To Alexander Hamilton from William Bingham, 24 August 1800
From William Bingham1
Philada August 24th 1800
Dear Sir
Mr Adams had 70 & Mr Jefferson 68 Votes at the last Election. In Pennsylvania, Virginia, N Carolina, he had a Vote in each State.2 From the result of the Enquiries I have made, & the best Calculation I can form, Mr J cannot procure more than 58 Votes, on a presumption that this State will have no agency in the Election, & that he obtains half of those of No Carolina. Great Efforts are making in Maryland to Secure a Majority in the Legislature favorable to the respective Views of the two Parties. My Information Satisfies me, that the Electors will be chosen by the Legislature, & that they will be federal. We may therefore rely with considerable Confidence on the Success of the Election, if no unfair Proceedings or untoward Events baffle our Expectations.
With Sincere Esteem & Regard I am Yours &c Wm Bingham
Major Genl Hamilton
ALS, Hamilton Papers, Library of Congress.
1. Bingham, a Federalist and prominent social figure in Philadelphia, was a member of the Continental Congress in 1787 and 1788 and a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1790 and 1791. He served in the Pennsylvania Senate in 1794 and 1795, and from 1795 to 1801 he was a member of the United States Senate. Bingham was a founder of the Bank of North America and served as the first president of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Corporation. He founded Binghamton, New York, and he owned large tracts of land in Pennsylvania and the District of Maine.
2. John Adams actually received seventy-one votes. For the electoral votes in 1796, see , VI, 1543, 2096–97.