Remove ads
The 1816–17 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 1816 and 1817, 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.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 of the 36 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 19 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Results: Federalist hold Federalist gain Dem-Republican hold Dem-Republican gain Legislature Failed To Elect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Democratic-Republican Party gained a net of two seats from the admission of a new state.
Remove ads
Senate party division, 15th Congress (1817–1819)
- Majority party: Democratic-Republican (25–28)
- Minority party: Federalist (13–12)
- Total seats: 38–42
Results of the January 1816 special elections
| DR8 | DR7 | DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||
| DR9 | DR10 | DR11 | DR12 | DR13 | DR14 | DR15 | DR16 | DR17 | DR18 |
| Majority → | DR19 | ||||||||
| F9 Md. Gain |
F10 | F11 | F12 | F13 | DR23 | DR22 | DR21 Va. Gain |
DR20 | |
| F8 | F7 | F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 | ||
Before the general elections
| DR9 | DR8 | DR7 | DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | |
| DR10 | DR11 | DR12 | DR13 | DR14 | DR15 Ga. Resigned |
DR16 La. Ran |
DR17 Mass. Unknown |
DR18 N.J. Unknown |
DR19 N.C. Resigned |
| Majority → | DR20 R.I. Retired | ||||||||
| F10 | F11 Del. Ran |
F12 Ky. Retired |
F13 N.H. Unknown |
TBD1 Ind. New seat |
TBD2 Ind. New seat |
DR23 Va. Unknown |
DR22 Tenn. Unknown |
DR21 S.C. Resigned | |
| F9 | F8 | F7 | F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 | |
Results of the general elections
| DR9 | DR8 | DR7 | DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | |
| DR10 | DR11 | DR12 | DR13 | DR14 | DR15 Ga. Hold |
DR16 Ind. Gain |
DR17 Ind. Gain |
DR18 Ky. Gain |
DR19 La. Hold |
| Majority → | DR20 N.H. Gain | ||||||||
| F10 | F11 Del. Hold |
F12 Mass. Gain |
F13 R.I. Gain |
V1 Tenn. DR Loss |
DR24 Va. Hold |
DR23 S.C. Hold |
DR22 N.C. Hold |
DR21 N.J. Hold | |
| F9 | |||||||||
| F8 | F7 | F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 | ||
Results of the 1817 special elections
| DR10 | DR9 | DR8 | DR7 | DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 |
| DR11 | DR12 | DR13 | DR14 | DR15 | DR16 | DR17 | DR18 | DR19 | DR20 |
| Majority → | DR21 | ||||||||
| F11 | F12 | DR28 Tenn. Elected[a] |
DR27 N.H. Gain |
DR26 Miss. New seat |
DR25 Miss. New seat |
DR24 Vt. Hold |
DR23 | DR22 | |
| F10 | F9 | F8 | F7 | F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
| Key |
|
|---|
Remove ads
Elections during the preceding Congress
In these special and general elections, the winners were seated during 1816 or before March 4, 1817; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Virginia (Class 2) |
Vacant | William B. Giles (DR) resigned March 3, 1815. John Wayles Eppes (DR) was elected December 7, 1815, but declined to serve. New senator elected January 3, 1816 on the fourth ballot despite being too young to serve. Democratic-Republican gain. Winner later lost re-election to the next term; see below. |
| ||
| Maryland (Class 1) |
Vacant | The Maryland General Assembly failed to elect in time for the March 4, 1815 beginning of the term. New senator elected January 29, 1816. Federalist gain. |
| ||
| Massachusetts (Class 1) |
Christopher Gore | Federalist | 1813 (appointed) 1815 (special) |
Incumbent resigned May 30, 1816, unhappy with the politics of Washington and suffering from poor health. New senator elected June 12, 1816. Federalist hold. |
|
| Indiana (Class 1) |
None (new state) | Indiana was admitted to the Union December 11, 1816. New senator elected November 8, 1816. Democratic-Republican gain. |
| ||
| Indiana (Class 3) |
None (new state) | Indiana was admitted to the Union December 11, 1816. New senator elected November 8, 1816. Democratic-Republican gain. | |||
| Georgia (Class 2) |
William W. Bibb | Democratic- Republican |
1813 (special) | Incumbent resigned November 9, 1816. New senator elected November 13, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected to the next term; see below. |
|
| North Carolina (Class 2) |
James Turner | Democratic- Republican |
1804 1810 |
Incumbent resigned November 21, 1816 due to ill health. New senator elected December 4, 1816 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected to the next term; see below. |
|
| South Carolina (Class 2) |
John Taylor | Democratic- Republican |
1810 (special) 1810 |
Incumbent resigned November 1816. New senator elected December 4, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected to the next term; see below. |
|
| Kentucky (Class 2) |
Martin D. Hardin | Federalist | 1814 (appointed) | Incumbent appointee elected December 5, 1816.[9] Winner was not later a candidate for the next term; see below. |
|
| Maryland (Class 1) |
Robert Goodloe Harper | Federalist | 1816 (special) | Incumbent resigned December 6, 1816. New senator elected December 20, 1816. Federalist hold. |
|
Races leading to the next Congress
In these general elections, the winners were seated March 4, 1817; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Delaware | William H. Wells | Federalist | 1799 (special) 1799 1804 (resigned) 1813 (special) |
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 31, 1817 on the third ballot. Federalist hold. |
|
| Georgia | William W. Bibb | Democratic- Republican |
1813 (special) | Resigned November 9, 1816. New senator elected November 13, 1816 on the second ballot. Winner was also elected to finish the previous term; see above. Democratic-Republican hold. |
|
| Kentucky | Martin D. Hardin | Federalist | 1816 (appointed) 1816 (special) |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected December 10, 1816 on the second ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. |
|
| Louisiana | James Brown | Democratic- Republican |
1813 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1817. Democratic-Republican hold. |
|
| Massachusetts | Joseph Bradley Varnum | Democratic-Republican | 1811 | Incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected June 12, 1816. Federalist gain. |
|
| New Hampshire | Thomas W. Thompson | Federalist | 1814 (special) | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1816 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. |
