1803 United States gubernatorial elections

United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1803, in 12 states.

1803 United States gubernatorial elections

← 1802 January 11, 1803 – December 19, 1803 1804 →
12 state governorships
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Last election 12 governorships 4 governorships Seats before 12 4 Seats won 9 4 Seats after 13 4 Seat change 1 Seats up 8 4
Democratic-Republican gain      Democratic-Republican hold      Federalist gain      Federalist hold

Seven governors were elected by popular vote and five were elected by state legislatures.

Ohio held its first gubernatorial election on achieving statehood.

Results

State	Election date	Incumbent	Party	Status	Opposing candidates
Connecticut	14 April 1803[lower-alpha 1]	Jonathan Trumbull Jr.	Federalist	Re-elected, 14,375 (64.04%)	Ephraim Kirby (Democratic-Republican), 7,848 (34.96%) Scattering 223 (0.99%) [1][2][3][4][5][6]
Georgia (election by legislature)	10 November 1803[7]	John Milledge	Democratic-Republican	Re-elected, 65 votes	Solomon Wood, 6 votes [8][9][10]
Maryland (election by legislature)	14 November 1803	John Francis Mercer	Democratic-Republican	Retired, Democratic-Republican victory	Robert Bowie (Democratic-Republican), 75 votes Thomas Johnson (Federalist), 5 votes Levin Winder (Federalist), 1 vote [11][12][13][14]
Massachusetts	4 April 1803[lower-alpha 2]	Caleb Strong	Federalist	Re-elected, 29,199 (67.27%)	Elbridge Gerry (Democratic-Republican), 13,910 (32.05%)[lower-alpha 3] Scattering 298 (0.69%) [19][20][21][4][22][23]
New Hampshire	8 March 1803	John Taylor Gilman	Federalist	Re-elected, 12,263 (57.53%)	John Langdon (Democratic-Republican), 9,011 (42.27%) Scattering 43 (0.20%) [24][25][26][4][27][28][29][30]
New Jersey (election by legislature)	27 October 1803	John Lambert (acting)[lower-alpha 4]	Democratic-Republican	Retired, Democratic-Republican victory	Joseph Bloomfield (Democratic-Republican), 33 votes Richard Stockton (Federalist), 17 votes [31][32][33][34]
North Carolina (election by legislature)	28 November 1803	James Turner	Democratic-Republican	Re-elected, unknown number of votes	Scattering, 2 votes [35][36][37]
Ohio	11 January 1803[38]	New state			Edward Tiffin (Democratic-Republican), 5,377 (90.43%)[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] Benjamin Ives Gilman (Federalist), 246 (4.14%) Arthur St. Clair (Federalist), 234 (3.93%) Bezaleel Wells (Federalist), 89 (1.50%) Scattering, unknown[lower-alpha 7] [47][48][49][4][50][51][52][53][54]
Rhode Island	20 April 1803[55]	Arthur Fenner	Democratic-Republican/Country	Re-elected. Returns lost. [56][57][58][4][59][60][61]
Tennessee	4-5 August 1803	Archibald Roane	Democratic-Republican	Defeated, 4,923 (42.07%)[lower-alpha 8][lower-alpha 9]	John Sevier (Democratic-Republican), 6,780 (57.93%)[lower-alpha 10] [68][69][4][70][71][72]
Vermont	6 September 1803[73]	Isaac Tichenor	Federalist	Re-elected, 7,940 (57.98%)[lower-alpha 11]	Jonathan Robinson (Democratic-Republican), 5,408 (39.49%) Scattering 346 (2.53%) [74][75][76][4][77][78][79][80][81][82]
Virginia (election by legislature)	19 December 1803[83]	John Page	Democratic-Republican	Re-elected, unanimously [84][85]

