United States Senate elections, 1870 and 1871

United States Senate elections, 1870 and 1871

Dates vary by state (And other dates for special elections)

25 of the 74 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 37 seats needed for a majority   Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 57 seats 9 seats Seats before 63 11 Seats won 17 7 Seats after 58 14 Seat change 4 3 Seats up 21 4

Majority Party before election Republican Party Elected Majority Party Republican Party

In the United States Senate elections of 1870 and 1871, the Republican Party lost five seats in the United States Senate, though it still retained an overwhelming majority. In advance of these elections, the last four seceded states were readmitted to the Senate.

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

Reconstruction

That election marked the first time that, with Mississippian Hiram Rhodes Revels, an African American was elected as a US senator and became a member of Congress.^[1]

In Georgia, Foster Blodgett was elected and presented his credentials as Senator-elect, but the Senate declared him not elected.

In Virginia, Republican John F. Lewis and Democrat John W. Johnston were elected on January 26, 1870 to fill seats that had been vacant since 1864 and 1865.

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 42nd Congress (1871–1873)

• Majority Party: Republican (55)
• Minority Party: Democratic (14)
• Other Parties: Liberal Republican (1)
• Vacant: (4)
• Total Seats: 74

Change in Senate composition

By March 30, 1870

After the readmission of Virginia, Texas, and Mississippi, and the special elections in Iowa and Maine.

D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1	V1
D7	D8	D9	D10 Gain Readmitted	R62 Gain Readmitted	R61 Gain Readmitted	R60 Gain Special	R59 Gain Readmitted	R58 Gain Readmitted	R57 Gain Readmitted
R47	R48	R49	R50	R51	R52	R53	R54	R55	R56 Appointee elected
R46	R45	R44	R43	R42	R41	R40	R39	R38	R37
Majority →									R36
R27	R28	R29	R30	R31	R32	R33	R34	R35
R26	R25	R24	R23	R22	R21	R20	R19	R18	R17
R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16
R6	R5	R4	R3	R2	R1	V2

Before the elections

Including the February 1871 readmission of Georgia.

D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D8 Ran	D9 Ran	D10 Unknown	D11 Unknown	R63 Retired	R62 Retired	R61 Retired	R60 Retired	R59 Retired	R58 Unknown
R48 Ran	R49 Ran	R50 Ran	R51 Ran	R52 Ran	R53 Ran	R54 Ran	R55 Unknown	R56 Unknown	R57 Unknown
R47 Ran	R46 Ran	R45 Ran	R44 Ran	R43 Ran	R42	R41	R40	R39	R38
Majority →									R37
R28	R29	R30	R31	R32	R33	R34	R35	R36
R27	R26	R25	R24	R23	R22	R21	R20	R19	R18
R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16	R17
R7	R6	R5	R4	R3	R2	R1

Result of the elections

D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D8 Hold	D9 Hold	D10 Hold	D11 Gain	D12 Gain	D13 Gain	D14 Gain	V1 D Loss	V2 R Loss	R58 Hold
R48 Re-elected	R49 Hold	R50 Hold	R51 Hold	R52 Hold	R53 Hold	R54 Hold	R55 Hold	R56 Hold	R57 Hold
R47 Re-elected	R46 Re-elected	R45 Re-elected	R44 Re-elected	R43 Re-elected	R42	R41	R40	R39	R38
Majority →									R37
R28	R29	R30	R31	R32	R33	R34	R35	R36
R27	R26	R25	R24	R23	R22	R21	R20	R19	R18
R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16	R17
R7	R6	R5	R4	R3	R2	R1

Beginning of the next Congress

D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D8	D9	D10	D11	D12	D13	D14 Gain	V1 D Loss	V2	V3
R48	R49	R50	R51	R52	R53	R54	R55	LR1 Change	V4 R Loss
R47	R46	R45	R44	R43	R42	R41	R40	R39	R38
Majority →									R37
R28	R29	R30	R31	R32	R33	R34	R35	R36
R27	R26	R25	R24	R23	R22	R21	R20	R19	R18
R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16	R17
R7	R6	R5	R4	R3	R2	R1

Key:	D# Democratic LR# Liberal Republican R# Republican V# Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 41st Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1870 or in 1871 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Iowa (Class 2)	James W. Grimes	Republican	1858 1864	Incumbent resigned December 6, 1869 due to ill health. State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected January 18, 1870.[2] Winner did not seek election to the next term.	√ James B. Howell (Republican) John T. Stoneman
Maine (Class 2)	Lot M. Morrill	Republican	1861 (Special) 1863 1869 (Lost) 1869 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 19, 1870 to finish the term. Winner was also elected to the next term, see below.	√ Lot M. Morrill (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia (Class 1)	Vacant since January 2, 1864 when Joseph Segar (U) was not seated.[3]			State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected January 26, 1870. Republican gain.	√ John F. Lewis (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia (Class 2)	Vacant since March 4, 1865 when John Curtiss Underwood (U) was not seated.[4]			State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected January 26, 1870. Democratic gain. Winner was also elected late to the next term, see below.	√ John W. Johnston (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Texas (Class 2)	Vacant since July 11, 1861 when John Hemphill (D) was expelled.			State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 22, 1870.[5] Allowed to take office when state readmitted on March 30, 1870. Republican gain. Winner was also elected to the next term, see below.	√ Morgan C. Hamilton (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Mississippi (Class 1)	Vacant since January 21, 1861 when Jefferson Davis (D) resigned			State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 23, 1870. Republican gain.	√ Adelbert Ames (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Mississippi (Class 2)	Vacant since January 12, 1861 when Albert G. Brown (D) withdrew.			State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 23, 1870. Republican gain. Unknown if winner ran for the next term or retired, see below.	√ Hiram Rhodes Revels (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Texas (Class 1)	Vacant since March 23, 1861 when Louis Wigfall (D) withdrew.			State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected March 30, 1870. Republican gain.	√ James W. Flanagan (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Missouri (Class 3)	Daniel T. Jewett	Republican	1870 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 20, 1871 to finish the term. Democratic gain.	√ Francis Preston Blair, Jr. (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Minnesota (Class 2)	William Windom	Republican	1865	Interim appointee was not elected to finish the term. Winner elected January 22, 1871 to finish the term. Republican hold. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below. Instead, interim appointee was elected to the next term, see below.	√ Ozora P. Stearns (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Georgia (Class 3)	Vacant since January 28, 1861 when Alfred Iverson, Sr. (D) withdrew.			State readmitted to the Union. Winner had been elected in 1867, but not seated until readmission. Winner finally seated February 1, 1871. Republican gain.	√ Joshua Hill (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Georgia (Class 2)	Vacant since February 4, 1861 when Robert Toombs (D) withdrew.			State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 24, 1871. Democratic gain. Unknown if winner ran for the next term or retired, see below.	√ Homer V.M. Miller (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Races leading to the 42nd Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1871; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Willard Warner	Republican	1868 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1870. Democratic gain.	√ George Goldthwaite (Democratic) Willard Warner (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Arkansas	Alexander McDonald	Republican	1868 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1870. Republican hold.	√ Powell Clayton (Republican) Alexander McDonald (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Delaware	Willard Saulsbury, Sr.	Democratic	1858 1864	Incumbent lost re-election to his holder brother. Winner elected in 1870. Democratic hold.	√ Eli M. Saulsbury (Democratic) Willard Saulsbury, Sr. (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Georgia	Homer V. M. Miller	Democratic	1871 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1876 or 1877. Democratic hold. Senate later refused to seat Senator-elect Foster Blodgett.	√ Foster Blodgett [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Illinois	Richard Yates	Republican	1864 or 1865	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1870 or 1871. Republican hold.	√ John A. Logan (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Iowa	James B. Howell	Republican	1870 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected January 18, 1870.[2] Republican hold.	√ George G. Wright (Republican) Thomas W. Claggett (Democratic)
