12th United States Congress

1811-1813 meeting of U.S. legislature

12th United States Congress
11th ← → 13th
United States Capitol (1800)
March 4, 1811 – March 4, 1813
Members	36 senators 143 representatives 5 non-voting delegates
Senate majority	Democratic-Republican
Senate President	George Clinton (DR)^[a] (until April 20, 1812) Vacant (from April 20, 1812)
House majority	Democratic-Republican
House Speaker	Henry Clay (DR)
Sessions
1st: November 4, 1811 – July 6, 1812 2nd: November 2, 1812 – March 3, 1813

The 12th 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, 1811, to March 4, 1813, during the third and fourth years of James Madison's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1800 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.

Major events

November 6, 1811: Battle of Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison defeated Tecumseh's forces
December 16, 1811: New Madrid earthquake
April 4, 1812: President Madison enacted a 90-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom
April 20, 1812: Vice President George Clinton died
June 18, 1812: War of 1812: United States declared war on Great Britain
August 16, 1812: War of 1812: Detroit surrendered to the British.
October 13, 1812: War of 1812: the Battle of Queenston Heights
November 5, 1812: Elections of 1812:

Major legislation

States admitted and territories organized

April 30, 1812: Louisiana was admitted as a state into the Union. It was formerly known as the Territory of Orleans
June 4, 1812: Missouri Territory was organized. It was formerly known as Louisiana Territory

Senate President pro tempore
William H. Crawford

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 new Senate seats were added for the new state of Louisiana.

	Party (shading shows control)		Total	Vacant

	Democratic- Republican (DR)	Federalist (F)
End of previous congress	26	8	34	0

Begin	26	7	33	1
End	29	7	36	0
Final voting share	80.6%	19.4%

Beginning of next congress	27	6	33	3

House of Representatives

During this congress, one new House seat was added for the new state of Louisiana.

	Party (shading shows control)		Total	Vacant

	Democratic- Republican (DR)	Federalist (F)
End of previous congress	95	46	141	1

Begin	106	36	142	0
End	106	36	142	1
Final voting share	74.6%	25.4%

Beginning of next congress	108	68	176	6

Leadership

Senate

President: George Clinton (DR), until April 20, 1812; vacant thereafter.
President pro tempore: William H. Crawford (DR)

House of Representatives

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Henry Clay Democratic-Republican

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

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 began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1814; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1816; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1812

Skip to House of Representatives, below

▌James Brown (DR), from February 5, 1813

▌3. Allan B. Magruder (DR), from September 3, 1812

▌2. Jeremiah B. Howell (DR)

South Carolina

▌2. John Taylor (DR)

▌3. John Gaillard (DR)

Tennessee

▌1. Joseph Anderson (DR)

▌2. Jenkin Whiteside (DR), until October 8, 1811

▌George W. Campbell (DR), from October 8, 1811

Vermont

▌1. Jonathan Robinson (DR)

▌3. Stephen R. Bradley (DR)

Virginia

▌1. Richard Brent (DR)

▌2. William B. Giles (DR)

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Connecticut

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

▌At-large. Epaphroditus Champion (F)

▌At-large. John Davenport (F)

▌At-large. Lyman Law (F)

▌At-large. Jonathan O. Moseley (F)

▌At-large. Timothy Pitkin (F)

▌At-large. Lewis B. Sturges (F)

▌At-large. Benjamin Tallmadge (F)

Delaware

▌At-large. Henry M. Ridgely (F)

Georgia

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

▌At-large. William W. Bibb (DR)

▌At-large. Howell Cobb (DR), until before October, 1812

▌William Barnett (DR), from October 5, 1812

▌At-large. Bolling Hall (DR)

▌At-large. George M. Troup (DR)

Kentucky

▌1. Anthony New (DR)

▌2. Samuel McKee (DR)

▌3. Stephen Ormsby (DR)

▌4. Richard M. Johnson (DR)

▌5. Henry Clay (DR)

▌6. Joseph Desha (DR)

Louisiana

▌At-large. Thomas B. Robertson (DR), from December 23, 1812 (newly admitted state)

Maryland

The 5th district was a plural district with two representatives.

▌1. Philip Stuart (F)

▌2. Joseph Kent (DR)

▌3. Philip B. Key (F)

▌4. Samuel Ringgold (DR)

▌5. Peter Little (DR)

▌5. Alexander McKim (DR)

▌6. John Montgomery (DR), until April 29, 1811

▌Stevenson Archer (DR), from October 26, 1811

▌7. Robert Wright (DR)

▌8. Charles Goldsborough (F)

Massachusetts

▌1. Josiah Quincy (F)

▌2. William Reed (F)

▌3. Leonard White (F)

▌4. Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR), until June 29, 1811

▌William M. Richardson (DR), from November 4, 1811

▌5. William Ely (F)

▌6. Samuel Taggart (F)

▌7. Charles Turner Jr. (DR)

▌8. Isaiah L. Green (DR)

▌9. Laban Wheaton (F)

▌10. Elijah Brigham (F)

▌11. Abijah Bigelow (F)

▌12. Ezekiel Bacon (DR)

▌13. Ebenezer Seaver (DR)

▌14. Richard Cutts (DR)

▌15. William Widgery (DR)

▌16. Peleg Tallman (DR)

▌17. Barzillai Gannett (DR), until sometime in 1812 before April 6 ([data missing])

▌Francis Carr (DR), from April 6, 1812

New Hampshire

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

▌At-large. Josiah Bartlett Jr. (DR)

▌At-large. Samuel Dinsmoor (DR)

▌At-large. Obed Hall (DR)

▌At-large. John A. Harper (DR)

▌At-large. George Sullivan (F)

New Jersey

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

▌At-large. Adam Boyd (DR)

▌At-large. Lewis Condict (DR)

▌At-large. Jacob Hufty (DR)

▌At-large. George C. Maxwell (DR)

▌At-large. James Morgan (DR)

▌At-large. Thomas Newbold (DR)

New York

There were two plural districts, the 2nd & 6th each had two representatives.

▌1. Ebenezer Sage (DR)

▌2. Samuel L. Mitchill (DR)

▌2. William Paulding Jr. (DR)

▌3. Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr. (DR)

▌4. James Emott (F)

▌5. Thomas B. Cooke (DR)

▌6. Asa Fitch (F)

▌6. Robert Le Roy Livingston (F), until May 6, 1812

▌Thomas P. Grosvenor (F) from January 29, 1813

▌7. Harmanus Bleecker (F)

▌8. Benjamin Pond (DR)

▌9. Thomas Sammons (DR)

▌10. Silas Stow (DR)

▌11. Thomas R. Gold (F)

▌12. Arunah Metcalf (DR)

▌13. Uri Tracy (DR)

▌14. Daniel Avery (DR)

▌15. Peter B. Porter (DR)

North Carolina

▌1. Lemuel Sawyer (DR)

▌2. Willis Alston (DR)

▌3. Thomas Blount (DR), until February 7, 1812

▌William Kennedy (DR), from January 30, 1813

▌4. William Blackledge (DR)

▌5. William R. King (DR)

▌6. Nathaniel Macon (DR)

▌7. Archibald McBryde (F)

▌8. Richard Stanford (DR)

▌9. James Cochran (DR)

▌10. Joseph Pearson (F)

▌11. Israel Pickens (DR)

▌12. Meshack Franklin (DR)

Ohio

▌At-large. Jeremiah Morrow (DR)

Pennsylvania

There were four plural districts, the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd had three representatives each, the 4th had two representatives.

