Kentucky 1817 House of Representatives, Fayette County
- Office:
- House of Representatives (State)
- Title:
- State Representative
- Jurisdiction:
- State
- Label:
- Kentucky 1817 House of Representatives, Fayette County
- Date:
- 1817
- State:
- Kentucky
- Type:
- General
- Iteration:
- First Ballot
- Office/Role:
- House of Representatives/State Representative
- Candidates:
- James C. Breckenridge, John Parker, Thomas T. Barr, Matthew Flournoy, Henry Payne, James True
Candidates: | James C. Breckenridge | John Parker | Thomas T. Barr | Matthew Flournoy | Henry Payne | James True |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Affiliation: | For New Election | For New Election | For New Election | Against New Election | Against New Election | Against New Election |
Final Result: [1][2][3] | 1386 | 1369 | 1310 | 521 | 469 | 424 |
Fayette County | 1386 | 1369 | 1310 | 521 | 469 | 424 |
Notes:
[1]As most counties in Kentucky had only two or three voting places, and to give everyone a chance to vote, the elections in this state were held over a period of three days. Sometimes, after the voting on the first or second day, when a candidate realized he was not going to be elected, he would decline and ask that his poll be closed. If a candidate requested, sometimes any further votes for him were not counted. The August 6, 1817 issue of the Reporter had two editions, specifically to adjust the election returns from Fayette County. The first edition had the votes from the second day and the updated edition had the complete returns. However, they forgot to update the returns for Henry Payne and James True, Jr. and that is why their votes are lower than those in the Kentucky Gazette (Lexington, KY).
[2]"State of the Polls in Fayette County on the 2nd day of voting: 875 for James C. Breckenridge, 860 for John Parker, 824 for Thomas T. Barr, 374 for Matthew Flournoy, 340 for Henry Payne and 304 for James True." The Reporter (Lexington, KY). August 6, 1817.
[3]George Madison who was elected Governor of Kentucky in August 1816, died very shortly after being inaugurated. He was succeeded by Gabriel Slaughter, who had just been elected as Lieutenant Governor. The new Lieutenant Governor, appointed John Pope, who was considered by many to be an avowed Federalist, to the office of Secretary of State for Kentucky. This caused uproar among the Kentucky Republicans and many of them demanded a new election for Governor and that became a big issue in the state elections of 1817. It would have required an act of the State Legislature to call for a new election of a Governor, so in the 1817 state elections, candidates for the state legislature aligned themselves into those who were in favor of a new election for Governor, and those against a new election for Governor.
References:
The Reporter (Lexington, KY). August 6, 1817.
Kentucky Gazette (Lexington, KY). August 9, 1817.
The Western Citizen (Paris, KY). August 13, 1817.
Virginia Patriot, and Richmond Daily Mercantile Advertiser (Richmond, VA). August 28, 1817.
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