United States Senate special election in New York, February 1804
Encyclopedia
The first 1804 United States Senate special election in New York was held on February 3, 1804, by the New York State Legislature to elect two U.S. Senators (Class 1 and 3) to represent the State of New York
in the United States Senate
.
had been elected in 1802 to the Class 3 seat (term 1801-1807) to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Armstrong. Clinton resigned on November 4, 1803, after his appointment as Mayor of New York City
, and Governor George Clinton
appointed Armstrong to his old seat, to fill the vacancy temporarily.
Theodorus Bailey
had been elected to the Class 1 seat (term 1803-1809) but resigned on January 16, 1804, after his appointment as Postmaster of New York City
.
At the State election in April 1803, 83 Democratic-Republicans and 17 Federalists were elected to the Assembly, and 10 Democratic-Republicans were elected to the State Senate. The 27th New York State Legislature
met from January 31 to April 11, 1804, at Albany, New York
.
The Federalist Party had by now only small minorities in both houses of the Legislature, and Ex-New York Supreme Court
Justice Jacob Radcliff and Ex-2nd U.S. Circuit Court
Chief Justice Egbert Benson received only a few scattering votes.
Obs.: Smith was nominated unanimously by the Assembly, but the exact number of votes given is unclear.
John Armstrong took his seat on February 25, but resigned his seat already on June 30, 1804, after his appointment as U.S. Minister to France
, a post on which he succeeded his brother-in-law Robert R. Livingston
. To fill the vacancy, the State Legislature held a special election in November 1804, and elected Samuel L. Mitchill
.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Background
DeWitt ClintonDeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...
had been elected in 1802 to the Class 3 seat (term 1801-1807) to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Armstrong. Clinton resigned on November 4, 1803, after his appointment as Mayor of New York City
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
, and Governor George Clinton
George Clinton (vice president)
George Clinton was an American soldier and politician, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the fourth Vice President of the United States , serving under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He and John C...
appointed Armstrong to his old seat, to fill the vacancy temporarily.
Theodorus Bailey
Theodorus Bailey (senator)
Theodorus Bailey was an American lawyer and politician from Poughkeepsie, New York. He represented New York in both the U.S. House and Senate...
had been elected to the Class 1 seat (term 1803-1809) but resigned on January 16, 1804, after his appointment as Postmaster of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
At the State election in April 1803, 83 Democratic-Republicans and 17 Federalists were elected to the Assembly, and 10 Democratic-Republicans were elected to the State Senate. The 27th New York State Legislature
27th New York State Legislature
The 27th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 31 to April 11, 1804, during the third year of George Clinton's second tenure as Governor of New York, in Albany.-Background:...
met from January 31 to April 11, 1804, at Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
Candidates
The incumbent U.S. Senator Armstrong for re-election, and Congressman John Smith, ran as the candidates of the Democratic-Republican Party.The Federalist Party had by now only small minorities in both houses of the Legislature, and Ex-New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
Justice Jacob Radcliff and Ex-2nd U.S. Circuit Court
United States circuit court
The United States circuit courts were the original intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. They had trial court jurisdiction over civil suits of diversity jurisdiction and major federal crimes. They also had appellate...
Chief Justice Egbert Benson received only a few scattering votes.
Result
Armstrong and Smith were elected "without much opposition." (see Hammond)| Office | House | Democratic-Republican | Federalist | Federalist | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senator (Class 1) | State Senate New York State Senate The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve... (32 members) |
John Armstrong John Armstrong, Jr. John Armstrong, Jr. was an American soldier and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and Secretary of War.-Early life and Revolutionary War:... |
|||||
| State Assembly New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652... (99 members) |
John Armstrong John Armstrong, Jr. John Armstrong, Jr. was an American soldier and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and Secretary of War.-Early life and Revolutionary War:... |
83 | Jacob Radcliff Jacob Radcliff Jacob Radcliff was Mayor of New York City from 1810 to 1811 and from 1815 to 1818.... |
4 | Egbert Benson Egbert Benson Egbert Benson was a lawyer, jurist, politician from Upper Red Hook, New York, and a Founding Father of the United States who represented New York in the Continental Congress, Annapolis Convention, and the United States House of Representatives, and who served as a member of the New York State... |
3 | |
| U.S. Senator (Class 3) | State Senate New York State Senate The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve... (32 members) |
John Smith John Smith (New York) John Smith was an American politician from New York.-Life:He was the son of Rev. Caleb Smith, a minister at Orange, New Jersey... |
|||||
| State Assembly New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652... (99 members) |
John Smith John Smith (New York) John Smith was an American politician from New York.-Life:He was the son of Rev. Caleb Smith, a minister at Orange, New Jersey... |
unan. | |||||
Obs.: Smith was nominated unanimously by the Assembly, but the exact number of votes given is unclear.
Aftermath
John Smith took his seat on February 23, 1804, and was re-elected in 1807 to a full term, serving until March 3, 1813.John Armstrong took his seat on February 25, but resigned his seat already on June 30, 1804, after his appointment as U.S. Minister to France
United States Ambassador to France
This article is about the United States Ambassador to France. There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of the four-centuries-old Bourbon dynasty...
, a post on which he succeeded his brother-in-law Robert R. Livingston
Robert Livingston (1746-1813)
Robert R Livingston was an American lawyer, politician, diplomat from New York, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was known as "The Chancellor," after the office he held for 25 years....
. To fill the vacancy, the State Legislature held a special election in November 1804, and elected Samuel L. Mitchill
Samuel Latham Mitchill
Samuel Latham Mitchill was an American physician, naturalist, and politician from New York. He was born in Hempstead, New York...
.
Sources
- The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators; pg. 118f for State Senators 1803-04; pg. 177f for Members of Assembly 1803-04) [gives date of election "February 3"]
- Members of the 8th United States Congress
- History of Political Parties in the State of New-York by Jabez Delano Hammond (page 202) [gives date of election "2d February"]
- Election result (Armstrong) at Tufts UniversityTufts UniversityTufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
Library project "A New Nation Votes" - Election result (Smith) at Tufts UniversityTufts UniversityTufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
Library project "A New Nation Votes"