David Hazzard
Encyclopedia
David Hazzard was an American merchant and politician from Milton, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, then the National Republican Party, and finally the Whig Party. He served in the Delaware General Assembly, as Governor of Delaware, and as an Associate Justice on the Delaware Superior Court.
in 1776. He later started a store in Milton. David Hazzard married Elizabeth Collins, sister of Governor John Collins
on July 12, 1804, and they had five children, Ann, Maria, John Alexander, William Asbury, and David. They lived at 327 Union Street in Milton in a home built in the late 18th century. It is now a bed and breakfast. They were members of the Goshen Methodist Church when it was located on Chestnut Street in Milton.
, Hazzard was appointed an ensign in the Grenadiers attached to Captain Peter T. Wright's First Company of the 8th Regiment of Delaware militia. It was primarily occupied in strengthening the defenses of Lewes
, Delaware, and took an active role in its defense in April 1813. It never fought outside Delaware. On April 4, 1814, he was commissioned a Captain. All the while Hazzard was running the family mercantile business in Milton, which now included a granary.
Hazzard was a member of the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party, a minority in Delaware, and particularly in Sussex County. He first gained an appointment as Justice of the Peace and served from 1812 until 1817. In 1823 he sought election as Governor, but lost to Samuel Paynter
, the Federalist candidate. He ran again in 1826, and lost, this time to Federalist candidate, Charles Polk, Jr. With the realignment of parties that occurred following that election, Hazzard became an Adams
-Clay
supporter, much more in line with the majority in Delaware. Accordingly, he won the 1829 election for Governor, running as a member of Henry Clay’s National Republican Party
. He defeated the Jacksonian Democratic Party
candidate, Allen Thompson of Wilmington
, and served one term from January 19, 1830 until January 15, 1833. A large Anti-Jacksonian
majority was also elected to the Delaware General Assembly.
This was a period of great growth and change in Delaware. The new ‘’School Law of 1829,’’ called for the creation of school districts in each hundred throughout the state, with small schools placed within two miles of every student. There was some state funding, but the expectation was the localities would supplement it. Many did not. Roads and bridges were improved, and wooden rails were laid on the old New Castle & Frenchtown Turnpike, making it the New Castle & Frenchtown Railroad. It was one of the first railroads in the country and the quickest route of the day from Baltimore to Philadelphia.
A new State Constitution was adopted in 1831. This document provided for elections in November, biannual sessions of the Delaware General Assembly, four year terms for Governors and State Senators, and two year terms for State Representatives. Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves. The judicial system was changed as well, reducing the number of judges from nine to five: a Chancellor, a Chief Justice, and three associate justices. A new charter was written for the City of Wilmington, and it elected its first mayor, Richard H. Bayard
. Hazzard was the last Governor to serve under the Constitution of 1792
.
1831 was also the year of Nat Turner
's rebellion in Virginia. This event triggered rumors of other slave revolts, including one in Seaford
, Delaware. While there were only about 3,000 slaves in Delaware, there were 16,000 free African-Americans, and the scare resulted in An Act to Prevent the Use of Firearms by Free Negroes and Free Mulattoes. This legislation was encouraged by Hazzard and prohibited the entry into the state of additional free African-Americans, possession of guns without special authorization, unsupervised late night meetings, or unlicensed, itinerant African-American preachers.
Later Hazzard served one term in the Delaware Senate during the 1835/36 and 1837/38 sessions, and on December 10, 1844 became an Associate Justice on the Delaware Superior Court
. He was the only person to have been appointed to a position on the Superior Court without a formal legal education. He was also a member of the 1852 State Constitutional Convention, but resigned protesting the manner in which the delegates were selected. The document prepared by this convention was ultimately rejected when put to a popular vote, because it kept each county’s representation equal, thereby giving too little representation to New Castle County.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1830
|54th
|
| |National Republican
| |Presley Spruance
|
| |National Republican
| |Joshua Burton
|-
|1831
|55th
|
| |National Republican
| |Presley Spruance
|
| |National Republican
| |Joshua Burton
|-
|-
|1832
|56th
|
| |National Republican
| |James P. Lofland
|
| |National Republican
| |Thomas Davis
|-
. Hazzard's son, John Alexander Hazzard served in the Delaware Senate from 1855 through 1858, and another son, David, was a veteran of the Civil War.
Hazzard was an active member of the Methodist Church and as such was a lifelong advocate for social reforms such as the elimination of Delaware's antiquated system of imprisonment for debt. While not a slave holder himself, he concurred with his Sussex County neighbors in defending the property rights of slaveholders and, most importantly, in the rights of individual states to decide for themselves upon questions of the future of slavery. Recognizing the future risk to the union in the resolution of this question, he like most people in Delaware dismissed the possibility of leaving it, saying: "As the people of this state were the first to adopt the present government, they will be the last to abandon it."
