1898 United States House of Representatives elections

Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1898 for members of the 56th Congress, and took place in the middle of President William McKinley's first term.

1898 United States House of Representatives elections
November 8, 1898[Note 1]
All 357 seats of the U.S. House of Representatives
179 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader David Henderson James Richardson John Calhoun Bell
Party Republican Democratic Populist
Leader since March 4, 1899 March 4, 1899
Leader's seat Iowa 3rd Tennessee 5th Colorado 2nd
Last election 206 seats 124 seats 22
Seats won 187[1] 161[1] 5[1]
Seat change 19 37 17
Popular vote 5,305,230 4,828,592 463,059
Percentage 48.55% 44.18% 4.24%
Swing 0.22% 3.19% 2.62%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Party Silver Republican Silver Independent
Last election 3 1 1
Seats won 2[1] 1[1] 2[lower-alpha 1]
Seat change 1 1
Popular vote 60,805 5,766 96,537
Percentage 0.56% 0.05% 0.88%
Swing 0.46% 0.31%
Speaker before election

Thomas Reed
Republican

 Elected Speaker

David Henderson
Republican

As in many midterm elections, the President's Republican Party lost seats, but was able to hold a majority over the Democratic Party. The Populist Party also lost many seats, as their movement began to decline. This was likely because many Populists rallied behind William Jennings Bryan's increasingly powerful branch of the Democratic Party, which built the rural economic issues advocated by Populists into their platform. As a result, the Democrats won a number of Western seats as well many in the Mid-Atlantic.

Special elections

Election summaries
↓
187 2 1 6 161
Republican SR S P Democratic
State Type Total
seats		 Republican Democratic Populist Silver/
Silver Republican
Seats Change Seats Change Seats Change Seats Change
Alabama District 9 1 8 1 0 1 0
Arkansas District 6 0 6 0 0
California District 7 6 3 1 1 0 2 0
Colorado District 2 0 0 1 1[Note 2]
Connecticut District 4 4 0 0 0
Delaware At-large 1 1 1 0 1 0 0
Florida District 2 0 2 0 0
Georgia District 11 0 11 0 0
Idaho At-large 1 0 0 0 1 1[Note 2] 1
Illinois District 22 14 3 8 3 0 0
Indiana District 13 9 4 0 0
Iowa District 11 11 0 0 0
Kansas District
+at-large		 8 7 5 0 1 5 0
Kentucky District 11 2 2 9 2 0 0
Louisiana District 6 0 6 0 0
Maine[Note 3] District 4 4 0 0 0
Maryland District 6 4 2 2 2 0 0
Massachusetts District 13 10 2 3 2 0 0
Michigan District 12 12 2 0 2 0 0
Minnesota District 7 7 0 0 0
Mississippi District 7 0 7 0 0
Missouri District 15 3 12 0 0
Montana At-large 1 0 1 1 0 0 1
Nebraska District 6 2 1 1 3 1 0
Nevada At-large 1 0 0 0 1
New Hampshire District 2 2 0 0 0
New Jersey District 8 6 2 2 2 0 0
New York District 34 16 12 18 12 0 0
North Carolina District 9 3 1 5 4 1[Note 4] 4 0
North Dakota At-large 1 1 0 0 0
Ohio District 21 15 6 0 0
Oregon[Note 3] District 2 2 0 0 0
Pennsylvania District
+2 at-large		 30 20 7 10 7 0 0
Rhode Island District 2 2 0 0 0
South Carolina District 7 0 7 0 0
South Dakota At-large 2 2 2 0 0 2 0
Tennessee District 10 2 8 0 0
Texas District 13 1 12 0 0
Utah At-large 1 0 1 0 0
Vermont[Note 3] District 2 2 0 0 0
Virginia District 10 0 4 10 4 0 0
Washington At-large 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 1
West Virginia District 4 3 1 1 1 0 0
Wisconsin District 10 10 0 0 0
Wyoming At-large 1 1 1 0 1 0 0
Total 357 187
52.4%		 20 161
45.1%		 37 6[Note 4]
1.7%		 16 3[Note 5]
0.8%		 1
House seats
Republican
 
 52.38%
Democratic
 
 45.10%
Populist
 
 1.68%
Silver Republican
 
 0.56%
Silver
 
 0.28%

The previous election of 1896 saw the election of 24 Populists, 2 Silver Republicans, and a Silver Party member.

[[File:56 us house membership.png|thumb|left|450px|
House seats by party holding plurality in state
  80+% Democratic
  
  80+% Republican
  60 to 80% Democratic
  
  60 to 80% Republican
  Up to 60% Democratic
  Up to 60% Populist
  Up to 60% Republican
]]		 [[File:56 us house changes.png|thumb|left|450px|
Net gain in party representation
  6+ Democratic gain
  
  6+ Republican gain
  3-5 Democratic gain
  
  3-5 Republican gain
  1-2 Democratic gain
  1-2 Populist gain
  1-2 Republican gain
  no net change
]]

Early election dates

In 1898, three states, with 8 seats among them, held elections early:

California
See also: List of United States Representatives from California
District Incumbent This race
Representative Party First
elected		 Results Candidates
California 1 John All Barham Republican 1894 Incumbent re-elected. √ John All Barham (Republican) 61.1%
Emmet Seawell (Democratic) 38.9%
California 2 Marion De Vries Democratic 1896 Incumbent re-elected. √ Marion De Vries (Democratic) 55.3%
Frank D. Ryan (Republican) 44.7%
California 3 Samuel G. Hilborn Republican 1894 Incumbent lost renomination.
New member elected.
Republican hold		 √ Victor H. Metcalf (Republican) 57.3%
John Aubrey Jones (Democratic) 39.1%
Thomas F. Burns (Socialist Labor) 3.6%
California 4 James G. Maguire Democratic 1892 Incumbent retired to run for California Governor.
New member elected.
Republican gain.		 √ Julius Kahn (Republican) 50%
James H. Barry (Democratic) 44.1%
W. J. Martin (Socialist Labor) 3.7%
Joseph P. Kelly (Independent) (Democratic) 2.2%
California 5 Eugene F. Loud Republican 1890 Incumbent re-elected. √ Eugene F. Loud (Republican) 51.8%
William Craig (Democratic) 44.3%
E. T. Kingsley (Socialist Labor) 3.9%
California 6 Charles A. Barlow Populist 1900 Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Republican gain.		 √ Russell J. Waters (Republican) 52.6%
Charles A. Barlow (Populist) 44.9%
James T. Van Ransselear (Socialist Labor) 2.5%
California 7 Curtis H. Castle Populist 1896 Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Republican gain.		 √ James C. Needham (Republican) 50.1%
Curtis H. Castle (Populist) 49.9%

Florida
See also: List of United States Representatives from Florida
District Incumbent This race
Representative Party First
elected		 Results Candidates
Florida 1 Stephen M. Sparkman Democratic 1894 Incumbent re-elected. √ Stephen M. Sparkman (Democratic) 84.2%
E. R. Gunby (Republican) 15.8%
Florida 2 Robert Wyche Davis Democratic 1896 Incumbent re-elected. √ Robert Wyche Davis (Democratic) 71.8%
H. L. Anderson (Republican) 28.2%

South Carolina
See also: List of United States Representatives from South Carolina
District Incumbent This race
Representative Party First
elected		 Results Candidates
South Carolina 1 William Elliott Democratic 1886
1896		 Incumbent re-elected. √ William Elliott (Democratic) 66.5%
George W. Murray (Republican) 33.5%
South Carolina 2 W. Jasper Talbert Democratic 1892 Incumbent re-elected. √ W. Jasper Talbert (Democratic) 97.0%
B. P. Chatfield (Republican) 2.9%
Others 0.1%
South Carolina 3 Asbury Latimer Democratic 1892 Incumbent re-elected. √ Asbury Latimer (Democratic) 96.6%
John R. Tolbert (Republican) 3.3%
Others 0.1%
South Carolina 4 Stanyarne Wilson Democratic 1894 Incumbent re-elected. √ Stanyarne Wilson (Democratic) 96.4%
P. S. Suber (Republican) 3.6%
South Carolina 5 Thomas J. Strait Democratic 1892 Incumbent lost renomination.
New member elected.
Democratic hold.		 √ David E. Finley (Democratic) 100%
South Carolina 6 James Norton Democratic 1897 (special) Incumbent re-elected. √ James Norton (Democratic) 96.9%
J. H. Evans (Republican) 3.1%
South Carolina 7 J. William Stokes Democratic 1894 Incumbent re-elected. √ J. William Stokes (Democratic) 89.8%
James Weston (Republican) 10.2%

South Dakota
See also: List of United States Representatives from South Dakota
District Incumbent This race
Representative Party First
elected		 Results Candidates
South Dakota at-large
2 seats on a general ticket		 John Edward Kelley Populist 1896 Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Republican gain.		 √ Robert J. Gamble (Republican) 27.4%
√ Charles H. Burke (Republican) 25.7%
John Edward Kelley (Populist) 22.9%
Freeman Knowles (Populist) 22.8%
A. Jamison (Prohibition) 0.6%
M.D. Alexander (Prohibition) 0.6%[2]
Freeman Knowles Populist 1896 Incumbent lost re-election.
New member elected.
Republican gain.

Oklahoma Territory
See also: List of United States Representatives from Oklahoma
District Incumbent This race
Representative Party First elected Results Candidates
Oklahoma Territory at-large James Y. Callahan Free Silver 1896 Incumbent retired.
New delegate elected.
Republican gain.
  • Y Dennis T. Flynn (Republican)[3]
  • [data unknown/missing]

See also

Notes
  1. Three states held early elections between June 6 and September 12.
  2. Member of the Silver Republican Party faction elected.
  3. Elections held early
  4. Includes 1 Independent Populist, John W. Atwater, elected to NC-04.
  5. Includes 2 members of the Silver Republican faction.
  1. One Independent Republican, Thomas Butler from the 6th District of Pennsylvania, and one Independent Populist, John Atwater of the 4th District of North Carolina.

References
  1. Martis, pp. 152–153.
  2. "Elections in States". The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1900. New York: The Tribune Association. 1900. p. 338 – via Hathi Trust Digital Library.
  3. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=299872

Bibliography
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