A special election was held in Massachusetts's 12th congressional district on five occasions between September 25, 1801, and July 29, 1802, to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Silas Lee (F) on August 20, 1801, prior to the beginning of the 1st Session of the 7th Congress.[1]
Election results
editFirst three ballots
editThe first three ballots had similar results and were held on September 25 and December 7, 1801, and April 5, 1802
| Candidate[2] | Party | First ballot[3] | Second ballot[4] | Third ballot[5] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | ||
| Orchard Cook | Democratic-Republican | 521 | 47.9% | 715 | 42.5% | 1,394 | 45.0% |
| Martin Kingsley | Democratic-Republican | 257 | 23.6% | 575 | 34.2% | 1,004 | 32.4% |
| Phineas Bruce | Federalist | 120 | 7.1% | 413 | 13.3% | ||
| Nathaniel Drummer | Unknown | 262 | 24.1% | 273 | 16.2% | 285 | 9.2% |
| Scattering | 47 | 4.3% | |||||
Fourth and fifth ballots
editBetween the third and fourth ballots Cook and Drummer dropped out while Samuel Thatcher (DR) entered the race, eventually winning. The final two votes were held June 7, 1802 and July 29, 1802
| Candidate[2] | Party | Fourth ballot[6] | Fifth ballot[7] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | ||
| Samuel Thatcher | Democratic-Republican | 436 | 33.0% | 874 | 59.3% |
| Martin Kingsley | Democratic-Republican | 595 | 45.0% | 600 | 40.7% |
| Phineas Bruce | Federalist | 110 | 8.3% | ||
| Scattering | 180 | 13.6% | |||
Thatcher took office on December 6, 1802[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ House roster for the 7th Congress (footnote 15) Archived December 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Order based on final ballot
- ^ Massachusetts - 1st eastern special election 1st trial from Ourcampaigns.com
- ^ Massachusetts - 1st eastern special election 2nd trial from Ourcampaigns.com
- ^ Massachusetts - 1st eastern special election 3rd trial from Ourcampaigns.com
- ^ Massachusetts - 1st eastern special election 4th trial from Ourcampaigns.com
- ^ Massachusetts - 1st eastern special election 5th trial from Ourcampaigns.com
- ^ House roster for the 7th Congress (footnote 16) Archived December 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine