1797

Events from the year **1797 in the United States**.

## Incumbents

### Federal Government

* President: George Washington (F-VA) (until March 4), John Adams (F-MA) (starting March 4)
* Vice President: John Adams (F-MA) (until March 4), Thomas Jefferson (DR-VA) (starting March 4)
* Chief Justice: Oliver Ellsworth (CT)
* Speaker of the House of Representatives: Jonathan Dayton (F-NJ)
* Congress: 4th (until March 4), 5th (starting March 4)

Governors
* Governor of Connecticut: Oliver Wolcott (Federalist) (until December 1), Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (Federalist) (starting December 1)
* Governor of Delaware: Gunning Bedford, Sr. (Federalist) (until September 28), Daniel Rogers (Federalist) (starting September 28)
* Governor of Georgia: Jared Irwin (Democratic-Republican)
* Governor of Kentucky: James Garrard (Democratic-Republican)
* Governor of Maryland: John Hoskins Stone (Federalist) (until November 17), John Henry (Democratic-Republican) (starting November 17)
* Governor of Massachusetts: Samuel Adams (no political party) (until June 2), Increase Sumner (Federalist) (starting June 2)
* Governor of New Hampshire: John Taylor Gilman (Democratic-Republican)
* Governor of New Jersey: Richard Howell (Federalist)
* Governor of New York: John Jay (Federalist)
* Governor of North Carolina: Samuel Ashe (Anti-Federalist)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: Thomas Mifflin (no political party)
* Governor of Rhode Island: Arthur Fenner (Country)
* Governor of South Carolina: Charles Pinckney (Democratic-Republican)
* Governor of Tennessee: John Sevier (Democratic-Republican)
* Governor of Vermont:
	+ Until August 25: Thomas Chittenden (no political party)
	+ August 25-October 16: Paul Brigham (Democratic-Republican)
	+ starting October 16: Isaac Tichenor (Federalist)
* Governor of Virginia: James Wood (Democratic-Republican)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (Federalist) (until December 1), John Treadwell (Federalist) (starting December 1)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Moses Gill (political party unknown)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Stephen Van Rensselaer (political party unknown)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Samuel J. Potter (Democratic-Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Robert Anderson (Democratic-Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Paul Brigham (Democratic-Republican)

## Events

* January 3 – The Treaty of Tripoli (a peace treaty between the United States and Tripoli) is signed at Algiers.
* February 22 – The last invasion of Britain: An American colonel named William Tate leads French forces in a landing near Fishguard in Wales.
* March 4 – John Adams is sworn in as the 2nd President of the United States, and Thomas Jefferson is sworn in as Vice President of the United States.
* April 17 – Sir Ralph Abercromby unsuccessfully invades San Juan, Puerto Rico in what will be one of the largest British attacks on Spanish territories in the western hemisphere, and one of the worst defeats of the English navy for years to come.
* May 10 – The first ship of the United States Navy, the frigate USS *United States*, is commissioned.
* October 21 – In Boston Harbor, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS *Constitution* is launched to fight Barbary pirates off the coast of Tripoli.

## Memoriam

* November 26 – Andrew Adams, signatory of the Articles of Confederation (aged 61; Litchfield, CT, USA)