In the election of 1800, the Federalists were faced with a tough choice—whether to settle with Thomas Jefferson or Aaron Burr, both Democratic Republicans, as the man to run the country. 36 tie-breaking ballots in the House of Representatives proved this task was no small one. 

Amidst those 36 rounds of voting, men like Alexander Hamilton were writing letters to members of the House, urging them that in “In a choice of Evils, let them take the least”: Jefferson rather than Burr. Hamilton chose his recipients wisely. One such letter arrived to Harrison Gray Otis, Speaker of the Massachusetts House, addressed on Dec. 23, 1800—while the tie between Burr and Jefferson was still actively being contested. Hamilton’s purpose was not only to convince Gray Otis to change his vote to Jefferson, but also to hopefully convince Gray Otis so well that the Massachusetts congressman became a mouthpiece for the rest of the Federalists. Though Gray Otis never changed his own vote to Jefferson, the first contested election gives us a glimpse into political persuasions and inter-party relationships that still exist today. 

I’m reminded of the waves of calling for the end of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign this last summer. That political rhetoric—”choose the lesser of two evils”—is certainly something we’re familiar with in 2024. In 1800, the concern over Burr was that he could not be controlled. Hamilton tells Gray Otis in his letter, “Mr. Jefferson I suspect will not dare much. Mr. Burr will.” In 2024, Democrats worried Biden would practically throw the election to the Republicans due to a declining performance. 

Dozens of figures publicly called for Biden to step down this summer, with the most prominent, famous figure perhaps being George Clooney in his op-ed to the New York Times. It is heavily suspected that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also called for Biden to step down behind closed doors. Though both Pelosi and Clooney were a part of Biden’s own political party, I still believe we see connections between men like Hamilton’s attempted persuasion of Gray Otis and today’s political world. When faced with no other option but to choose a Democratic Republican, Hamilton set down to write letters to his fellow Federalists. In 2024, when faced with a candidate Democrats believed would fall short of the election, they turned to behind-closed-doors persuasions and open letters for all eyes to see. 

Sources:

Sloan, Herbert. “‘In a Choice of Evils… Jefferson Is in Every View Less Dangerous than Burr’: Alexander Hamilton to Harrison Gray Otis on the Deadlocked Presidential Election of 1800.” OAH Magazine of History 18, no. 5 (2004): 53–57. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25163723.

Alexander Hamilton’s Letter to Harrison Gray Otis from Dec. 23, 1800