1817 United States House of Representatives election in Mississippi

none February 2026 September 2023 1817 United States House of Representatives election in Mississippi Mississippi presidential no 1819 United States House of Representatives election in Mississippi 1819 September 1–2, 1817 George Poindexter.jpg 150x150px George Poindexter Democratic-Republican Party (United States) 3,142 99.81% 1817 Mississippi House of Representatives election results map by county.svg 210px County resultsPoindexter: #165016 90–100% U.S. Representative George Poindexter Democratic-Republican Party (United States) The 1817 United States House of Representatives election in Mississippi took place on September 1–2, 1817, to choose who would represent Mississippi's at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The election came after the Constitution of Mississippi was ratified by the new state's constitution convention and a statewide election was called for September. George Poindexter, a Democratic-Republican who was a high-ranking delegate at the convention, ran unopposed and won the election with 99.81% of the vote. Background On March 1, 1817, president James Madison approved legislation enabling the western portion of the Mississippi Territory to develop a constitution and state government, which would then be granted statehood when formed. A 48-member constitutional convention was formed and held their first meeting on July 7, 1817, in Washington, Mississippi.Skates John Ray John Ray Skates About the Mississippi Constitution of 1817 https://mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/the-mississippi-constitution-of-1817 Mississippi History Now Mississippi Department of Archives & History December 16, 2025 On August 15, after over a month of deliberation, the new constitution was signed by the convention in Natchez. The convention also decided that the first election in the soon-to-be-admitted state would be held on the first Monday and Tuesday of September 1817. Among the roles to be decided on by voters was Mississippi's representative to the United States House of Representatives.The Convention https://www.newspapers.com/article/natchez-gazette-convention/186916095/ December 16, 2025 Natchez Gazette August 16, 1817 3 Newspapers.com Candidates George Poindexter, the chairman of the committee responsible for drafting the state constitution,Poindexter, George 1900 was tabbed as the Democratic-Republican Party candidate for U.S. representative soon after the convention had concluded.Candidates https://www.newspapers.com/article/mississippi-free-trader-candidates/186916208/ December 16, 2025 Mississippi Free Trader August 20, 1817 3 Newspapers.com General election Poindexter won the election, amassing 3,142 votes across the state.Lampi Philip Phil Lampi Mississippi 1817 U.S. House of Representatives https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/v405sb96p#note_1 A New Nation Votes Tufts University December 16, 2025 Although sources such as the National Intelligencer reported that "there (appeared) to be no opposition" during the election,Washington https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-national-intelligencer-and-washing/186916506/ December 16, 2025 Daily National Intelligencer and Washington Express September 30, 1817 2 Newspapers.com results show that Christopher Rankin, who unsuccessfully ran for a United States Senate seat during the same round of elections,Lampi Philip Phil Lampi Mississippi 1817 U.S. Senate, First Senator, Ballot 5 https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/6t053h536 A New Nation Votes Tufts University December 16, 2025 totaled six votes, spoiling a unanimous total for Poindexter. Mississippi United States House of Representatives election, 1817 Democratic-Republican Party (United States) George Poindexter 3,142 99.81 Democratic-Republican Christopher Rankin 6 0.19 3,148 100.00 Aftermath Poindexter assumed his seat on December 15, 1817, serving as a member of the 15th United States Congress until March 3, 1819.https://historycms2.house.gov/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=40205 https://web.archive.org/web/20181105202744/https://historycms2.house.gov/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=40205 dead November 5, 2018 Fifteenth Congress March 4, 1817, to March 3, 1819 November 2, 2018 Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives History.house.gov During that time, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Public Lands.P000402 George Poindexter yes Poindexter did not run again in the 1819 election, opting to run for Governor of Mississippi instead. See also 1816 and 1817 United States House of Representatives elections List of United States representatives from Mississippi References 1817 Mississippi United States House of Representatives