1790–91 United States Senate elections
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 of the 26 seats in the United States Senate, plus special elections 14 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The United States Senate elections of 1790 and 1791 were the second series of elections of Senators in the United States. In these elections, terms were up for the nine Senators in Class 1. As of these elections, formal organized political parties had yet to form in the United States, but two political factions were present: The coalition of Senators who supported President George Washington's administration were known as the Pro-Administration Party, and the Senators against him as the Anti-Administration Party.
As these elections were prior to the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.
Change in Senate composition
Note: There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.[1]
Before the elections
After the June 25, 1790 elections in Rhode Island.
A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||||
A4 | A5 | A6 Ran |
A7 Ran |
P19 Unknown |
P18 Ran |
P17 Ran |
P16 Ran |
P15 Ran |
P14 Ran |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
P4 | P5 | P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | P12 | P13 Ran |
P3 | P2 | P1 |
Results of the elections
A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||||
A4 | A5 | A6 Re-elected |
A7 Gain |
V1 A Loss |
P18 Hold |
P17 Hold |
P16 Re-elected |
P15 Re-elected |
P14 Re-elected |
Majority → | |||||||||
P4 | P5 | P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | P12 | P13 Re-elected |
P3 | P2 | P1 |
Beginning of the next Congress
A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||||
A4 | A5 | A6 | A7 | A8 Gain |
V1 | P17 | P16 | P15 | P14 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
P4 | P5 | P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | P12 | P13 |
P3 | P2 | P1 |
Key: |
|
---|
Race summaries
Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
General and special elections during the 1st Congress
In these elections, the winners were seated before March 4, 1791; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Rhode Island (Class 1) |
New seat | Rhode Island ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790. New senator elected June 7, 1790. Pro-Administration gain. |
√ Theodore Foster (Pro-Administration) | ||
Rhode Island (Class 2) |
New seat | Rhode Island ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790. New senator elected June 7, 1790. Anti-Administration gain. |
√ Joseph Stanton, Jr. (Anti-Administration) | ||
Virginia (Special: Class 1) |
John Walker | Pro-Administration | 1790 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired when successor elected. New senator elected November 9, 1790. Anti-Administration gain. |
√ James Monroe (Anti-Administration) |
New Jersey (Special: Class 2) |
William Paterson | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent resigned November 13, 1790 to become Governor of New Jersey. New senator elected November 13, 1790. Pro-Administration hold. |
√ Philemon Dickinson (Pro-Administration) |
Races leading to the 2nd Congress
In these general elections, the winners were seated March 4, 1791; ordered by state.
All of these elections involved the Class 1 seats.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Connecticut | Oliver Ellsworth | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent re-elected on an unknown date. | √ Oliver Ellsworth (Pro-Administration) |
Delaware | George Read | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent re-elected October 23, 1790. | √ George Read (Pro-Administration) Unanimous[2] |
Maryland | Charles Carroll | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent re-elected in 1791. | √ Charles Carroll (Pro-Administration) |
Massachusetts | Tristram Dalton | Pro-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1790 on the third ballot. Pro-Administration hold. |
√ George Cabot (Pro-Administration) 87 Nathaniel Gorham 36 Charles Jarvis 20 Samuel Holten 4 Tristram Dalton (Pro-Administration) Eliminated[3] |
New Jersey | Jonathan Elmer | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1790. Pro-Administration hold. |
√ John Rutherfurd (Pro-Administration) |
New York | Philip Schuyler | Pro-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 19, 1791. Anti-Administration gain. |
√ Aaron Burr (Anti-Administration) Philip Schuyler (Pro-Administration) Egbert Benson (Pro-Administration)[4] |
Pennsylvania | William Maclay | Anti-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect a successor, leaving the seat vacant. Anti-Administration loss. |
None. |
Rhode Island | Theodore Foster | Pro-Administration | 1790 | Incumbent re-elected in 1791. | √ Theodore Foster (Pro-Administration) |
Virginia | James Monroe | Anti-Administration | 1790 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1791. | √ James Monroe (Anti-Administration) |
Special and general elections in 1791 during the 2nd Congress
In these elections, the winners were seated after March 4, 1791, the beginning of the next Congress.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Connecticut (Class 3) |
William S. Johnson | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Resigned March 4, 1791. New senator elected June 13, 1791. Pro-Administration hold. |
√ Roger Sherman (Pro-Administration) |
Vermont (Class 1) |
New seat | Vermont was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791. New senator elected October 17, 1791. Anti-Administration gain. |
√ Stephen R. Bradley (Anti-Administration) | ||
Vermont (Class 3) |
New seat | Vermont was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791. New senator elected October 17, 1791. Anti-Administration gain. |
√ Moses Robinson (Anti-Administration) |
Connecticut
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
Connecticut (Special)
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
Delaware
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
Maryland
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
New Jersey
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
New Jersey (Special)
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
New York
The election in New York was held January 19, 1791 by the New York State Legislature.
Incumbent Philip Schuyler term would expire March 3, 1791.
At the State election in April 1790, nominal Federalist majorities were elected to both houses of the 14th New York State Legislature, but many Federalists were friendly to the Democratic-Republican Governor George Clinton, party lines not being drawn very strictly then.
The incumbent Philip Schuyler ran for re-election as the candidate of the Federalist Party. New York State Attorney General Aaron Burr was the candidate of the Democratic-Republican Party, but was at that time a rather moderate politician, opposing the ultras of both parties.
Burr was the choice of both the State Senate and the State Assembly, and was declared elected. Schuyler was defeated despite the nominal majority of his party. Many of the Federalists took the opportunity to show their disapproval of both Schuyler's haughtiness and the financial policies of Alexander Hamilton, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and Schuyler's son-in-law. Besides, the Livingston faction of the Federalist Party felt betrayed after the election of Rufus King over their candidate James Duane in 1789, and now allied themselves with Clinton and later became Democratic-Republicans.
Office | House | Democratic-Republican candidate | Federalist candidate | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Senator | State Senate (23 members) | Aaron Burr | 12 | Philip Schuyler | 4 |
State Assembly (65 members) | Aaron Burr | Philip Schuyler |
Obs.: Burr had a majority of 5 votes in the Assembly, but the exact number of votes is unclear.
Pennsylvania
In 1791, the legislature failed to elect due to a disagreement on procedure.[5] The seat would remain vacant until 1793.[5]
Rhode Island
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018) |
Vermont
Stephen R. Bradley and Moses Robinson were elected by the Vermont House of Representatives and Governor and Council in January 1791, anticipating Vermont's admission to the union.[6] Vermont was admitted as the 14th state on March 4, 1791.[7] The Senate had adjourned on March 3, at the completion of the 1st United States Congress; the 2nd United States Congress held a one-day session on March 4, and was not scheduled to convene again until October 24.[8]
As a result of this Congressional schedule Bradley and Robinson had not been seated when the Vermont House of Representatives convened in early October, 1791.[7] At this legislative session, some members suggested that the January election of Bradley and Robinson had been premature, since Vermont had not yet been admitted to the union.[7] Bradley and Robinson volunteered to resign the credentials of their January elections; on October 17, the Governor and Council voted again, and selected Bradley and Robinson.[7] The House of Representatives then voted a second time, and also selected Bradley and Robinson.[7] No vote totals were recorded.[7]
Bradley was selected for the "short term" (Class 1), which expired on March 3, 1795.[9] Robinson received the "long term" (Class 3), which expired on March 3, 1797.[10]
Virginia
Virginia (Special)
See also
References
- ^ Martis, Kenneth C. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress.
- ^ "Delaware 1790 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 6, 2018., citing General Advertiser (Philadelphia). October 30, 1790.
- ^ "Massachusetts 1790 U.S. Senate, Ballot 3". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 6, 2018., citing The Massachusetts Centinel (Boston, MA). June 23, 1790.
- ^ "New York 1791 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 6, 2018., citing Journal of the New York Assembly, 1791. 23-24. Journal of the New York State Senate, 1791. 12. The New-York Journal, and Patriotic Register (New York, NY). January 24, 1791.
- ^ a b http://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/sen/PaSen1788.pdf
- ^ Walton, Eliakim Persons (1876). Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont. Vol. IV. Montpelier, VT: J. and J. M. Poland. pp. 4–6.
- ^ a b c d e f Records of the Governor and Council of the State of Vermont.
- ^ De Puy, W. H. (1892). American Revisions and Additions to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vol. III. Chicago, IL: R. S. Peale Company. pp. 1547–1548.
- ^ Dodge, Prentiss Cutler (1912). Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography. Burlington, VT: Ullery Publishing Company. pp. 28–29.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography.
External links
- Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
- The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 114 for State Senators 1790-91; page 165f for Members of Assembly 1790-91)
- History of Political Parties in the State of New-York by Jabez Delano Hammond (pages 50ff)
- The Life and Times of Aaron Burr by James parton (1866, pages 177ff)