1803–1804 Massachusetts legislature

The 24th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1803 and 1804 during the governorship of Caleb Strong. David Cobb served as president of the Senate and Harrison Gray Otis served as speaker of the House.[1]

24th Massachusetts General Court
←23rd 25th→
Seal of the General Court of Massachusetts
Overview
Legislative bodyMassachusetts General Court
TermMay 25, 1803 (1803-05-25) – May 30, 1804 (1804-05-30)
Senate
Members40
PresidentDavid Cobb
Party controlFederalist
House
SpeakerHarrison Gray Otis
Party controlFederalist

Composition by party
Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section below.
Overview of Senate membership by party
  Party
(shading shows control)
 Total Vacant
Democratic-
Republican (DR)		 Federalist (F)
Begin (May 25, 1803) 13 26 39 1
May 25, 1803 [lower-alpha 1] 14 26 40 0
May 27, 1803 [lower-alpha 2] 14 20 34 6
Latest voting share 41.18% 58.82%  

Leadership

Members

Senate

The 40 seats are apportioned to each county or counties, based upon population size, to be elected at-large. [4]

House of Representatives

The members of the House of Representatives are apportioned by incorporated township and therefore the number of representatives in the House of Representatives can vary. Every incorporated township that has at least 150 ratable polls (taxable persons) is given one representative and for every additional 225 ratable polls, another representative is given. Townships can choose not to send a representative to the House each session, therefore the total number of filled seats can fluctuate year-to-year. [6]

Committees

Standing Committees
Committee [4] Senate Members House Members
Committee on Accounts ▌Isaac Thompson (F)
▌Thomas Hale (F)		 ▌Samuel Porter (F)
▌Stephen Monroe
▌Bezaleel Taft (F)
Committee on Applications for New Trials ▌Barnabas Bidwell (DR)
▌John Hooker (F)		 ▌William Ely (F)
▌William Symmes
▌Enoch W. Thayer (DR)
Committee on Applications for incorporation of Towns and Districts ▌Beza Hayward (F)
▌Elijah Brigham (F)		 ▌Lothrop Lewis (F)
▌Mark Langdon Hill (DR)
▌Josiah Little
Committee on Applications for incorporation of Turnpikes, Bridges and Canals ▌John Bacon (DR)
▌Alden Spooner (F)		 ▌Jonathan Smith (F)
▌Joseph Kendall
▌Lothrop Lewis (F)
Committee on Applications for incorporation of Parishes ▌Enoch Titcomb (F)
▌Jonathan Maynard (DR)		 ▌Hugh MacLellan (DR)
▌Nathaniel Webster
▌Timothy Jackson (F)
Committee on Applications for incorporation of Fisheries ▌Aaron Hill (DR)
▌John Cushing (DR)		 ▌Joseph Titcomb
▌Moody Spafford
▌Aaron Hobart

Changes in membership

Senate
County Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's formal installation
Suffolk Vacant Incumbent John Codman (F) died before the beginning of this General Court.
The House and Senate elected a replacement. [lower-alpha 1]		 David Tilden (DR) May 25, 1803

Officers and officials

Senate officers
  • Chaplain: Rev. William Emerson
  • Clerk: Wendell Davis

House of Representatives officers
  • Chaplian: Rev. Thomas Baldwin
  • Clerk: Nicholas Tillinghast

See also

Notes
  1. David Tilden (DR) was elected by the House and Senate to fill the vacany left by John Codman (F), who died before the start of term. [2]
  2. Elected to the Massachusetts Governor's Council at the start of term. [3]
  3. Unanimously elected by the Senate [5]
  4. Originally incorporated as Partridgefield
  5. Originally incorporated as Swanzey
  6. Originally incorporated as Brooklyn
  7. Originally incorporated as Pepperelborough

References
  1. "Organization of the Legislature Since 1780". Manual for the Use of the General Court. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2009. p. 340+.
  2. "Massachusetts 1803 State Senate, Suffolk County, Special". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  3. "Massachusetts 1803 Governor's Council". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  4. "Civil Government in Massachusetts". Massachusetts Register and United States Calendar for 1804. hdl:2452/121950. For the political year, commencing May, 1803, and ending May, 1804
  5. "Massachusetts 1803 Senate President". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  6. Chapter I, Section III, Article II of the Constitution of Massachusetts (1780)
  7. "Massachusetts 1803 Speaker of the House". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
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