1788–89 United States House of Representatives elections

Election summaries

ArticleI, Section 2, Clause3 of the U.S. Constitution set a temporary congressional apportionment until the first national census was completed in 1790.

In the 18th and much of the 19th century, each state set its own date for elections. In many years, elections were even held after the legal start of the Congress, although typically before the start of the first session. In the elections for the 1st Congress, five states held elections in 1788, electing a total of 29 Representatives, and six held elections in 1789, electing a total of 30 Representatives. Two states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, did not ratify the Constitution until November 21, 1789 and May 29, 1790 respectively, well after the Congress had met for the first time, and, consequently, elected representatives late, in 1790, leaving North Carolina unrepresented in the 1st session and Rhode Island in the 1st and 2nd sessions of a total of 3 sessions.

House composition

Beginning of the 1st Congress

End of the 1st Congress (1791)

Six seats were filled late because North Carolina and Rhode Island ratified the Constitution late. One pro-Administration representative resigned and the seat remained open at the end of the Congress.

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Special election

This was the first special election to the United States House of Representatives.

|- ! nowrap | | Benjamin West | | Pro-Administration | 1788/89 | | Member-elect (see below) chose not to serve. New member elected June 22, 1789. Pro-Administration hold. | nowrap | {{Plainlist|

• Abiel Foster (Pro-Admin.) 1,804 votes 58.3%
• John S. Sherburne (Anti-Admin.) 538 votes 17.4%
• James Sheate (Unknown) 190 votes 6.1%
• Elisha Payne (Unknown) 139 votes 4.5%
• Joshua Atherton (Unknown) 112 votes 3.6%
• Nathaniel Peabody (Unknown) 86 votes 2.9%
• Simeon Olcott (Pro-Admin.) 76 votes 2.5%}} |}

Connecticut

Main article: 1788 United States House of Representatives election in Connecticut

Delaware

Main article: 1789 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware

Delaware had a single representative. The election was held January 7, 1789. Under the law at the time, each voter cast two votes for representative, at least one of whom had to be from a different county.

Georgia

Main article: 1789 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia

Georgia had a mixed at-large/district system for the 1st Congress. Representatives were elected at-large, but for three district-based seats.

Maryland

Main article: 1789 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland

Maryland had a mixed district/at-large system similar to Georgia's. Under Maryland law, "candidates were elected at-large but had to be residents of a specific district with the statewide vote determining winners from each district."

Massachusetts

Massachusetts required a majority vote, necessitating additional votes if no one won a majority. This was necessary in 4 of the districts.

In the fourth district,

In the fifth district,

In the eighth district,

New Hampshire

Main article: 1788–1789 United States House of Representatives election in New Hampshire

New Hampshire law required a winning candidate to receive votes from a majority of voters (16.7% of votes). No candidate won such a majority on the first ballot, so a second ballot was held February 2, 1789.

New Jersey

Main article: 1789 United States House of Representatives election in New Jersey

The election of all four representatives was contested, but the records that explained the precise grounds on which the election was contested have been lost due to the burning of Washington in the War of 1812. It is known to have related to questions of regularity and procedure. All four representatives' elections were ruled valid.

New York

Main article: 1789 United States House of Representatives elections in New York

New York held elections to the 1st Congress on March 3 and 4, 1789. At the time, districts were unnumbered. They are retroactively numbered in this section.

North Carolina

North Carolina ratified the Constitution late and thus elected representatives to the 1st Congress in 1790.

Pennsylvania

Main article: 1788 United States House of Representatives election in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania held elections to the 1st Congress on November 26, 1788. For this first election (and again in 1792 election for the 3rd Congress), Pennsylvania chose to elect all of its representatives on a single statewide general ticket, an attempt by the pro-Administration-majority legislature to prevent anti-Administration candidates from winning seats.

Rhode Island

Main article: August 1790 United States House of Representatives election in Rhode Island

Rhode Island ratified the Constitution late and thus elected representatives to the 1st Congress in 1790.

South Carolina

Main article: 1788 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

In the , William L. Smith (Pro-Administration)'s election was contested by David Ramsay (Pro-Administration) who claimed that Smith had not been a citizen for the required 7 years at the time of his election, the House Committee on Elections ruled in Smith's favor

Virginia

Main article: 1789 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia

Notes

References

Bibliography

References

1. "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives, 1789 to Present {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives".
2. "Our Campaigns - NH At-Large - Special Race - Jun 22, 1789".
3. "A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825 - Delaware 1789 U.S. House of Representatives". Tufts Digital Library, Tufts University.
4. "A New Nation Votes".
5. "A New Nation Votes".
6. "A New Nation Votes".
7. "A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825 - Maryland 1789 U.S. House of Representatives". Tufts Digital Library, Tufts University.
8. "A New Nation Votes".
9. "First Congress March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1791 [membership roster]".
10. (1986). "The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections, 1788-1790". [[University of Wisconsin Press]].
11. (January 16, 2007). "1st Congress 1789-1791 At Large Election". Wilkes University Elections Statistics Project.
12. "A New Nation Votes".
13. "Virginia Elections Database » Virginia Election Results and Statistics".