1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections

The 1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between April 27, 1790, and October 11, 1791. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before or after the first session of the 2nd United States Congress convened on October 24, 1791. This was the first midterm election cycle, which took place in the middle of President George Washington's first term. The size of the House increased to 67 seats after the new state of Vermont elected its first representatives.

While formal political parties still did not exist, coalitions of pro-Washington (Pro-Admin.) representatives and anti-Administration representatives each gained two seats as a result of the addition of new states to the union.

Speaker Frederick Muhlenberg was succeeded by Jonathan Trumbull Jr., who became the 2nd Speaker of the House.

Retirements Either five or six incumbents did not seek re-election.

Anti-Administration

Maryland 4: William Smith retired. Virginia 6: Isaac Coles retired.

Aedanus Burke, a U.S. representative from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district, either retired or lost re-election but it is not known.

Pro-Administration

Pennsylvania at-large: George Clymer retired. Pennsylvania at-large: Henry Wynkoop retired. Pennsylvania at-large: Thomas Scott retired.

Election summaries In this period, each state fixed its own date for congressional general elections, as early as April 27, 1790 (in New York) and as late as October 11, 1791 (in Pennsylvania). Elections to a Congress took place both in the even-numbered year before and in the odd-numbered year when the Congress convened. In some states, the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year). The first session of this Congress was convened in Philadelphia on October 24, 1791.

Kentucky and Vermont became states during the 2nd Congress, adding two seats each. The legislation admitted Vermont was passed at the end of the 1st Congress taking effect on March 4, 1791, the first day of the 2nd Congress, so that Vermont was represented from the start of the Congress, while Kentucky was unrepresented until the 2nd session.

State Type Date Totalseats Pro-Administration Anti-Administration Seats Change Seats Change New York Districts April 27–29, 1790 6 4 1 2 1 New Hampshire At-large August 30, 1790 3 3 1 0 1 Virginia Districts September 1, 1790 10 2 1 8 1 Connecticut At-large September 20, 1790 5 5 0 Maryland Mixed October 4, 1790 6 3 1 3 1 Massachusetts Districts October 4, 1790 8 7 1 1 1 South Carolina Districts October 12, 1790 5 3 1 2 1 Rhode Island At-large October 19, 1790 1 1 0 Delaware At-large November 8, 1790 1 1 0 Georgia District January 3, 1791 3 0 3 New Jersey At-large January 26, 1791 4 4 0 North Carolina Districts January 28, 1791 5 2 3 Late elections (after the March 4, 1791, beginning of the term) Vermont Districts July 13, 1791 2 0 2 2 Pennsylvania Districts October 11, 1791 8 4 2 4 2 Kentucky Districts June 1, 1792 2 0 2 2 Total 67 39 3 30 1

Change in composition

End of the last Congress

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A V P P PMajority → P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P

Beginning of the next Congress

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A P P P PMajority → P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P

Key: A Anti-Administration P Pro-Administration V Vacant

Special elections

There were special elections in 1790 and 1791 during the 1st United States Congress and 2nd United States Congress. New states and newly ratified states are not included as special elections.

Elections are sorted by date then district.

1st Congress

2nd Congress

Connecticut

Connecticut elected all five of its representatives at-large on a general ticket on September 20, 1790.

| Jeremiah Wadsworth | | Pro-Administration | 1788 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Pro-Administration hold.Winner declined to serve; the incumbent was re-elected in a special election.

There were two subsequent special elections. The first was held to fill the vacancy left by Pierpont Edwards (Pro-Admin.) declining to serve and was won by Jeremiah Wadsworth (Pro-Admin.). The second was held September 19, 1791, to fill the vacancy left by Roger Sherman (Pro-Admin.)'s election to the Senate and was won by Amasa Learned (Pro-Admin.).

Delaware

Georgia

Georgia switched to a conventional district system for the Second Congress. At the time, the districts were not numbered, but are retroactively renumbered as the , , and respectively here.

Kentucky

Kentucky was admitted during the 2nd Congress and elected its first representatives in 1792.

Maryland

Under Maryland law for the election for the 1st and 2nd Congresses "candidates were elected at-large but had to be residents of a specific district with the statewide vote determining winners from each district."

In Maryland, two local factions briefly emerged, the Chesapeake and Potomac (or Potowmack) "parties". The Potomac faction, consisting of individuals from the small counties of southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore, aimed to maintain their status by curbing the increasing influence of the city of Baltimore and the more populous counties. To do so, they supported the development of the federal city and a canal on the Potomac River to secure their economic future. Conversely, the Chesapeake faction advocated for Baltimore's growth. Their strategy involved improving the Susquehanna River to channel the lucrative wheat trade from western Maryland and Pennsylvania through Baltimore. They also believed that political representation should reflect population growth patterns rather than be defined by the counties. They feared that a canal on the Potomac River would undermine Baltimore's prosperity by diverting trade to competitors like Georgetown, the proposed federal city, and Alexandria.

Temporarily setting aside differences at the national level, the "Chesapeake Ticket" was formed to punish incumbents who had supported the Potomac location for the proposed federal city. A "Potomac Ticket" was organized and led by Governor Smallwood. Turnout in Baltimore was around 99%, and almost every ballot was cast for the Chesapeake Ticket. Statewide, the ticket won an overwhelming majority, securing all six seats. This victory threatened the county-based rural oligarchy, prompting the House of Delegates to transition from a mixed system to a district-based system on December 19, 1790. Under this new system, all of Baltimore's votes would go to just one representative, Harford County was grouped with Kent and Cecil Counties, and Anne Arundel County was grouped with Prince George's County and Annapolis. With the base of the Chesapeake "party" split between three districts, the Chesapeake faction would disappear. The political pattern created by this division would, however, "linger on indefinitely."

! | Benjamin Contee | | Anti-Administration | 1789 | | Incumbent lost re-election.Pro-Administration gain.Winner later resigned due to questions of eligibility due to his residence and was replaced in a special election by John Francis Mercer (Anti-Admin.). | nowrap |

Massachusetts

Massachusetts law required a majority for election. This condition was met in four of the eight districts, the remaining four required between 2 and 9 ballots for election.

Ninth ballot

Fourth ballot

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

New York's districts were not numbered at the time, therefore the numbering here is retroactive.

1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections

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