The 1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held in December 1796, to elect ten U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 of the 5th United States Congress

5th United States Congress

The Fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives...

.

Background

Ten U.S. Representatives had been elected in December 1794 to a term in the 4th United States Congress

4th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President: John Adams * President pro tempore:** Henry Tazewell , first elected December 7, 1795** Samuel Livermore , first elected May 6, 1796** William Bingham , first elected February 16, 1797...

 beginning on March 4, 1795. Their term would end on March 3, 1797.

Congressional districts

On January 27, 1789, the New York State Legislature had divided the State of New York into six congressional districts which were not numbered. On December 18, 1792, the Legislature divided the State into ten districts, which were still not numbered, taking into account the new counties created in 1791. The geographical area of the congressional districts remained at this election the same as at the previous election in December 1794. A new county was created, Schoharie Co. Most of the new Schoharie County was taken from Albany County, and remained in the 8th District, a part was taken from Otsego County, and remained in the 10th District. Besides, inside the 10th District a new county had been created: Steuben Co.

• One district (later back-numbered as the 1st
  New York's 1st congressional district
  The 1st Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern Long Island. It includes most of Central and Eastern Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown, as well as the entirety of the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold,...
  
  ) comprising Kings, Queens
  Queens
  Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
  
   and Suffolk
  Suffolk County, New York
  Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
  
   counties.
• One district (later back-numbered as the 2nd
  New York's 2nd congressional district
  The 2nd Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in central Long Island. It includes all of the town of Huntington and parts of the towns of Babylon, Islip, and Smithtown in Suffolk County as well as part of the town of Oyster Bay...
  
  ) comprising New York County.
• One district (later back-numbered as the 3rd
  New York's 3rd congressional district
  The 3rd District of New York is generally the eastern half of Nassau County, with some parts as far west as Island Park and Long Beach. The Nassau portion contains suburban communities such as Bellmore, Bethpage, Farmingdale, Hicksville, Levittown, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Merrick, North...
  
  ) comprising Westchester
  Westchester County, New York
  Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
  
   and Richmond counties.
• One district (later back-numbered as the 4th
  New York's 4th congressional district
  The 4th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in west-central Nassau County...
  
  ) comprising Orange
  Orange County, New York
  Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
  
   and Ulster
  Ulster County, New York
  Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
  
   counties.
• One district (later back-numbered as the 5th
  New York's 5th congressional district
  The 5th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that lies along the North Shore of Long Island. It consists of northeastern Queens County and northwestern Nassau County. The Queens portion of the district includes the...
  
  ) comprising Dutchess County
  Dutchess County, New York
  Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
  
  .
• One district (later back-numbered as the 6th
  New York's 6th congressional district
  New York's Sixth Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It includes most of Southeastern Queens including the neighborhoods of Cambria Heights, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Hollis, Jamaica, Laurelton, Queens Village, Rosedale,...
  
  ) comprising Columbia County
  Columbia County, New York
  Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal...
  
  .
• One district (later back-numbered as the 7th
  New York's 7th congressional district
  New York's Seventh Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It consists of parts of Northern Queens and Eastern portions of the Bronx. The Queens portion includes the neighborhoods of College Point, East Elmhurst, Jackson...
  
  ) comprising Clinton
  Clinton County, New York
  Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 82,128. Its name is in honor of the first Governor of New York as a state, George Clinton. Its county seat is Plattsburgh.-History:...
  
   and Rensselaer
  Rensselaer County, New York
  Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
  
   counties.
• One district (later back-numbered as the 8th
  New York's 8th congressional district
  New York's Eighth Congressional District for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It is split into two sections. The northern portion of it includes most of Manhattan's Upper West Side, and continues south to include most parts of Hell's Kitchen, East Village, Chelsea, SoHo,...
  
  ) comprising Albany
  Albany County, New York
  Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
  
   and Schoharie
  Schoharie County, New York
  As of the census of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
  
   counties.
• One district (later back-numbered as the 9th
  New York's 9th congressional district
  New York's 9th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It includes parts of southern Brooklyn and south central Queens...
  
  ) comprising Washington
  Washington County, New York
  Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...
  
   and Saratoga
  Saratoga County, New York
  Saratoga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 219,607. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Ballston Spa...
  
   counties.
• One district (later back-numbered as the 10th
  New York's 10th congressional district
  New York's 10th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in Brooklyn, New York City. It includes the neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York and Ocean Hill, as well as parts of Fort...
  
  ) comprising Montgomery
  Montgomery County, New York
  As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...
  
  , Ontario
  Ontario County, New York
  As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
  
  , Herkimer
  Herkimer County, New York
  Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
  
  , Otsego
  Otsego County, New York
  Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...
  
  , Tioga
  Tioga County, New York
  As of the census of 2010, there were 51,125 people residing in the county, with 22,203 housing units, of these 20,350 occupied, 1,853 vacant. The population density was 98 people per square mile...
  
  , Onondaga
  Onondaga County, New York
  Onondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
  
   and Steuben
  Steuben County, New York
  Steuben County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 98,990. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a German general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War, though it is not pronounced the same...
  
   counties.

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

Result

6 Federalists and 4 Democratic-Republicans were elected. The incumbents Havens, Livingston, Van Cortlandt, Van Alen, Glen and Williams were re-elected; the incumbents Bailey and Cooper were defeated; and John Hathorn

John Hathorn

John Hathorn was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.-Life:...

 and Ezekiel Gilbert

Ezekiel Gilbert

Ezekiel Gilbert was an American lawyer and politician from Hudson, New York. He served in the state Assembly and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1793 until 1797....

 did not run for re-election.

