George Washington's 160-Gallon Election… #Shorts
Pack: 38 - George Washington's 160-Gallon Election…
To win a seat in Virginia's House of Burgesses in 1758, George Washington's campaign treated the voters to roughly 160 gallons of rum, punch, wine, beer and cider, and a Virginia law had banned exactly that since 1705. The story from his own papers: the bar tab, the poll sheet and his thank-you letter.
- By historian Douglas S. Freeman's count, the 1758 Frederick County campaign supplied about 160 gallons for 391 voters, more than a quart and a half each (Charles S. Sydnor, Gentlemen Freeholders, 1952).
- Washington was away with his regiment at Fort Cumberland; his friend James Wood sat in for him at the table where voters announced their choices out loud (Papers of George Washington, Founders Online).
- A 1705 Virginia act barred candidates from giving voters "money, meat, drink, entertainment, or provision" to be elected; nearly every candidate treated anyway (Virginia election act of 1705; Sydnor).
- Washington topped the poll on July 24, 1758, with 310 votes, and wrote to Wood: "my only fear is that you spent with too sparing a hand" (Founders Online).
Hospitality, or buying votes? Tell us in the comments. Full story in our documentary, The Full History of Voting in America.
Quick answers
What is “George Washington's 160-Gallon Election…” about?
To win a seat in Virginia's House of Burgesses in 1758, George Washington's campaign treated the voters to roughly 160 gallons of rum, punch, wine, beer and cider, and a Virginia law had banned exactly that since 1705. The story from his own papers: the bar tab, the poll sheet and his thank-you letter.
What are the key facts?
By historian Douglas S. Freeman's count, the 1758 Frederick County campaign supplied about 160 gallons for 391 voters, more than a quart and a half each (Charles S. Sydnor, Gentlemen Freeholders, 1952). Washington was away with his regiment at Fort Cumberland; his friend James Wood sat in for him at the table where voters announced their choices out loud (Papers of George Washington, Founders Online).
What sources is this Short based on?
It cites Frederick County Poll Sheet, 24 July 1758, Papers of George Washington (Founders Online, National Archives); Charles Smith to George Washington, 26 July 1758, with editorial note on the election accounts (Founders Online); George Washington to James Wood, c. 28 July 1758 (Founders Online); Charles S. Sydnor, Gentlemen Freeholders (1952), "Swilling the Planters with Bumbo" (chapter PDF); and 1 more. Links are in the Sources list below.
Sources
- Frederick County Poll Sheet, 24 July 1758, Papers of George Washington (Founders Online, National Archives)
- Charles Smith to George Washington, 26 July 1758, with editorial note on the election accounts (Founders Online)
- George Washington to James Wood, c. 28 July 1758 (Founders Online)
- Charles S. Sydnor, Gentlemen Freeholders (1952), "Swilling the Planters with Bumbo" (chapter PDF)
- An act for regulating the Elections of Burgesses (1705), Encyclopedia Virginia
Images
- George Washington in the uniform of the Virginia Regiment, 1772, Washington and Lee University — Charles Willson Peale — Public domain —
- Canvassing for a Vote, 1852 (background) — George Caleb Bingham — Public domain —
- Fort Cumberland 1755, lithograph from Lowdermilk's History of Cumberland (1878), NARA via DPLA — unknown artist — Public domain —
- A Virginia courthouse voice vote, c. 1800 — Illustration: Shadowfetch Studio (Unreal Engine) — our own work
- House of Burgesses chamber, reconstructed Capitol, Williamsburg, 1930s, Library of Congress — Frances Benjamin Johnston — Public domain —
