1904 United States House of Representatives elections

United States House of Representatives elections, 1904

November 1, 1904
All 386 seats to the United States House of Representatives 194 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Joseph Cannon John Sharp Williams Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Illinois-18th Mississippi-8th Last election 210 seats 176 seats Seats won 251 135 Seat change 41 41
Speaker before election Joseph Cannon Republican Elected Speaker Joseph Cannon Republican

Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1904 to elect members of the 59th Congress, and coincided with the election to a full term of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt's popularity swept many Republican house candidates into office, cementing their majority over the opposition Democratic Party. Because Roosevelt came from a liberal wing of the Republican Party, his ideology was prevalent among freshman representatives. Progressive Republicanism mobilized a new base of support and proved to be especially popular among the Protestant middle-class workers who held jobs in business or in the front offices of industrial facilities.

Election summaries

↓

251	135
Republican	Democratic

State	Type	Total seats	Republican		Democratic
			Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Alabama	District	9	0		9
Arkansas	District	7	0		7
California	District	8	8	3	0	3
Colorado	District +at-large	3	3	1	0
Connecticut	District +at-large	5	5		0
Delaware	At-large	1	1	1	0	1
Florida	District	3	0		3
Georgia	District	11	0		11
Idaho	At-large	1	1		0
Illinois	District	25	24	7	1	7
Indiana	District	13	11	2	2	2
Iowa	District	11	11	1	0
Kansas	District +at-large	8	8		0
Kentucky	District	11	2	1	9	1
Louisiana	District	7	0		7
Maine	District	4	4		0
Maryland	District	6	3	1	3	1
Massachusetts	District	14	11	1	3	1
Michigan	District	12	12	1	0	1
Minnesota	District	9	9	1	0	1
Mississippi	District	8	0		8
Missouri	District	16	10	9	6	9
Montana	At-large	1	1		0
Nebraska	District	6	6	1	0	1
Nevada	At-large	1	0		1
New Hampshire	District	2	2		0
New Jersey	District	10	9	2	1	2
New York	District	37	26	6	11	6
North Carolina	District	10	1	1	9	1
North Dakota	District	2	2		0
Ohio	District	21	20	3	1	3
Oregon	District	2	2		0
Pennsylvania	District	32	31	3	1	3
Rhode Island	District	2	1		1
South Carolina	District	7	0		7
South Dakota	At-large	2	2		0
Tennessee	District	10	2		8
Texas	District	16	0		16
Utah	At-large	1	1		0
Vermont	District	2	2		0
Virginia	District	10	1		9
Washington	At-large	3	3		0
West Virginia	District	5	5		0
Wisconsin	District	11	10		1
Wyoming	At-large	1	1		0
Total		386	251 65.0%	41	135 35.0%	41

House seats Republican   65.03% Democratic   34.97%

The previous election of 1902 saw 3 Independent Republicans elected in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania.

House seats by party holding plurality in state   80.1-100% Democratic   80.1-100% Republican   60.1-80% Democratic   60.1-80% Republican   Up to 60% Democratic   Up to 60% Republican

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 Republican gain   no net change

Early election dates

In 1904, three states, with 8 seats among them, held elections early:

• June 6 Oregon
• September 6 Vermont
• September 12 Maine

Special elections to the 58th Congress

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
California 3	Vacant, as Victor H. Metcalf (Republican) resigned July 1, 1904 to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Labor.			New member elected November 8, 1904. Republican gain. Winner was also elected to the next term, see below.	√ Joseph R. Knowland (Republican) 77.5% Henry C. McPike (Democratic) 22.5%

