The 1794–95 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1794 and 1795, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 3.
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10 of the 30 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 16 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Federalist hold Federalist gain Democratic-Republican hold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first election cycle with organized political parties in the United States, with the Federalist Party emerging from the Pro Administration coalition, and the Democratic-Republican Party emerging from the Anti-Administration coalition.
Results summary
editSenate party division, 4th Congress (1795–1797)
- Majority party: Federalist (20)
- Minority party: Democratic-Republican (10)
- Other parties: 0
- Total seats: 30
Change in composition
editBefore the elections
editNote: There were no political parties in the 3rd Congress. Members are informally grouped here into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.[2]
After the March 31, 1794 special election in Pennsylvania.
| A5 | A4 | A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||
| A6 | A7 | A8 | A9 Ga. Ran |
A10 Ky. Unknown |
A11 N.H. Ran |
A12 N.C. Unknown |
A13 Vt. Ran |
V1 Del. |
P16 S.C. Retired |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | P12 Conn. Retired |
P13 Md. Ran |
P14 N.Y. Ran |
P15 Pa. Retired |
| P5 | P4 | P3 | P2 | P1 | |||||
Results of the elections
edit| A5 | A4 | A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||
| A6 | A7 | A8 | DR1 N.H. Gain from A |
DR2 N.C. Gain from A |
V1 Del. |
F8 Vt. Gain from A |
F7 S.C. Gain from P |
F6 Pa. Gain from P |
F5 N.Y. Gain from P |
| F4 Md. Gain from P | |||||||||
| P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | F1 Conn. Gain from P |
F2 Ga. Gain from A |
F3 Ky. Gain from A | |
| P5 | P4 | P3 | P2 | P1 | |||||
Beginning of the next Congress
editSeven senators who were considered "Anti-Administration" became Democratic-Republicans and eleven "Pro-Administration" became Federalists.
| DR5 Changed |
DR4 Changed |
DR3 Changed |
DR2 Changed |
DR1 Changed | |||||
| DR6 Changed |
DR7 Changed |
DR8 Changed |
DR9 | DR10 | F20 Del. Gain |
F19 | F18 | F17 | F16 |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| F6 Changed |
F7 Changed |
F8 Changed |
F9 Changed |
F10 Changed |
F11 Changed |
F12 | F13 | F14 | F15 |
| F5 Changed |
F4 Changed |
F3 Changed |
F2 Changed |
F1 Changed | |||||
| Key: |
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Race summaries
editExcept if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
Special elections during the 3rd Congress
editIn these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1795; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| Pennsylvania (Class 1) |
Albert Gallatin | Anti-Administration | 1793 (special) | Incumbent disqualified February 28, 1794. New senator elected March 31, 1794. Pro-Administration gain. Winner became a Federalist in the next Congress. |
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| Virginia (Class 1) |
James Monroe | Anti-Administration | 1790 (special) | Incumbent resigned May 11, 1794 to become U.S. Minister to France. New senator elected November 18, 1794. Anti-Administration hold. Winner became a Democratic-Republican in the next Congress. |
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| Virginia (Class 2) |
John Taylor | Anti-Administration | 1792 (special) | Incumbent resigned May 11, 1794. New senator elected November 18, 1794. Anti-Administration hold. Winner became a Democratic-Republican in the next Congress. |
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| Delaware (Class 1) |
Vacant | George Read (P) resigned September 18, 1793 to become Chief Justice of Delaware. New senator elected February 7, 1795. Pro-Administration gain. Winner became a Federalist in the next Congress. |
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Races leading to the 4th Congress
editIn these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1795; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| Connecticut | Stephen Mitchell | Pro-Administration | 1793 (appointed) | Incumbent appointee retired. New senator's election date unknown. Federalist gain. |
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| Georgia | James Gunn | Anti-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent re-elected November 13, 1794 as a Federalist. Federalist gain. |
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| Kentucky | John Edwards | Anti-Administration | 1792 (new state) | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1794 on the second ballot. Federalist gain. |
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| Maryland | John Henry | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent re-elected in 1795 as a Federalist. Federalist gain. |
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| New Hampshire | John Langdon | Anti-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent re-elected on an unknown date as a Democratic-Republican. Democratic-Republican gain. |
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| New York | Rufus King | Pro-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent re-elected January 27, 1795 to a new party. Federalist gain. |
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| North Carolina | Benjamin Hawkins | Anti-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1795 on the fifth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. |
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| Pennsylvania | Robert Morris | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected February 26, 1795. Federalist gain. |
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| South Carolina | Ralph Izard | Pro-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1794 on the second ballot. Federalist gain. |
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| Vermont | Stephen R. Bradley | Anti-Administration | 1791 (new state) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1794. Federalist gain. |
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Elections during the 4th Congress
editThere were no elections in 1795 after March 4.
