The 1795 New York gubernatorial election was held in April 1795 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Governor George Clinton, who had served continuously since independence in 1777, did not seek a seventh consecutive term in office. Chief Justice of the United States John Jay, who had narrowly lost to Clinton in the contested election of 1792, was elected over Chief Justice of New York Robert Yates.
Background
After the 1792 election was decided by the canvassing committee's decision to disallow votes from Ostego County which would have given John Jay the majority over George Clinton, partisanship and opposition to Governor Clinton in New York escalated. Shortly after the 1792 race was resolved, Clinton also entered national politics by challenging John Adams for the vice presidency.
Federalists won a triumphant majority in the 1793 and 1794 legislative elections, and Federalist sentiment grew after the Genet affair. In late January 1795, shortly after the legislature re-elected Rufus King to the United States Senate, Clinton declined to run for re-election, suspending a thirty-year career in politics. Lieutenant Governor Pierre Van Cortlandt, who had served alongside Clinton since the American Revolution, also declined to run for re-election, citing his advanced age.
Qualifications
Under Article VII of the New York Constitution of 1777, only certain male freeholders and certain freemen of Albany or New York City could vote:
Federalist caucus
Candidates
- John Jay, Chief Justice of the United States and former United States Secretary of State
Caucus
For the first time, the Federalists met in a nominating caucus. Jay was the favorite of the party, given his national prominence and sympathy from his 1792 defeat. Some Federalists did fear political backlash against the potentially unpopular peace treaty with Great Britain which Jay was negotiating at the time, but this treaty was not expected to be publicly known until after the election. Jay was nominated without his knowledge.
Republican nomination
Candidates
- Robert Yates, Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court and Federalist nominee in 1789
Nomination
Yates was nominated by the Republican party after considerable difficulty, despite the fact that he had challenged Clinton in 1789.
General election
Candidates
- John Jay, Chief Justice of the United States and former United States Secretary of State (Federalist)
- Robert Yates, Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court and Federalist nominee in 1789 (Republican)
Declined
- Aaron Burr, United States Senator
Aaron Burr was again suggested as a third-party candidate, but a majority in both factions were opposed to him.
Aftermath
Jay was sworn into office on July 1, one day before news of his treaty with Great Britain became public in the United States. Public displays of violent opposition erupted, including a burning effigy of the new Governor in Philadelphia. Opposition was so strong that Federalists lost a congressional election in their stronghold of New York City.