See also

• 1803 United States elections

References

1. "CT Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
2. Glashan 1979, pp. 38–39.
3. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 44.
4. Dubin 2003.
5. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 86.
6. "Connecticut 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
7. "Extract of a letter to the editor, dated Louisville, November 11, 1803". Georgia Republican & State Intelligencer. Savannah, GA. 15 November 1803. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
8. "GA Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
9. "Georgia 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
10. "Savannah, Nov. 16". Columbian Museum & Savannah Advertiser. Savannah, GA. 16 November 1803. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
11. "MD Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
12. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 250.
13. "Maryland 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
14. Votes and Proceedings of the Senate of the State of Maryland. November Session, 1803. Annapolis: Frederick Green, Printer to the State. p. 5.
15. "Massachusetts election". The national intelligencer and Washington advertiser. Washington, D.C. 15 April 1803. p. 2. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
16. Burdick, Charles (1814). The Massachusetts Manual: or Political and Historical Register, for the Political Year from June 1814 to June 1815. Vol. I. Boston: Charles Callender. p. 26.
17. The Massachusetts Register and United States Calendar; for the Year of Our Lord 1814, &c., &c. Boston: John West & Co. 1814. p. 36.
18. Hayward, John (1847). A Gazetteer of Massachusetts, &c., &c. Boston: John Hayward. p. 417.
19. "MA Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
20. Glashan 1979, pp. 140–141.
21. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 57.
22. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 266.
23. "Massachusetts 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
24. "NH Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
25. Glashan 1979, pp. 200–201.
26. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 66.
27. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 372.
28. "New Hampshire 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
29. A Journal of the Proceedings of the honorable Senate of the State of New-Hampshire, at their Session, begun and holden at Concord, on the first Wednesday of June, Anno Domini, 1803. Concord: George Hough, Printer to the State. 1803. pp. 8–9.
30. Farmer, James. The New Hampshire Annual Register and United States Calendar, 1833. Concord: Marsh, Capen and Lyon. p. 18.
31. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 411.
32. "New Jersey 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
33. Lee, Francis Bazely (1902). New Jersey as a colony and a state. Vol. 3. New York: Publishing Society of New Jersey. p. 156.
34. "Minutes and Proceedings of the Joint-Meeting. In Joint-Meeting. Thursday, October 27, 1803". Journal of the Proceedings of the Legislative Council of the State of New-Jersey, &c., &c. Being the First Sitting of the 28th Session. Trenton: Tuttle & Pike, Printers in part to the State. 1803. p. 40.
35. "NC Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
36. "North Carolina 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
37. "Washington City. Wednesday, December 14". The national intelligencer and Washington advertiser. Washington, D.C. 14 December 1803. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
38. Steinglass, Steven H.; Scarselli, Gino J. (2011). The Ohio State Constitution. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-19-977872-0.
39. "First Legislature of Ohio". The Highland Weekly News. Hillsboro, OH. 27 January 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
40. Sloane, Rush R. (January 1901). "When Did Ohio in Fact Become a Sovereign State of the Union?". Ohio History Journal. 9 (3): 278–289. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
41. Utler, William T. (1942). The History of the State of Ohio. The Frontier State: 1803-1825. Vol. II. Columbus, OH: The Ohio Historical Society. p. 26.
42. Taylor, William Alexander. Centennial History of Columbus and Franklin County. North Charleston, SC: Createspace. p. 179. ISBN 9783849673543.
43. Milligan, Fred J. (2003). Ohio's Founding Fathers. iUniverse, Inc. p. 146. ISBN 0-595-29322-0.
44. Sears, Alfred Byron (1958). Thomas Worthington: Father of Ohio Statehood (PDF). Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-8142-0745-6.
45. Ratcliffe, Donald John (1985). "Appendix 2". The origins of the second American party system, the Ohio evidence (Doctor of Philosophy). Durham University. pp. 599–600. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
46. Gilmore, William Edward (1897). Life of Edward Tiffin, First Governor of Ohio. Chillicothe, OH: Horney & Son. p. 86.
47. "OH Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
48. Glashan 1979, pp. 244–245.
49. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 72.
50. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 457.
51. "Ohio 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
52. Ratcliffe, Donald J. (1998). Party spirit in a frontier republic: democratic politics in Ohio, 1793-1821. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. p. 76. hdl:1811/30229?show=full. ISBN 0-8142-0775-8.
53. "Washington City, February 7". Virginia Argus. Richmond, VA. 19 February 1803. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
54. "Chilicothe, (State of Ohio.) January 22". The Wilmington Gazette. Wilmington, NC. 17 March 1803. p. 4. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
55. "Newport, Saturday, April 23, 1803". Rhode-Island Republican. Newport, R.I. April 23, 1803. p. 3. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
56. "RI Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
57. Glashan 1979, pp. 268–269.
58. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 76.
59. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 507.
60. "Rhode Island 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
61. J. Fred Parker, Secretary of State (1914). Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1914. Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman Company, State Printers. p. 107.
62. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 79.
63. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 550.
64. Wilkerson, Lyn (2009). Slow Travels - Tennessee. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-557-09566-7.
65. Compiled and written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Work Projects Administration of the State of Tennessee (1939). Tennessee: A Guide to the State. New York, NY: Viking Press. p. 436.
66. Heiskell, S. G. (1918). "The Governors of the State". Andrew Jackson and Early Tennessee History. Nashville, TN: Ambrose Printing Company. p. 166.
67. Williams, Samuel C. (October 1924). "Tennessee's first military expedition (1803)". Tennessee Historical Magazine. 8 (3): 171–190. JSTOR 42637493.
68. "TN Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
69. Glashan 1979, pp. 294–295.
70. "Tennessee 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
71. Miller, Charles A. (1890). The Official and Political Manual of the State of Tennessee. Nashville, TN: Marshall & Bruce, Stationers. p. 169.
72. Corlew, Robert E. (1990). Tennessee, a short history. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press. p. 134. ISBN 0-87049-646-8.
73. "Washington City. Wednesday, September 28". The national intelligencer and Washington advertiser. Washington, D.C. 28 September 1803. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
74. "VT Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
75. Glashan 1979, pp. 314–315.
76. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 83.
77. Kallenbach and Kallenbach 1977, p. 606.
78. "Vermont 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
79. Walton, E. P., ed. (1876). "Record of the Governor and Council at the Session of the General Assembly at Westminster, Oct. 1803". Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont. Vol. IV. Montpelier: Steam Press of J. & J. M. Poland. p. 370.
80. "General Election Results: Governor". Election Results Archive. Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. p. 2. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
81. Coolidge, A. J.; Mansfield, J. B. (1860). "Governors and Gubernatorial Vote". History and Description of New England: Vermont. Boston: Austin J. Coolidge. p. 964.
82. "Burlington, Oct. 19, 1803". Sentinel and Democrat. Burlington, VT. 20 October 1803. p. 3. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
83. "Letter To Thomas Jefferson from Charles Pinckney". Richmond, VA. 20 December 1803. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
84. "VA Governor, 1803". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
85. "Virginia 1803 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved 26 July 2020.

Notes

1. Glashan records this election as taking place on 11 April.
2. One contemporary source states that the election was held on 5 April.^[15]
3. Some 19th Century sources give Gerry's total as 11,656, and scattering votes as 2,554.^[16][17][18]
4. The 1802 election was deadlocked, with the legislature unable to pick a candidate, giving up on November 25, 1802. Lambert, as vice-president of the Legislative Council, acted as governor until the next election.
5. Glashan gives Tiffin's total as 5,373. This discrepancy appears to involve four votes given for "Edwin Tiffin" and "Tiffin" in Washington County. OurCampaigns gives Tiffin's total as 5,379. This discrepancy appears to involve a double-counting of the difference between reports giving 452 votes and 454 votes for Tiffin in Belmont County.
6. A number of sources record that in the General Assembly, Tiffin was recorded as having 4,564 votes and no opposition.^{[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]} This result can be achieved by setting aside the results from Fairfield County and Washington County.
7. 18 scattering votes were recorded in Washington County, and 3 in Ross County. In addition, “a few” scattering votes were recorded in Belmont County, and 20 persons other than Tiffin and Gilman received votes in Hamilton County.
8. Returns incomplete. Returns recorded from only nine counties.
9. Glashan records the result as Sevier 7,733, Roane, 5,219, and that returns were recorded from ten counties. It is unclear which is the additional county.
10. Some sources give Sevier's total as 6,786.^{[62][63][64][65][66][67]}
11. Some sources do not give a full result but only report that Tichenor had a majority of 2,186. This is the excess of Tichenor's vote over the combined total for Robinson and scattering votes.

Bibliography

• Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
• Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
• Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
• Kallenbach, Joseph E.; Kallenbach, Jessamine S., eds. (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Vol. I. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-379-00665-0.