Burr, the incumbent vice president, had been alienated from the Democratic-Republican Party after he challenged Thomas Jefferson in the contested presidential election of 1800.

Though the ascendant Tammany Hall organization and some members of the Federalist Party supported Burr, he was opposed by the bulk of the Republicans, led by the Clinton and Livingston families.

In the 1800 United States presidential election, Aaron Burr ran on the Republican ticket as the running mate of Thomas Jefferson against incumbent President John Adams of the Federalist Party.

The Constitution stipulated that if two candidates with an Electoral College majority were tied, a contingent election would be held in the House of Representatives, with each state casting one vote.

As Burr's future within the Republican faction faded, New York governor George Clinton rose to fill the power vacuum.

In February 1804, acknowledging the need for a northern running mate, the Republican caucus in Congress nominated Clinton for vice president over John Breckenridge of Kentucky.

[4] Morgan Lewis, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was eventually chosen to replace Lansing, and he was supported by 104 of the 132 members of the Legislature.

Burr left New York for the American West but was arrested in 1807 on charges of treason for his involvement in an alleged plot to lead a secessionist movement.