1796–97 United States House of Representatives elections

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The 1796–97 United States House of Representatives elections took place in the various states took place between August 12, 1796 (in North Carolina), and October 15, 1797 (in Tennessee). Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives. The size of the House increased to 106 seats after Tennessee became the 16th state to join the union. The first session of the 5th United States Congress was convened on May 15, 1797, at the proclamation of the new President of the United States, John Adams. Since Kentucky and Tennessee had not yet voted, they were unrepresented until the second session began on November 13, 1797.

1796–97 United States House of Representatives elections
← 1794 & 1795
August 12, 1796 – October 15, 1797
1798 & 1799 →
← outgoing members
elected members →
All 106 seats in the United States House of Representatives
54 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Jonathan Dayton Nathaniel Macon
Party Federalist Democratic-Republican
Leader's seat New Jersey at-large North Carolina 5
Last election 47 seats 59 seats
Seats won 57 49
Seat change 10 10
Results:
     Federalist hold      Federalist gain
     Democratic-Republican hold      Democratic-Republican gain
     Undistricted territory

Gains for the Federalist Party provided the president with a reliable majority in support of his policies. Many of the Federalist pick-ups in Congress came from the former Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware). New England remained heavily Federalist, whereas the South and West favored Democratic-Republican candidates. Federalist trade and infrastructure policies found widespread approval in the Mid-Atlantic states during this era. With the growth of cities in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, government intervention in the interest of industrialization and mercantilism became more attractive to voting citizens in these areas.

During this period, each state fixed its own date for a congressional general election. Elections to a Congress took place both in the even-numbered year before and in the odd-numbered year when the Congress convened. In some states the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year).

Election summaries

During this period, each state fixed its own date for a congressional general election. Elections took place both in the even-numbered year before and in the odd-numbered year when a Congress convened. In some states, the congressional delegation was not elected until after the legal start of the Congress (on the 4th day of March in the odd-numbered year). The 1st session of the 5th Congress ran May 15 – July 10, 1797, before the states of Kentucky and Tennessee had their elections, causing those states to be unrepresented in the 1st session.

↓
49 57
Democratic-Republican Federalist
State Type ↑
Date 		Total
seats 		Democratic-
Republican 		Federalist
Seats Change Seats Change
Regular elections
North Carolina Districts August 12, 1796 10 9 1
New Hampshire At-large August 29, 1796 4 0 1 4 1
Rhode Island At-large August 30, 1796 2 0 2
Vermont Districts September 9, 1796 2 1 1
Connecticut At-large September 19, 1796 7 0 7
Maryland Districts October 3, 1796 8 2 2 6 2
Delaware At-large October 4, 1796 1 0 1 1 1
Pennsylvania Districts October 11, 1796 13 7 2 6 2
South Carolina Districts October 11, 1796 6 3 1 3 1
Georgia At-large November 7, 1796 2 2 0
Massachusetts Districts November 7, 1796 14 3 11
New York Districts December 15, 1796 10 4 1 6 1
New Jersey At-large January 11, 1797 5 0 5
Late elections (after the March 4, 1797 start of Congress)
Virginia Districts March 20, 1797 19 15 2 4 2
Kentucky Districts September 2, 1797 2 2 0
Tennessee At-large October 15, 1797 1 1 0
Total 106 49
46.2% 		10 57
53.8% 		10
House seats
Democratic-Republican
 
 46.23%
Federalist
 
 53.77%

Special elections

Elections are sorted by election date, then by district.

Fourth Congress

There were special and late elections to the 4th Congress in 1796.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Maryland 2 Gabriel Duvall Democratic-
Republican 		1794 (special) Incumbent resigned March 28, 1796, having been elected judge of the Supreme Court of Maryland.
New member elected April 18, 1796 and seated May 5, 1796.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Winner was later elected to the next term; see below.
  • ▌Y Richard Sprigg Jr. (Democratic-Republican)
  • Unopposed
Massachusetts 10 Benjamin Goodhue Federalist 1789 Incumbent resigned in June 1796 to become a U.S. Senator.
New member elected September 12, 1796 and seated December 7, 1796.
Federalist hold.
Winner was later elected to the next term; see below.
First ballot (August 1, 1796)
  • ▌Samuel Sewall (Federalist) 31.9%
  • ▌Jonathan Ingersoll (Unknown) 22.5%
  • ▌John Morris (Unknown) 21.2%
  • ▌John Cabot (Unknown) 10.5%
  • ▌Samuel Holten (Federalist) 6.8%
  • ▌Elias H. Dooly (Unknown) 4.0%
  • Scattering 3.1%
Second ballot (September 12, 1796)
  • ▌Y Samuel Sewall (Federalist) 61.7%
  • ▌Loammi Baldwin (Federalist) 38.3%
Connecticut at-large James Hillhouse Federalist 1790 Incumbent resigned July 1, 1796 to become U.S. Senator.
New member elected September 19, 1796 and seated December 5, 1796.
Federalist hold.
On the same day, winner lost election to the next term; see below.
  • ▌Y James Davenport (Federalist)
  • [data missing]
Maryland 3 Jeremiah Crabb Federalist 1794 Incumbent resigned in 1796.
New member elected October 3, 1796 and seated December 5, 1796.
Federalist hold.
On the same ballot, winner was elected to the next term; see below.
  • ▌Y William Craik (Federalist) 50.7%
  • ▌Benjamin Edwards (Federalist) 49.3%
Pennsylvania 5 Daniel Hiester Democratic-
Republican 		1788 Incumbent resigned July 1, 1796.
New member elected October 11, 1796 and seated December 8, 1796.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y George Ege (Federalist) 56.8%
  • ▌Joseph Hiester (Democratic-Republican) 45.2%
Tennessee at-large None (District created) New state admitted June 1, 1796.
New member elected October 15, 1796 and seated December 5, 1796.
Democratic-Republican gain.
  • ▌Y Andrew Jackson (Democratic-Republican) 98.9%
  • ▌James Rody (Unknown) 1.1%
Rhode Island at-large Benjamin Bourne Federalist 1790 (late ratification) Incumbent resigned in 1796 to become a U.S. district judge.
New member elected November 15, 1796 and seated December 19, 1796.
Federalist hold.
Winner was also elected to the next term; see below.
  • ▌Y Elisha Reynolds Potter (Federalist) 71.0%
  • ▌Peleg Arnold (Democratic-Republican) 29.0%
Massachusetts 1 Theodore Sedgwick Federalist 1789 Incumbent resigned in June 1796, having been elected U.S. Senator.
New member elected November 21, 1796 and seated January 27, 1797.
Democratic-Republican gain.
First ballot (September 5, 1796)
  • ▌Thomson J. Skinner (Democratic-Republican) 48.0%
  • ▌Ephraim Williams (Federalist) 49.9%
  • Scattering 2.1%
  • Second ballot (November 21, 1796)
  • ▌Y Thomson J. Skinner (Democratic-Republican) 62.7%
  • ▌Ephraim Williams (Federalist) 32.0%
  • Scattering 5.3%
North Carolina 4 Absalom Tatom Democratic-
Republican 		1795 Incumbent resigned June 1, 1796.
New member elected November 28, 1796 and seated December 13, 1796.
Federalist gain.
Winner did not run for the next term.
  • ▌Y William F. Strudwick (Federalist) 76.3%
  • ▌Richard Stanford (Democratic-Republican) 22.5%
  • Scattering 1.2%
Connecticut at-large Uriah Tracy Federalist 1792 Incumbent resigned October 13, 1796 to become U.S. Senator.
New member elected December 5, 1796 and seated January 3, 1797.
Federalist hold.
Winner had already been elected to the next term; see below.
  • ▌Y Samuel Dana (Federalist)
  • [data missing]

Fifth Congress

There were special and late elections to the 5th Congress in 1797.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Vermont 2 Daniel Buck Federalist 1795 Incumbent re-elected, but declined to serve.
New member elected May 23, 1797.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y Lewis R. Morris (Federalist) 56.9%
  • ▌Stephen Jacob (Federalist) 13.6%
  • ▌Nathaniel Niles (Democratic-Republican) 11.2%
  • ▌Amasa Paine (Federalist) 6.6%
  • Scattering 11.8%
Massachusetts 11 Theophilus Bradbury Federalist 1794/95 Incumbent resigned July 24, 1797.
New member elected August 4, 1797 and seated November 27, 1797.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y Bailey Bartlett (Federalist) 81.4%
  • Scattering 18.6%
New Hampshire at-large Jeremiah Smith Federalist 1794 Incumbent resigned July 26, 1797.
New member elected August 28, 1797 and seated December 15, 1797.
Federalist hold.
First ballot (August 28, 1797)
  • ▌Peleg Sprague (Federalist) 43.3%
  • ▌Woodbury Langdon (Democratic-Republican) 22.5%
  • ▌Edward Livermore (Federalist) 21.3%
  • Others 12.8%
Second ballot (October 30, 1797):
  • ▌Y Peleg Sprague (Federalist) 66.6%
  • ▌Woodbury Langdon (Democratic-Republican) 33.4%
Rhode Island at-large Elisha Potter Federalist 1796 (special) Incumbent resigned sometime in 1797.
New member elected August 29, 1797 and seated November 13, 1797.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y Thomas Tillinghast (Federalist) 78.3%
  • ▌James Burrill Jr. (Federalist) 18.1%
  • Scattering 3.6%
South Carolina 1 William L. Smith Federalist 1788 Incumbent resigned July 10, 1797.
New member elected September 4–5, 1797 and seated November 23, 1797.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y Thomas Pinckney (Federalist)
  • Unopposed
Connecticut at-large James Davenport Federalist 1796 (special) Died August 3, 1797.
New member elected September 18, 1797 and seated November 13, 1797.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y William Edmond (Federalist) 56.3%
  • ▌John Treadwell (Federalist) 24.8%
  • ▌Gideon Granger (Democratic-Republican) 16.1%
  • ▌David Daggett (Federalist) 2.8%
Tennessee at-large Andrew Jackson Democratic-
Republican 		1797 (new state) Incumbent resigned in September 1797 when elected U.S. Senator.
New member elected September 26, 1797 and seated November 23, 1797, despite being under the minimum age for service.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y William C. C. Claiborne (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌John Rhea (Unknown)
  • ▌John Carter (Unknown)
Pennsylvania 5 George Ege Federalist 1796 (special) Incumbent resigned in October 1797.
New member elected October 10, 1797 and seated December 1, 1797.
Democratic-Republican gain.
  • ▌Y Joseph Hiester (Democratic-Republican)
  • Unopposed

Connecticut

Connecticut elected its seven representatives at-large on a general ticket.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Connecticut at-large
7 seats on a general ticket 		Uriah Tracy Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected.
Winner declined to serve.
  • ▌Y Uriah Tracy (Federalist) 13.8%
  • ▌Y Roger Griswold (Federalist) 13.3%
  • ▌Y Joshua Coit (Federalist) 12.1%
  • ▌Y Zephaniah Swift (Federalist) 12.0%
  • ▌Y Nathaniel Smith (Federalist) 11.9%
  • ▌Y Chauncey Goodrich (Federalist) 9.7%
  • ▌Y Samuel W. Dana (Federalist) 7.5%
  • ▌James Davenport (Federalist) 6.2%
  • ▌David Daggett (Federalist) 4.7%
  • ▌John Allen (Federalist) 3.3%
  • ▌William Edmond (Federalist) 3.3%
  • ▌Jonathan Treadwell 2.6%
  • ▌Gideon Granger (Democratic-Republican) 2.2%
Roger Griswold Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
Joshua Coit Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected.
Zephariah Swift Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected.
Winner declined to serve.
Nathaniel Smith Federalist 1795 (special) Incumbent re-elected.
Chauncey Goodrich Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
James Hillhouse Federalist 1790 Incumbent resigned July 1, 1796.
Federalist hold.

Delaware

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Delaware at-large John Patten Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent retired.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y James A. Bayard (Federalist) 56.3%
  • ▌William Perry (Democratic-Republican) 43.7%

Georgia

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Georgia at-large
2 seats on a general ticket 		Abraham Baldwin Democratic-
Republican 		1789 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Abraham Baldwin (Democratic-Republican) 35.8%
  • ▌Y John Milledge (Democratic-Republican) 33.1%
  • ▌Thomas P. Carnes (Federalist) 18.7%
  • ▌Francis Willis (Democratic-Republican) 10.5%
  • ▌George Nailor (Democratic-Republican) 1.8%
John Milledge Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected.

Kentucky

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Kentucky 1
"Southern District" 		Christopher Greenup Democratic-
Republican 		1792 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y Thomas Davis (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Kentucky 2
"Northern District" 		Alexander D. Orr Democratic-
Republican 		1792 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y John Fowler (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Notley Conn (Unknown)
  • ▌Edmund Bollock (Unknown)

Maryland

Two of the four Democratic-Republicans were replaced by Federalists, bringing the Federalists from a 4–4 split to a 6–2 majority.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Maryland 1 George Dent Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y George Dent (Federalist) 99.7%
  • ▌Philip Key (Unknown) 0.3%
Maryland 2 Richard Sprigg Jr. Democratic-Republican 1796 (special) Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Richard Sprigg Jr. (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Maryland 3 William Craik Federalist 1796 (special) Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y William Craik (Federalist) 51.0%
  • ▌Benjamin Edwards (Federalist) 49.0%
Maryland 4 Thomas Sprigg Democratic-Republican 1792 Incumbent retired.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y George Baer Jr. (Federalist) 72.1%
  • ▌Samuel Ringgold (Democratic-Republican) 27.9%
Maryland 5 Samuel Smith Democratic-Republican 1792 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Samuel Smith (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Maryland 6 Gabriel Christie Democratic-Republican 1792 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y William Matthews (Federalist) 51.5%
  • ▌Gabriel Christie (Democratic-Republican) 48.5%
Maryland 7 William Hindman Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y William Hindman (Federalist) 62.6%
  • ▌Robert Wright (Democratic-Republican) 37.4%
Maryland 8 William V. Murray Federalist 1790 Incumbent retired.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y John Dennis (Federalist) 100%

Massachusetts

Massachusetts's electoral law required a majority for election, necessitating additional trials in three districts.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Massachusetts 1
"1st Western District" 		Vacant Incumbent rep.-elect Theodore Sedgwick (F) resigned in June 1796 to become U.S. Senator.
Democratic-Republican gain.
New member also elected to finish the term on a later ballot; see above.
  • ▌Y Thomson J. Skinner (Democratic-Republican) 56.4%
  • ▌Ephraim Williams (Federalist) 43.6%
Massachusetts 2
"2nd Western District" 		William Lyman Democratic-
Republican 		1792 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
First ballot (November 7, 1796)
  • ▌William Shepard (Federalist) 46.3%
  • ▌Sam Hinshaw (Unknown) 23.9%
  • ▌William Lyman (Democratic-Republican) 21.4%
  • ▌John Williams (Unknown) 4.0%
  • ▌Nahum Park (Unknown) 2.0%
  • Scattering 2.4%
  • Second ballot (January 16, 1797)
  • ▌Y William Shepard (Federalist) 100%
Massachusetts 3
"3rd Western District" 		Samuel Lyman Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Samuel Lyman (Federalist) 83.3%
  • ▌Daniel Bigelow (Democratic-Republican) 16.7%
Massachusetts 4
"4th Western District" 		Dwight Foster Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Dwight Foster (Federalist) 80.8%
  • ▌Levi Lincoln Sr. (Democratic-Republican) 19.2%
Massachusetts 5
"1st Southern District" 		Nathaniel Freeman Federalist 1794 Incumbent switched parties and was re-elected.
Democratic-Republican gain.
  • ▌Y Nathaniel Freeman (Democratic-Republican) 82.1%
  • ▌Peleg Coffin Jr. (Federalist) 17.9%
Massachusetts 6
"2nd Southern District" 		John Reed Sr. Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y John Reed Sr. (Federalist) 78.8%
  • ▌Edward H. Robbins (Federalist) 21.2%
Massachusetts 7
"3rd Southern District" 		George Leonard Federalist 1788
1794 		Incumbent retired.
Federalist hold.
First ballot (November 7, 1796)
  • ▌Elisha May (Federalist) 45.3%
  • ▌Stephen Bullock (Federalist) 28.3%
  • ▌Laban Wheaton (Federalist) 26.4%
Second ballot (January 16, 1797)
  • ▌Stephen Bullock (Federalist) 35.8%
  • ▌Laban Wheaton (Federalist) 32.7%
  • ▌Elisha May (Federalist) 31.5%
Third ballot (April 3, 1797)
  • ▌Y Stephen Bullock (Federalist) 56.7%
  • ▌Elisha May (Federalist) 28.3%
  • ▌Laban Wheaton (Federalist) 15.1%
Massachusetts 8
"1st Middle District" 		Fisher Ames Federalist 1788 Incumbent retired.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y Harrison Gray Otis (Federalist) 57.0%
  • ▌James Bowdoin (Democratic-Republican) 43.0%
Massachusetts 9
"2nd Middle District" 		Joseph Varnum Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Joseph Varnum (Democratic-Republican) 69.0%
  • ▌Ebenezer Bridge (Federalist) 16.8%
  • ▌Samuel Dexter (Federalist) 14.3%
Massachusetts 10
"3rd Middle District" 		Samuel Sewall Federalist 1796 (special) Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Samuel Sewall (Federalist) 67.9%
  • ▌Loammi Baldwin (Federalist) 22.1%
Massachusetts 11
"4th Middle District" 		Theophilus Bradbury Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y Theophilus Bradbury (Federalist) 100%
Massachusetts 12
District of Maine
"1st Eastern District" 		Henry Dearborn Democratic-
Republican 		1792 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
First ballot (November 7, 1796)
  • ▌Isaac Parker (Federalist) 40.5%
  • ▌Henry Dearborn (Democratic-Republican) 31.7%
  • ▌John Bowman (Unknown) 27.8%
Second ballot (January 16, 1797)
  • ▌Isaac Parker (Federalist) 48.2%
  • ▌Henry Dearborn (Democratic-Republican) 33.8%
  • ▌John Bowman (Unknown) 18.0%
  • Third ballot (April 3, 1797)
  • ▌Y Isaac Parker (Federalist) 52.6%
  • ▌Henry Dearborn (Democratic-Republican) 47.5%
Massachusetts 13
District of Maine
"2nd Eastern District" 		Peleg Wadsworth Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y Peleg Wadsworth (Federalist) 100%
Massachusetts 14
District of Maine
"3rd Eastern District" 		George Thatcher Federalist 1788 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y George Thatcher (Federalist) 100%

New Hampshire

In 1796, New Hampshire had a single at-large district with 4 seats. Each voter cast 4 votes and a majority of voters (12.5% of votes) was required to be elected. Since only three candidates received a majority, a run-off was held between the candidates in fourth and fifth place to fill the remaining seat.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
New Hampshire at-large
4 seats on a general ticket 		Jeremiah Smith Federalist 1790 Incumbent re-elected. First ballot (August 29, 1796)
  • ▌Y Jeremiah Smith (Federalist) 25.0%
  • ▌Y Abiel Foster (Federalist) 24.3%
  • ▌Y William Gordon (Federalist) 14.9%
  • ▌Y Jonathan Freeman (Federalist) 9.5%
  • ▌Y Peleg Sprague (Federalist) 4.4%
  • ▌Woodbury Langdon (Democratic-Republican) 4.2%
  • ▌John Prentice 4.1%
  • ▌Thomas Cogwell 3.4%
  • ▌Nathaniel Peabody 2.3%
  • ▌John Bellows 2.1%
  • ▌Joseph Cilley 1.9%
  • ▌Nathaniel Rogers 1.9%
  • Second ballot (November 7, 1796)
  • ▌Y Jonathan Freeman (Federalist) 72.5%
  • ▌Peleg Sprague (Federalist) 27.5%
Nicholas Gilman Federalist 1788/89 Incumbent retired.
Federalist hold.
John S. Sherburne Democratic-
Republican 		1792 Incumbent retired.
Federalist gain.
Abiel Foster Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.

New Jersey

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
New Jersey at-large
5 seats on a general ticket 		Jonathan Dayton Federalist 1791 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Jonathan Dayton (Federalist) 15.8%
  • ▌Y Mark Thomson (Federalist) 10.4%
  • ▌Y James H. Imlay (Federalist) 9.6%
  • ▌Y James Schureman (Federalist) 9.3%
  • ▌Y Thomas Sinnickson (Federalist) 9.1%
  • ▌Aaron Kitchell (Democratic-Republican) 8.6%
  • ▌Joseph Bloomfield (Democratic-Republican) 5.5%
  • ▌James Linn (Democratic-Republican) 5.3%
  • ▌Ebenezer Elmer (Democratic-Republican) 4.8%
  • ▌John Condit (Democratic-Republican) 4.6%
  • ▌William Crane (Federalist) 3.5%
  • ▌Joseph Cooper (Democratic-Republican) 3.5%
  • ▌William Helms (Democratic-Republican) 2.8%
  • ▌Thomas Lowrey (Federalist) 1.5%
  • ▌Jonathan Elmer (Federalist) 1.3%
Mark Thomson Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
Aaron Kitchell Federalist 1794 (special) Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist hold.
Thomas Henderson Federalist 1794 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist hold.
Isaac Smith Federalist 1794 Incumbent retired.
Federalist hold.

New York

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
New York 1 Jonathan Nicoll Havens Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Jonathan Nicoll Havens (Democratic-Republican) 66.0%
  • ▌Selah Strong (Federalist) 34.0%
New York 2 Edward Livingston Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Edward Livingston (Democratic-Republican) 56.6%
  • ▌James Watson (Federalist) 43.3%
New York 3 Philip Van Cortlandt Democratic-
Republican 		1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Philip Van Cortlandt (Democratic-Republican) 50.3%
  • ▌Samuel Haight (Federalist) 49.7%
New York 4 John Hathorn Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y Lucas Elmendorf (Democratic-Republican) 56.1%
  • ▌Conrad E. Elmendorf (Federalist) 43.9%
New York 5 Theodorus Bailey Democratic-
Republican 		1793 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y David Brooks (Federalist) 54.5%
  • ▌Theodorus Bailey (Democratic-Republican) 45.5%
New York 6 Ezekiel Gilbert Federalist 1793 Incumbent retired.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y Hezekiah L. Hosmer (Federalist) 57.7%
  • ▌John P. Van Ness (Democratic-Republican) 42.3%
New York 7 John E. Van Alen Federalist 1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y John E. Van Alen (Federalist) 57.9%
  • ▌John Woodworth (Democratic-Republican) 42.1%
New York 8 Henry Glen Federalist 1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Henry Glen (Federalist) 77.7%
  • ▌Peter Swart (Democratic-Republican) 22.3%
New York 9 John Williams Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected as a Federalist.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y John Williams (Federalist) 62.8%
  • ▌James Gordon (Federalist) 27.3%
  • ▌Douw I. Fonda (Democratic-Republican) 10.0%
New York 10 William Cooper Federalist 1794 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y James Cochran (Federalist) 50.6%
  • ▌William Cooper (Federalist) 48.7%
  • ▌Charles Williamson (Democratic-Republican) 0.7%

North Carolina

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
North Carolina 1 James Holland Democratic-
Republican 		1795 Incumbent lost re-election.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y Joseph McDowell (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌James Holland (Democratic-Republican)
North Carolina 2 Matthew Locke Democratic-
Republican 		1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Matthew Locke (Democratic-Republican) 56.9%
  • ▌Nathaniel Alexander (Democratic-Republican) 27.1%
  • ▌Robert Irwin (Federalist) 15.8%
  • Others 0.2%
North Carolina 3 Jesse Franklin Democratic-
Republican 		1795 Incumbent lost re-election.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y Robert Williams (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Jesse Franklin (Democratic-Republican)
North Carolina 4 William F. Strudwick Federalist 1796 (special) Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican gain.
  • ▌Y Richard Stanford (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Absalom Tatom (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌William Sheppard (Federalist)
  • ▌Stephen Moore (Federalist)
North Carolina 5 Nathaniel Macon Democratic-
Republican 		1791 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y Nathaniel Macon (Democratic-Republican) 100%
North Carolina 6 James Gillespie Democratic-
Republican 		1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y James Gillespie (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌William H. Hill (Federalist)
  • ▌James Keenan (Unknown)
  • ▌Gabriel Holmes (Independent)
North Carolina 7 William B. Grove Federalist 1791 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y William B. Grove (Federalist) 73.4%
  • ▌Duncan MacFarland (Democratic-Republican) 26.6%
North Carolina 8 Dempsey Burgess Democratic-
Republican 		1795 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Dempsey Burgess (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Joseph Riddick (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌James Gregory (Federalist)
  • ▌James Brown (Federalist)
North Carolina 9 Thomas Blount Democratic-
Republican 		1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Thomas Blount (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Willis Alston (Federalist)
North Carolina 10 Nathan Bryan Democratic-
Republican 		1795 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Nathan Bryan (Democratic-Republican) 54.1%
  • ▌Richard D. Spaight (Democratic-Republican) 45.9%

Pennsylvania

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Pennsylvania 1 John Swanwick Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y John Swanwick (Democratic-Republican) 51.3%
  • ▌Edward Tilghman (Federalist) 48.7%
Pennsylvania 2 Frederick Muhlenberg Democratic-
Republican 		1788 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y Blair McClenachan (Democratic-Republican) 60.2%
  • ▌Robert Waln (Federalist) 39.8%
Pennsylvania 3 Richard Thomas Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Richard Thomas (Federalist) 52.9%
  • ▌William Gibbons (Democratic-Republican) 47.1%
Pennsylvania 4
Plural district with 2 seats 		Samuel Sitgreaves Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Samuel Sitgreaves (Federalist) 42.6%
  • ▌Y John Chapman (Federalist) 25.2%
  • ▌Peter Muhlenberg (Democratic-Republican) 13.0%
  • ▌John Richards (Democratic-Republican) 12.3%
  • ▌Robert Lollar (Democratic-Republican) 6.9%
John Richards Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
Pennsylvania 5 Vacant Representative Daniel Hiester (D-R) resigned July 1, 1796.
Federalist gain.
Winner was also elected to finish the current term; see above.
  • ▌Y George Ege (Federalist) 56.8%
  • ▌Joseph Hiester (Democratic-Republican) 43.2%
Pennsylvania 6 Samuel Maclay Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent lost re-election.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y John A. Hanna (Democratic-Republican) 74.3%
  • ▌John Carson (Federalist) 21.1%
  • ▌Samuel Maclay (Democratic-Republican) 4.6%
Pennsylvania 7 John W. Kittera Federalist 1791 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y John W. Kittera (Federalist) 95.6%
  • ▌William Webb (Federalist) 4.4%
Pennsylvania 8 Thomas Hartley Federalist 1788 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Thomas Hartley (Federalist) 100%
Pennsylvania 9 Andrew Gregg Democratic-
Republican 		1791 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Andrew Gregg (Democratic-Republican) 53.8%
  • ▌William Irvine (Democratic-Republican) 32.0%
  • ▌James Wallace (Federalist) 7.9%
  • ▌Robert Whitehall (Democratic-Republican) 4.1%
  • ▌Thomas Kennedy (Federalist) 2.3%
Pennsylvania 10 David Bard Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y David Bard (Democratic-Republican) 45.1%
  • ▌Abraham Smith (Democratic-Republican) 30.3%
  • ▌William M. Brown (Federalist) 24.6%
Pennsylvania 11 William Findley Democratic-
Republican 		1791 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y William Findley (Democratic-Republican) 79.3%
  • ▌James Findley (Federalist) 20.7%
Pennsylvania 12 Albert Gallatin Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Albert Gallatin (Democratic-Republican) 61.7%
  • ▌John Woods (Federalist) 26.4%
  • ▌Thomas Stokely (Federalist) 11.9%

