If the Constitution says that the Senate is to be re-elected ~1/3rd at a time were all the 1st round of senators elected to 6 year terms and was it broken up as states were added or what?

11/4/2008 6:20:36 PM

?

11/5/2008 10:40:04 AM

no clue, good question though.... my stab in the dark would be the first third was given a 2 yr term, second third a 4 year, and third third a 6 year just to get it started

11/5/2008 10:43:31 AM

^ does not compute

11/5/2008 10:55:09 AM

anybody?

11/5/2008 8:21:18 PM

Quote :

"Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year."

Quote :

" Thursday, May 14, 1789. The committee appointed to consider and report a mode of carrying into effect the provision in the second clause of the third section of the first article of the Constitution, reported: Whereupon, Resolved, That the Senators be divided into three classes: * The first to consist of Mr. Langdon, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Morris, Mr. Henry, Mr. Izard, and Mr. Gunn; * The second of Mr. Wingate, Mr. Strong, Mr. Paterson, Mr. Bassett, Mr. Lee, Mr. Butler and Mr. Few; * And the third of Mr. Dalton, Mr. Ellsworth, Mr. Elmer, Mr. Maclay, Mr. Read, Mr. Carroll, and Mr. Grayson. That three papers of an equal size, numbered 1, 2, and 3, be, by the Secretary, rolled up and put into a box, and drawn by Mr. Langdon, Mr. Wingate, and Mr. Dalton, in behalf of the respective classes in which each of them are placed; and that the classes shall vacate their scats in the Senate according to the order of numbers drawn for them, beginning with number one: And that, when Senators shall take their seats from States that have not yet appointed Senators, they shall be placed by lot in the foregoing classes, but in such manner as shall keep the classes as nearly equal as may be in numbers. "

Quote :

"In this Congress, all Senators were newly elected, and Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1790; Class 2 meant their term ended with the next Congress, requiring reelection in 1792; and Class 3 meant their term lasted through the next two Congresses, requiring reelection in 1794."

[Edited on November 5, 2008 at 8:31 PM. Reason : .]

11/5/2008 8:28:25 PM

^ Thank you! Where did you get that from? And did you get that off the top of your head or are your google skills that much better than mine?

11/5/2008 8:39:37 PM

mad googling skills

got it from wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_United_States_Congress
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classes_of_United_States_Senators

11/5/2008 8:42:39 PM

congrats, thanks for the info

11/5/2008 10:28:03 PM