▌1. William Anderson (DR)

▌1. James Milnor (F)

▌1. Adam Seybert (DR)

▌2. Robert Brown (DR)

▌2. Jonathan Roberts (DR)

▌2. William Rodman (DR)

▌3. Roger Davis (DR)

▌3. John M. Hyneman (DR)

▌3. Joseph Lefever (DR)

▌4. David Bard (DR)

▌4. Robert Whitehill (DR)

▌5. George Smith (DR)

▌6. William Crawford (DR)

▌7. William Piper (DR)

▌8. William Findley (DR)

▌9. John Smilie (DR), until December 30, 1812, vacant thereafter

▌10. Aaron Lyle (DR)

▌11. Abner Lacock (DR)

Rhode Island

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

▌At-large. Richard Jackson Jr. (F)

▌At-large. Elisha R. Potter (F)

South Carolina

▌1. Langdon Cheves (DR)

▌2. William Butler Sr. (DR)

▌3. David R. Williams (DR)

▌4. William Lowndes (DR)

▌5. Richard Winn (DR)

▌6. John C. Calhoun (DR)

▌7. Thomas Moore (DR)

▌8. Elias Earle (DR)

Tennessee

▌1. John Rhea (DR)

▌2. John Sevier (DR)

▌3. Felix Grundy (DR)

Vermont

▌1. Samuel Shaw (DR)

▌2. William Strong (DR)

▌3. James Fisk (DR)

▌4. Martin Chittenden (F)

Virginia

▌1. Thomas Wilson (F)

▌2. John Baker (F)

▌3. John Smith (DR)

▌4. William McCoy (DR)

▌5. James Breckinridge (F)

▌6. Daniel Sheffey (F)

▌7. Joseph Lewis Jr. (F)

▌8. John P. Hungerford (DR), until November 29, 1811

▌John Taliaferro (DR), from November 29, 1811

▌9. Aylett Hawes (DR)

▌10. John Dawson (DR)

▌11. John Roane (DR)

▌12. Burwell Bassett (DR)

▌13. William A. Burwell (DR)

▌14. Matthew Clay (DR)

▌15. John Randolph (DR)

▌16. James Pleasants (DR)

▌17. Thomas Gholson Jr. (DR)

▌18. Peterson Goodwyn (DR)

▌19. Edwin Gray (DR)

▌20. Thomas Newton Jr. (DR)

▌21. Hugh Nelson (DR)

▌22. John Clopton (DR)

Non-voting members

Illinois Territory. Shadrack Bond, from December 3, 1812

Indiana Territory. Jonathan Jennings

Mississippi Territory. George Poindexter

Missouri Territory. Edward Hempstead, from November 9, 1812

Orleans Territory, vacant until April 29, 1812

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

Senate

Replacements: 1
- Democratic-Republicans: no net change
- Federalists: no net change
Deaths: 0
Resignations: 4
Interim appointments: 1
Seats of newly admitted states: 2
Vacancies:1
Total seats with changes: 6

Senate changes
State (class)	Vacated by	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation^[b]
Massachusetts (2)	Vacant	Legislature elected late. Successor elected June 29, 1811.	Joseph B. Varnum (DR)	June 29, 1811
Rhode Island (1)	Christopher G. Champlin (F)	Resigned October 2, 1811 Successor elected October 28, 1811.	William Hunter (F)	October 28, 1811
Tennessee (2)	Jenkin Whiteside (DR)	Resigned October 8, 1811. Successor elected October 8, 1811.	George W. Campbell (DR)	October 8, 1811
Louisiana (3)	New seat	Louisiana was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812. Inaugural Senator elected September 3, 1812, for the term ending March 4, 1813.	Allan B. Magruder (DR)	September 3, 1812
Louisiana (2)	New seat	Louisiana was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812. Inaugural Senator elected September 3, 1812, for the term ending March 4, 1817.	Jean Noel Destréhan (DR)	September 3, 1812
	Jean N. Destréhan (DR)	Resigned October 1, 1812, without having qualified. Successor appointed October 8, 1812, to continue the term ending March 4, 1817.	Thomas Posey (DR)	October 8, 1812
	Thomas Posey (DR)	Appointee lost election to finish the term. Successor elected February 4, 1813.	James Brown (DR)	February 5, 1813

