New Hampshire 1802 U.S. Senate, Special
- Office:
- U.S. Senate (Federal)
- Title:
- U.S. Senator
- Jurisdiction:
- Federal
- Label:
- New Hampshire 1802 U.S. Senate, Special
- Date:
- 1802
- State:
- New Hampshire
- Type:
- Special
- Iteration:
- First Ballot
- Office/Role:
- U.S. Senate/U.S. Senator
- Candidates:
- William Plumer, Nicholas Gilman, Nahum Parker
| Candidates: | William Plumer[1] | Nicholas Gilman | Nahum Parker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliation: | |||
| Final Result: [2][3][4] | 86 | 70 | 2 |
| House of Representatives | 79 | 65 | 2 |
| State Senate | 7 | 5 | - |
Notes:
[1]Elected.
[2]"The Hon. James Sheafe, Esq. having resigned his seat in the Senate of the United States, the Legislature on Thursday last elected the Hon. William Plumer, Esq. to supply the vacancy." Courier of New Hampshire (Concord, NH). June 24, 1802.
[3]"The Hon. Mr. Sheafe, (and revolutionary, according to the Calendar) having resigned his seat in the Senate of the United States, under the truly economical, Republican administration of the great and patriotic JEFFERSON, the Gen. Court on Thursday last proceeded to the choice of a new Senator to fill the vacancy: On counting the ballots, the votes given stood for the Republican candidate, Nicholas Gilman 65 (Nahum Parker also had 2) and for the federal candidate William Plummer 70. So that Mr. Plummer was declared elected. It cannot escape the notice of the Citizens of New Hampshire, (who are nearly all republicans) that this is the second or third anti-revolutionary character which has been elected by a small majority in the General Court, to the Senate of the U. States, within the space of one short year! - Truly, we have fallen upon strange times! Mr. GILMAN is a republican, and that was sufficient for the inflated federalists to strain every nerve to prevent his election." Republican Gazette (Concord, NH). June 22, 1802.
[4]"This political ambivalence was also illustrated by the legislature's action in dealing with the sudden resignation of James Sheafe after only one year in the United States Senate - the fifth such desertion of a Washington post by a New Hampshire Federalist within three years. Faced with this unexpected emergency, the Federalist caucus nominated William Plumer as their candidate - a choice not altogether popular with the Exeter Junto. The Republicans shrewdly sought to capitalize on the strain of this situation by selecting as their candidate Nicholas Gilman, younger brother of the governor and a man of indeterminate politics. Plumer was not present during this session of the legislature, but his friends supported him strongly, and the embarrassed Exeter representatives finally decided that they had to vote for 'a man of decided principles' and 'of talents for business' rather than 'a mere gallant for the city Belles.' (fn: Samuel Tenney to Josiah Bartlett, February 18, 1803, Bartlett Papers) Thus united, almost by necessity, the Federalists elected Plumer to the Senate on the last day of the session, thereby provoking a bitter attack by Nicholas Gilman upon their honesty and consistency. (fn: New Hampshire Gazette. August 10, 1802.)" The Ninth State. 188.
References:
Republican Gazette (Concord, NH). June 22, 1802.
Courier of New Hampshire (Concord, NH). June 24, 1802.
The Providence Gazette (Providence, RI). July 3, 1802.
Turner, Lynn Warren. The Ninth State: New Hampshire's Formative Years. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1983. 188.
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