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-
|Justice of the Peace
|Judiciary
|Milton
|May 12, 1812
|December 8, 1817
|
|-
|Governor
|Executive
|Dover
|January 19, 1830
|January 15, 1833
|
|-
|State Senator
|Legislature
|Dover
|January 7, 1835
|January 1, 1839
|
|-
|Associate Justice
|Judiciary
|Dover
|December 10, 1844
|July 8, 1864
|Superior Court
|-
|Delegate
|Convention
|Dover
|December 1852
|March 1853
|State Constitution
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
|-
! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
|-
|1835-1836
|58th
|State Senate
|Whig
|Caleb Bennett
|
|Sussex at-large
|-
|1837-1838
|59th
|State Senate
|Whig
|Cornelius P. Comegys
|
|Sussex at-large
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1823
|Governor
|
| |David Hazzard
| |Democratic-Republican
| |4,051
| |48%
|
| |Samuel Paynter
| |Federalist
| |4,348
| |52%
|-
|1826
|Governor
|
| |David Hazzard
| |Democratic-Republican
| |4,238
| |49%
|
| |Charles Polk, Jr.
| |Federalist
| |4,333
| |51%
|-
|1829
|Governor
|
| |David Hazzard
| |National Republican
| |4,215
| |51%
|
| |Allen Thompson
| |Democratic
| |4,046
| |49%
Early life and family
Hazzard was born at Broadkill Neck in Sussex County, near Milton, the only son of John and Mary Purnell Houston Hazzard. The family descended from the 17th century English immigrant, Croad Hazzard. John Hazzard was said to have helped ferry the Continental Army across the Delaware River the night before the Battle of TrentonBattle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
in 1776. He later started a store in Milton. David Hazzard married Elizabeth Collins, sister of Governor John Collins
John Collins (governor)
John Collins was an American manufacturer and politician from Collins Mill Pond, in Nanticoke Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware...
on July 12, 1804, and they had five children, Ann, Maria, John Alexander, William Asbury, and David. They lived at 327 Union Street in Milton in a home built in the late 18th century. It is now a bed and breakfast. They were members of the Goshen Methodist Church when it was located on Chestnut Street in Milton.
Professional and political career
Hazzard was appointed a lieutenant of Delaware militia on October 14, 1807, but resigned May 28, 1808. On July 4, 1812, with the coming of the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Hazzard was appointed an ensign in the Grenadiers attached to Captain Peter T. Wright's First Company of the 8th Regiment of Delaware militia. It was primarily occupied in strengthening the defenses of Lewes
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
, Delaware, and took an active role in its defense in April 1813. It never fought outside Delaware. On April 4, 1814, he was commissioned a Captain. All the while Hazzard was running the family mercantile business in Milton, which now included a granary.
Hazzard was a member of the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party, a minority in Delaware, and particularly in Sussex County. He first gained an appointment as Justice of the Peace and served from 1812 until 1817. In 1823 he sought election as Governor, but lost to Samuel Paynter
Samuel Paynter
Samuel Paynter was an American merchant and politician from Drawbridge, in Broadkill Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware...
, the Federalist candidate. He ran again in 1826, and lost, this time to Federalist candidate, Charles Polk, Jr. With the realignment of parties that occurred following that election, Hazzard became an Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
-Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
supporter, much more in line with the majority in Delaware. Accordingly, he won the 1829 election for Governor, running as a member of Henry Clay’s National Republican Party
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
. He defeated the Jacksonian Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate, Allen Thompson of Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, and served one term from January 19, 1830 until January 15, 1833. A large Anti-Jacksonian
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
majority was also elected to the Delaware General Assembly.
This was a period of great growth and change in Delaware. The new ‘’School Law of 1829,’’ called for the creation of school districts in each hundred throughout the state, with small schools placed within two miles of every student. There was some state funding, but the expectation was the localities would supplement it. Many did not. Roads and bridges were improved, and wooden rails were laid on the old New Castle & Frenchtown Turnpike, making it the New Castle & Frenchtown Railroad. It was one of the first railroads in the country and the quickest route of the day from Baltimore to Philadelphia.
A new State Constitution was adopted in 1831. This document provided for elections in November, biannual sessions of the Delaware General Assembly, four year terms for Governors and State Senators, and two year terms for State Representatives. Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves. The judicial system was changed as well, reducing the number of judges from nine to five: a Chancellor, a Chief Justice, and three associate justices. A new charter was written for the City of Wilmington, and it elected its first mayor, Richard H. Bayard
Richard H. Bayard
Richard Henry Bayard was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party, who served as the first Mayor of Wilmington, Chief Justice of the Delaware Superior Court, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware.-Early life and family:Bayard...
. Hazzard was the last Governor to serve under the Constitution of 1792
Delaware Constitution of 1792
The Delaware Constitution of 1792 was the second governing document for Delaware state government and was in effect from its adoption on June 12, 1792 until replaced on December 2, 1831 by a new Constitution....
.
1831 was also the year of Nat Turner
Nat Turner
Nathaniel "Nat" Turner was an American slave who led a slave rebellion in Virginia on August 21, 1831 that resulted in 60 white deaths and at least 100 black deaths, the largest number of fatalities to occur in one uprising prior to the American Civil War in the southern United States. He gathered...