California

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1904

See also: List of United States Representatives from California

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
California 1	James Gillett	Republican	1902	Incumbent re-elected.	√ James N. Gillett (Republican) 54.1% Anthony Caminetti (Democratic) 39.3% A. J. Gaylord (Socialist) 5.5% Jarrot Laban Rollins (Prohibition) 1.1%
California 2	Theodore A. Bell	Democratic	1902	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	√ Duncan E. McKinlay (Republican) 49.2% Theodore A. Bell (Democratic) 46.6% J. H. White (Socialist) 3.3% Eli P. LaCell (Prohibition) 0.9%
California 3	Vacant, as Victor H. Metcalf (Republican) resigned July 1, 1904 to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Labor.			New member elected. Republican gain. Winner was also elected to finish the current term, see above.	√ Joseph R. Knowland (Republican) 68.6% Henry C. McPike (Democratic) 20.1% M. Lesser (Socialist) 10.1% Bates Morris (Prohibition) 1.3%
California 4	Edward J. Livernash	Democratic	1902	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	√ Julius Kahn (Republican) 56.8% Edward J. Livernash (Democratic) 36.4% William Costley (Socialist) 6.4% Hubert R. Chapin (Prohibition) 0.4%
California 5	William J. Wynn	Democratic	1902	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	√ Everis A. Hayes (Republican) 52.3% William J. Wynn (Democratic) 39.7% Frank R. Whitney (Socialist) 5% Charles J. Williams (Union Labor) 2% George B. Pratt (Prohibition) 1%
California 6	James C. Needham	Republican	1898	Incumbent re-elected.	√ James C. Needham (Republican) 55.1% William M. Conley (Democratic) 38.3% J. L. Cobb (Socialist) 4.5% Joel H. Smith (Prohibition) 2.2%
California 7	James McLachlan	Republican	1900	Incumbent re-elected.	√ James McLachlan (Republican) 44.8% Benjamin J. Cloes (P) 30.3% W. O. Morton (Democratic) 16.2% Frank I. Wheat (Socialist) 5.2% John Sobieski (Prohibition) 3.6%
California 8	Milton J. Daniels	Republican	1902	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	√ Sylvester C. Smith (Republican) 55.6% Charles A. Barlow (Democratic) 34.5% Noble A. Richardson (Socialist) 9.9%

Florida

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 1904

See also: List of United States Representatives from Florida

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Florida 1	Stephen M. Sparkman	Democratic	1894	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Stephen M. Sparkman (Democratic) 75.1% E. R. Gunby (Republican) 20.1% Z. A. Middlebrooks (Socialist) 4.7%
Florida 2	Robert Wyche Davis	Democratic	1896	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	√ Frank Clark (Democratic) 77.2% John M. Cheney (Republican) 19.9% W. B. Wood (Socialist) 2.9%
Florida 3	William B. Lamar	Democratic	1902	Incumbent re-elected.	√ William B. Lamar (Democratic) 100%

South Carolina

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1904

See also: List of United States Representatives from South Carolina

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
South Carolina 1	George Swinton Legaré	Democratic	1902	Incumbent re-elected.	√ George Swinton Legaré (Democratic) 91.3% J. N. Noland (Republican) 5.2% Aaron P. Prioleau (Republican)3.5%
South Carolina 2	George W. Croft	Democratic	1902	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	√ James O'H. Patterson (Democratic) 94.7% Isaac Myers (Republican) 5.3%
South Carolina 3	Wyatt Aiken	Democratic	1902	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Wyatt Aiken (Democratic) 98.2% John Scott (Republican) 1.8%
South Carolina 4	Joseph T. Johnson	Democratic	1900	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Joseph T. Johnson (Democratic) 97.5% J. D. Adams (Republican) 2.5%
South Carolina 5	David E. Finley	Democratic	1898	Incumbent re-elected.	√ David E. Finley (Democratic) 98.5% C. P. White (Republican) 1.5%
South Carolina 6	Robert B. Scarborough	Democratic	1900	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	√ J. Edwin Ellerbe (Democratic) 95.8% E. H. Deas (Republican) 4.2%
South Carolina 7	Asbury F. Lever	Democratic	1901 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Asbury F. Lever (Democratic) 93.8% C. C. Jacobs 6.0% Others 0.2%

See also

• United States elections, 1904
  • United States presidential election, 1904
  • United States Senate elections, 1904 and 1905
• 58th United States Congress
• 59th United States Congress

Bibliography

• Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
• Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
• "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.

External links

• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)