2 Senators are NOT counted among those elected to the Senate of the 2nd Congress; neither are Kentucky's 2 Congressmen counted among those elected to the House of Representatives in that Congress.

2d CONGRESS- United States SENATE
by 'Class' (as elected)
16 Administration, 10 Opposition, 1 other, 1 vacancy

The SENATE of the 2nd Congress includes 1 vacancy from the Commonwealth of PENNSYLVANIA, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth having failed to elect someone to the Class 1 seat (term: 4 March 1791 to 3 March 1797) from that State by 3 December 1791.

2nd CONGRESS- HOUSE of Representatives