House of Representatives

Replacements: 3
- Democratic-Republicans: no net change
- Federalists: no net change
Deaths: 2
Resignations: 5
Contested election: 1
Seats of newly admitted states: 1
Vacancies: 1
Total seats with changes: 10

House changes
District	Vacated by	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation^[b]
Maryland 6th	John Montgomery (DR)	Resigned April 29, 1811, to become attorney General of Maryland	Stevenson Archer (DR)	Seated October 26, 1811
Massachusetts 4th	Joseph B. Varnum (DR)	Resigned June 29, 1811, to become U.S. Senator	William M. Richardson (DR)	Seated November 4, 1811
Virginia 8th	John Hungerford (DR)	Lost contested election November 29, 1811	John Taliaferro (DR)	Seated November 29, 1811
Massachusetts 17th	Barzillai Gannett (DR)	Resigned sometime in 1812 before April 6 ([data missing])	Francis Carr (DR)	Seated April 6, 1812
North Carolina 3rd	Thomas Blount (DR)	Died February 7, 1812	William Kennedy (DR)	Seated January 30, 1813
Orleans Territory	Julien de Lallande Poydras had resigned in the previous Congress, and the seat remained vacant until the territory became the state of Louisiana on April 30, 1812		Thomas B. Robertson (DR)	Seated April 30, 1812
Louisiana at-large			Thomas B. Robertson (DR)	Seated April 30, 1812
New York 6th	Robert Le Roy Livingston (F)	Resigned May 6, 1812	Thomas P. Grosvenor (F)	Seated January 29, 1813
Georgia at-large	Howell Cobb (DR)	Resigned sometime before October 1812 ([data missing])	William Barnett (DR)	Seated October 5, 1812
Missouri Territory	Territory delegate seat established		Edward Hempstead	Seated November 9, 1812
Illinois Territory	Territory delegate seat established		Shadrach Bond	Seated December 3, 1812
Pennsylvania 9th	John Smilie (DR)	Died December 30, 1812	Vacant	Not filled until next Congress

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Michael Leib)
Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Nicholas Gilman)
National University
Whole

House of Representatives

Accounts (Chairman: Charles Turner Jr.)
Apportionment of Representatives (Select)
Bankruptcy (Select)
Claims (Chairman: Burwell Bassett then Thomas Gholson Jr.)
Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Thomas Newton Jr.)
District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph Lewis Jr.)
Elections (Chairman: William Findley)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: John Rhea)
Public Lands (Chairman: Jeremiah Morrow)
Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Adam Seybert then Burwell Bassett)
Rules (Select)
Standards of Official Conduct
Ways and Means (Chairman: Ezekiel Bacon then Langdon Cheves)
Whole

Joint committees

Enrolled Bills (Chairman: [data missing])
The Library (Chairman: N/A)

Employees

Legislative branch agency directors

Architect of the Capitol: Benjamin Latrobe, until July 1, 1811; vacant thereafter
Librarian of Congress: Patrick Magruder

Senate

Chaplain: Walter D. Addison (Presbyterian), until November 13, 1811
- John Brackenridge (Presbyterian), from November 13, 1811
Secretary: Samuel A. Otis
Sergeant at Arms: James Mathers, died
- Mountjoy Bayly, elected November 6, 1811

House of Representatives

Chaplain: Jesse Lee (Methodist), until November 13, 1811
- Nicholas Snethen (Methodist), elected November 13, 1811
- Jesse Lee (Methodist), elected November 2, 1812
Clerk: Patrick Magruder
Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
Reading Clerks: [data missing]
Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn

Notes

^ U.S. Vice President George Clinton's term as President of the Senate ended on April 20, 1812 when he died in office, President pro tempore William H. Crawford acted his duties as the President of the Senate.
^ ^a ^b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

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.