The First Two Senators--An Odd Couple
When the necessary ninth state ratified the U.S. Constitution in June 1788, the Congress under the Articles of Confederation began planning the transition to the new federal government. On September 13, 1788, that soon-to-expire Congress issued an ordinance giving states authority to begin conducting elections for their senators and representatives.
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The Significance of March 4
At New York City's Federal Hall (pictured), on March 4, 1789, the Senate convened for the first time. From 1789 until 1933, when the Constitution's Twentieth Amendment changed the convening time to 12 noon on January 3, the date of March 4 would rank among the most important on the congressional calendar.
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Senators Receive Class Assignments
On the morning of May 15, 1789, Tristram Dalton (pictured) climbed the steep stairs to the Senate chamber in New York City's Federal Hall. At a few minutes after 11 a.m., the recently elected Massachusetts senator placed his hand into a small wooden box. With Vice President John Adams presiding and 12 of the Senate's 20 members looking on, Dalton grasped a small slip of paper and lifted it for all to see. He then read its brief notation: "Number One." With that ritual act, seven senators became members of "Class One" and learned that their terms of office would expire within two years.
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No Hissing
On a quiet December morning in 1800, a well-dressed gentleman knocked on the door at the Capitol Hill residence of publisher Samuel Smith. When the publisher’s wife, Margaret Bayard Smith, greeted him, she had no idea who he was. But, she liked him at once, “So kind and conciliating were his looks and manners.” Then her husband arrived and introduced her to the vice president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.
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Senate Seal
On July 4, 1776, immediately after declaring the United States independent of Great Britain, the Continental Congress established a committee to design an official seal for the new nation. The resulting Great Seal of 1782 became a principal symbol of American sovereignty and independence.
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Maiden Speeches
Benjamin Disraeli never forgot his first attempt to deliver a speech as a brand new member of the British House of Commons. It was, perhaps, a legislator’s worst nightmare. As he began to speak, other members started laughing. The more he spoke, the harder they laughed. Finally, humiliated, he gave up and sat down. As his parting shot, this future two-time prime minister pledged, “The time will come when you shall hear me.”
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