List of members of the United States House of Representatives in the 11th Congress by seniority

This is a list of members of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 11th United States Congress by seniority. For the most part, representatives are ranked by the beginning of their terms in office.

As an historical article, the districts and party affiliations listed reflect those during the 11th Congress (March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1811). Seats and party affiliations on similar lists for other Congresses will be different for certain members.

This article describes the criteria for seniority in the House of Representatives and sets out the list of members by seniority. It is prepared on the basis of the interpretation of seniority applied to the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress. In the absence of information to the contrary, it is presumed that the twenty-first century practice is identical to the seniority customs used during the 11th Congress.

House seniority

Seniority in the House, for Congressmen with unbroken service, depends on the date on which the members first term began. That date is either the start of the Congress (4 March in odd numbered years, for the era up to and including the 73rd Congress starting in 1933) or the date of a special election during the Congress. Since many members start serving on the same day as others, ranking between them is based on alphabetical order by the last name of the congressman.

Congressmen, in early Congresses, were often elected after the legal start of the Congress. Such representatives are attributed with unbroken seniority, from the legal start of the congressional term, if they were the first person elected to a seat in a Congress. The date of the election is indicated in a note.

The seniority date is normally taken from the members entry in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, except where the date given is the legal start of the Congress and the actual election (for someone who was not the first person elected to the seat in that Congress) was later. The date of election is taken from United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997. In a few instances the latter work provides dates, for the start and end of terms, which correct those in the Biographical Directory.

The Biographical Directory normally uses the date of a special election, as the seniority date. However, mostly in early Congresses, the date of the member taking his seat can be the one given. The date of the special election is mentioned in a note to the list below, when that date is not used as the seniority date by the Biographical Directory.

Representatives who returned to the House, after having previously served, are credited with service equal to one less than the total number of terms they served. When a representative has served a prior term of less than two terms (i.e. prior term minus one equals less than one), he is ranked above all others whose service begins on the same day.

Leadership

In this Congress the only formal leader was the Speaker of the House. Two Speakership ballots were held on May 22, 1809 and Joseph B. Varnum (DR-MA) was re-elected for a second consecutive term.

Candidate	1st Ballot	2nd Ballot
Joseph B. Varnum (DR-MA)	60	65
Nathaniel Macon (DR-NC)	36	45
Timothy Pitkin (F-CT)	20	6
Charles Goldsborough (F-MD)	1	1
Benjamin Howard (DR-KY)	0	1
Roger Nelson (DR-MD)	1	1
blank ballots	2	0

The title Dean of the House (sometimes known, in the nineteenth century, as Father of the House) was held by the member with the longest continuous service. It was not a leadership position.

Standing Committees

The House created its first standing committee, on April 13, 1789. There were nine standing committees, listed in the rules initially used by the 11th Congress.

Committees, in this period, were appointed for a session at a time by the Speaker.

This list refers to the standing committees of the House in the 11th Congress, the year of establishment as a standing committee, the number of members assigned to the committee and the dates of appointment in each session, the end of the session and its chairman. Chairmen, who were re-appointed after serving in the previous Congress, are indicated by an *.

The first session was May 22, 1809-June 28, 1809 (38 days), the second session was November 27, 1809-May 1, 1810 (156 days) and the third session was December 3, 1810-March 3, 1811 (91 days).

No.	Committee	From	Mbrs	Appointed	Chairman
01	Accounts	1805	3	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	*Nicholas R. Moore (DR-MD)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810	William Milnor (F-PA)
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811	Nicholas R. Moore (DR-MD)
02	Claims	1794	7	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	Richard M. Johnson (DR-KY)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811	Erastus Root (DR-NY)
03	Commerce and Manufactures	1795	7	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	*Thomas Newton, Jr. (DR-VA)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811
04	District of Columbia	1808	7	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	John Love (DR-VA)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811	Archibald Van Horne (DR-MD)
05	Elections	1789	7	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	*William Findley (DR-PA)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811
06	Post Office and Post Roads	1808	17	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	*John Rhea (DR-TN)
			16	November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811
07	Public Lands	1805	7	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	*Jeremiah Morrow (DR-OH)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811
08	Revisal and Unfinished Business	1795	3	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	Henry Southard (DR-NJ)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811
09	Ways and Means	1802	7	May 23, 1809-June 28, 1809	John W. Eppes (DR-VA)
				November 28, 1809-May 1, 1810
				December 6, 1810-March 3, 1811

List of Representatives by seniority

A numerical rank is assigned to each of the 142 members initially elected to the 11th Congress. Other members, who were not the first person elected to a seat but who joined the House during the Congress, are not assigned a number.

One Representative-elect was not sworn in, as he did not qualify before he resigned. The list below includes the Representative-elect (with name in italics), with the seniority he would have held if he had been sworn in.

Party designations used in this article are DR for Democratic-Republican members and F for Federalist representatives. Designations used for service in the first three congresses are (A) for Anti-Administration members and (P) for Pro-Administration representatives.

Rank	Representative	Party	District	Seniority date	Notes
Ten consecutive terms
001	Nathaniel Macon	DR	NC-6	March 4, 1791	(A) 1791-95. Dean of the House.
Eight consecutive terms
002	Joseph B. Varnum	DR	MA-4	March 4, 1795	Speaker of the House
003	Samuel W. Dana	F	CT-al	January 3, 1797	Resigned to become US Senator: May 10, 1810
Eight non-consecutive terms
004	William Findley	DR	PA-8	March 4, 1803	Previously served (A) 1791-95 and (DR) 1795-99. Chairman: Elections.
Seven consecutive terms
005	Matthew Clay	DR	VA-14	March 4, 1797	Elected to this Congress: April 1809
006	John Dawson	DR	VA-10
007	Richard Stanford	DR	NC-8
008	Robert Brown	DR	PA-2	December 4, 1798
Seven non-consecutive terms
009	John Clopton	DR	VA-22	March 4, 1801	Previously served (DR) 1795-99. Elected to this Congress: April 1809.
010	John Smilie	DR	PA-9	March 4, 1799	Previously served (A) 1793-95
011	Richard Winn	DR	SC-5	January 24, 1803	Previously served (A) 1793-95 and (DR) 1795-97
Six consecutive terms
012	Willis Alston	DR	NC-2	March 4, 1799
013	John Davenport	F	CT-al
014	Edwin Gray	DR	VA-19		Elected to this Congress: April 1809
015	John Randolph	DR	VA-15
Six non-consecutive terms
016	David Bard	DR	PA-4	March 4, 1803	Previously served (DR) 1795-99
017	James Holland	DR	NC-11	March 4, 1801	Previously served (DR) 1795-97. Last term.
018	Matthew Lyon	DR	KY-1	March 4, 1803	Previously served (DR-VT) 1797-1801. Last term.
Five consecutive terms
019	William Butler	DR	SC-2	March 4, 1801
020	John Campbell	F	MD-1		Last term
021	William Helms	DR	NJ-al
022	Thomas Moore	DR	SC-7
023	Thomas Newton, Jr.	DR	VA-20		Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Chairman: Commerce and Manufactures.
024	John Smith	DR	VA-3		Elected to this Congress: April 1809
025	Henry Southard	DR	NJ-al		Chairman: Revisal and Unfinished Business. Last term until 14th Congress.
026	Killian K. Van Rensselaer	F	NY-7		Last term
027	Richard Cutts	DR	MA-14	June 22, 1801
028	Benjamin Tallmadge	F	CT-al	September 21, 1801
Five non-consecutive terms
029	Walter Jones	DR	VA-8	March 4, 1803	Previously served (DR) 1797-99. Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Last term.
Four consecutive terms
030	Martin Chittenden	F	VT-4	March 4, 1803
031	John W. Eppes	DR	VA-16		Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Chairman: Ways and Means. Last term until 13th Congress.
032	Peterson Goodwyn	DR	VA-18		Elected to this Congress: April 1809
033	John G. Jackson	DR	VA-1		Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Resigned September 28, 1810. Last term until 13th Congress.
034	Joseph Lewis, Jr.	F	VA-7		Elected to this Congress: April 1809
035	Nicholas R. Moore	DR	MD-5		Chairman: Accounts (1809 and 1810–11). Last term until 13th Congress.
036	Jeremiah Morrow	DR	OH-al		Chairman: Public Lands
037	John Rea	DR	PA-7		Last term until 13th Congress
038	John Rhea	DR	TN-al		Elected to this Congress: May 4–5, 1809. Washington District. Chairman: Post Office and Post Roads.
039	Ebenezer Seaver	DR	MA-13
040	William Stedman	F	MA-11		Resigned July 16, 1810
