The 1821 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held from April 24 to 26, 1821, to elect 27 U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives of the 17th United States Congress.
Background
27 U.S. Representatives had been elected in April 1818 to a term in the 16th United States Congress beginning on March 4, 1819, and ending on March 3, 1821. The previous congressional elections were held usually in even-numbered years, about ten months before the term would start on March 4 of the next year, and about a year and a half before Congress actually met in the following December. This time the congressional elections were moved a year forward, and were held together with the State elections in late April 1821, after the congressional term already had begun, but about half a year before Congress actually met on December 3, 1821.
Congressional districts
Except for the split of the 21st District, the geographical area of the congressional districts remained the same as at the previous elections in 1818. Five new counties had been created. Hamilton Co. was split from Montgomery Co. inside the 14th District. Oswego Co. was created from parts of Oneida and Onondaga counties, but the parts remained in their previous congressional districts. On March 9, 1821, the New York State Legislature divided the 21st District in two districts: Ontario Co. and the newly created Monroe Co. remained as the 21st District; the remainder became the new 22nd District, including the new counties of Erie and Livingston. The 1st District (two seats) comprising the 1st and 2nd Ward of New York County, and Kings, Queens, Suffolk and Richmond counties. The 2nd District (two seats) comprising the other eight wards of New York County. The 3rd District comprising Westchester and Rockland counties. The 4th District comprising Dutchess County, except the towns of Rhinebeck and Clinton; and Putnam County. The 5th District comprising Columbia County; and Rhinebeck and Clinton in Dutchess County. The 6th District comprising Orange County. The 7th District comprising Ulster and Sullivan counties. The 8th District comprising Delaware and Greene counties. The 9th District comprising Albany County. The 10h District comprising Rensselaer County. The 11th District comprising Saratoga County. The 12th District (two seats) comprising Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Washington and Warren counties. The 13th District comprising Schenectady and Schoharie counties. The 14th District comprising Montgomery County and the Town of Danube in Herkimer County. The 15th District (two seats) comprising Chenango, Broome and Otsego counties. The 16th District comprising Oneida County and the ex-Oneida part of Oswego County. The 17th District comprising Herkimer County, except the Town of Danube; and Madison County. The 18th District comprising St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties. The 19th District comprising Onondaga and Cortland counties, and the ex-Onondaga part of Oswego County. The 20th District (two seats) comprising Tioga, Steuben, Cayuga, Seneca and Tompkins counties. The 21st District comprising Ontario and Monroe counties. The 22nd District comprising Genesee, Allegany, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie and Livingston counties.
Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.
Result
15 Bucktails and 12 Clintonian/Federalists were declared elected. Cadwallader D. Colden (Fed.) successfully contested the election of Peter Sharpe (Buckt.), so that New York was represented by 19 Democratic-Republicans and 8 Federalists in the 17th Congress. The incumbents Wood, Van Rensselaer, Dickinson, Taylor, Pitcher and Tracy were re-elected; the incumbents Gross, Monell, Hall, Richmond and Allen (all Clintonians) were defeated.