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Federalist Robert Goodloe Harper of South Carolina advanced to the chair of Ways and Means in 1797 on the endorsement of Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott. Though considered by many colleagues to be a pompous dandy, Harper was strong debater and successful lawyer. In the 5th Congress, he moved to reduce the number of Ways and Means members to nine. The change overturned the panel's precedent of seating one representative from every state and introduced the modern notion of balanced sectional representation. |
