The Democratic Republican Party in the second
Monroe Administration
The Era of Good Feelings did not mean that no
political posturing was taking place. The
Richmond Enquirer reported on 1/2/1821,
before Monroe's second inaugural, that the likely
competitors for the next nomination would be SOS
John Quincy Adams and Secretary of the Treasury
William H. Crawford. In late 1821, the South
Carolina DRP State Caucus placed U.S. Rep. William
Lowndes in nomination for President by a margin of
57-53, with many of the opposition members
supporting Secretary of War John C. Calhoun
[Savannah Georgian, 1/19/1822].
Adams, Lowndes, and Crawford found more
competition. A portion of the Pennsylvania
congressional delegation asked John C. Calhoun to
enter the race. Some Ohio legislators similarly
asked Henry Clay to enter [Boston Columbian
Centinel, 1/9/1822]. The Providence
American reported on 1/11/1822 that other
candidates included Gov. DeWitt Clinton and Navy
Secretary Smith Thompson. The Connecticut
Mirror announced on 4/15/1822 that Andrew
Jackson was a candidate, and the Baltimore
Patriot on 4/19/1822 mentioned that Nathaniel
Macon and John Marshall were in the ring, too. Then
on 6/1/1822 the Baltimore Patriot mentioned
that Langdon Cheves, the President of the Bank of
the United States, was a candidate. The Boston
Columbian Centinel reported on 8/14/1822 that
John Randolph was a candidate. In order to bolster
his widely criticized campaign, the Tennessee
legislature officially nominated Jackson on
7/20/1822.
The field contracted for the first time when
Lowndes died unexpectedly at the age of 40 while
travelling to England on 10/27/1822. It appeared
that without him in the race, Crawford was the most
likely to win the Caucus nomination. The Hartford
Times reported on 11/5/1822 that Calhoun's
support was disappearing in the North, but the
Haverhill Gazette reported on 11/12/1822 that
Calhoun expected to carry NY and PA. The Kentucky
state caucus boosted Clay's aspiration by officially
placing him in nomination on 11/18/1822
[Baltimore Patriot, 12/12/1822], and the
Missouri state caucus followed suit [New-
Hampshire Patriot, 12/23/1822]. An Ohio meeting nominated Clinton on 12/7/1822, but the Ohio state caucus (after a division) nominated Clay on 1/3/1823 [Ohio Elects the President, p. 17].
The year 1823 was a time of jockeying among the candidates, as the politicians of the time began to line up behind them. The New York state caucus recommended on 4/22/1823 that a national caucus meet to nominate a ticket and reduce the field [Essex Register, referred to in an article of 1/19/1824]. On 6/20/1823, the Tennessee legislature objected to the holding of a national caucus to nominate candidates, claiming that it was against the spirit of the Constitution and benefitted the larger states (where Jackson's support was weak). During the latter half of the year, SOS Adams took several steps to improve his standing. On 7/17/1823, he summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington to discuss rumors that European powers were discussing restoring Spanish control over South America. Adams informed him that "the American continents are no longer subjects for any new European colonial establishments." While Monroe at first wanted to work with England to stop the meddling of other European powers, Adams convinced him otherwise. In his annual message to Congress on 12/2/1823, Monroe officially espoused the "Monroe Doctrine," based primarily on ideas Adams had already set forth. The Clinton campaign brought the year to a close with an interesting gambit. At a large rally in Ohio, Clinton was nominated (again) for President, with Jackson for VP [Ohio Elects the President, p. 17].
By early 1824, the campaigns were in high gear. The Virginia state caucus affirmed the decision of the New York state caucus, calling for a national caucus [Essex Register, 1/19/1824]. After Crawford was placed in nomination by the Georgia state caucus [Providence Patriot, 1/3/1824], his supporters in Washington became the leading advocates of calling a national caucus. They collected 117 signatures - but supporters of the other candidates collected 160 against holding a caucus [New-Hampshire Patriot, 1/5/1824]. After informal debates among members of Congress, some DRP leaders issued a notice on 2/6/1824 calling a national caucus to be held on 2/14/1824 [Boston Independent Chronicle, 2.14.1824].
The 7th (and final) Democratic Republican
Party National Caucus
The last DR Caucus assembled in the U.S. House
chamber at 7:00 p.m. on 2/14/1824 with 66 members of Congress present and two proxies. The bulk of those in attendance came from four states: NY (16), VA (15), NC (9), and GA (8). Ten states were entirely unrepresented (NH, MA, VT, DE, KY, TN, LA, MS, AL, and MO), and five other states were represented by only one person (RI, NJ, OH, IN). Officers were appointed as shown above. Unlike earlier caucus sessions, the doors were open, and the galleries were filled with spectators.
The low attendance was immediately obvious. U.S. Rep. Philip S. Markley PA introduced a resolution postponing action, which was defeated. After that failed, the caucus nominated William H. Crawford for President as shown below. [Newburyport Herald, 2/24/1824]
At that point, U.S. Sen. Martin Van Buren NY rose to state that VP Tompkins did not want a third term. The caucus took a ballot for Vice President, which was won by Albert Gallatin with 57 votes to nine scattering. [Trenton Federalist, 2/23/1824]
Popular vote of 1824
Electoral Vote of 1824
Contingent Election of 1825
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