United States Senate elections, 1796 and 1797
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The United States Senate elections of 1796 and 1797 were elections for the United States Senate which, coinciding with John Adams's election as President, had the ruling Federalist Party gain one seat.
As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.
Results summary
Senate Party Division, 5th Congress (1797–1799)
- Majority Party: Federalist (21)
- Minority Party: Democratic-Republican (10)
- Vacant: 1 (later filled by Democratic-Republican)
- Total Seats: 32
Change in Senate composition
Before the elections
After the August 2, 1796 admission of Tennessee.
DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
DR7 | DR8 | DR9 | DR10 Ran |
DR11 Ran |
DR12 Unknown |
V1 | F19 Resigned |
F18 Resigned |
F17 Ran |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 Ran |
F13 Ran |
F14 Ran |
F15 Ran |
F16 Ran |
F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Results of the elections
DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
DR7 | DR8 | DR9 | DR10 Re-elected |
V2 DR Loss |
V1 | F20 Gain |
F19 Hold |
F18 Hold |
F17 Re-elected |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 Re-elected |
F13 Re-elected |
F14 Re-elected |
F15 Re-elected |
F16 Re-elected |
F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Beginning of the next Congress
DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
DR7 | DR8 | DR9 | DR10 Hold |
V2 | F21 Gain |
F20 Hold |
F19 Hold |
F18 | F17 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 | F13 | F14 | F15 | F16 |
F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Key: |
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Race summaries
Special elections during the 4th Congress
In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1797; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Georgia (Class 3) |
George Walton | Federalist | 1795 (Appointed) | Appointee retired when successor elected. Winner elected February 20, 1796. Democratic-Republican gain. |
√ Josiah Tattnall (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Connecticut (Class 1) |
Oliver Ellsworth | Federalist | 1788 1791 |
Incumbent resigned to become Chief Justice of the United States. Winner elected May 12, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ James Hillhouse (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Massachusetts (Class 1) |
George Cabot | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. Winner elected June 11, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ Benjamin Goodhue (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Massachusetts (Class 2) |
Caleb Strong | Federalist | 1789 1793 |
Incumbent resigned June 1, 1796. Winner elected June 11, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ Theodore Sedgwick (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Connecticut (Class 3) |
Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. | Federalist | 1794 or 1795 | Incumbent resigned June 10, 1796 to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. Winner elected October 13, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ Uriah Tracy (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Vermont (Class 1) |
Moses Robinson | Federalist | 1791 (New state) | Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. Winner elected October 18, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ Isaac Tichenor (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
New York (Class 3) |
Rufus King | Federalist | 1789 1795 |
Incumbent resigned May 23, 1796 to become U.S. Minister to Great Britain. Winner elected November 9, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ John Laurance (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Maryland (Class 1) |
Richard Potts | Federalist | 1793 (Special) | Incumbent resigned October 24, 1796. Winner elected November 30, 1796. Federalist hold. |
√ John Eager Howard (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
South Carolina (Class 2) |
Pierce Butler | Democratic- Republican |
1789 1793 |
Incumbent resigned October 25, 1796. Winner elected December 8, 1796. Democratic-Republican hold. |
√ John Hunter (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Races leading to the 5th Congress
In these general elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1797; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Connecticut | James Hillhouse | Federalist | 1796 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | √ James Hillhouse (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Delaware | Henry Latimer | Federalist | 1795 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1796. | √ Henry Latimer (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Maryland | John Eager Howard | Federalist | 1796 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected December 9, 1796. | √ John Eager Howard (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Massachusetts | George Cabot | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. Winner elected June 11, 1796. Federalist hold. Winner also elected to finish the current term, see above. |
√ Benjamin Goodhue (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
New Jersey | John Rutherfurd | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent re-elected in 1796. | √ John Rutherfurd (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
New York | Aaron Burr | Democratic- Republican |
1791 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected January 24, 1797. Federalist gain. |
√ Philip Schuyler (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Pennsylvania | James Ross | Federalist | 1794 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | √ James Ross (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Rhode Island | Theodore Foster | Federalist | 1790 1791 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | √ Theodore Foster (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Tennessee | William Cocke | Democratic- Republican |
1796 | Legislature failed to elect. Democratic-Republican loss. Incumbent later appointed to continue term.[1] |
None |
Vermont | Moses Robinson | Federalist | 1791 (New state) | Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. Winner elected October 18, 1796. Federalist hold. Winner also elected to finish the current term, see above. |
√ Isaac Tichenor (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Virginia | Stevens Mason | Democratic- Republican |
1794 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | √ Stevens Mason (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Special elections during the 5th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated after March 4, 1797, the beginning of the next Congress.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Tennessee (Class 2) |
William Blount | Democratic- Republican |
1796 | Incumbent expelled July 8, 1797.[2] Winner elected July 8, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold. |
√ Joseph Anderson (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Tennessee (Class 1) |
William Cocke | Democratic- Republican |
1796 1797 (Appointed) |
Appointee did not stand for election. Winner elected September 26, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold. |
√ Andrew Jackson (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Vermont (Class 1) |
Isaac Tichenor | Federalist | 1796 (Special) | Incumbent resigned October 17, 1797 to become Governor of Vermont. Winner elected October 17, 1797. Federalist hold. |
√ Nathaniel Chipman (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Rhode Island (Class 2) |
William Bradford | Federalist | 1793 | Incumbent resigned in October 1797. Winner elected November 13, 1797. Federalist hold. |
√ Ray Greene (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Maryland (Class 3) |
John Henry | Federalist | 1789 1795 |
Incumbent resigned July 10, 1797 to become Governor of Maryland. Winner elected December 8, 1797. Federalist hold. |
√ James Lloyd (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
See also
References
- Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
- ↑ United States Congress. "William Cocke (id: C000572)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ↑ United States Congress. "William Blount (id: B000570)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 4, 2013.