Massachusetts 1788 Electoral College, Suffolk District
- Office:
- Electoral College (Federal)
- Title:
- Elector
- Jurisdiction:
- Federal
- Label:
- Massachusetts 1788 Electoral College, Suffolk District
- Date:
- 1788
- State:
- Massachusetts
- Type:
- General
- Iteration:
- First Ballot
- Office/Role:
- Electoral College/Elector
- Electors:
- Jabez Fisher, Caleb Davis, Thomas Dawes, James Bowdoin, Benjamin Lincoln, William Heath, Cotton Tufts, Stephen Metcalf, Charles Jarvis, Oliver Wendell, John Metcalf, John Winthrop, Richard Cranch, Samuel Adams, Fisher Ames, James Humphrey, Lemuel Kollack, E. T., Jr., Nathaniel Bailey, Norton Brailsford, John Lowell, Elias Parkman
| Electors: | Jabez Fisher[1] | Caleb Davis[2] | Thomas Dawes | James Bowdoin | Benjamin Lincoln | William Heath | Cotton Tufts | Stephen Metcalf | Charles Jarvis | Oliver Wendell | John Metcalf | John Winthrop | Richard Cranch | Samuel Adams | Fisher Ames | James Humphrey | Lemuel Kollack | E. T., Jr. | Nathaniel Bailey | Norton Brailsford | John Lowell | Elias Parkman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliation: | supported by both parties | Federalist | Anti-Federalist | Federalist | Federalist | Federalist | ||||||||||||||||
| Presidential Candidate: | George Washington / John Adams | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Final Result: [3][4][5][6][7] | 801 | 585 | 132 | 46 | 43 | 39 | 36 | 31 | 23 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| District of Suffolk | 801 | 585 | 132 | 46 | 43 | 39 | 36 | 31 | 23 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Suffolk County | 801 | 585 | 132 | 46 | 43 | 39 | 36 | 31 | 23 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Town of Bellingham | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Boston | 369 | 289 | 85 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Town of Braintree | 31 | - | 31 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Brookline | 21 | - | - | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Chelsea | - | - | 4 | - | 13 | - | 12 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Cohasset[8] | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Dedham | 13 | 14 | - | - | - | 6 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Dorchester | 49 | 49 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| District of Dover | 21 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Foxborough | 22 | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Franklin | 34 | 36 | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Hingham | 20 | 17 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Hull[9] | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Medfield[10] | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Medway | 12 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Milton | 31 | 31 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Needham | 30 | - | - | - | - | 30 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Roxbury | 58 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 25 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Sharon | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Stoughton | 40 | 40 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Walpole | - | 29 | - | - | - | - | - | 29 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Town of Weymouth | - | - | - | 18 | - | - | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | - |
| Town of Wrentham | 25 | 19 | - | 4 | 1 | 3 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
Notes:
[1]Elected.
[2]Elected.
[3]Massachusetts had a unique method for choosing its Presidential Electors. In each of the eight Congressional districts, voters voted for two electors. The Massachusetts General Court would then chose one Elector from among the top two candidates in each district to go along with two at-large Electors chosen solely by the General Court.
[4]"The Massachusetts Election Resolutions of 20 November 1788 provided that on 18 December, when the voters cast their votes for Representatives in each district, they should also vote for two men as presidential Electors. The votes were to be sent to the Secretary of the Commonwealth by Monday, 5 January, and on 7 January the legislature in joint session would elect one of the two men receiving the highest number of votes in each district. The legislature would then elect two Electors from the state at large from among men who had not received votes as Electors in any district. When the votes were returned to the Secretary, it was revealed that more than 220 men had received votes, including virtually every Federalist leader in the state. The Federalist-controlled legislature therefore hurriedly passed a resolution on 6 January declaring that anyone not disqualified by the Constitution 'shall be considered as eligible for an Elector at large, any resolve to the contrary notwithstanding' (see House and Seate Proceedings, 6 January)." DenBoer, Gordon and Lucy Trumbull Brown, ed. The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections: 1788-1790. Vol. II. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1976. 529.
[5]Caleb Davis was chosen by the Massachusetts General Court as the Elector for Essex County.
[6]"At a meeting of a numerous body of Federalists, held in this town, it was unanimously determined to support the election of Fisher Ames, Equire, as a Representative for Suffolk District, in the federal legislature; also, the Hon. Jabez Fisher, Esq., the Hon. Caleb Davis, Esq., as candidates for Elector of President and Vice President." The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 18, 1788.
[7]Elections for Presidential Electors were held on December 18, 1788. The Massachusetts General Court then selected the 10 Electors on January 7, 1789. The Electors voted for President on February 4, 1789.
[8]There were no votes recorded in Cohasset.
[9]There were no votes recorded in Hull.
[10]There were no votes recorded in Medfield.
References:
Original Election Returns. Massachusetts State Archives, Boston.
Braintree Town Records. 584.
The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 18, 1788.
The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 20, 1788.
The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 24, 1788.
The Hampshire Chronicle (Springfield, MA). December 31, 1788.
Jensen, Merrill and Robert A. Becker, ed. The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections: 1788-1790. Vol. I. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1976. 441-511, 529-542.
Muddy River and Brookline Records, 1634-1838. J. E. Farwell, 1875. 363.
A Volume of Records Relating to the Early History of Boston Containing Boston Town Records. 1784 to 1796. Boston: Municipal Printing Office, 1903. 184.
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.
