1896–97 United States Senate elections

United States Senate elections, 1896 and 1897
30 of the 90 seats in the U.S. Senate; (as well as special elections); 46 seats needed for a majority
Majority Party before election; Republican;	Elected Majority Party ; Republican;

The United States Senate elections of 1896 and 1897 were elections in which the Democratic Party lost seven seats in the United States Senate, mostly to smaller third parties.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 55th Congress (1897–1899)

Majority Party: Republican (43)
Minority Party: Democratic (33)
Other Parties: Populist (5); Silver (5); Silver Republican (2)
Total Seats: 90
Vacant: 2, later filled by 1 Republican and 1 Democrat.

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

D₃₅ Retired	D₃₄ Retired	D₃₃ Unknown	D₃₂ Ran	D₃₁ Ran	D₃₀ Ran	D₂₉ Ran	D₂₈ Ran	D₂₇ Ran	D₂₆ Ran
					D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅
D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉	D₈	D₇	D₆
D₁₆	D₁₇	D₁₈	D₁₉	D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅
D₃₆ Retired	D₃₇ Retired	D₃₈ Retired	D₃₉ Retired	V₁	P₄ Ran	P₃ Ran	P₂	P₁	S₂ Ran
Plurality ↓									S₁
R₃₆ Ran	R₃₇ Ran	R₃₈ Ran	R₃₉ Ran	R₄₀ Ran	R₄₁ Ran	R₄₂ Ran	R₄₃ Retired	R₄₄ Retired	S₁
R₃₅ Ran	R₃₄ Ran	R₃₃ Ran	R₃₂ Ran	R₃₁	R₃₀	R₂₉	R₂₈	R₂₇	R₂₆
R₁₆	R₁₇	R₁₈	R₁₉	R₂₀	R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅
R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉	R₈	R₇	R₆
					R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅

Result of the general elections

P₃ Re-elected	P₄ Hold	P₅ Gain from R	D₃₂ Gain from R	D₃₁ Hold	D₃₀ Hold	D₂₉ Hold	D₂₈ Hold	D₂₇ Re-elected	D₂₆ Re-elected
					D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅
D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉	D₈	D₇	D₆
D₁₆	D₁₇	D₁₈	D₁₉	D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅
P₂	P₁	S₂ Re-elected	S₁	SR₂ Re-elected was R	SR₁ Gain from R	R₄₆ Gain from D	R₄₅ Gain from D	R₄₄ Gain from D	V₁ D Loss
Majority →									V₂
R₃₆ Re-elected	R₃₇ Re-elected	R₃₈ Re-elected	R₃₉ Hold	R₄₀ Gain from D	R₄₁ Gain from D	R₄₂ Gain from D	R₄₃ Gain from D		V₃ R Loss
R₃₅ Re-elected	R₃₄ Re-elected	R₃₃ Re-elected	R₃₂ Re-elected	R₃₁	R₃₀	R₂₉	R₂₈	R₂₇	R₂₆
R₁₆	R₁₇	R₁₈	R₁₉	R₂₀	R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅
R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉	R₈	R₇	R₆
					R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅

Beginning of the next Congress

					D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅
D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉	D₈	D₇	D₆
D₁₆	D₁₇	D₁₈	D₁₉	D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅
P₄	P₅	D₃₃ Gain	D₃₂	D₃₁	D₃₀	D₂₉	D₂₈	D₂₇	D₂₆
P₃	P₂	P₁	S₂	S₁	SR₁	SR₂	SR₃ Changed	SR₄ Changed	V₁
Plurality ↓								SR₄ Changed	V₁
Plurality ↓								SR₅ Changed	V₂
R₃₆	R₃₇	R₃₈	R₃₉	R₄₀	R₄₁	R₄₂	R₄₃	SR₅ Changed	V₂
R₃₅	R₃₄	R₃₃	R₃₂	R₃₁	R₃₀	R₂₉	R₂₈	R₂₇	R₂₆
R₁₆	R₁₇	R₁₈	R₁₉	R₂₀	R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅
R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉	R₈	R₇	R₆
					R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅

Key:

D_#	Democratic
P_#	Populist
R_#	Republican
S_#	Silver
SR_#	Silver Republican
V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Elections during the 54th Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1896 or in 1897 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Utah (Class 1)	New state			Utah became a state January 4, 1896. New senator elected January 22, 1896. Republican gain.	√ Frank J. Cannon (Republican) [data missing]
Utah (Class 3)	New state			Utah became a state January 4, 1896. New senator elected January 22, 1896. Republican gain. Winner did not run for the next term, see below.	√ Arthur Brown (Republican) [data missing]
Delaware (Class 2)	New state			Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected January 19, 1897. Democratic gain.	√ Richard R. Kenney (Democratic) [data missing]

Elections leading to the 55th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1897; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	James L. Pugh	Democratic	1880 (Special) 1884 1890	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1897. Democratic hold.	√ Edmund Pettus (Democratic) [data missing]
Arkansas	James K. Jones	Democratic	1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.^[1]	√ James K. Jones (Democratic) 114 votes J. R. Sovereign (Populist) 9 votes Powell Clayton (Republican) 10 votes^[1]
California	George Perkins	Republican	1895 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected January 13, 1897.^[2]	√ George Perkins (Republican) [data missing]
Colorado	Henry M. Teller	Republican	1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected as a Silver Republican January 20, 1897.^[3] Silver Republican gain.	√ Henry M. Teller (Silver Republican) 92 votes Judge George W. Allen (Populist) 6 votes.^[3]
Connecticut	Orville H. Platt	Republican	1879 1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.^[4]	√ Orville H. Platt (Republican) Unopposed
Florida	Wilkinson Call	Democratic	1879 1885 1891	Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. A new senator would later be elected, see below.	None.
Georgia	John B. Gordon	Democratic	1873 1879 1880 (Resigned) Unknown	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1896. Democratic hold.	√ Alexander S. Clay (Democratic) [data missing]
Idaho	Fred Dubois	Republican	1890	Incumbent lost re-election as a Silver Republican. Winner elected January 28, 1897. Populist gain.	√ Henry Heitfeld (Populist) Fred Dubois (Silver Republican) [data missing]
Illinois	John M. Palmer	Democratic	1890	Incumbent retired. Winner elected January 20, 1897.^[5] Republican gain.	√ William E. Mason (Republican) 125 votes Altgeld (Democratic) 77 votes^[5]
Indiana	Daniel W. Voorhees	Democratic	1877 (Appointed) 1879 (Special) 1885	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 20, 1897.^[6] Republican gain.	√ Charles W. Fairbanks (Republican) 85 votes Daniel W. Voorhees (Democratic) 58 votes Leroy Templeton (Populist) 6 votes^[6]
Iowa	William B. Allison	Republican	1872 1878 1884 1890	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1896.^[7]	√ William B. Allison (Republican) 79 votes Washington I. Babb (Democratic) 25 votes Frank Q. Stuart 1 vote^[7]
Kansas	William A. Peffer	Populist	1891	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected January 27, 1897.^[8] Populist hold.	√ William A. Harris (Populist) William A. Peffer (Populist) [data missing]
Kentucky	Joseph Blackburn	Democratic	1884 1890	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1897. Republican gain.	√ William J. Deboe (Republican) Joseph Blackburn (Democratic) [data missing]
Louisiana	Newton C. Blanchard	Democratic	1894 (Appointed) 1894 (Special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected May 28, 1896.^[9] Democratic hold.	√ Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) 3-vote majority Denegree (Citizen's League)^[9]
Maryland	Charles Hopper Gibson	Democratic	1891 (Appointed) 1892 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected January 22, 1896.^[10] Republican gain.	√ George L. Wellington (Republican) 63 votes Phillips Lee Goldsborough (Republican) 1 vote John Water Smith (Democratic) 24 votes John R. Pattison (Democratic) 7 votes James E. Elegood 1 vote^[10]
