1876–77 United States Senate elections
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26 of the 76 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 39 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United States Senate elections of 1876 and 1877 had the Democratic Party gain five seats in the United States Senate, and coincided with Rutherford B. Hayes's narrow election as President. Republicans remained in the majority, however.
As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.
Results summary
Senate Party Division, 45th Congress (1877–1879)
- Majority Party: Republican (39)
- Minority Party: Democratic (35)
- Other Parties: Anti-Monopoly (1), Independent (1)
- Total Seats: 76
Change in Senate composition
Before the elections
After the November 15, 1876 elections in the new state of Colorado.
| D8 | D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | ||
| D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 | D14 | D15 | D16 | D17 | D18 |
| D28 Retired |
D27 Retired |
D26 Unknown |
D25 Ran |
D24 Ran |
D23 Ran |
D22 Ran |
D21 | D20 | D19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D29 Retired |
D30 Retired |
AM1 | R45 Retired |
R44 Retired |
R43 Retired |
R42 Retired |
R41 Unknown |
R40 Unknown |
R39 Unknown |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| R29 Ran |
R30 Ran |
R31 Ran |
R32 Ran |
R33 Ran |
R34 Ran |
R35 Ran |
R36 Ran |
R37 Ran |
R38 Unknown |
| R28 | R27 | R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 | R22 | R21 | R20 | R19 |
| R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 | R18 |
| R8 | R7 | R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 | R2 | R1 | ||
After the elections
| D8 | D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | ||
| D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 | D14 | D15 | D16 | D17 | D18 |
| D28 Hold |
D27 Hold |
D26 Hold |
D25 Re-elected |
D24 Re-elected |
D23 Re-elected |
D22 Re-elected |
D21 | D20 | D19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D29 Hold |
D30 Hold |
D31 Gain |
D32 Gain |
D33 Gain |
D34 Gain |
D35 Gain |
Template:Party shading/Independent active | I1 Gain |
AM1 | R39 Hold |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| R29 Re-elected |
R30 Re-elected |
R31 Re-elected |
R32 Re-elected |
R33 Re-elected |
R34 Hold |
R35 Hold |
R36 Hold |
R37 Hold |
R38 Hold |
| R28 | R27 | R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 | R22 | R21 | R20 | R19 |
| R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 | R18 |
| R8 | R7 | R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 | R2 | R1 | ||
| Key: |
|
Race summaries
Special elections during the 44th Congress
In these elections, the winners were seated during 1876 or in 1877 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Louisiana (Class 3) |
Vacant | Senate had declined to seat rival claimants William L. McMillen and P. B. S. Pinchback.[1] Senator elected January 12, 1876. Democratic gain. |
√ James B. Eustis (Democratic) [data missing] | ||
| Connecticut (Class 3) |
James E. English | Democratic | 1875 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired when successor elected. Winner elected May 17, 1876. Democratic hold. |
√ William Henry Barnum (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Colorado (Class 2) |
New state | Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876. Republican gain. Winner was also elected to the next term, see below. |
√ Henry M. Teller (Republican) [data missing] | ||
| Colorado (Class 3) |
New state | Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876. Republican gain. |
√ Jerome B. Chaffee (Republican) [data missing] | ||
| Tennessee (Class 1) |
David M. Key | Democratic | 1875 (Appointed) | Interim appointee lost special election. Winner elected January 19, 1877. Democratic hold. |
√ James E. Bailey (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Maine (Class 2) |
James G. Blaine | Republican | 1876 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected January 17, 1877. | √ James G. Blaine (Republican) [data missing] |
| West Virginia (Class 1) |
Samuel Price | Democratic | 1876 (Appointed) | Interim appointee lost special election. Winner elected January 26, 1877. Democratic hold. |
√ Frank Hereford (Democratic) [data missing] |
Races leading to the 45th Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1877; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Alabama | George Goldthwaite | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1876. Democratic hold. |
√ John Tyler Morgan (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Arkansas | Powell Clayton | Republican | 1870 | Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1876. Democratic gain. |
√ Augustus Garland (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Colorado | Henry M. Teller | Republican | 1876 (New state) | Incumbent re-elected in 1876 or 1877. | √ Henry M. Teller (Republican) [data missing] |
| Delaware | Eli M. Saulsbury | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected in 1876. | √ Eli M. Saulsbury (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Georgia | Thomas M. Norwood | Democratic | 1871 (Special) | Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. Winner elected January 26, 1877. Democratic hold. |
√ Benjamin Harvey Hill [data missing] |
| Illinois | John A. Logan | Republican | 1870 or 1871 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner's election year unknown. Independent gain. |
√ David Davis (Independent) John A. Logan (Republican) [data missing] |
| Iowa | George G. Wright | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Winner's election year unknown. Republican hold. |
√ Samuel J. Kirkwood (Republican) [data missing] |
| Kansas | James M. Harvey | Republican | 1874 (Special) | Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1877. Republican hold. |
√ Preston B. Plumb (Republican) [data missing] |
| Kentucky | John W. Stevenson | Democratic | 1871 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1876. Democratic hold. |
√ James B. Beck (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Louisiana | Joseph R. West | Republican | 1870 or 1871 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1876. Republican hold. |
√ William P. Kellogg (Republican) [data missing] |
| Maine | James G. Blaine | Republican | 1876 (Appointed) 1877 (Special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1877. | √ James G. Blaine (Republican) [data missing] |
| Massachusetts | George S. Boutwell | Republican | 1873 (Special) | Incumbent lost renomination. Winner elected in 1877. Republican hold. |
√ George Frisbie Hoar (Republican) [data missing] |
| Michigan | Thomas W. Ferry | Republican | 1871 | Incumbent re-elected in 1877. | √ Thomas W. Ferry (Republican) [data missing] |
| Minnesota | William Windom | Republican | 1870 (Appointed) 1871 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1877. | √ William Windom (Republican) [data missing] |
| Mississippi | James L. Alcorn | Republican | 1870 | Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1876. Democratic gain. |
√ Lucius Q.C. Lamar II (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Nebraska | Phineas Hitchcock | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1877. Republican hold. |
√ Alvin Saunders (Republican) Phineas Hitchcock (Republican) [data missing] |
| New Hampshire | Aaron H. Cragin | Republican | 1864 1870 |
Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1876. Republican hold. |
√ Edward H. Rollins (Republican) [data missing] |
| New Jersey | Frederick T. Frelinghuysen | Republican | 1870 or 1871 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1877. Democratic gain. |
√ John R. McPherson (Democratic) Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (Republican) [data missing] |
| North Carolina | Matt W. Ransom | Democratic | 1872 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1876. | √ Matt W. Ransom (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Oregon | James K. Kelly | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Winner's election year unknown. Democratic hold. |
√ La Fayette Grover (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Rhode Island | Henry B. Anthony | Republican | 1858 1864 1870 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1876. | √ Henry B. Anthony (Republican) [data missing] |
| South Carolina | Thomas J. Robertson | Republican | 1868 (Special) 1870 |
Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1876. Democratic gain. |
√ Matthew Butler (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Tennessee | Henry Cooper | Democratic | 1870 or 1871 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1877. Democratic hold. |
√ Isham G. Harris (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Texas | Morgan C. Hamilton | Republican | 1870 (Special) 1871 |
Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1876. Democratic gain. |
√ Richard Coke (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Virginia | John W. Johnston | Democratic | 1870 (Special) 1871 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1877. | √ John W. Johnston (Democratic) [data missing] |
| West Virginia | Henry G. Davis | Democratic | 1871 | Incumbent re-elected in 1877. | √ Henry G. Davis (Democratic) [data missing] |
Elections during the 45th Congress
In these elections, the winners were elected in 1877 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Pennsylvania (Class 3) |
Simon Cameron | Republican | 1857 1861 (Resigned) 1867 1873 |
Incumbent resigned March 12, 1877. Successor elected March 20, 1877. Republican hold. |
√ J. Donald Cameron (Republican) Andrew H. Dill (Democratic) Hiester Clymer (Democratic) Andrew G. Curtin (Democratic) John Jackson (Democratic) |
| Ohio (Class 3) |
John Sherman | Republican | 1861 (Special) 1866 1872 |
Incumbent resigned March 8, 1877 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Winner elected March 21, 1877. Republican hold. |
√ Stanley Matthews (Republican) 82 votes Alfred Ginther 6 votes Frank H. Hurd (Democratic) 1 vote[2] |
Complete list of elections
Pennsylvania (special)
The special election in Pennsylvania was held March 20, 1877.
Republican Senator Simon Cameron had been elected to the United States Senate by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in 1867 and was re-elected in 1873. Sen. Cameron resigned on March 12, 1877.[3]
Following the resignation of Simon Cameron, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 20, 1877, to elect a new Senator to fill the vacancy. Former United States Secretary of War J. Donald Cameron, Simon Cameron's son, was elected to complete his father's term, set to expire on March 4, 1879.[4] The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | J. Donald Cameron | 147 | 58.57 | |
| Democratic | Andrew H. Dill | 92 | 36.65 | |
| Democratic | Hiester Clymer | 1 | 0.40 | |
| Democratic | Andrew G. Curtin | 1 | 0.40 | |
| Democratic | John Jackson | 1 | 0.40 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 9 | 3.59 | |
| Totals | 251 | 100.00% | ||
See also
References
- ^ Taft, George S. (1885). Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1885 - Pages 483 - 512. U.S. Government Publishing Office.
- ^ Taylor & Taylor, p. 76, vol. II.
- ^ "CAMERON, Simon, (1799 - 1889)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ "CAMERON, James Donald, (1833 - 1918)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Senate Election - 20 March 1877" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
- Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project
- Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900. State of Ohio.