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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC05754.02 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1801 |
| Title | Elizur Goodrich to Stephen Twining on the election involving Jefferson and Burr |
| Date | 1 January 1801 |
| Author | Goodrich, Elizur (fl. 1799-1809) |
| Recipient | Twining, Stephen |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Date obscured but docketed 1801. Writes with his wishes for a Happy New Year and "entrance upon the nineteenth Century." Adds that "[t]he votes are even between Jefferson and Burr. [.... ] Never were men more seriously alarmed than our republican friends - they do not hesitate to say that Mr. Burr is not fit for the office." Goodrich also asks for the opinion of local leaders. With postscript that Dexter has been named Secretary of the Treasury. Samuel Dexter replaced James McHenry as Secretary of War in June 1800. Upon the resignation of Oliver Wolcott as Secretary of the Treasury, Adams appointed Dexter as ad interim Secretary of the Treasury to serve until Jefferson's inauguration. He served until 13 May 1801. |
| Subjects | President Vice President Election Government and Civics Politics Holidays and Celebrations Republican Party |
| People | Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826) Burr, Aaron (1756-1836) Adams, John (1735-1826) Jay, John (1745-1829) Goodrich, Elizur (fl. 1799-1809) Twining, Stephen (fl. 1799-1809) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | The Presidency; Government & Politics; Banking & Economics |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | A lawyer, educator, and mayor of New Haven, Connecticut for nineteen years, Elizur Goodrich (1761-1849) was a Federalist member of Congress during the critical presidential election of 1800. In the following letter, Goodrich reports on the House of Representatives' protracted efforts to select a president. Jefferson ultimately received the required majority in the House, but not until the 36th ballot, after Virginia and Pennsylvania had mobilized their state militias and made it clear, in Jefferson's words, "that a legislative usurpation would be resisted by arms." In his last hours in office in 1801, President John Adams appointed Goodrich Collector of the Port of New Haven. The Jeffersonian denounced such "midnight" appointments as a violation of the peoples' will, and promptly removed Goodrich from office. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide |