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: 1812 United States presidential election: Incumbent James Madison beat DeWitt Clinton. United States Senate elections, 1812 and 1813 United States House of Representatives elections, 1812 and 1813
Major legislation
The Embargo Act of 1812
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
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.
House of Representatives During this congress, one new House seat was added for the new state of Louisiana.
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
Connecticut 1. Samuel W. Dana (F) 3. Chauncey Goodrich (F)
Delaware 1. Outerbridge Horsey (F) 2. James A. Bayard (F)
Georgia 2. William H. Crawford (DR) 3. Charles Tait (DR)
Kentucky 2. George M. Bibb (DR) 3. John Pope (DR)
Louisiana 2. Jean N. Destréhan (DR), September 3, 1812 – October 1, 1812 Thomas Posey (DR), October 8, 1812 – February 4, 1813 James Brown (DR), from February 5, 1813 3. Allan B. Magruder (DR), from September 3, 1812
Maryland 1. Samuel Smith (DR) 3. Philip Reed (DR)
Massachusetts 1. James Lloyd (F) 2. Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR), from June 29, 1811
New Hampshire 2. Nicholas Gilman (DR) 3. Charles Cutts (F)
New Jersey 1. John Lambert (DR) 2. John Condit (DR)
New York 1. Obadiah German (DR) 3. John Smith (DR)
North Carolina 2. James Turner (DR) 3. Jesse Franklin (DR)
Ohio 1. Thomas Worthington (DR) 3. Alexander Campbell (DR)
Pennsylvania 1. Michael Leib (DR) 3. Andrew Gregg (DR)
Rhode Island 1. Christopher G. Champlin (F), until October 2, 1811 William Hunter (F), from October 28, 1811 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 representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Connecticut All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. . Epaphroditus Champion (F) . John Davenport (F) . Lyman Law (F) . Jonathan O. Moseley (F) . Timothy Pitkin (F) . Lewis B. Sturges (F) . Benjamin Tallmadge (F)
Delaware . Henry M. Ridgely (F)
Georgia All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. . William W. Bibb (DR) . Howell Cobb (DR), until before October, 1812 William Barnett (DR), from October 5, 1812 . Bolling Hall (DR) . George M. Troup (DR)
Kentucky . Anthony New (DR) . Samuel McKee (DR) . Stephen Ormsby (DR) . Richard M. Johnson (DR) . Henry Clay (DR) . Joseph Desha (DR)
Louisiana . Thomas B. Robertson (DR), from April 30, 1812 (newly admitted state)
Maryland The 5th district was a plural district with two representatives. . Philip Stuart (F) . Joseph Kent (DR) . Philip B. Key (F) . Samuel Ringgold (DR) . Peter Little (DR) . Alexander McKim (DR) . John Montgomery (DR), until April 29, 1811 Stevenson Archer (DR), from October 26, 1811 . Robert Wright (DR) . Charles Goldsborough (F)
Massachusetts . Josiah Quincy (F) . William Reed (F) . Leonard White (F) . Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR), until June 29, 1811 William M. Richardson (DR), from November 4, 1811 . William Ely (F) . Samuel Taggart (F) . Charles Turner Jr. (DR) . Isaiah L. Green (DR) . Laban Wheaton (F) . Elijah Brigham (F) . Abijah Bigelow (F) . Ezekiel Bacon (DR) . Ebenezer Seaver (DR) . Richard Cutts (DR) . William Widgery (DR) . Peleg Tallman (DR) . Barzillai Gannett (DR), until sometime in 1812 before April 6 () Francis Carr (DR), from April 6, 1812
New Hampshire All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. . Josiah Bartlett Jr. (DR) . Samuel Dinsmoor (DR) . Obed Hall (DR) . John A. Harper (DR) . George Sullivan (F)
New Jersey All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. . Adam Boyd (DR) . Lewis Condict (DR) . Jacob Hufty (DR) . George C. Maxwell (DR) . James Morgan (DR) . Thomas Newbold (DR)
New York There were two plural districts, the 2nd & 6th each had two representatives. . Ebenezer Sage (DR) . Samuel L. Mitchill (DR) . William Paulding Jr. (DR) . Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr. (DR) . James Emott (F) . Thomas B. Cooke (DR) . Asa Fitch (F) . Robert Le Roy Livingston (F), until May 6, 1812 Thomas P. Grosvenor (F) from January 29, 1813 . Harmanus Bleecker (F) . Benjamin Pond (DR) . Thomas Sammons (DR) . Silas Stow (DR) . Thomas R. Gold (F) . Arunah Metcalf (DR) . Uri Tracy (DR) . Daniel Avery (DR) . Peter B. Porter (DR)
North Carolina . Lemuel Sawyer (DR) . Willis Alston (DR) . Thomas Blount (DR), until February 7, 1812 William Kennedy (DR), from January 30, 1813 . William Blackledge (DR) . William R. King (DR) . Nathaniel Macon (DR) . Archibald McBryde (F) . Richard Stanford (DR) . James Cochran (DR) . Joseph Pearson (F) . Israel Pickens (DR) . Meshack Franklin (DR)
Ohio . Jeremiah Morrow (DR)
Pennsylvania There were four plural districts, the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd had three representatives each, the 4th had two representatives. . William Anderson (DR) . James Milnor (F) . Adam Seybert (DR) . Robert Brown (DR) . Jonathan Roberts (DR) . William Rodman (DR) . Roger Davis (DR) . John M. Hyneman (DR) . Joseph Lefever (DR) . David Bard (DR) . Robert Whitehill (DR) . George Smith (DR) . William Crawford (DR) . William Piper (DR) . William Findley (DR) . John Smilie (DR), until December 30, 1812, vacant thereafter . Aaron Lyle (DR) . Abner Lacock (DR)
Rhode Island Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. . Richard Jackson Jr. (F) . Elisha R. Potter (F)
South Carolina . Langdon Cheves (DR) . William Butler Sr. (DR) . David R. Williams (DR) . William Lowndes (DR) . Richard Winn (DR) . John C. Calhoun (DR) . Thomas Moore (DR) . Elias Earle (DR)
Tennessee . John Rhea (DR) . John Sevier (DR) . Felix Grundy (DR)
Vermont . Samuel Shaw (DR) . William Strong (DR) . James Fisk (DR) . Martin Chittenden (F)
Virginia . Thomas Wilson (F) . John Baker (F) . John Smith (DR) . William McCoy (DR) . James Breckinridge (F) . Daniel Sheffey (F) . Joseph Lewis Jr. (F) . John P. Hungerford (DR), until November 29, 1811 John Taliaferro (DR), from November 29, 1811 . Aylett Hawes (DR) . John Dawson (DR) . John Roane (DR) . Burwell Bassett (DR) . William A. Burwell (DR) . Matthew Clay (DR) . John Randolph (DR) . James Pleasants (DR) . Thomas Gholson Jr. (DR) . Peterson Goodwyn (DR) . Edwin Gray (DR) . Thomas Newton Jr. (DR) . Hugh Nelson (DR) . John Clopton (DR)
Non-voting members . Shadrach Bond, from December 3, 1812 . Jonathan Jennings . George Poindexter . Edward Hempstead, from November 9, 1812 , 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
| 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, 1811Successor 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
| rowspan=3 | 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
| | John Montgomery (DR) | Resigned April 29, 1811, to become attorney General of Maryland | | Stevenson Archer (DR) | Seated October 26, 1811
| | Joseph B. Varnum (DR) | Resigned June 29, 1811, to become U.S. Senator | | William M. Richardson (DR) | Seated November 4, 1811
| | John Hungerford (DR) | Lost contested election November 29, 1811 | | John Taliaferro (DR) | Seated November 29, 1811
| | Barzillai Gannett (DR) | Resigned sometime in 1812 before April 6 () | | Francis Carr (DR) | Seated April 6, 1812
| | Thomas Blount (DR) | Died February 7, 1812 | | William Kennedy (DR) | Seated January 30, 1813
| colspan=2 rowspan=2 | 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 | rowspan=2 | Thomas B. Robertson (DR) | rowspan=2 | Seated April 30, 1812
| | Robert Le Roy Livingston (F)