Massachusetts 1788 U.S. House of Representatives, District 3

Office:
U.S. House of Representatives (Federal)
Title:
U.S. Congressman
Jurisdiction:
Federal
Label:
Massachusetts 1788 U.S. House of Representatives, District 3
Date:
1788
State:
Massachusetts
Type:
General
Iteration:
First Ballot
Office/Role:
U.S. House of Representatives/U.S. Congressman
Candidates:
Nathaniel Gorham, Elbridge Gerry, Joseph B. Varnum, John Brooks, James Winthrop, Leammi Baldwin, Eleazer Brooks, Ebenezer Bridge, William Hull, Joseph Hosmer, Francis Dana, Oliver Prescott, Parker Varnum, Samuel Dexter, Jr., William Winthrop
Candidates: Nathaniel GorhamElbridge GerryJoseph B. VarnumJohn BrooksJames WinthropLeammi BaldwinEleazer BrooksEbenezer BridgeWilliam HullJoseph HosmerFrancis DanaOliver PrescottParker VarnumSamuel Dexter, Jr.William Winthrop
Affiliation:FederalistFederalistFederalistFederalist
Final Result: [1][2][3]5363842541065043361817988211
District of Three5363842541065043361817988211
Middlesex County5363842541065043361817988211
Town of Acton27162------------
Town of Ashby230-------------
Town of Bedford-131------------
Town of Billerica371----1--------
District of Boxboro21--------------
Town of Cambridge-337128-1-------1
District of Carlisle3810------2-----
Town of Charlestown-4925---1---2----
Town of Chelmsford[4]---------------
Town of Concord76-4----------1-
Town of Dracut21511--1-----2--
Town of Dunstable87--------2----
Town of East Sudbury1619-------------
Town of Framingham50--1-----------
Town of Groton318-116----------
Town of Holliston259-------------
Town of Hopkinton3310-------------
Town of Lexington276--------1----
Town of Lincoln--15---18--------
Town of Littleton915-------------
Town of Malden6-31---17-------
Town of Marlborough3925-4-----------
Town of Medford-12---11-16------
Town of Natick-16-2-----------
Town of Newton2011-11----1------
Town of Pepperell27---1----------
Town of Reading39106------------
Town of Sherborn11-29-----------
Town of Shirley-24-------------
Town of Stoneham-123------7-----
Town of Stow31--------------
Town of Sudbury1316--------3----
Town of Tewksbury-320-5--1-------
Town of Townsend21----------8---
Town of Waltham-24-12-----------
Town of Watertown-24-13--3--------
Town of Westford-21204-----------
Town of Weston-20-26-----------
Town of Wilmington[5]---------------
Town of Woburn-71--43---------

Notes:

[1]Massachusetts law required a majority to elect for the U.S. House of Representatives. The whole number of votes cast was 1473, therefore a candidate needed 737 votes in order to be elected. No candidates were successful in reaching the majority and a second voting was held on January 29, 1789.
[2]"The elections in the country have, in general, been very thinly attended - owing in some measure to the late fall of snow, making the passing bad." The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 20, 1788.
[3]"It is evident that the Federalists had difficulty deciding upon a candidate who would accept if elected, a difficulty that continued in the second election in the district." The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections: 1788-1790, Vol. I. p 600.
[4]There were no votes recorded in Chelmsford.
[5]The December 23rd issue of The Salem Mercury (Salem, MA) states that all of the votes cast in Wilmington Town were for Elbridge Gerry, except one.

References:

Original Election Returns. Massachusetts State Archives, Boston.
The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 20, 1788.
The Salem Mercury (Salem, MA). December 23, 1788.
The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 24, 1788.
The Hampshire Chronicle (Springfield, MA). January 7, 1789.
The Hampshire Chronicle (Springfield, MA). January 14, 1789.
The Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). January 20, 1789.
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. 600-601.

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