Massachusetts 1788 Electoral College, Middlesex District

Office:
Electoral College (Federal)
Title:
Elector
Jurisdiction:
Federal
Label:
Massachusetts 1788 Electoral College, Middlesex District
Date:
1788
State:
Massachusetts
Type:
General
Iteration:
First Ballot
Office/Role:
Electoral College/Elector
Electors:
Francis Dana, John Brooks, Nathaniel Gorham, Eleazer Brooks, Oliver Prescott, Joseph B. Varnum, William Winthrop, Elbridge Gerry, Joseph Harmon, Ebenezer Bridge, Leammi Baldwin, Marshall Spring, James Winthrop, Abraham Fuller, Joseph Curtis, James Russell, Walter MacFarland, John Pitts, Benjamin Brown, Francis Faulkner, William Hull, Duncan Ingraham, Aaron Johnson, Joseph Lee, Chambers Russell, Parker Vasmens, Asahel Wheeler
Electors: Francis Dana[1]John Brooks[2]Nathaniel GorhamEleazer BrooksOliver PrescottJoseph B. VarnumWilliam WinthropElbridge GerryJoseph HarmonEbenezer BridgeLeammi BaldwinMarshall SpringJames WinthropAbraham FullerJoseph CurtisJames RussellWalter MacFarlandJohn PittsBenjamin BrownFrancis FaulknerWilliam HullDuncan IngrahamAaron JohnsonJoseph LeeChambers RussellParker VasmensAsahel Wheeler
Affiliation:FederalistFederalist
Presidential Candidate:George Washington / John Adams
Final Result: [3][4][5][6][7]5723383332672591828778664630282419181777111111111
District of Middlesex5723383332672591828778664630282419181777111111111
Middlesex County5723383332672591828778664630282419181777111111111
Town of Acton18--17---214-----18----1-------
Town of Ashby--24--30---------------------
Town of Bedford30--30-----------------------
Town of Billerica3131---1---------------------
District of Boxboro--21----312------------------
Town of Cambridge24276631-42------1---------1---
District of Carlisle--4-191--10-------7----------
Town of Charlestown7514-4425----------------------
Town of Chelmsford[8]---------------------------
Town of Concord5940122-9---------------------
Town of Dracut-3938----------------------1-
Town of Dunstable--91---4-1-------7---------
Town of East Sudbury----2922---------------------
Town of Framingham2328-----17-------------------
Town of Groton--3-1772179------------------
Town of Holliston13---2613---------------------
Town of Hopkinton-----29---24-----------------
Town of Lexington33-429---2-------------------
Town of Lincoln315-26-1------------------1--
Town of Littleton20-20------------------------
Town of Malden-12221-----------------------
Town of Marlborough352-3441-1-5-----------------
Town of Medford25242------------------------
Town of Natick--141-------14---------------
Town of Newton9118----4-1---18------11-----
Town of Pepperell----24-24--------------------
Town of Reading-30---33-46--11-----1--------
Town of Sherborn27-27------------------------
Town of Shirley-16-----16-------------------
Town of Stoneham-4-----1110-139--------------
Town of Stow-2525--1---------------------
Town of Sudbury-16--3014----------------1---1
Town of Tewksbury---1515----------------------
Town of Townsend-----13--143-----------------
Town of Waltham17312------2-----------------
Town of Watertown21--2114-------14--------------
Town of Westford23439-131---------------------
Town of Weston58-41------------17-----------
Town of Wilmington[9]---------------------------
Town of Woburn-283-126-17--30----------------

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 on eof 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 legilature 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]Francis Dana was chosen by the Massachusetts General Court as the Elector for the Essex District.
[6]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.
[7]"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.
[8]There were no votes recorded in Chelmsford.
[9]There were no votes recorded in Wilmington.

References:

Original Election Returns. Massachusetts State Archives, Boston.
Town of Weston Records. Vol. I. 400.
The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). December 20, 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.

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