's rebellion in Virginia. This event triggered rumors of other slave revolts, including one in Seaford
Seaford, Delaware
Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census...
, Delaware. While there were only about 3,000 slaves in Delaware, there were 16,000 free African-Americans, and the scare resulted in An Act to Prevent the Use of Firearms by Free Negroes and Free Mulattoes. This legislation was encouraged by Hazzard and prohibited the entry into the state of additional free African-Americans, possession of guns without special authorization, unsupervised late night meetings, or unlicensed, itinerant African-American preachers.
Later Hazzard served one term in the Delaware Senate during the 1835/36 and 1837/38 sessions, and on December 10, 1844 became an Associate Justice on the Delaware Superior Court
Delaware Superior Court
The Delaware Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction in the state of Delaware. It has original jurisdiction over most criminal and civil cases...
. He was the only person to have been appointed to a position on the Superior Court without a formal legal education. He was also a member of the 1852 State Constitutional Convention, but resigned protesting the manner in which the delegates were selected. The document prepared by this convention was ultimately rejected when put to a popular vote, because it kept each county’s representation equal, thereby giving too little representation to New Castle County.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1830
|54th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |Presley Spruance
Presley Spruance
Presley Spruance was an American merchant and politician from Smyrna, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist and later the Whig Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S...
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |Joshua Burton
|-
|1831
|55th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |Presley Spruance
Presley Spruance
Presley Spruance was an American merchant and politician from Smyrna, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist and later the Whig Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S...
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |Joshua Burton
|-
|-
|1832
|56th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |James P. Lofland
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |Thomas Davis
|-
Death and legacy
Hazzard died at Milton, and is buried there in the Methodist Episcopal Cemetery. In Milton there is a marker erected in his memory on Governor's Walk along the Broadkill RiverBroadkill River
The Broadkill River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in southern Delaware in the United States. It is 13.3 miles long and drains an area of 110 square miles on the Atlantic Coastal Plain....
. Hazzard's son, John Alexander Hazzard served in the Delaware Senate from 1855 through 1858, and another son, David, was a veteran of the Civil War.
Hazzard was an active member of the Methodist Church and as such was a lifelong advocate for social reforms such as the elimination of Delaware's antiquated system of imprisonment for debt. While not a slave holder himself, he concurred with his Sussex County neighbors in defending the property rights of slaveholders and, most importantly, in the rights of individual states to decide for themselves upon questions of the future of slavery. Recognizing the future risk to the union in the resolution of this question, he like most people in Delaware dismissed the possibility of leaving it, saying: "As the people of this state were the first to adopt the present government, they will be the last to abandon it."
Almanac
Elections were held the first Tuesday of October until 1831, and since they have been held on the first Tuesday after November 1st. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office on the first Tuesday of January. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and had a three year term. Since 1831, State Senators have had a four year term.{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-
|Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
|Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
|Milton
Milton, Delaware
Milton is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, in the United States. The population was 2,576 at the 2010 census, an increase of 55.5% over the previous decade. It is part of the Seaford, Delaware Micropolitan Statistical Area. Delaware Route 5 passes through Milton.- History :Located at the head of...
|May 12, 1812
|December 8, 1817
|
|-
|Governor
|Executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|January 19, 1830
|January 15, 1833
|
|-
|State Senator
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
|Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|January 7, 1835
|January 1, 1839
|
|-
|Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
|Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|December 10, 1844
|July 8, 1864
|Superior Court
Delaware Superior Court
The Delaware Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction in the state of Delaware. It has original jurisdiction over most criminal and civil cases...
|-
|Delegate
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
|Convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|December 1852
|March 1853
|State Constitution
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
|-
! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
|-
|1835-1836
|58th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|State Senate
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
|Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
|Caleb Bennett
|
|Sussex at-large
Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
|-
|1837-1838
|59th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|State Senate
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
|Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
|Cornelius P. Comegys
Cornelius P. Comegys
Cornelius Parsons Comegys was an American farmer and politician from Dover Hundred, in Kent County, Delaware, near Little Creek...
|
|Sussex at-large
Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1823
|Governor
|
| |David Hazzard
| |Democratic-Republican
Democratic-Republican Party (United States)
The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
| |4,051
| |48%
|
| |Samuel Paynter
Samuel Paynter
Samuel Paynter was an American merchant and politician from Drawbridge, in Broadkill Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware...
| |Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
| |4,348
| |52%
|-
|1826
|Governor
|
| |David Hazzard
| |Democratic-Republican
Democratic-Republican Party (United States)
The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
| |4,238
| |49%
|
| |Charles Polk, Jr.
Charles Polk, Jr.
Charles Polk, Jr. was an American farmer and politician from Big Stone Beach, in Milford Hundred, Kent County, Delaware...
| |Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
| |4,333
| |51%
|-
|1829
|Governor
|
| |David Hazzard
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
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| |51%
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| |Allen Thompson
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |4,046
| |49%
Images
- Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover