# 4th United States Congress

The 4th 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 at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 4, 1795, to March 4, 1797, during the last two years of George Washington's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1790 United States census. The Senate had a Federalist majority, and the House had a Democratic-Republican majority.

## Major events

* September 17, 1796: Washington's Farewell Address warned against partisan politics and foreign entanglements.
* November 4 - December 7, 1796: 1796 United States presidential election: Incumbent vice president John Adams defeated Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson.

## Treaties ratified

* June 24, 1795: Treaty of London ("Jay's Treaty")
* March 7, 1796: Treaty of Madrid ("Pinckney's Treaty")

## States admitted

* June 1, 1796: Tennessee admitted as a state; formerly the Territory South of the River Ohio, Sess. 1, ch. 47, 1 Stat. 1 - 491 491

## Party summary

This was the first Congress to have organized political parties. Details on changes are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

### Senate

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic- Republican (DR) | Federalist (F) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 13 | 17 | 30 | 0 |
| Begin | 10 | 20 | 30 | 0 |
| End | 11 | 21 | 32 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 34.4% | 65.6% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 9 | 22 | 31 | 1 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic- Republican (DR) | Federalist (F) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 54 | 49 | 103 | 2 |
| Begin | 58 | 46 | 104 | 1 |
| End | 59 | 47 | 106 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 55.7% | 44.3% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 57 | 49 | 106 | 0 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* President: John Adams (F)
* President pro tempore:
** Henry Tazewell (F), first elected December 7, 1795
** Samuel Livermore (F), first elected May 6, 1796
** William Bingham (F), first elected February 16, 1797

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: Jonathan Dayton (F)

## Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
    Skip to House of Representatives, below

### 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 1796; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1798; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1800.

### House of Representatives
## Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress

### Senate

There were 10 resignations, 2 new seats, and 1 election to replace an appointee. There was a 1-seat gain for both the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

### House of Representatives

There were 9 resignations, 1 death of a Representative-elect, and 1 new seat. There was a 1-seat gain for both the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

### Senate

* Whole

### House of Representatives

* Claims (Chairman: Uriah Tracy then Dwight Foster)
* Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Benjamin Goodhue then John Swanwick)
* Elections (Chairman: Abraham B. Venable)
* Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Nicholas Gilman)
* Rules (Select)
* Ways and Means (Chairman: William Loughton Smith)
* Whole

### Joint committees

* Enrolled Bills (Chairman: N/A then Richard Stockton)

## Officers

* Architect of the Capitol: William Thornton

### Senate

* Chaplain: William White, Episcopalian
* Doorkeeper: James Mathers
* Secretary: Samuel A. Otis

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: Ashbel Green, Presbyterian
* Clerk: John Beckley
* Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
* Reading Clerks: [data missing]
* Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton