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12th United States Congress
11th ← → 13th
United States Capitol (1800)
March 4, 1811 – March 4, 1813
Members	36 senators 143 representatives 5 non-voting delegates
Senate majority	Democratic-Republican
Senate President	George Clinton (DR)[a] (until April 20, 1812) Vacant (from April 20, 1812)
House majority	Democratic-Republican
House Speaker	Henry Clay (DR)
Sessions
1st: November 4, 1811 – July 6, 1812 2nd: November 2, 1812 – March 3, 1813

The 12th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1811, to March 4, 1813, during the third and fourth years of James Madison's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1800 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.

• November 6, 1811: Battle of Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison defeated Tecumseh's forces
• December 16, 1811: New Madrid earthquake
• April 4, 1812: President Madison enacted a 90-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom
• April 20, 1812: Vice President George Clinton died
• June 18, 1812: War of 1812: United States declared war on Great Britain
• August 16, 1812: War of 1812: Detroit surrendered to the British.
• October 13, 1812: War of 1812: the Battle of Queenston Heights
• November 5, 1812: Elections of 1812:
  • 1812 United States presidential election: Incumbent James Madison beat DeWitt Clinton.
  • United States Senate elections, 1812 and 1813
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1812 and 1813

• April 30, 1812: Louisiana was admitted as a state into the Union. It was formerly known as the Territory of Orleans
• June 4, 1812: Missouri Territory was organized. It was formerly known as Louisiana Territory

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

During this congress, two new Senate seats were added for the new state of Louisiana.

	Party (shading shows control)		Total	Vacant
	Democratic- Republican (DR)	Federalist (F)
End of previous congress	26	8	34	0
Begin	26	7	33	1
End	29		36	0
Final voting share	80.6%	19.4%
Beginning of next congress	27	6	33	3

During this congress, one new House seat was added for the new state of Louisiana.

	Party (shading shows control)		Total	Vacant
	Democratic- Republican (DR)	Federalist (F)
End of previous congress	95	46	141	1
Begin	106	36	142	0
End				1
Final voting share	74.6%	25.4%
Beginning of next congress	108	68	176	6

• President: George Clinton (DR), until April 20, 1812; vacant thereafter.
• President pro tempore: William H. Crawford (DR)

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Henry Clay Democratic-Republican

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1814; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1816; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1812

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

• Replacements: 1
  • Democratic-Republicans: no net change
  • Federalists: no net change
• Deaths: 0
• Resignations: 4
• Interim appointments: 1
• Seats of newly admitted states: 2
• Vacancies:1
• Total seats with changes: 6

Senate changes

State (class)	Vacated by	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[b]
Massachusetts (2)	Vacant	Legislature elected late. Successor elected June 29, 1811.	Joseph B. Varnum (DR)	June 29, 1811
Rhode Island (1)	Christopher G. Champlin (F)	Resigned October 2, 1811 Successor elected October 28, 1811.	William Hunter (F)	October 28, 1811
Tennessee (2)	Jenkin Whiteside (DR)	Resigned October 8, 1811. Successor elected October 8, 1811.	George W. Campbell (DR)	October 8, 1811
Louisiana (3)	New seat	Louisiana was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812. Inaugural Senator elected September 3, 1812, for the term ending March 4, 1813.	Allan B. Magruder (DR)	September 3, 1812
Louisiana (2)	New seat	Louisiana was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812. Inaugural Senator elected September 3, 1812, for the term ending March 4, 1817.	Jean Noel Destréhan (DR)	September 3, 1812
	Jean N. Destréhan (DR)	Resigned October 1, 1812, without having qualified. Successor appointed October 8, 1812, to continue the term ending March 4, 1817.	Thomas Posey (DR)	October 8, 1812
	Thomas Posey (DR)	Appointee lost election to finish the term. Successor elected February 4, 1813.	James Brown (DR)	February 5, 1813

• Replacements: 3
  • Democratic-Republicans: no net change
  • Federalists: no net change
• Deaths: 2
• Resignations: 5
• Contested election: 1
• Seats of newly admitted states: 1
• Vacancies: 1
• Total seats with changes: 10

House changes

District	Vacated by	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[b]
Maryland 6th	John Montgomery (DR)	Resigned April 29, 1811, to become attorney General of Maryland	Stevenson Archer (DR)	Seated October 26, 1811
Massachusetts 4th	Joseph B. Varnum (DR)	Resigned June 29, 1811, to become U.S. Senator	William M. Richardson (DR)	Seated November 4, 1811
Virginia 8th	John Hungerford (DR)	Lost contested election November 29, 1811	John Taliaferro (DR)	Seated November 29, 1811
Massachusetts 17th	Barzillai Gannett (DR)	Resigned sometime in 1812 before April 6 ([data missing])	Francis Carr (DR)	Seated April 6, 1812
North Carolina 3rd	Thomas Blount (DR)	Died February 7, 1812	William Kennedy (DR)	Seated January 30, 1813
Orleans Territory	Julien de Lallande Poydras had resigned in the previous Congress, and the seat remained vacant until the territory became the state of Louisiana on April 30, 1812		Thomas B. Robertson (DR)	Seated April 30, 1812
Louisiana at-large
New York 6th	Robert Le Roy Livingston (F)	Resigned May 6, 1812	Thomas P. Grosvenor (F)	Seated January 29, 1813
Georgia at-large	Howell Cobb (DR)	Resigned sometime before October 1812 ([data missing])	William Barnett (DR)	Seated October 5, 1812
Missouri Territory	Territory delegate seat established		Edward Hempstead	Seated November 9, 1812
Illinois Territory	Territory delegate seat established		Shadrach Bond	Seated December 3, 1812
Pennsylvania 9th	John Smilie (DR)	Died December 30, 1812	Vacant	Not filled until next Congress

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

• Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Michael Leib)
• Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Nicholas Gilman)
• National University
• Whole

• Accounts (Chairman: Charles Turner Jr.)
• Apportionment of Representatives (Select)
• Bankruptcy (Select)
• Claims (Chairman: Burwell Bassett then Thomas Gholson Jr.)
• Commerce and Manufactures (Chairman: Thomas Newton Jr.)
• District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph Lewis Jr.)
• Elections (Chairman: William Findley)
• Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: John Rhea)
• Public Lands (Chairman: Jeremiah Morrow)
• Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Adam Seybert then Burwell Bassett)
• Rules (Select)
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Ways and Means (Chairman: Ezekiel Bacon then Langdon Cheves)
• Whole

• Enrolled Bills (Chairman: [data missing])
• The Library (Chairman: N/A)

• Architect of the Capitol: Benjamin Latrobe, until July 1, 1811; vacant thereafter
• Librarian of Congress: Patrick Magruder

• Chaplain: Walter D. Addison (Presbyterian), until November 13, 1811
  • John Brackenridge (Presbyterian), from November 13, 1811
• Secretary: Samuel A. Otis
• Sergeant at Arms: James Mathers, died
  • Mountjoy Bayly, elected November 6, 1811

• Chaplain: Jesse Lee (Methodist), until November 13, 1811
  • Nicholas Snethen (Methodist), elected November 13, 1811
  • Jesse Lee (Methodist), elected November 2, 1812
• Clerk: Patrick Magruder
• Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton
• Reading Clerks: [data missing]
• Sergeant at Arms: Thomas Dunn

• 1810 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
  • 1810–11 United States Senate elections
  • 1810–11 United States House of Representatives elections
• United States elections, 1812 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1812 United States presidential election
  • 1812–13 United States Senate elections
  • 1812–13 United States House of Representatives elections

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

• Statutes at Large, 1789-1875
• Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
• U.S. House of Representatives: House History
• U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists