New York gubernatorial election, 1777

New York gubernatorial election, 1777
New York (state)
June 1-July 9, 1777

 
Nominee George Clinton Philip Schuyler
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Popular vote 1,828 1,199
Percentage 48.4% 31.8%

 
Nominee John Morin Scott John Jay
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Popular vote 368 367
Percentage 9.8% 9.7%

Governor before election

George Clinton
Nonpartisan

Elected Governor

George Clinton
Nonpartisan

The 1777 New York gubernatorial election was held in June 1777 to elect the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor.

History

The election began on June 1, but due to the American Revolution it took some time to collect and count the votes, and the official result was announced on July 9. George Clinton accepted the office of Governor on July 11 and assumed its duties immediately, pending to take the oath as soon as he could safely leave his military command. He took the oath of office on July 30.

There were no parties yet, as the Democratic-Republican and Federalist Parties appeared only in 1792. Until then the candidacies were based on personal recognition. The concepts of "running mates" also did not apply in this election, with candidates running separately for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The New York Committee of Safety endorsed Philip Schuyler for Governor and George Clinton for Lieutenant Governor.

Result

George Clinton was elected both Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Clinton formally resigned the lieutenant governorship, leaving a vacancy.[1] State Senator Pierre Van Cortlandt was elected President pro tempore of the State Senate, and acted as Lieutenant Governor until the end of the legislative year. Van Cortlandt was then elected in a special election and took office as Lieutenant Governor on June 30, 1778.[2]

1777 state election results
Governor Vote Lieutenant Governor Vote
George Clinton 1,828 George Clinton 1,647
Philip Schuyler 1,199 Pierre Van Cortlandt 1,098
John Morin Scott 368 Abraham Ten Broeck 748
John Jay 367
Robert R. Livingston 7
Philip Livingston 5
Total 3,774 Total 3,493

Notes

  1. George Clinton: Yeoman Politician of the New Republic by John P. Kaminski, New York State Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, University of Wisconsin--Madison Center for the Study of the American Constitution (Rowman & Littlefield, 1993, ISBN 0-945612-17-6, ISBN 978-0-945612-17-9, page 24)
  2. The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (page 110; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

See also

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