041	Samuel Taggart	F	MA-6
042	Roger Nelson	DR	MD-4	November 6, 1804	Resigned May 14, 1810
Three consecutive terms
043	Burwell Bassett	DR	VA-12	March 4, 1805	Elected to this Congress: April 1809
044	Orchard Cook	DR	MA-16		Last term
045	William Ely	F	MA-5
046	Charles Goldsborough	F	MD-8
047	Robert Marion	DR	SC-1		Resigned December 4, 1810
048	Jonathan O. Moseley	F	CT-al
049	Gurdon S. Mumford	DR	NY-2		Last term
050	Josiah Quincy	F	MA-1
051	Thomas Kenan	DR	NC-5	August 8, 1805	Last term
052	Timothy Pitkin	F	CT-al	September 16, 1805
053	Lewis B. Sturges	F	CT-al
054	Samuel Smith	DR	PA-11	November 7, 1805	Last term
055	Robert Whitehill	DR	PA-4
056	Dennis Smelt	DR	GA-al	September 1, 1806	Last term
057	William A. Burwell	DR	VA-13	December 1, 1806	Elected to this Congress: April 1809
058	John Porter	DR	PA-1	December 8, 1806	Last term
059	William W. Bibb	DR	GA-al	January 26, 1807
Three non-consecutive terms
060	Thomas Sammons	DR	NY-9	March 4, 1809	Previously served (DR) 1803-07
061	John Thompson	DR	NY-8	March 4, 1807	Previously served (DR) 1799-1801. Last term.
062	Adam Boyd	DR	NJ-al	March 8, 1808	Previously served (DR) 1803-05
Two consecutive terms
063	Lemuel J. Alston	DR	SC-8	March 4, 1807	Last term
064	Epaphroditus Champion	F	CT-al
065	Howell Cobb	DR	GA-al
066	Joseph Desha	DR	KY-6
067	Meshack Franklin	DR	NC-12
068	Barent Gardenier	F	NY-5		Last term
069	Benjamin Howard	DR	KY-5		Resigned April 10, 1810
070	Robert Jenkins	F	PA-3		Last term
071	Richard M. Johnson	DR	KY-4		Chairman: Claims (1809–10)
072	Philip B. Key	F	MD-3
073	Edward S. Livermore	F	MA-3		Last term
074	John Love	DR	VA-9		Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Chairman: District of Columbia (1809–10). Last term.
075	William Milnor	F	PA-2		Chairman: Accounts (1809–10). Last term until 14th Congress.
076	John Montgomery	DR	MD-6
077	Thomas Newbold	DR	NJ-al
078	Wilson C. Nicholas	DR	VA-21		Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Resigned November 27, 1809.
079	Matthias Richards	DR	PA-3		Last term
080	Lemuel Sawyer	DR	NC-1
081	John Taylor	DR	SC-4		Resigned, to become US Senator: December 30, 1810
082	George M. Troup	DR	GA-al
083	Jabez Upham	F	MA-10		Resigned 1810
084	Archibald Van Horne	DR	MD-2		Chairman: District of Columbia (1810–11). Last term.
085	Joseph Calhoun	DR	SC-6	June 2, 1807	Last term
086	Ezekiel Bacon	DR	MA-12	September 16, 1807
087	Nicholas Van Dyke	F	DE-al	October 6, 1807	Last term
088	Samuel Shaw	DR	VT-1	September 6, 1808
089	Thomas Gholson, Jr.	DR	VA-17	November 7, 1808
090	Richard Jackson, Jr.	F	RI-al	November 11, 1808
091	Benjamin Say	DR	PA-1	November 16, 1808	Resigned June 1809
Two non-consecutive terms
092	William Chamberlain	F	VT-3	March 4, 1809	Previously served (F) 1803-05. Last term.
093	William Kennedy	DR	NC-3		Previously served (DR) 1803-05. Last term until seated in 12th Congress.
094	Erastus Root	DR	NY-12		Previously served (DR) 1803-05. Chairman: Claims (1810–11). Last term until 14th Congress.
095	John Stanly	F	NC-4		Previously served (F) 1801-03. Last term.
096	James Stephenson	F	VA-2		Previously served 1803-05. Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Last term until 17th Congress.
097	Uri Tracy	DR	NY-13		Previously served (DR) 1805-07
098	Elisha R. Potter	F	RI-al		Previously served (F) November 15, 1796–97
One term
099	William Anderson	DR	PA-1	March 4, 1809
100	William Baylies	F	MA-7		Unseated, after election contest: June 28, 1809. Only term until 13th Congress.
101	Daniel Blaisdell	F	NH-al		Only term
102	James Breckinridge	F	VA-5		Elected to this Congress: April 1809
