The 1808 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held from April 26 to 28, 1808, to elect 17 U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the United States House of Representatives of the 11th United States Congress. At the same time, a vacancy was filled in the 10th United States Congress. Background 17 U.S. Representatives had been elected in April 1806 to a term in the 10th United States Congress beginning on March 4, 1807. David Thomas had been elected New York State Treasurer in February 1808, and had resigned his seat, leaving a vacancy in the former 12th District. The other 16 representatives' term would end on March 3, 1809. The congressional elections were held together with the State elections in late April 1808, about ten months before the term would start on March 4, 1809, and a little more than a year before Congress actually met on May 22, 1809. Congressional districts After the U.S. census of 1800, New York's representation in the House was increased to 17 seats. On March 30, 1802, the New York State Legislature had re-apportioned the congressional districts, dividing New York County seemingly at random into two districts. After the election of one Democratic-Republican and one Federalist in 1802, the Dem.-Rep. majority in the State Legislature gerrymandered the two districts together in an Act passed on March 20, 1804, so that two congressmen would be elected on a general ticket by the voters of both districts, assuring the election of two Democratic-Republicans. On April 8, 1808, the State Legislature re-apportioned the districts again, separating the 2nd and the 3rd District, and creating two districts with two seats each to be filled on a general ticket: the 2nd and the 6th. David Thomas had been elected in the old 12th District which had comprised only Washington Co., so the vacancy was filled by a special election held only in this county, while at the same time two representatives were elected on a general ticket in the new 6th District to which Washington Co. had been re-districted together with Columbia Co. and Rensselaer Co. Due to the double-seat districts, there were then only 15 districts; the 16th and 17th were eliminated. The 1st District comprising Kings, Queens and Suffolk counties. The 2nd District (two seats) comprising New York, Richmond and Rockland counties. The 3rd District comprising Orange and