United States Senate elections, 1796 and 1797
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 17 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The United States Senate elections of 1796 and 1797 were elections for the United States Senate which, coinciding with John Adams's election as President, had the ruling Federalist Party gain one seat.
As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.
Results summary
Senate Party Division, 5th Congress (1797–1799)
- Majority Party: Federalist (21)
- Minority Party: Democratic-Republican (10)
- Vacant: 1 (later filled by Democratic-Republican)
- Total Seats: 32
Change in Senate composition
Before the elections
After the August 2, 1796 admission of Tennessee.
DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
DR7 | DR8 | DR9 | DR10 Ran |
DR11 Ran |
DR12 Unknown |
V1 | F19 Resigned |
F18 Resigned |
F17 Ran |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 Ran |
F13 Ran |
F14 Ran |
F15 Ran |
F16 Ran |
F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Results of the elections
DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
DR7 | DR8 | DR9 | DR10 Re-elected |
V2 DR Loss |
V1 | F20 Gain |
F19 Hold |
F18 Hold |
F17 Re-elected |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 Re-elected |
F13 Re-elected |
F14 Re-elected |
F15 Re-elected |
F16 Re-elected |
F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Beginning of the next Congress
DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
DR7 | DR8 | DR9 | DR10 Hold |
V2 | F21 Gain |
F20 Hold |
F19 Hold |
F18 | F17 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 | F13 | F14 | F15 | F16 |
F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Key: |
|
---|
Race summaries
Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
Special elections during the 4th Congress
In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1797; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Georgia (Class 3) |
George Walton | Federalist | 1795 (Appointed) | Appointee retired when successor elected. New senator elected February 20, 1796. Democratic-Republican gain. |
√ Josiah Tattnall (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Connecticut (Class 1) |
Oliver Ellsworth | Federalist | 1788 1791 |
Incumbent resigned to become Chief Justice of the United States. New senator elected May 12, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ James Hillhouse (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Massachusetts (Class 1) |
George Cabot | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. New senator elected June 11, 1796 on the second ballot. Federalist hold. |
√ Benjamin Goodhue (Federalist) 75 Edward H. Robbins 65[1] |
Massachusetts (Class 2) |
Caleb Strong | Federalist | 1789 1793 |
Incumbent resigned June 1, 1796. New senator elected June 11, 1796 on the second ballot. Federalist hold. |
√ Theodore Sedgwick (Federalist) 107 Edward H. Robbins 43 Levi Lincoln 2 Nathaniel Dane (Federalist) 1 Thompson J. Skinner 1[2] |
Connecticut (Class 3) |
Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. | Federalist | 1794 or 1795 | Incumbent resigned June 10, 1796 to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. New senator elected October 13, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ Uriah Tracy (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Vermont (Class 1) |
Moses Robinson | Federalist | 1791 (New state) | Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. New senator elected October 18, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ Isaac Tichenor (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
New York (Class 3) |
Rufus King | Federalist | 1789 1795 |
Incumbent resigned May 23, 1796 to become U.S. Minister to Great Britain. New senator elected November 9, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ John Laurance (Federalist) 99 Zephaniah Platt 1[3] |
Maryland (Class 1) |
Richard Potts | Federalist | 1793 (Special) | Incumbent resigned October 24, 1796. New senator elected November 28, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ John Eager Howard (Federalist) W. Spriggs (Federalist) 15[4] |
South Carolina (Class 2) |
Pierce Butler | Democratic-Republican | 1789 1793 |
Incumbent resigned October 25, 1796. New senator elected December 8, 1796. Democratic-Republican hold. |
√ John Hunter (Democratic-Republican) 72 John Chestnut 66[5] |
New Jersey (Class 2) |
Frederick Frelinghuysen | Federalist | 1792 or 1793 | Incumbent resigned November 12, 1796. New senator elected November 12, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ Richard Stockton (Federalist) Unanimous[6] |
Races leading to the 5th Congress
In these general elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1797; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Connecticut | James Hillhouse | Federalist | 1796 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | √ James Hillhouse (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Delaware | Henry Latimer | Federalist | 1795 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected January 6, 1797. | √ Henry Latimer (Federalist) 16 David Hall (Democratic-Republican) 6[7] |
Maryland | John Eager Howard | Federalist | 1796 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected December 9, 1796. | √ John Eager Howard (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Massachusetts | George Cabot | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. New senator elected June 11, 1796 on the third ballot. Federalist hold. Winner also elected to finish the current term, see above. |
√ Benjamin Goodhue (Federalist) 73 Edward H. Robbins[8] |
New Jersey | John Rutherfurd | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent re-elected in 1796. | √ John Rutherfurd (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
New York | Aaron Burr | Democratic-Republican | 1791 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 24, 1797. Federalist gain. |
√ Philip Schuyler (Federalist) 85 James Kent (Federalist) 1[9] |
Pennsylvania | James Ross | Federalist | 1794 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected February 16, 1797. | √ James Ross (Federalist) 56 William Irvine (Democratic-Republican) 38[10] |
Rhode Island | Theodore Foster | Federalist | 1790 1791 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | √ Theodore Foster (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Tennessee | William Cocke | Democratic-Republican | 1796 | Legislature failed to elect. Democratic-Republican loss. Incumbent later appointed to continue term.[11] |
None |
Vermont | Moses Robinson | Federalist | 1791 (New state) | Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. New senator elected October 18, 1796. Federalist hold. Winner also elected to finish the current term, see above. |
√ Isaac Tichenor (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Virginia | Stevens Mason | Democratic-Republican | 1794 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected November 29, 1796. | √ Stevens Mason (Democratic-Republican) 114 James Breckenridge (Federalist) 60[12] |
Special elections during the 5th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated after March 4, 1797, the beginning of the next Congress.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Tennessee (Class 1) |
William Cocke | Democratic-Republican | 1796 1797 (Appointed) |
Interim appointee lost re-election. New senator elected September 26, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold. |
√ Andrew Jackson (Democratic-Republican) 20 William Cocke (Democratic-Republican) 13[13] |
Tennessee (Class 2) |
William Blount | Democratic-Republican | 1796 | Incumbent expelled July 8, 1797.[14] New senator elected September 26, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold. |
√ Joseph Anderson (Democratic-Republican) 33 Unopposed[13] |
Vermont (Class 1) |
Isaac Tichenor | Federalist | 1796 (Special) | Incumbent resigned October 17, 1797 to become Governor of Vermont. New senator elected October 17, 1797. Federalist hold. |
√ Nathaniel Chipman (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Rhode Island (Class 2) |
William Bradford | Federalist | 1793 | Incumbent resigned in October 1797. New senator elected November 13, 1797. Federalist hold. |
√ Ray Greene (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Maryland (Class 3) |
John Henry | Federalist | 1788 1795 |
Incumbent resigned July 10, 1797 to become Governor of Maryland. New senator elected December 8, 1797. Federalist hold. |
√ James Lloyd (Federalist) Unopposed[15] |
See also
References
- Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
- ↑ "Massachusetts 1796 U.S. Senate, Special, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing The Hampshire and Berkshire Chronicle (Springfield, MA). June 21, 1796.
- ↑ "Massachusetts 1796 U.S. Senate, Special, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Political Gazette (Newburyport, MA). June 16, 1796.
- ↑ "New York 1796 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Journal of the New York Assembly, 1796. 18. Journal of the New York State Senate, 1796. 12.
- ↑ "Maryland 1796 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Charles Carroll to James McHenry. Nov. 28, 1796. Reel 2, Item 990. Charles Carroll Papers. Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore.
- ↑ "South Carolina 1796 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 30, 1796.
- ↑ "New Jersey 1796 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing The Albany Gazette (Albany, NY). November 21, 1796.
- ↑ "Delaware 1797 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Journal of the Delaware State Senate, 1797. 18.
- ↑ "Massachusetts 1796 U.S. Senate, Ballot 3". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Hampshire and Berkshire Chronicle (Springfield, MA). June 21, 1796.
- ↑ "New York 1797 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Journal of the New York Assembly, 1797. 68. Journal of the New York State Senate, 1797. 43-44.
- ↑ "Pennsylvania 1797 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing The New World (Philadelphia, PA). February 17, 1797.
- ↑ United States Congress. "William Cocke (id: C000572)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ↑ "Virginia 1796 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing The Virginia Argus (Richmond, VA). December 2, 1796.
- 1 2 "Tennessee 1797 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018. , citing Commercial Advertiser (New York, NY). November 11, 1797.
- ↑ United States Congress. "William Blount (id: B000570)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ↑ "Maryland 1797 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018. , citing Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 13, 1797.