103	John Brown	DR	MD-7		Resigned: 1810
104	John C. Chamberlain	F	NH-al		Only term
105	James Cochran	DR	NC-9
106	James Cox	DR	NJ-al		Died: September 12, 1810
107	William Crawford	DR	PA-1
108	Henry Crist	DR	KY-3		Only term
109	William Denning	DR	NY-2		Resigned, as Representative-elect: c. February 1810
110	James Emott	F	NY-4
111	Jonathan Fisk	DR	NY-3		Only term until 13th Congress.
112	Barzillai Gannett	DR	MA-17
113	Gideon Gardner	DR	MA-8		Only term
114	Thomas R. Gold	F	NY-11
115	William Hale	F	NH-al		Only term until 13th Congress
116	Nathaniel A. Haven	F	NH-al		Only term
117	Daniel Hiester	DR	PA-3
118	Jonathan H. Hubbard	F	VT-2
119	Jacob Hufty	DR	NJ-al
120	Herman Knickerbocker	F	NY-6		Only term
121	Robert L. Livingston	F	NY-6
122	Aaron Lyle	DR	PA-10
123	Vincent Mathews	F	NY-14		Only term
124	Archibald McBryde	F	NC-7
125	Samuel McKee	DR	KY-2
126	Alexander McKim	DR	MD-5
127	Pleasant M. Miller	DR	TN-al		Elected to this Congress: May 4–5, 1809. Hamilton District. Only term.
128	John Nicholson	DR	NY-10		Only term
129	Joseph Pearson	F	NC-10
130	Benjamin Pickman, Jr.	F	MA-2		Only term
131	Peter B. Porter	DR	NY-15
132	John Roane	DR	VA-11		Elected to this Congress: April 1809
133	John Ross	DR	PA-2		Only term until 14th Congress
134	Ebenezer Sage	DR	NY-1
135	Daniel Sheffey	F	VA-6		Elected to this Congress: April 1809
136	George Smith	DR	PA-5
137	Jacob Swoope	F	VA-4		Elected to this Congress: April 1809. Only term.
138	Robert Weakley	DR	TN-al		Elected to this Congress: May 4–5, 1809. Mero District. Only term.
139	Laban Wheaton	F	MA-9
140	Ezekiel Whitman	F	MA-15		Only term until 15th Congress
141	James Wilson	F	NH-al		Only term
142	Robert Witherspoon	DR	SC-3
Members joining the House, after the start of the Congress
...	Charles Turner, Jr.	DR	MA-7	June 28, 1809	Seated after election contest
...	Adam Seybert	DR	PA-1	October 10, 1809	Special election
...	David S. Garland	DR	VA-21	January 17, 1810	Special election: December 1809. Only term.
...	William T. Barry	DR	KY-5	August 8, 1810	Special election: August 6, 1810. Only term.
...	Joseph Allen	F	MA-10	October 8, 1810	Special election. Only term.
...	Abijah Bigelow	F	MA-11		Special election
...	Ebenezer Huntington	F	CT-al	October 11, 1810	Special election: September 17, 1810. Only term until 15th Congress.
...	Samuel Ringgold	DR	MD-4	October 15, 1810	Special election: October 1, 1810
...	John A. Scudder	DR	NJ-al	October 31, 1810	Special election: October 30–31, 1810. Only term.
...	Robert Wright	DR	MD-7	November 29, 1810	Special election: November 15, 1810
...	Samuel L. Mitchill	DR	NY-2	December 4, 1810	Previously served (DR) 1801-November 22, 1804. Special election: April 24–26, 1810.
...	William McKinley	DR	VA-1	December 21, 1810	Special election: November 1810. Only term.
...	Langdon Cheves	DR	SC-1	December 31, 1810	Special election
Non voting members
a	George Poindexter	-	MS-al	March 4, 1807	Delegate from Mississippi Territory
b	Julien De L. Poydras	-	OL-al	March 4, 1809	Delegate from Orleans Territory. Only term.
c	Jonathan Jennings	-	IN-al	November 27, 1809	Delegate from Indiana Territory

See also

• 11th United States Congress
• List of United States Senators in the 11th Congress by seniority

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

• United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, by Michael J. Dubin (McFarland and Company 1998) ISBN 0-7864-0283-0

External links

• House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• House of Representatives list of members of the 11th Congress