Rhode Island

Rhode Island had an at-large district with two seats, each of which were elected separately.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Rhode Island at-large
Seat A 		Benjamin Bourne Federalist 1790 Incumbent re-elected.
Winner later declined the seat.
  • ▌Y Benjamin Bourne (Federalist) 99.9%
  • Others 0.1%
Rhode Island at-large
Seat B 		Francis Malbone Federalist 1792 Incumbent retired.
Federalist hold.
  • ▌Y Christopher G. Champlin (Federalist) 51.4%
  • ▌William Greene (Federalist) 48.4%
  • Others 0.2%

South Carolina

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
South Carolina 1
"Charleston district" 		William L. Smith Federalist 1788 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y William L. Smith (Federalist) 84.8%
  • ▌Robert Simons (Democratic-Republican) 13.6%
  • ▌John Rutledge (Democratic-Republican) 1.6%
South Carolina 2
"Beaufort district" 		Wade Hampton Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent retired.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y John Rutledge Jr. (Federalist) 87.3%
  • ▌Elnathan Haskell (Democratic-Republican) 16.7%
South Carolina 3
"Georgetown district" 		Lemuel Benton Democratic-
Republican 		1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Lemuel Benton (Democratic-Republican) 63.3%
  • ▌Tristam Thomas (Federalist) 24.4%
  • ▌Joseph Blyth (Federalist) 12.3%
South Carolina 4
"Camden district" 		Richard Winn Democratic-
Republican 		1793 Incumbent lost re-election.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y Thomas Sumter (Democratic-Republican) 50.7%
  • ▌Richard Winn (Federalist) 49.3%
South Carolina 5
"Ninety-Six district" 		Robert Goodloe Harper Federalist 1794 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Robert Goodloe Harper (Federalist) 67.6%
  • ▌William Butler (Democratic-Republican) 32.4%
South Carolina 6
"Washington district" 		Samuel Earle Democratic-
Republican 		1794 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y William Smith (Democratic-Republican) 37.0%
  • ▌Abraham Nott (Federalist) 32.5%
  • ▌William Will (Democratic-Republican) 25.4%
  • ▌Samuel Lowrie (Federalist) 2.6%
  • ▌Robert Anderson (Democratic-Republican) 2.5%

Tennessee

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Tennessee at-large Andrew Jackson Democratic-
Republican 		1796 Incumbent re-elected.
Winner later resigned in September 1797 when elected U.S. senator.
  • ▌Y Andrew Jackson (Democratic-Republican)
  • [data missing]

Vermont

Due to Vermont's law requiring a majority to secure a congressional seat, the 1st district required three ballots to choose a winner.

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Vermont 1
"Western District" 		Israel Smith Democratic-
Republican 		1791 Incumbent lost re-election.
Democratic-Republican hold.
First ballot (September 9, 1796)
  • ▌Matthew Lyon (Democratic-Republican) 40.7%
  • ▌Israel Smith (Democratic-Republican) 22.1%
  • ▌Samuel Williams (Unknown) 7.3%
  • ▌Nathaniel Chipman (Federalist) 7.1%
  • ▌Isaac Tichenor (Federalist) 6.5%
  • ▌Gideon Olin (Democratic-Republican) 4.5%
  • ▌Enoch Woodbridge (Unknown) 4.3%
  • ▌Jonas Galusha (Democratic-Republican) 3.4%
  • ▌Daniel Chipman (Federalist) 2.0%
  • ▌Samuel Hitchcock (Federalist) 1.2%
  • Others 1.0%
Second ballot (December 11, 1796)
  • ▌Matthew Lyon (Democratic-Republican) 46.7%
  • ▌Samuel Hitchcock (Federalist) 25.7%
  • ▌Israel Smith (Democratic-Republican) 21.4%
  • ▌Samuel Williams (Unknown) 2.9%
  • ▌Gideon Olin (Democratic-Republican) 1.1%
  • Others 2.3%
Third ballot (February 7, 1797)
  • ▌Y Matthew Lyon (Democratic-Republican) 55.1%
  • ▌Samuel Hitchcock (Federalist) 29.4%
  • ▌Israel Smith (Democratic-Republican) 8.9%
  • ▌Jonas Galusha (Democratic-Republican) 3.9%
  • ▌Samuel Williams (Unknown) 0.7%
  • Scattering 2.1%
Vermont 2
"Eastern District" 		Daniel Buck Federalist 1795 Incumbent re-elected.
Winner declined the seat.
  • ▌Y Daniel Buck (Federalist) 97.1%
  • Scattering 2.9%

Virginia

District Incumbent This race
Member Party First elected Results Candidates
Virginia 1 Robert Rutherford Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
Election unsuccessfully challenged by Rutherford.
  • ▌Y Daniel Morgan (Federalist)
  • ▌Robert Rutherford (Democratic-Republican)
Virginia 2 Andrew Moore Democratic-Republican 1789 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y David Holmes (Democratic-Republican) 60.4%
  • ▌John Steele (Federalist) 27.5%
  • ▌John Bowyer (Democratic-Republican) 12.1%
Virginia 3 George Jackson Democratic-Republican 1795 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y James Machir (Federalist) 45.4%
  • ▌George Jackson (Democratic-Republican) 28.7%
  • ▌John Mitchell (Democratic-Republican) 20.1%
  • ▌Thomas Wilson (Federalist) 5.7%
Virginia 4 Francis Preston Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold. 		▌Y Abram Trigg (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Virginia 5 George Hancock Federalist 1793 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican gain. 		▌Y John J. Trigg (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Virginia 6 Isaac Coles Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold. 		▌Y Matthew Clay (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Virginia 7 Abraham B. Venable Democratic-Republican 1790 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y Abraham B. Venable (Democratic-Republican)
Virginia 8 Thomas Claiborne Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Thomas Claiborne (Democratic-Republican) 62.3%
  • ▌Jesse Browne (Federalist) 37.7%
Virginia 9 William B. Giles Democratic-Republican 1790 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y William B. Giles (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Virginia 10 Carter B. Harrison Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Carter B. Harrison (Democratic-Republican) 55.4%
  • ▌Edwin Gray (Federalist) 44.6%
Virginia 11 Josiah Parker Federalist 1789 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y Josiah Parker (Federalist) 100%
Virginia 12 John Page Democratic-Republican 1789 Incumbent lost re-election.
Federalist gain.
  • ▌Y Thomas Evans (Federalist)
  • ▌John Page (Democratic-Republican)
Virginia 13 John Clopton Democratic-Republican 1795 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y John Clopton (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Burwell Bassett (Federalist)
Virginia 14 Samuel J. Cabell Democratic-Republican 1795 Incumbent re-elected. ▌Y Samuel J. Cabell (Democratic-Republican) 100%
Virginia 15 James Madison Democratic-Republican 1789 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y John Dawson (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Thomas Posey (Federalist)
Virginia 16 Anthony New Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Anthony New (Democratic-Republican) 70.6%
  • ▌Carter Braxton Jr. (Federalist) 29.3%
  • ▌Robert P. Waring (Unknown) 0.1%
Virginia 17 Richard Brent Democratic-Republican 1795 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y Richard Brent (Democratic-Republican) 100%
  • ▌Leven Powell (Federalist)
Virginia 18 John Nicholas Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Y John Nicholas (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌John Blackwell (Federalist)
  • ▌William Fitzhugh (Federalist)
Virginia 19 John Heath Democratic-Republican 1793 Incumbent retired.
Democratic-Republican hold.
  • ▌Y Walter Jones (Democratic-Republican)
  • ▌Burgess Ball (Federalist)

See also

  • 1796 United States elections
  • 4th United States Congress
  • 5th United States Congress

Bibliography

  • "A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825". Tufts Digital Library, Tufts University. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  • Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
  • Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
  • "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  • Mapping Early American Elections project team (2019). "Mapping Early American Elections". Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. Retrieved September 6, 2024.

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