On this Day, 1801

[Devil Doc]

It was on this day in 1801 that the presidential election was decided for Thomas Jefferson by the House of Representatives. The election laws were quite different at the time. Each elector in the Electoral College was allowed to cast two votes. On top of that, each political party nominated two candidates. So the election was between four men, two from each party, and the result was a tie between Jefferson and his fellow Republican Party member Aaron Burr. The tie meant that the election had to be decided in the House of Representatives.

The first vote in the House was held during a blizzard on February 11, 1801. By 3:00 a.m. the following morning, 19 roll calls had been taken, but they'd all been deadlocked. Three days later, the deadlock was still unbroken. Commentators began to worry that Congress would have to adjourn before selecting a new president, meaning that the country would be without an executive branch for several months. John Adams feared that this situation might result in civil war. Some people in Virginia said that they would secede from the Union if Jefferson didn't take the presidency. Others in the Republican Party announced that they would drive the Federalists from Congress by force if necessary.

The election was finally decided when the lone representative from Delaware chose to abstain from voting. And so, on this day in 1801, Jefferson was elected the third president of the United States.

Doc.

 

[AVB]

To further expand on Doc's wonderful story:

James A. Bayard, the lone congressman from Delaware, who distrusted Jefferson, faithfully voted for Burr on ballot after ballot with his fellow Federalists. But Bayard became alarmed by the danger of having no president at all on March 4, because that would lead to the chaos of no government. His little state depended, for its very existence, on the Constitution's guarantees to each state. So he decided it would be safer to have the hated Jefferson in the White House rather than anarchy, and he started dickering for a deal.

The chief opposition to Jefferson arose out of fears that he would abolish the Navy, toss all Federalists out of office, and repudiate the debt - which would, of course, bankrupt the holders of government bonds. Bayard sent Gen. Smith of Baltimore to see Jefferson and get positive commitments that he would do none of these things. Bayard acted on the advice of Alexander Hamilton, the great Federalist leader, who fired letters to congressmen begging them to reject Burr.

The next day Gen. Smith reported back that he was authorized to say that Jefferson would carry out these policies. Jefferson later denied that he had authorized anybody to say what he would do. Nevertheless, Bayard decided to throw the election to Jefferson and on the 36th ballot, on Feb. 17, Jefferson triumphed, 10 to 4.

In particular, Bayard had insisted, through Gen. Smith, that the collector of the port of Wilmington, Delaware, a Revolutionary War hero named Allen McLane, must be retained in his lucrative post. On the day of Jefferson's triumph, Bayard sent a bulletin to McLane, saying: "Mr. Jefferson is our President . . . I have taken good care of you, and think, if prudent, you are safe."

The manuscript of Jefferson's private journal, dated March 8, four days after his inauguration, contains a long list of faithful Republicans to whom he would award federal offices. One line also reads: "Delaware - the collector McLane to be retained.


(excerpt from Frank van der Linden author of "The turning point: Jefferson's Battle for the Presidency.")