Missouri	George G. Vest	Democratic	1879 1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.^[11]	√ George G. Vest (Democratic) [data missing]
Nevada	John P. Jones	Silver	1873 1879 1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 26, 1897.^[12]	√ John P. Jones (Silver) 40 McMillan (Republican) 4 Fitzgerald 1^[12]
New Hampshire	Jacob Gallinger	Republican	1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.^[13]	√ Jacob Gallinger (New Hampshire) Unopposed
New York	David B. Hill	Democratic	1891	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected January 20, 1897. Republican gain.	√ Thomas C. Platt (Republican) 147 votes David B. Hill (Democratic) 42 votes Henry George (Independent Democratic) 4 votes
North Carolina	Jeter Pritchard	Republican	1894 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.^[14]	√ Jeter Pritchard (Republican) 88 votes Thompson (Populist) 43 votes Doughton (Democratic) 33 votes^[14]
North Dakota	Henry C. Hansbrough	Republican	1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.^[15]	√ Henry C. Hansbrough (Republican) [data missing]
Ohio	Calvin S. Brice	Democratic	1890	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected January 14, 1896.^[16] Republican gain.	√ Joseph B. Foraker (Republican) [data missing]
Oregon	John H. Mitchell	Republican	1885 (Late) 1890	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Republican loss. A new senator would later be elected, see below.	John H. Mitchell (Republican)
Pennsylvania	J. Donald Cameron	Republican	1877 (Special) 18789 1885 1891	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 19, 1897. Republican hold.	√ Boies Penrose (Republican) 83.00% Chauncey F. Black (Democratic) 15.42% John Wanamaker (Republican) 0.40%
South Carolina	John L. M. Irby	Democratic	1884	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 26, 1897.^[17] Democratic hold.	√ Joseph Earle (Democratic) Unopposed^[17]
South Dakota	James H. Kyle	Populist	1891	Incumbent re-elected February 18, 1897.^[18]	√ James H. Kyle (Populist) [data missing]
Utah	Arthur Brown	Republican	1896 (New state)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected February 3, 1897.^[19] Democratic gain.	√ Joseph Lafayette Rawlins (Democratic) 32 votes Moses Thatcher 29 votes Henderson 1 votes Brown 1 vote
Vermont	Justin S. Morrill	Republican	1866 1872 1878 1884 1890	Incumbent re-elected in 1896.	√ Justin S. Morrill (Republican) [data missing]
Washington	Watson C. Squire	Republican	1889 1891	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 29, 1897.^[20] Silver Republican gain.	√ George Turner (Silver Republican) 67 votes^[20] [data missing]
Wisconsin	William F. Vilas	Democratic	1890	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 26, 1897.^[17] Republican gain.	√ John C. Spooner (Republican) Edward S. Bragg (Gold Democratic) W.C. Silverthorn (Silver Democratic)^[17]

Elections during the 55th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1897 after March 4; ordered by date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Ohio (Class 1)	John Sherman	Republican	1861 (Special) 1866 1872 1877 (Resigned) 1881 1886 1892	Incumbent resigned March 4, 1897. New senator elected March 5, 1897. Republican hold.	√ Mark Hanna (Republican) [data missing]
Florida (Class 3)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect, see above. New senator elected May 14, 1897.^[21] Democratic gain.	√ Stephen Mallory II (Democratic) 53 votes Chipley 44 votes Call 1 vote^[21]
Oregon (Class 3)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect, see above. New senator elected May 15, 1897. Republican gain.	√ Joseph Simon (Republican) [data missing]

Complete list of races

New York

The election in New York was held on January 19, 1897 by the New York State Legislature. Democrat David B. Hill had been elected to this seat in 1891, and his term would expire on March 3, 1897. At the State election in November 1895, 36 Republicans and 14 Democrats were elected for a three-year term (1896-1898) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1896, 114 Republicans and 36 Democrats were elected for the session of 1897 to the Assembly. The 120th New York State Legislature met from January 6 to April 24, 1897, at Albany, New York.

The Republican caucus met on January 14. 149 State legislators attended, and State Senator Cornelius R. Parsons (43rd D.), Ex-Mayor of Rochester, presided. The caucus nominated the Republican boss Thomas C. Platt, who had been briefly a U.S. Senator in 1881, on the first ballot.

**1897 Republican caucus for United States Senator result**
Candidate	First ballot
√ Thomas C. Platt	142
Joseph H. Choate	7

The Democratic caucus met on January 18. 46 State legislators attended, but 5 walked out before the roll was called, after making speeches against Hill. The incumbent U.S. Senator David B. Hill was re-nominated.

**1897 Democratic caucus for United States Senator result**
Candidate	First ballot
√ David B. Hill	36
Wilbur F. Porter^[22]	3
Robert C. Titus	2

Thomas C. Platt was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected. Four anti-Hill Democrats voted for Labor leader Henry George who later the same year ran for Mayor of New York as a "Jefferson Democrat" but died a few days before the election.

**1897 United States Senator election result**
House	Republican		Democrat
State Senate (50 members)	√ Thomas C. Platt	35	David B. Hill	11	Henry George	2
State Assembly (150 members)	Thomas C. Platt	112	David B. Hill	31	Henry George	2

Note: The votes were cast on January 19, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 20 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Pennsylvania

The election in Pennsylvania was held January 19, 1897. Boies Penrose was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.^[23] Incumbent Republican J. Donald Cameron, who was elected in an 1877 special election and subsequently re-elected in 1879, 1885, and 1891, was not a candidate for re-election. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 19, 1897, to elect a new Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1897. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Boies Penrose	210	83.00
	Democratic	Chauncey F. Black	39	15.42
	Republican	John Wanamaker	1	0.40
	N/A	Not voting	3	1.19
Totals			253	100.00%

South Carolina

The election in South Carolina was a unanimous election of the Democratic nominee on January 26, 1897. The Democratic primary election was held on August 26, 1896 and September 9. The Democratic Party of South Carolina organized primary elections for the U.S. Senate beginning in 1896 and the General Assembly would confirm the choice of the Democratic voters. Conservative Democratic Joseph H. Earle won the Democratic primary and was elected by the General Assembly for a six-year term.

In 1896, Governor of South Carolina John Gary Evans entered the first ever election in the state of South Carolina for the U.S. Senate. He had the backing of Senator Ben Tillman and much of the farming interests in the state. However, the farmers' movement had largely run its course and the Tillmanite reform movement had angered a considerable number of voters in the state. Conservative Joseph H. Earle and Newberry native John T. Duncan announced their candidacy's in opposition to Governor Evans. In the primary on August 26 Evans emerged as the frontrunner, but did not garner over 50% of the vote and was forced to face Earle in a runoff election. Those who had voted for Duncan threw their support to Earle and it provided him with the margin he needed for victory over Evans.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Primary Election, 1896
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	John Gary Evans	38,802	49.6
Democratic	Joseph H. Earle	31,092	39.8
Democratic	John T. Duncan	8,327	10.6

South Carolina U.S. Senate Primary Election Runoff, 1896
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph H. Earle	42,915	52.0	+12.2
	Democratic	John Gary Evans	39,576	48.0	−1.6

Notes

^ ^a ^b "Jones in Arkansas". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ "Perkins Re-elected in California". The New York Times. January 13, 1897. p. 12.
^ ^a ^b "Teller in Colorado". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ "Platt in Connecticut". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b "Mason in Illinois". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b "Fairbanks in Indiana". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b Clark, p. 238.
^ "Peffer's Successor Chosen". The New York Times. January 28, 1897. p. 1.
^ ^a ^b "M'ENERY ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. May 29, 1896. p. 5.
^ ^a ^b "WELLINGTON IS ELECTED". The New York Times. January 23, 1896. p. 5.
^ "Vest in Missouri". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b "Jones of Nevada Re-elected". The New York Times. January 27, 1897. p. 3.
^ "Gallinger in New Hampshire". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b "PRITCHARD IN NORTH CAROLINA". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ "Hansbrough in North Dakota". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ "Foraker will succeed Brice: Ohio's Republican Legislators Vote Solidly for the Ex-Governor" (PDF). The New York Times. January 14, 1896.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "TWO SENATORS ELECTED". The New York Times. January 27, 1897. p. 3.
^ "SENATOR KYLE RE-ELECTED". The New York Times. February 19, 1897. p. 3.
^ "Joseph L. Rawlins". Sacramento Daily Union. February 4, 1897.
^ ^a ^b "TURNER ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. January 30, 1897. p. 1.
^ ^a ^b "MALLORY ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. May 15, 1897. p. 12.
^ Wilbur F. Porter (b. ca. 1841), lawyer, five times Mayor of Watertown, ran for Governor in 1896
^ ^a ^b "U.S. Senate Election - 19 January 1897" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.

References

Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa City, Iowa.
Cox, Harold (January 31, 2007). "Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006". The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.

Jordan, Frank E. The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876-1962. p. 54.
"Evans Makes a Denial". New York Times. June 23, 1896. p. 5.
"Hope for South Carolina". New York Times. September 23, 1896. p. 9.
Members of the 55th United States Congress
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CAUCUS, The New York Times, January 15, 1897
MR. HILL IS RENOMINATED, The New York Times, January 19, 1897
MANY SENATORS SELECTED; Platt Gets a Big Majority in Each House of New York's Legislature, The New York Times, January 20, 1897

[NYTAR-1] "Jones in Arkansas". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[2] "Perkins Re-elected in California". The New York Times. January 13, 1897. p. 12.

[NYTCO-3] "Teller in Colorado". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[NYTCT-4] "Platt in Connecticut". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[NYTIL-5] "Mason in Illinois". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[NYTIN-6] "Fairbanks in Indiana". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[FOOTNOTEClark238-7] Clark, p. 238.

[NYTKS-8] "Peffer's Successor Chosen". The New York Times. January 28, 1897. p. 1.

[NYTLA-9] "M'ENERY ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. May 29, 1896. p. 5.

[NYTMD-10] "WELLINGTON IS ELECTED". The New York Times. January 23, 1896. p. 5.

[NYTMO-11] "Vest in Missouri". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[NYTNV-12] "Jones of Nevada Re-elected". The New York Times. January 27, 1897. p. 3.

[NYTNH-13] "Gallinger in New Hampshire". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[NYTNC-14] "PRITCHARD IN NORTH CAROLINA". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[NYTND-15] "Hansbrough in North Dakota". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.

[16] "Foraker will succeed Brice: Ohio's Republican Legislators Vote Solidly for the Ex-Governor" (PDF). The New York Times. January 14, 1896.

[NYTSCWI-17] "TWO SENATORS ELECTED". The New York Times. January 27, 1897. p. 3.

[NYTSD1897-18] "SENATOR KYLE RE-ELECTED". The New York Times. February 19, 1897. p. 3.

[19] "Joseph L. Rawlins". Sacramento Daily Union. February 4, 1897.

[NYTWA-20] "TURNER ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. January 30, 1897. p. 1.

[NYTFL-21] "MALLORY ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. May 15, 1897. p. 12.

[22] Wilbur F. Porter (b. ca. 1841), lawyer, five times Mayor of Watertown, ran for Governor in 1896

[results-23] "U.S. Senate Election - 19 January 1897" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.

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