Connecticut
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
Delaware (special)
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The Delaware special election was held February 7, 1795. Incumbent Senator George Read had resigned to take the position of Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. Henry Latimer defeated the former Governor of Delaware, Governor of Pennsylvania and Continental Congressmen from Delaware and Pennsylvania by one vote.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federalist | Henry Latimer | 15 | 51.72% | |
| Democratic-Republican | John Dickinson | 14 | 48.28% | |
| Total votes | 29 | 100% | ||
Georgia
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
Kentucky
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
Maryland
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022) |
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80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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John Henry won election over James Lloyd by an unknown number of votes for the Class 3 seat.[11]
New Hampshire
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
New York
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
North Carolina
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
Pennsylvania
editPennsylvania (special)
edit_by_Charles_P._Filson_(cropped).JPG)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-Administration | James Ross | 45 | 51.72% | |
| Unknown | Robert Coleman | 35 | 40.23% | |
| Federalist | Samuel Sitgreaves | 1 | 1.15% | |
| N/A | Not voting | 6 | 6.70% | |
| Total votes | 87 | 100% | ||
Pennsylvania (regular)
edit
Incumbent Federalist Robert Morris, who was elected in 1788, was not a candidate for re-election to another term. The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on February 26, 1795, to elect a senator for the term beginning March 4, 1795.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-Administration | William Bingham | 58 | 56.86% | |
| Anti-Administration | Peter Muhlenberg | 35 | 34.31% | |
| N/A | Not voting | 9 | 8.82% | |
| Total votes | 102 | 100% | ||
South Carolina
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
Vermont
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
Virginia
editEven though neither of Virginia's incumbent's terms were up, both resigned in 1794, leading to two special elections.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019) |
Future-president James Monroe resigned March 27, 1794 to become U.S. Minister to France.
Stevens Thomson Mason was elected November 18, 1794 and would become a Democratic-Republican in the next Congress.
Virginia (special, class 2)
edit.jpg)
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2020) |
Incumbent John Taylor of Caroline resigned May 11, 1794.
Henry Tazewell was elected November 18, 1794 and would become a Democratic-Republican in the next Congress.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
- ^ Martis, Kenneth C. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress.
- ^ "Delaware 1795 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018., citing South-Carolina State Gazette, and Timothy and Mason's Daily Advertiser (Charleston, SC). March 16, 1795.
- ^ "Georgia 1794 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2018., citing Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 13, 1794.
- ^ "Kentucky 1794 U.S. Senate, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 4, 2018., citing Election of United States Senators by the General Assembly (typed manuscript). Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort.
- ^ "New York 1795 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Journal of the New York Assembly, 1795. 32–33. Journal of the New York State Senate, 1795. 15.
- ^ "North Carolina 1795 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Legislative Papers. State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh.
- ^ "Pennsylvania 1795 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Gazette of the United States (Philadelphia, PA). February 26, 1795.
- ^ "South Carolina 1794 U.S. Senate, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Rogers, George C. Evolution of a Federalist: William Loughton Smith of Charleston (1758-1812). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1962. 268.
- ^ "1795 United States Senate election in Delaware".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Dec 16, 1794". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ "PA US Senate - Special Election 1794". OurCampaigns. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Senate Election - 26 February 1795" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
External links
edit- "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present" – via Senate.gov.