On 10 April 1972, US Congress passed a law establishing the offices of Delegate of the Territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands. This finally gave Guåhan and the Virgin Islands representation in Congress with two-year terms. Elected officials could speak on the House floor and introduce legislation though they could not vote on the floor. On 3 January 1973, Antonio B. Won Pat became the first resident of Guåhan to take the oath of office as a member of the 93rd Congress. The emergence of delegates to Congress from US territories is derived from an ordinance passed under the Congress of the Confederation—a time that predates the US Constitution.