First Quorum of the US Senate and Electoral Count

Background. John Langdon Jr. was a New Hampshire politician and Founding Father who had signed the United States Constitution and became one of that state's first two senators, serving from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1801. His ratification advocacy had made New Hampshire the ninth state to approve the Constitution in June 1788, clearing the way for the new government's installation.

Quorum and the Presidency Pro Tempore. The Senate first achieved a quorum in April 1789; the exact date is inferred from the election of its presiding officer on April 6, 1789, since no supplied passage directly dates the quorum. On that day the Senate elected Langdon as its first president pro tempore. He thus presided over the chamber before John Adams' election as vice president, and in April 1789 he was serving in that capacity in the US Senate.

Counting the Electoral Votes. Acting as president pro tempore, Langdon counted the votes of the electoral college in the first presidential election. According to the event scope, the Senate and House of Representatives met in joint session for this count, which certified George Washington as President-elect and John Adams as Vice-President-elect; the supplied passage itself records only Langdon's counting of the electoral votes.