1876–77 United States Senate elections
Results of the elections: Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold Independent gain
The 1876–77 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with Rutherford B. Hayes 's narrow election as president. 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 1876 and 1877, 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 2 .
Although the Republican Party maintained their Senate majority, the Democratic Party gained five seats.
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 Ran
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 Ran
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
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
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 .[2] Senator elected January 12, 1876 .Democratic gain .
Connecticut (Class 3)
James E. English
Democratic
1875 (Appointed)
Interim appointee retired when successor elected. New senator elected May 17, 1876 . Democratic hold.
Colorado (Class 2)
New state
Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876 .Republican gain . New senator was also elected to the next term, see below.
Colorado (Class 3)
Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876 .Republican gain .
Tennessee (Class 1)
David M. Key
Democratic
1875 (Appointed)
Interim appointee lost special election. New senator elected January 19, 1877 on the 74th ballot. Democratic hold.
Maine (Class 2)
James G. Blaine
Republican
1876 (Appointed)
Interim appointee elected January 17, 1877 . New senator also elected to the next term, see below.
West Virginia (Class 1)
Samuel Price
Democratic
1876 (Appointed)
Interim appointee lost special election. New senator elected January 26, 1877 on the 5th ballot. Democratic hold.
Races leading to the 45th Congress
In these regular 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. New senator elected in 1876. Democratic hold.
Arkansas
Powell Clayton
Republican
1870
Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. New senator elected January 16, 1877.Democratic gain .
Colorado
Henry M. Teller
Republican
1876 (New state)
Incumbent re-elected in 1876 or 1877.
Delaware
Eli Saulsbury
Democratic
1870
Incumbent re-elected in 1876.
Georgia
Thomas M. Norwood
Democratic
1871 (Readmission)
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 26, 1877 on the fourth ballot. Democratic hold.
Illinois
John A. Logan
Republican
1870 or 1871
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 25, 1877 on the fortieth ballot.Independent gain .
Iowa
George G. Wright
Republican
1870
Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 19, 1876. Republican hold.
Kansas
James M. Harvey
Republican
1874 (special)
Incumbent lost re-election. New elected January 31, 1877 on the seventeenth ballot. Republican hold.
Kentucky
John W. Stevenson
Democratic
1871
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1876. Democratic hold.
Louisiana
Joseph R. West
Republican
1870 or 1871
Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 10, 1877.[3] Republican hold.
Maine
James G. Blaine
Republican
1876 (Appointed)
Interim appointee elected January 16, 1877.[3] New senator also elected to finish the term, see above.
Massachusetts
George S. Boutwell
Republican
1873 (special)
Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected in 1877. Republican hold.
Michigan
Thomas W. Ferry
Republican
1871
Incumbent re-elected in 1877.
Minnesota
William Windom
Republican
1870 (Appointed) 1871
Incumbent re-elected in 1877.
Mississippi
James L. Alcorn
Republican
1870
Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1876.Democratic gain .
Nebraska
Phineas Hitchcock
Republican
1870
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1877. Republican hold.
New Hampshire
Aaron H. Cragin
Republican
1864 1870
Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1876. Republican hold.
New Jersey
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Republican
1870 or 1871
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 24, 1877.Democratic gain .
North Carolina
Matt W. Ransom
Democratic
1872 (special)
Incumbent re-elected in 1876.
Oregon
James K. Kelly
Democratic
1870
Incumbent retired. New senator's election year unknown. Democratic hold.
Rhode Island
Henry B. Anthony
Republican
1858 1864 1870
Incumbent re-elected in 1876.
South Carolina
Thomas J. Robertson
Republican
1868 (Readmission) 1870
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1876.Democratic gain .
Tennessee
Henry Cooper
Democratic
1870 or 1871
Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 10, 1877.[3] Democratic hold.
Texas
Morgan C. Hamilton
Republican
1870 (Readmission) 1871
Incumbent retired. New senator elected May 5, 1876 on third ballot.Democratic gain .
Virginia
John W. Johnston
Democratic
1870 (Readmission) 1871
Incumbent re-elected in 1877.
West Virginia
Henry G. Davis
Democratic
1871
Incumbent re-elected January 26, 1877 on the fourth ballot.
Elections during the 45th Congress
In these elections, the winners were elected in 1877 after March 4.
Alabama
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(January 2021 )
Arkansas
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(January 2021 )
Colorado
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(January 2021 )
Colorado (initial, class 2)
Colorado (initial, class 3)
Colorado (regular)
Connecticut (special)
Delaware
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(January 2021 )
Georgia
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(January 2021 )
Illinois
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Iowa
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Kansas
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Kentucky
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Louisiana
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Louisiana (special)
Louisiana (regular)
Maine
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(January 2021 )
Maine (regular)
Maine (special)
Massachusetts
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Michigan
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Minnesota
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Mississippi
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Nebraska
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New Hampshire
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New Jersey
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North Carolina
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Ohio (special)
Oregon
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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.[6]
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.[7] The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
Rhode Island
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(January 2021 )
South Carolina
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(January 2021 )
Tennessee
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(January 2021 )
Tennessee (regular)
Tennessee (special)
Texas
1876 United States Senate election in Texas
Incumbent Republican Morgan C. Hamilton did not run for re-election. Since his initial election in 1870 , the Democratic Party had taken control of the Texas Legislature , ensuring that a Democrat would replace him. Incumbent governor Richard Coke defeated former Texas Supreme Court justice John Ireland on the third ballot. U.S. Representative John Hancock and former governor Fletcher Stockdale also ran, but they dropped out after the second round of balloting.[9]
Virginia
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(January 2021 )
West Virginia
West Virginia (special)
1877 United States Senate special election in West Virginia
First-term Democrat Allen T. Caperton died July 26, 1876, in his second year in office. Fellow-Democrat Samuel Price was appointed August 26, 1876 to continue the term, pending a special election in which he was a candidate. Price lost the election to Democratic congressman Frank Hereford January 26, 1877 on the fourth ballot.[3]
Hereford resigned from the House January 31, 1877, thereby qualifying for the Senate. He only finished the term and left office in 1881.
West Virginia (regular)
1877 United States Senate election in West Virginia
First-term Democrat Henry G. Davis was re-elected January 26, 1877 on the third ballot.
Davis would retire after this second term, in 1883.
See also
Notes
References
^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)" . National Archives and Records Administration . February 8, 2022.
^ Taft, George S. (1885). Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1885 - Pages 483 - 512 . U.S. Government Publishing Office .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q J. F. Cleveland, etc. (ed.). The Tribune almanac and political register. 1874-78 . The Tribune Association. pp. 31–33.
^ Journal of the House of Representatives of the Sixteenth General Assembly of the State of Iowa . 1876. pp. 36–37 – via Google books .
^ "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 .
^ Barr, Chester Alwyn Jr. (1971). Reconstruction to Reform . Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. pp. 27–31. ISBN 0-292-70135-7 . LCCN 73-165911 .
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