1838_and_1839_United_States_Senate_elections

1838–39 United States Senate elections

1838–39 United States Senate elections

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The 1838–39 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 1838 and 1839, 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 1.

Quick Facts 17 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 27 seats needed for a majority, Majority party ...

The Democratic Party lost seven seats, but still retained a majority.

Results summary

Senate party division, 26th Congress (1839–1841)

  • Majority party: Democratic (28–29)
  • Minority party: Whig (19–23)
  • Total seats: 52

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the January 4, 1838 special election in Maryland.

D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6
D16 D15 D14 D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D8 D7
D17 D18 D19 D20 D21 D22 D23 D24 D25 D26
Maine
Ran
Majority → D27
N.Y.
Ran in different party
W17
Vt.
Retired
D35
Conn.
Retired
D34
Ind.
Retired
D33
Ohio
Retired
D32
Va.
Retired
D31
Pa.
Unknown
D30
Miss.
Unknown
D29
Mich.
Unknown
D28
Mo.
Ran
W16
R.I.
Unknown
W15
Tenn. (reg)
Ran
W14
N.J.
Ran
W13
Mass.
Ran
W12
Md.
Ran
W11
Del.
Ran
W10 W9 W8 W7
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

Result of the elections

D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6
D16 D15 D14 D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D8 D7
D17 D18 D19 D20 D21 D22 D23 D24 D25 D26
Maine
Re-elected
Majority → D27
Mo.
Re-elected
W17
Vt.
Hold
W18
Conn.
Gain
W19
Ind.
Gain
W20
Miss.
Gain
V4
Va.
D Loss
V3
Pa.
D Loss
V2
N.Y.
D Loss
V1
Mich.
D Loss
D28
Ohio
Hold
W16
R.I.
Hold
W15
Tenn. (reg)
Re-elected
W14
N.J.
Re-elected
W13
Mass.
Re-elected
W12
Md.
Re-elected
W11
Del.
Re-elected
W10 W9 W8 W7
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

Beginning of the next term

D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6
D16 D15 D14 D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D8 D7
D17 D18 D19 D20 D21 D22 D23 D24 D25 D26
Majority → D27
W17 W18 W19 V5
Tenn. (reg)
W Declined
V4 V3 V2 V1 D28
W16 W15 W14 W13 W12 W11 W10 W9 W8 W7
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6
More information Key: ...

Race summaries

Special elections during the 25th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1838 or before March 4, 1839; ordered by election date.

More information State, Incumbent ...

Races leading to the 26th Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1839; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

More information State, Incumbent ...

Special election during the 26th Congress

In this special election, the winner was seated in 1839 after March 4.

More information State, Incumbent ...

Connecticut

Delaware

Indiana

Maine

Maryland

Maryland (special)

Quick Facts 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly, Candidate ...

William Duhurst Merrick won election over to fill the seat vacated by Joseph Kent by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 1 seat.[3]

Maryland (regular)

Quick Facts 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly, Candidate ...

William Duhurst Merrick won election to a full term by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 1 seat.[4]

Massachusetts

Michigan

Mississippi

Mississippi (regular)

Mississippi (special)

Missouri

New Jersey

New York

The New York election was held February 5, 1839 by the New York State Legislature. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge had been elected as a Jacksonian Democratic in 1833 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1839.

On February 4, 1839, the State Legislature elected on joint ballot Spencer, Cooke, Hall and Haight to the offices they were nominated for, but on the next day they could not agree on a U.S. Senator.

The Assembly nominated Nathaniel P. Tallmadge "by the votes of all the Whig members." (see Hammond, page 512)

Although the Democratic State Senate majority did not object to be outvoted on joint ballot for the election of Whigs to State offices, they rejected the idea of electing a renegade Democratic to the U.S. Senate, and took refuge to the only means to defeat Tallmadge: They did not nominate anybody, following the precedents of 1819–1820 and 1825–1826, so that a joint ballot could not be held. On the first ballot, Tallmadge received 13 votes out of 31 cast, all Whigs.[lower-alpha 1] The Democratic vote was scattered among many men, nobody receiving more than 2. Four more ballots were held with a similar result.[lower-alpha 2] On the sixth ballot, all Whigs and two Democrats voted for Samuel Beardsley, who received 16 votes, one short of the necessary number for a nomination. The Democrats then abandoned further balloting, fearing that the Whigs would vote for anybody who received by chance three Democratic votes, just to force any nomination, thus enabling the Legislature to proceed to the joint ballot.

More information Candidate, Party ...

No further action was taken by this Legislature, and the seat became vacant on March 4, 1839. Tallmadge would later be elected in 1840.

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

There were three elections to the same seat due to the July 4, 1838 resignation of Democrat Felix Grundy to become U.S. Attorney General.

Tennessee (special, 1838)

Senator Ephraim H. Foster

Whig Ephraim H. Foster was elected September 17, 1838 to finish the term.

Tennessee (regular)

Foster was also elected to the next term, but Foster declined the seat, refusing to take the Tennessee General Assembly's instructions on how to vote, so he left office March 3, 1839 and the seat was vacant when the term began.

Tennessee (special, 1839)

Senator Felix Grundy

The legislature then elected Grundy back to the seat November 19, 1839, but he died a year later.

Vermont

Virginia

See also

Notes

  1. Whig John Maynard did not vote on the first five ballots.
  2. The on-line copy of the Senate journal omits the pages with the second and third ballot.

References

  1. "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
  2. J. Fred Parker, Secretary of State (1914). Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1914. State of Rhode Island manual. Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman Company, State Printers. p. 149.
  3. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Dec 00, 1837". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  4. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Feb 00, 1839". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.

Sources


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