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1803 United States Senate election in New York
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1803 United States Senate election in New York presidential no April 1800 United States Senate special election in New York Apr. 1800 (special) November 1804 United States Senate special election in New York Nov. 1804 (special) February 1, 1803 x160px Majority vote of legislature needed to win File:TheodorusBailey.jpg Theodorus Bailey Democratic-Republican Party (United States) 59 50.86% File:3x4.svg John Woodworth Democratic-Republican Party (United States) 57 49.14% Senator Gouvernor Morris Federalist Party (United States) Theodorus Bailey Democratic-Republican Party (United States)
The 1803 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 1, 1803, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. senator (Class 1) to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.
Background
Gouverneur Morris had been elected in 1800 to complete the term (1797–1803) after Philip Schuyler (1797–98), John Sloss Hobart (1798), William North (1798) and James Watson (1798–1800) had occupied the seat. Morris's term would expire on March 3, 1803.
At the State election in April 1802, the Democratic-Republican Party won a large majority to the Assembly, and all 8 State Senate seats up for renewal. The 26th New York State Legislature met from January 25 to April 6, 1803, at Albany, New York.
Candidates
The assemblymen of the Democratic-Republican Party met in caucus on January 31. Assemblyman John Woodworth received 45 votes and Congressman Theodorus Bailey 30. Woodworth was nominated as the party's candidate, but State Senator Matthias B. Tallmadge, Bailey's brother-in law, was not satisfied with this nomination. Tallmadge persuaded a part of the Democratic-Republican members to vote for Bailey, abandoning the caucus nominee.
The incumbent Gouverneur Morris ran for re-election as the candidate of the Federalist Party candidate, but in the morning of February 1, before the legislature met, a State Senate caucus was held and Tallmadge combined with Abraham Van Vechten, the leader of the Federalists, to support Bailey.
Result
On the first ballot in the State Senate, Woodworth received a plurality over Bailey and Morris, for whom all Federalists voted, but no candidate received a majority of the votes. Thereupon a resolution was offered to nominate Bailey, and was carried by the vote of 16 senators, including 6 Federalists. John Woodworth was nominated by the Assembly. The legislature then proceeded to a joint ballot, and Bailey was elected in a tight vote by the Democratic-Republican Tallmadge faction and the Federalists.
+1803 United States Senator election result Office House Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican FederalistU.S. senatorState Senate (31 members) ballotJohn Woodworth Theodorus Bailey Gouverneur Morris State Senate (31 members) resolution Theodorus Bailey 16 State Assembly (99 members)John Woodworth 53Theodorus Bailey 19Gouverneur Morris 18Joint ballot (130 members)John Woodworth 57Theodorus Bailey 59
Aftermath
Bailey resigned on January 16, 1804, after his appointment as Postmaster of New York City. In February 1804, a special election was held by the State Legislature to fill both seats in the U.S. Senate and, either due to a mistake or to give Armstrong two more years to serve, the incumbent appointed Class 3 Senator John Armstrong was elected to the Class 1 seat (term 1803–1809) to succeed Bailey, and John Smith to the Class 3 seat (term 1801–1807) to succeed Armstrong.
See also
United States Senate elections, 1802 and 1803
Sources
The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. senators; pg. 118 for state senators 1802–03; page 176 for Members of Assembly 1802–03)
Members of the 8th United States Congress
History of Political Parties in the State of New-York by Jabez Delano Hammond (pages 191ff) [has "18" votes for Morris in Assembly]
Election result at Tufts University Library project "A New Nation Votes" [has "16" votes for Morris in Assembly]
1803
Category:1803 New York (state) elections