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How did the House of Representatives decide the presidential election of 1824?

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Alabama certificate showing the state's electors' votes — Electoral College A certificate from Alabama showing the signatures of the state's electors in 2000. The nine electors voted for George W. Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney.

In the election of 1824, no candidate secured a majority of the Electoral College votes, despite Andrew Jackson winning a plurality of both the popular and electoral votes. As mandated by the Twelfth Amendment, the responsibility to choose the president fell to the House of Representatives.123

The House was required to select from the top three electoral vote recipients: Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and William H. Crawford. Henry Clay, who finished fourth, was eliminated from contention but remained a pivotal figure as Speaker of the House. Clay ultimately supported Adams, believing Jackson was unfit for the presidency and finding that his own political views on issues like protective tariffs and internal improvements aligned with those of Adams.23

On February 9, 1825, the House voted by state, with each delegation casting a single vote. Adams was elected on the first ballot, winning 13 states to Jackson’s 7 and Crawford’s 4. Following the election, Adams appointed Clay as secretary of state, leading Jackson’s supporters to denounce the arrangement as a "corrupt bargain".123