1796 United States House election result

District	Federalist		Democratic-Republican		Also ran
1 New York's 1st congressional district The 1st Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern Long Island. It includes most of Central and Eastern Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown, as well as the entirety of the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold,...	Selah Strong	648	Jonathan N. Havens Jonathan Nicoll Havens Jonathan Nicoll Havens was a politician from New York.He was born on Shelter Island, New York. He graduated from Yale College in 1777. He was Shelter Island town clerk from 1783–1787 and was on the New York delegation that approved the Federal Constitution in 1788...	1,259
2 New York's 2nd congressional district The 2nd Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in central Long Island. It includes all of the town of Huntington and parts of the towns of Babylon, Islip, and Smithtown in Suffolk County as well as part of the town of Oyster Bay...	James Watson	1,812	Edward Livingston Edward Livingston Edward Livingston was an American jurist and statesman. He was an influential figure in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code. He represented both New York, and later Louisiana in Congress and he served as the U.S...	2,362
3 New York's 3rd congressional district The 3rd District of New York is generally the eastern half of Nassau County, with some parts as far west as Island Park and Long Beach. The Nassau portion contains suburban communities such as Bellmore, Bethpage, Farmingdale, Hicksville, Levittown, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Merrick, North...	Samuel Haight	1,003	Philip Van Cortlandt Philip Van Cortlandt Philip Van Cortlandt was an American surveyor, landowner, and politician from Westchester County, New York.During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Cortlandt commanded the 2nd New York Regiment in the Continental Army...	1,016
4 New York's 4th congressional district The 4th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in west-central Nassau County...	Conrad E. Elmendorf	1,514	Lucas Elmendorf Lucas Conrad Elmendorf Lucas Conrad Elmendorf was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Kingston, New York, he graduated from Princeton College in 1782, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1785 and practiced....	1,937
5 New York's 5th congressional district The 5th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that lies along the North Shore of Long Island. It consists of northeastern Queens County and northwestern Nassau County. The Queens portion of the district includes the...	David Brooks David Brooks (politician) David Brooks was an officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolution and a United States representative from New York....	1,220	Theodorus Bailey Theodorus Bailey (senator) Theodorus Bailey was an American lawyer and politician from Poughkeepsie, New York. He represented New York in both the U.S. House and Senate...	1,018
6 New York's 6th congressional district New York's Sixth Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It includes most of Southeastern Queens including the neighborhoods of Cambria Heights, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Hollis, Jamaica, Laurelton, Queens Village, Rosedale,...	Hezekiah L. Hosmer Hezekiah L. Hosmer Hezekiah Lord Hosmer was a United States Representative from New York. He studied law and was admitted to practice in the mayor's court of Hudson, New York. He was recorder of Hudson in 1793 and 1794, and was elected as a Federalist to the Fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1797 to March 3, 1799...	1,036	John P. Van Ness John Peter Van Ness John Peter Van Ness was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Ghent, New York to an old Dutch family. He completed preparatory studies at Washington Seminary and attended Columbia College in New York City...	758
7 New York's 7th congressional district New York's Seventh Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It consists of parts of Northern Queens and Eastern portions of the Bronx. The Queens portion includes the neighborhoods of College Point, East Elmhurst, Jackson...	John E. Van Alen John E. Van Alen John Evert Van Alen was an American surveyor, merchant, and politician from Rensselaer County, New York.He was born in Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York. He served in the state Assembly and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1793 until 1799...	1,585	John Woodworth John Woodworth (lawyer) John Woodworth was an American lawyer and member of the Woodworth political family.-Life:...	1,152
8 New York's 8th congressional district New York's Eighth Congressional District for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It is split into two sections. The northern portion of it includes most of Manhattan's Upper West Side, and continues south to include most parts of Hell's Kitchen, East Village, Chelsea, SoHo,...	Henry Glen Henry Glen Henry Glen was an American merchant, county clerk, and politician from Schenectady, New York. He served in the state Assembly and represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1793 until 1801....	480	Peter Swart Peter Swart Peter Swart was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Schoharie, he attended the common schools, studied law, was admitted to the bar in New York and commenced the practice of law in Schoharie...	138
9 New York's 9th congressional district New York's 9th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It includes parts of southern Brooklyn and south central Queens...	John Williams	1,325	Douw I. Fonda	210	James Gordon James Gordon (New York) James Gordon was an Irish-born American merchant, soldier, and politician.He was born in Killead, County Antrim, Ireland, and left in 1758, settling in Schenectady, New York. From that base and from Detroit, Michigan, he traded with various Native American tribes...  (Fed.)	575
10 New York's 10th congressional district New York's 10th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in Brooklyn, New York City. It includes the neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York and Ocean Hill, as well as parts of Fort...	James Cochran James Cochran (New York) James Cochran was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. He was born in Albany, New York on February 11, 1769. He graduated from Columbia College in New York City in 1778. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and was commissioned as a...	3,092	Charles Williamson	40	William Cooper William Cooper (judge) William Cooper was the founder of Cooperstown, New York and father of writer James Fenimore Cooper, who apparently used his father as the pattern for the Judge Marmaduke Temple character in his book The Pioneers....  (Fed.)	2,975

Note: The Anti-Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 and Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 parties.

Aftermath

The House of Representatives of the 5th United States Congress

5th United States Congress

The Fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives...

 met for the first time at Congress Hall in Philadelphia on May 15, 1797, and all ten representatives took their seats on this day.

Sources

• The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 65 for district apportionment; pg. 68 for Congressmen [has wrong district numbers preceding the names])
• Members of the Fifth United States Congress
• Election result 1st D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 2nd D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 3rd D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 4th D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 5th D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 6th D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 7th D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 8th D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 9th D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
   Library project "A New Nation Votes"
• Election result 10th D. at Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
  Library project "A New Nation Votes"