|
| New Jersey | John Condit | Democratic- Republican |
1809 (special) 1810 |
Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected January 23, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold. |
|
| North Carolina | James Turner | Democratic- Republican |
1804 1810 |
Resigned November 21, 1816 due to ill health. New senator elected December 4, 1816 on the second ballot. Winner was also elected to finish the previous term; see above. Democratic-Republican hold. |
|
| Rhode Island | Jeremiah Howell | Democratic- Republican |
1810 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected June 21, 1816.[19] Federalist gain. |
|
| South Carolina | John Taylor | Democratic- Republican |
1810 (special) 1810 |
Incumbent resigned November 1816. New senator elected December 4, 1816. Winner was also elected to the previous term, see above. Democratic-Republican hold. |
|
| Tennessee | John Williams | Democratic- Republican |
1815 (special) | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Incumbent was appointed to start the term. Democratic-Republican loss. |
None. |
| Virginia | Armistead T. Mason | Democratic-Republican | 1816 (special) | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election, but he was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. New senator elected December 9, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. |
|
Elections during the next Congress
In three special elections and two general elections, the winners were elected in 1817 after March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| New Hampshire (Class 3) |
Jeremiah Mason | Federalist | 1813 (special) | Incumbent resigned June 16, 1817. New senator elected June 27, 1817 on the thirteenth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee (Class 2) |
John Williams | Democratic- Republican |
1815 (special) | Legislature had failed to elect and the incumbent was then appointed to start the term. Interim appointee was re-elected October 2, 1817 to finish the term. |
|
| Vermont (Class 3) |
Dudley Chase | Democratic- Republican |
1812 | Resgined November 3, 1817. New senator elected November 4, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold. |
|
| Mississippi (Class 1) |
None (new state) | Mississippi was admitted as a new state. New senator elected December 10, 1817 on the fifth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. |
| ||
| Mississippi (Class 2) |
None (new state) | Mississippi was admitted as a new state. New senator elected December 10, 1817 on the fourth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. |
| ||
Remove ads
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Georgia (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Georgia (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Indiana's senators
James Noble (DR)
(Class 1)
(Class 1)
Waller Taylor (DR)
(Class 3)
(Class 3)
The new state of Indiana elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans, James Noble and Waller Taylor. The election was held November 8, 1816 in advance of Indiana's December 11, 1816 admission as a state. In the election legislators cast a single ballot and the first and second place candidates were deemed elected.
James Noble (Democratic-Republican) 265 votes- Waller Taylor (Democratic-Republican) 20 votes
- James Scott 16 votes
- Jesse L. Holman 3 votes
- Ezra Ferris 2 votes
- Davis Floyd 2 votes
- Walter Wilson 2 votes
- Elias MacNamee 1 vote[5]
Remove ads
Kentucky (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Kentucky (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Maryland (special, January 1816)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022) |
| ||||||||||||||||
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
Robert Goodloe Harper won election over John Thomson Mason by a margin of 1.12%, or 1 vote, for the Class 1 seat.[26]
Maryland (special, December 1816)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022) |
| ||||||||||||||||
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Alexander Contee Hanson won election over William Winder by a margin of 8.24%, or 7 votes, for the Class 1 seat.[27]
Massachusetts (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Massachusetts (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Mississippi's senators
Walter Leake (DR)
(Class 1)
(Class 1)
Thomas H. Williams (DR)
(Class 2)
(Class 2)
The new state of Mississippi elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans, Walter Leake and Thomas H. Williams. Two separate elections were held in which each senator was elected.
First Senator (Class 1)
(5th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown)
- Walter Leake (Democratic-Republican) 15 votes
- Christopher Rankin 8 votes
- Cowles Mead 5 votes
- Thomas H. Williams 1 vote[24]
Second Senator (Class 2)
(4th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown)
- Thomas H. Williams (Democratic-Republican) 16 votes
- Cowles Mead 12 votes
- Christopher Rankin 1 vote[25]
New Hampshire (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
New Hampshire (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
North Carolina (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
North Carolina (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
South Carolina (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
South Carolina (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Tennessee (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Tennessee (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Virginia (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
Virginia (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019) |
- "An unfortunate disagreement among some of the members of the House, with regard to a candidate for Senator to Congress, was the occasion of several ballotings before a choice could be made. The Hon. CLEMENT STORER, was however, elected by the unanimous voice of the Republican members of the Senate, which vote was concurred by the House, on Thursday, by a plurality of eleven votes."[22]
- "The ballotings for a Senator to Congress, (after 13 trials, in which 33 persons were voted for) resulted in the choice of the Hon. CLEMENT STORER, by a majority of 8 or 10." Farmer's Cabinet (Amherst, NH). July 5, 1817.[22]
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads