United States House election, 1802
Encyclopedia
The U.S. House election, 1802 was an election to the United States House of Representatives
for the Eighth United States Congress. Voting in the various states took place between April 1802 (New York)
and December 1803 (New Jersey-after Congress had assembled) with the Congress, convened by a proclamation of President Jefferson
, meeting on October 17, 1803.
With a number of new districts created due to a growing population west of the Appalachian Mountains
, the House grew greatly prior to the 1802 elections. Nearly all of these new seats went to the Democratic-Republicans, the party that more closely aligned itself with the agrarian interests of Western farmers. As a result, the Democratic-Republicans were given a veto-proof supermajority
in the House.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the Eighth United States Congress. Voting in the various states took place between April 1802 (New York)
United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1802
The 1802 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held from April 27 to 29, 1802, to elect 17 U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives of the 8th United States Congress....
and December 1803 (New Jersey-after Congress had assembled) with the Congress, convened by a proclamation of President Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, meeting on October 17, 1803.
With a number of new districts created due to a growing population west of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
, the House grew greatly prior to the 1802 elections. Nearly all of these new seats went to the Democratic-Republicans, the party that more closely aligned itself with the agrarian interests of Western farmers. As a result, the Democratic-Republicans were given a veto-proof supermajority
Supermajority
A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority . In some jurisdictions, for example, parliamentary procedure requires that any action that may alter the rights of the minority has a supermajority...
in the House.
Overall results
| Party | Total seats (change) | Seat percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party (United States) The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along... |
103 | +35 | 72.5% |
| Federalists Federalist Party (United States) The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801... |
39 | +1 | 27.5% |
| Totals | 142 | +36 | 100% |