Jeremiah Cosden (1768 – December 5, 1824) was an American politician. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican and presented credentials as a Member-elect to the

Seventeenth Congress The 17th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. While its term was officially March 4, 1821, t ...

and served from March 4, 1821, to March 19, 1822, when he was succeeded by Philip Reed, who successfully contested his election. He died in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, Maryland. The race for Maryland's 6th District House Seat between Cosden (sometimes spelled "Causden") and Reed was originally declared a tie. The Governor and Council of Maryland - in what they thought was accordance of the law - decided to seat Cosden after drawing lots. Reed, who like Cosden was a Democratic-Republican, contested the election. The House decided that the Governor and Council were not allowed to choose a winner; that two votes for Reed that were excluded ought to count and that one that was counted for him was illegal. As a result Cosden, who had been seated for 15 days, was removed and Reed was seated for the remainder of the term. This is the closest U.S. House race in Maryland history.

References

1768 births 1824 deaths Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Members of the United States House of Representatives removed by contest {{Maryland-politician-stub