Monday, December 2, 1805.
This being the day appointed by the constitution for the annual meeting of Congress, the following members of the House of Representatives appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats, to wit:
From New Hampshire—Silas Betton, Caleb Ellis, David Hough, Samuel Tenney, and Thomas W. Thompson.
From Massachusetts—Joseph Barker, Barnabas Bidwell, Phanuel Bishop, John Chandler, Orchard Cook, Jacob Crowninshield, Richard Cutts, William Ely, Isaiah L. Green, Jeremiah Nelson, Josiah Quincy, Ebenezer Seaver, Samuel Taggart, Joseph B. Varnum, and Peleg Wadsworth.
From Rhode Island—Nehemiah Knight and Joseph Stanton.
From Connecticut—Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, jr., Jonathan O. Mosley, John Cotton Smith, Lewis B. Sturges, and Benjamin Tallmadge.
From Vermont—Martin Chittenden, James Elliot, James Fisk, and Gideon Olin.
From New York—John Blake, jr., Silas Halsey, Josiah Masters, Gurdon S. Mumford, John Russell, Peter Sailly, Thomas Sammons, Martin G. Schuneman, David Thomas, Uri Tracy, Killian K. Van Rensselaer, and Nathan Williams.
From New Jersey—Ezra Darby, Ebenezer Elmer, John Lambert, James Sloan, and Henry Southard.
From Pennsylvania—Isaac Anderson, David Bard, Robert Brown, Joseph Clay, Frederick Conrad, William Findlay, Andrew Gregg, Michael Leib, John Pugh, John Rea, Jacob Richards, John Smilie, Samuel Smith, John Whitehill, and Robert Whitehill.
From Maryland—John Campbell, Leonard Covington, Charles Goldsborough, Patrick Magruder, William McCreery, Nicholas R. Moore, and Joseph H. Nicholson.
From Virginia—Burwell Bassett, John Claiborne, John Clopton, John Dawson, John W. Eppes, James M. Garnett, Peterson Goodwyn, David Holmes, John G. Jackson, Joseph Lewis, jun., John Morrow, Thomas Newton, jr., John Randolph, Thomas M. Randolph, John Smith, Philip R. Thompson, and Alexander Wilson.
From Kentucky—George Michael Bedinger, and Thomas Sanford.
From North Carolina—Willis Alston, jun., Thomas Blunt, James Holland, Thomas Keenan, Nathaniel Macon, Richard Stanford, Marmaduke Williams, Joseph Winston, and Thomas Wynns.
From Tennessee—William Dickson, and John Rhea.
From South Carolina—Levi Casey, Elias Earle, Thomas Moore, and David R. Williams.
From Georgia—Peter Early, Cowles Mead, and David Meriwether.
From Ohio—Jeremiah Morrow.
Delegate from the Mississippi Territory—William Lattimore.
And a quorum, consisting of a majority of the whole number, being present, the House proceeded, by ballot, to the choice of a Speaker; and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole House was found in favor of Nathaniel Macon, one of the Representatives for the State of North Carolina: whereupon Mr. Macon was conducted to the Chair, from whence he made his acknowledgments to the House as follows:
“Gentlemen: Accept my sincere thanks for the honor you have conferred on me. Permit me to assure you, that my utmost endeavors will be exerted to discharge the duties of the Chair with fidelity, impartiality, and industry; and that I shall rely with confidence on the liberal and candid support of the House.”
The House proceeded in the same manner to the appointment of a Clerk; and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole House was found in favor of John Beckley.
The oath to support the Constitution of the United States, as prescribed by the act, entitled “An act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths,” was administered by Mr. Nicholson, one of the Representatives for the State of Maryland, to the Speaker; and then the same oath of affirmation was administered by Mr. Speaker to all the members present.
The same oath, together with the oath of office prescribed by the said recited act, were also administered by Mr. Speaker to the Clerk.
Ordered, That a message be sent to the Senate to inform them that a quorum of this House is assembled, and have elected Nathaniel Macon, one of the Representatives for North Carolina, their Speaker; and that the Clerk of this House do go with the said message.
A message from the Senate informed the House that a quorum of the Senate is assembled and ready to proceed to business; and that, in the absence of the Vice President of the United States, the Senate have elected the Honorable Samuel Smith their President pro tempore: the Senate have resolved that two Chaplains, of different denominations, be appointed to Congress, for the present session, one by each House, who shall interchange weekly. The Senate having appointed a committee on their part, jointly with such committee as may be appointed on the part of this House, to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that a quorum of the two Houses is assembled, and ready to receive any communication that he may be pleased to make to them.
Resolved, That Mr. John Randolph, Mr. Campbell of Maryland, and Mr. Crowninshield, be appointed a committee on the part of this House, jointly, with the committee on the part of the Senate, to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that a quorum of the two Houses is assembled, and ready to receive any communication that he may be pleased to make to them.
The House then proceeded, by ballot, to the appointment of a Sergeant-at-Arms to this House; and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole House was found in favor of Joseph Wheaton.
Resolved, That Thomas Claxton be appointed Doorkeeper, and Thomas Dunn Assistant Doorkeeper of this House.
Resolved, That the Rules and Orders established by the late House of Representatives, shall be deemed and taken to be the Rules and Orders of proceeding to be observed in this House, until a revision or alteration of the same shall take place.
Mr. John Randolph, from the joint committee appointed to wait on the President of the United States, and notify him that a quorum of the two Houses is assembled, reported that the committee had performed that service; and that the President signified to them that he would make a communication to this House to-morrow, at twelve o’clock, by way of message.