Adams Papers
Documents filtered by: Period="Jefferson Presidency"
sorted by: editorial placement
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/04-15-02-0016

John Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 6 April 1801

John Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams

Stony Field April 6. 1801

My dear Son

I know not how it has happened that I have not found time to write you Since my return to my long home. The angry North East Wind, which has prevailed with little Interruption has pinched my faculties, I believe. We have been all, pretty well.

This is the Day of our Election of Governor Lt Govr. & senators. The Democrats are very Sanguine and the others are not So. The former Say that Mr Strong is a good man, as good as Mr Gerry but that he does not come in at the right gate.1 The Result may be of Some importance, but I have not Sufficient Information to form a probable Conjecture. There is So much malice among a certain Sett in every State, and Such a bitter Zeal to turn out and run down every Man, who was conspicuous in the revolution that I should find derive some consolation in their humiliation, from the Election of Mr Gerry: though I could not give him my Vote in opposition to Mr Strong.

Your Federalists in Pennsylvania are playing the Same artfull Game, by Setting up Peter Muhlenburg as their Governor. Cunning Sometimes Succeeds and Sometimes fails. In the long run it will do no good to either Party. Mr Shaw left Us, last night and is Settled in Mr Otis’s office as a student at Law— Write me as often as you can and always rely upon me as your affectionate / Father

J. Adams

RC (ICN:Herbert R. Strauss Coll.); internal address: “T. B. Adams”; endorsed: “Mr: Adams / 6 April 1801. / 13th: Recd: / Do Ansd:.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 118.

1This Day will make our triumph complete, unless we are found sleeping at our posts,” declared the Boston Independent Chronicle, 6 April, predicting that a Democratic-Republican win in the race for Massachusetts governor would follow Thomas Jefferson’s victory as president. Despite a strong urban vote for Democratic-Republican challenger Elbridge Gerry, however, Federalist governor Caleb Strong won reelection by a vote of 25,693 to 20,423. For lieutenant governor, Democratic-Republican William Heath won a plurality of the popular vote, but because he did not win a majority the selection was sent to the Mass. General Court, which chose Federalist Samuel Phillips. JA received 28 votes for governor, all of which came in a unanimous tally of the town meeting of Eden (now Bar Harbor), Maine. An epigram in the Boston Columbian Centinel, 6 May, made light of the support for JA: “While reptile Faction writhing grieves, / Still Virtue triumphs over Vice:— / Lo! Quincy’s patriot sage receives / The suffrages of Paradise!” (A New Nation Votes).

Index Entries