Vermont 1798 U.S. House of Representatives, District 1, Ballot 2

Office:
U.S. House of Representatives (Federal)
Title:
U.S. Congressman
Jurisdiction:
Federal
Label:
Vermont 1798 U.S. House of Representatives, District 1, Ballot 2
Date:
1798
State:
Vermont
Type:
General
Iteration:
Second Ballot
Office/Role:
U.S. House of Representatives/U.S. Congressman
Candidates:
Matthew Lyon, Samuel Williams, Israel Smith, Jonas Galusha, Daniel Chipman, James Lyon, Gideon Olin, Jonathan Robinson, Abel Spencer, John White, Samuel Hitchcock, Abel Lyon, scattering
Candidates: Matthew Lyon[1]Samuel WilliamsIsrael SmithJonas GalushaDaniel ChipmanJames LyonGideon OlinJonathan RobinsonAbel SpencerJohn WhiteSamuel HitchcockAbel Lyonscattering
Affiliation:RepublicanFederalistFederalistFederalistFederalist
Final Result: [2][3][4][5][6][7]35762444428----------
District of Western35762444428----------
Addison County532594105---------13
Town of Addison62235----------
Town of Bridport2366-----------
Town of Bristol5611----------
Town of Hancock151-----------
Town of Monkton-70-----------
Town of New Haven513213----------
Bennington County-------------
Town of Bennington2216213----1-----
Town of Pownal117181----------
Town of Shaftsbury1876-2---------
Chittenden County-------------
Town of Burlington-2822----------
Town of Charlotte[8]1280-----------
Town of Colchester-19-----------
Town of Essex72718-------1--
Town of Hinesburgh-25-----------
Town of Jericho[9]1836--1--------
Town of Milton2919-----------
Town of Shelburne2451-----------
Town of Underhill22-3----------
Franklin County-------------
Town of Cambridge34517----------
Town of Enosburgh72718---------1
Town of Fairfax29358----------
Town of Fairfield376-----------
Town of Georgia321629---1--1---
Town of Highgate-25-----------
Town of Johnston-11----------1
Town of Saint Albans203715---------2
Town of Sheldon236-----------
Town of Swanton3322-----------
Rutland County-------------
Town of Benson[10]10546---------4-
Town of Pittsfield-14-----------
Town of Pittsford311027----------
Town of Rutland3421029--1--1----

Notes:

[1]Elected.
[2]Several sources report 4576 total votes for Matthew Lyon in the December 1798 run-off election. However, if Lyon received votes giving him 1132 votes over his opponent with the highest number of votes, as described in the letter printed in the Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA) of February 2, 1799 and quoted here, the total votes should be 3576 and not the 4576 votes listed in that letter.
[3]"Extract of a letter from Vermont, dated January 10, 1799. 'Colonel Lyon is returned for the Western district of Vermont, by a majority of 199 votes. The real majority was 600; the votes of eight towns were set aside by the canvassers, (on the flimsy, trifling, and unprecedented pretexts) in which there were about 550 for Lyon and 100 for Williams, the aristocratic candidate. The votes of one town were rejected, in which Williams had 14 votes, and Lyon none. In a fair statement, the votes for Colonel Lyon are 4576, being 94 more than on the last trial; the votes for Williams, as nearly as can be ascertained are 2444, which leave him 1132 in the rear, and is 765 less than were given to all the aristocratic candidates on the last trial. Mr. Smith, a republican, had 428 this time, being 154 more than before.~ So that in every point of view the growing republicanism of Vermont is manifest by this election." Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA), February 2, 1799.
[4]"Matthew Lyon we understand, has obtained a majority of 664 votes in the recent election, for member of the next Congress." Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 17, 1798.
[5]"At the new election in Vermont for a Representative in Congress, Colonel Lyon has been chosen by a legal majority of 664 votes-" The Palladium: A Literary and Political Weekly Repository (Frankfort, KY). February 12, 1799.
[6]The Argus (Putney, VT), Federal Galaxy (Brattleboro, VT) and The Centinel of Liberty, and George-town Advertiser (Georgetown, DC) list Matthew Lyon with a majority of 199 votes.
[7]"This brought Lyon within 26 votes of a clear majority over all, and was extremely galling to his opponents. His arrest followed almost immediately, attesting to the folly and desperation of the Federalists. As no one got a majority, there was no election in September, and another trial of strength at the polls took place in December, while Lyon was in Vergennes jail, in close confinement. I know of no other instance in American history where such a thing has occured. The President of the United States and his whole party were actively engaged on one side, Matthew Lyon in his cell, backed by his old associates, the Green Mountain Boys, on the other. The result was an overwhelming victory for the prisoner, who proved more powerful in shackles than John Adams in the presidency." Matthew Lyon: The Hampden of Congress. J. F. McLaughlin. New York. 1900. 375.
[8]The Vergennes Gazette and Vermont and New-York Advertiser (Vergennes, VT) reports 13 votes for Matthew Lyon.
[9]The Vergennes Gazette and Vermont and New-York Advertiser (Vergennes, VT) reports 17 votes for Matthew Lyon.
[10]The Town Records report Mathew Lyon with 105 votes and "Abel Lyon" with 4 votes in this run-off election. The votes cast for "Abel Lyon" could perhaps have been meant for Mathew Lyon, or Abel Spencer.

References:

Addison Town Records.
Bennington Town Records.
Benson Town Records.
Bridport Town Records.
Bristol Town Records.
Charlotte Town Records.
Georgia Town Records.
Hancock Town Records.
Jericho Town Records.
Milton Town Records.
Monkton Town Records.
New Haven Town Records.
Pittsfield Town Records.
Pittsford Town Records.
Pownal Town Records.
Rutland Town Records.
Shaftsbury Town Records.
Shelburne Town Records.
The Rutland Herald (Rutland, VT). December 10, 1798.
Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 17, 1798.
The Vergennes Gazette and Vermont and New-York Advertiser (Vergennes, VT). December 19, 1798.
Putney Argus (Putney, VT). December 25, 1798.
The Philadelphia Gazette and Universal Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 26, 1798.
Putney Argus (Putney, VT). January 22, 1799.
Federal Galaxy (Brattleboro, VT). January 22, 1799.
The Centinel of Liberty, and George-town Advertiser (Georgetown, DC). January 29, 1799.
Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). February 2, 1799.
The Palladium: A Literary and Political Weekly Repository (Frankfort, KY). February 12, 1799.
The Kentucky Gazette (Lexington, KY). February 14, 1799.
McLaughlin, J. F. Matthew Lyon: The Hampden of Congress. New York: Wynkoop Hollenbeck Crawford, 1900. 374-375.

These election records were released on 11 January 2012. Versions numbers are assigned by state. Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia are complete and are in Version 1.0. All other states are in a Beta version. For more information go to the about page.