Kansas	Edmund G. Ross	Republican	1866 (Appointed) 1867 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1871. Republican hold.	√ Alexander Caldwell (Republican) Edmund G. Ross (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Kentucky	Thomas C. McCreery	Democratic	1868 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1871. Democratic hold.	√ John W. Stevenson (Democratic) Thomas C. McCreery (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Louisiana	John S. Harris	Republican	1868 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1870 or 1871. Republican hold.	√ Joseph R. West (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Maine	Lot M. Morrill	Republican	1861 (Special) 1863 1869 (Lost) 1869 (Appointed) 1870 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1870 or 1871.	√ Lot M. Morrill (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Massachusetts	Henry Wilson	Republican	1855 (Special) 1859 1865	Incumbent re-elected in 1871.	√ Henry Wilson (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Michigan	Jacob M. Howard	Republican	1862 (Special) 1865	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected January 18, 1871. Republican hold.	√ Thomas W. Ferry (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Minnesota	Ozora P. Stearns	Republican	1871 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in January 1871. Republican hold.	√ William Windom (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Mississippi	Hiram Rhodes Revels	Republican	1870 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected January 18, 1870. Republican hold.	√ James L. Alcorn (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Nebraska	John M. Thayer	Republican	1867	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1870. Republican hold.	√ Phineas Hitchcock (Republican) John M. Thayer (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Hampshire	Aaron H. Cragin	Republican	1864	Incumbent re-elected in 1870.	√ Aaron H. Cragin (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Jersey	Alexander G. Cattell	Republican	1866 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1870 or 1871. Republican hold.	√ Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina	Joseph Abbott	Republican	1868 (Special)	Incumbent lost renomination. Legislature failed to elect. Republican loss. Seat remained vacant until January 30, 1872.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Oregon	George H. Williams	Republican	1864	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1870. Democratic gain.	√ James K. Kelly (Democratic) George H. Williams (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Rhode Island	Henry B. Anthony	Republican	1858 1864	Incumbent re-elected in 1870.	√ Henry B. Anthony (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
South Carolina	Thomas J. Robertson	Republican	1868 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1870.	√ Thomas J. Robertson (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Tennessee	Joseph S. Fowler	Republican	1866 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1870 or 1871. Democratic gain.	√ Henry Cooper (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Texas	Morgan C. Hamilton	Republican	1870 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1870.	√ Morgan C. Hamilton (Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia	John W. Johnston	Democratic	1870 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat remained vacant until March 15, 1871.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
West Virginia	Waitman T. Willey	Republican	1863 1865	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Winner elected in 1871. Democratic gain.	√ Henry G. Davis (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Elections during the 42nd Congress

In this election, the winner was elected in 1871 after March 4.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Virginia (Class 2)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. Previous incumbent re-elected March 15, 1871. Democratic gain.	√ John W. Johnston (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Georgia (Class 2)	Vacant			Foster Blodgett had presented credentials as Senator-elect, but the Senate declared him not elected. Winner elected November 14, 1871. Democratic gain.	√ Thomas M. Norwood (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

See also

• United States elections, 1870
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1870 and 1871
• 41st United States Congress
• 42nd United States Congress

References

1. "Facts & Milestones". United States Senate.
2. Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa. pp. 150–151.
3. Segar was not seated on the premise that the Union-friendly legislature was illegitimate despite having seated his predecessor based credentials from the same legislature. In reality, the Senate refused because it did not want to set a precedent for easing reentry of Confederate states. See "Musical Chairs (1861–1869)". United States Senate. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
4. "Musical Chairs (1861–1869)". United States Senate. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
5. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000115

External links

• "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate.
• Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy, ed. "The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992". United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Taft, George S. (1885). "Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1885". United States Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.