# 17th United States Congress

The 17th 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. While its term was officially March 4, 1821, to March 4, 1823, during the fifth and sixth years of James Monroe's presidency, its first session began on December 3, 1821, ending on May 8, 1822, and its second session began on December 2, 1822, to March 3, 1823. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1810 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.
The members William Smith, John Gaillard, Joseph Gist, John Wilson, George McDuffie, Starling Tucker, James Overstreet, Thomas R. Mitchell, William Lowndes, Joel Roberts Poinsett, and James Blair were described as being "outspokenly pro-British" in their outlook. All of whom signed a "letter of brotherhood and solidarity" addressed to British Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool and the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh in 1822. The same letter harshly condemned the actions of France and specifically those of King Louis XVIII.

## Major events

* March 5, 1821: Second inauguration of James Monroe as President of the United States.
* July 10, 1821: In accordance with the terms of the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty, sovereignty over Spanish Florida is officially transferred to the United States from Spain.
* December 3–4, 1821: The election for the House speakership takes 12 ballots.

## States admitted and territories organized

* August 10, 1821: Missouri was admitted as the 24th U.S. state
* March 30, 1822: Florida Territory was formed from the lands ceded by Spain known by the name East and West Florida

## 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 Senate seats were added for the new state of Missouri.
| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic- Republican (DR) | Federalist (F) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 38 | 8 | 46 | 0 |
| Begin | 39 | 4 | 43 | 3 |
| End | 43 | 4 | 47 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 91.5% | 8.5% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 42 | 3 | 45 | 3 |

### House of Representatives

For the beginning of this congress, six seats from Massachusetts were reapportioned to the new state of Maine (one seat had already moved during the previous congress), 3 Stat. 555. During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Missouri, 3 Stat. 547.
| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic- Republican (DR) | Federalist (F) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 159 | 24 | 183 | 3 |
| Begin | 150 | 31 | 181 | 5 |
| End | 154 | 31 | 185 | 2 |
| Final voting share | 83.2% | 16.8% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 188 | 24 | 212 | 1 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* President: Daniel D. Tompkins (DR)
* President pro tempore: John Gaillard (DR), elected December 3, 1821

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: Philip P. Barbour (DR), elected December 4, 1821, on the 12th ballot

## 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 began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1826; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1822; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1824.

### House of Representatives

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

## Changes in membership

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

### Senate

* Replacements: 5
** Democratic-Republicans: no net change
** Federalists: no net change
* Deaths: 2
* Resignations: 6
* Seats of newly admitted states: 2
* Vacancies: 3
* Total seats with changes: 12

### House of Representatives

* Replacements: 13
** Democratic-Republicans: 1 seat net gain
** Federalists: 1 seat net loss
* Deaths: 5
* Resignations: 15
* Contested election: 2
* Seats of newly admitted states: 1
* Total seats with changes: 23

## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

### Senate

* Amendments to the Constitution (Select)
* Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: James Lanman then Nathaniel Macon)
* Claims (Chairman: Benjamin Ruggles)
* Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Mahlon Dickerson)
* Debt Imprisonment Abolition (Select)
* District of Columbia (Chairman: James Barbour)
* Engrossed Bills (Chairman: James Lanman)
* Finance (Chairman: John Holmes then Walter Lowrie)
* Foreign Relations (Chairman: Rufus King then James Barbour)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: Henry Johnson)
* Judiciary (Chairman: William Smith)
* Military Affairs (Chairman: John Williams)
* Militia (Chairman: James Noble)
* National Road from Cumberland to Wheeling (Select)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: James Pleasants)
* Pensions (Chairman: James Noble)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Montfort Stokes)
* Public Lands (Chairman: Jesse B. Thomas)
* Roads and Canals (Select)
* Tariff Regulation (Select)
* Whole

### House of Representatives

* Accountability of Public Moneys (Select)
* Accounts (Chairman: Samuel C. Allen)
* Agriculture (Chairman: Josiah Butler)
* Arkansas Territorial Limits (Select)
* Claims (Chairman: Lewis Williams)
* Commerce (Chairman: Thomas Newton Jr.)
* District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph Kent)
* Elections (Chairman: John Sloane)
* Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Samuel Edwards)
* Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: George Denison)
* Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Silas Wood)
* Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: Albert H. Tracy)
* Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Starling Tucker)
* Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Hugh Nelson)
* Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Jonathan Russell)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: Thomas Metcalfe)
* Judiciary (Chairman: John Sergeant then Hugh Nelson)
* Manufactures (Chairman: John Tod)
* Military Affairs (Chairman: William Eustis)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: Timothy Fuller)
* Pensions and Revolutionary War Claims (Chairman: John Rhea)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Francis Johnson)
* Private Land Claims (Chairman: Samuel Campbell)
* Public Expenditures (Chairman: Thomas Montgomery)
* Public Lands (Chairman: Christopher Rankin)
* Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Thomas R. Ross)
* Rules (Select)
* Standards of Official Conduct
* Ways and Means (Chairman: Samuel Smith)
* Whole

### Joint committees

* Enrolled Bills
* The Library

## Employees
### Legislative branch agency directors

* Architect of the Capitol: Charles Bulfinch
* Librarian of Congress: George Watterston

### Senate

* Chaplain: William Ryland (Methodist), until December 9, 1822
** Charles P. McIlvaine (Episcopalian), elected December 9, 1822
* Secretary: Charles Cutts
* Sergeant at Arms: Mountjoy Bayly

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: John Nicholson Campbell (Presbyterian), until December 10, 1821
** Jared Sparks (Unitarian), elected December 10, 1821
** John Brackenridge (Presbyterian), elected December 5, 1822
* Clerk: Thomas Dougherty (died)
** Matthew St. Clair Clarke, elected December 3, 1822
* Doorkeeper: Benjamin Birch, elected December 4, 1821
* Reading Clerks: [data missing]
* Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn