Remove ads
The 1826–27 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 1826 and 1827, 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.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 of the 48 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 25 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Results: Jacksonian Hold Jacksonian Gain Anti-Jacksonian Hold Anti-Jacksonian Gain Legislature Failed To Elect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The majority Jacksonians gained a seat in the United States Senate. Senators who called themselves "Anti-Jacksonian" or "National Republicans" were also called "Adams" or "Adams Men."
Remove ads
Senate party division, 20th Congress (1827–1829)
- Majority party: Jacksonian (27)
- Minority party: Anti-Jacksonian (20–21)
- Other parties: (0)
- Total seats: 48
Before the elections
At the beginning of 1826.
| A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 | ||||||
| A14 Ind. Ran |
A13 | A12 | A11 | A10 | A9 | A8 | A7 | A6 | A5 |
| A15 Mass. Ran |
A16 Ohio Ran |
A17 R.I. Ran |
A18 Vt. Ran |
A19 Del. Unknown |
A20 Maine Unknown |
A21 N.J. Died |
V1 | J26 Pa. Retired |
J25 Conn. Unknown |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| J15 | J16 | J17 | J18 | J19 Md. Ran |
J20 Miss. Ran |
J21 Mo. Ran |
J22 N.Y. Ran |
J23 Tenn. Ran |
J24 Va. Ran |
| J14 | J13 | J12 | J11 | J10 | J9 | J8 | J7 | J6 | J5 |
| J1 | J2 | J3 | J4 | ||||||
Result of the regular elections
| A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 | ||||||
| A14 Ind. Re-elected |
A13 | A12 | A11 | A10 | A9 | A8 | A7 | A6 | A5 |
| A15 Ohio Re-elected |
A16 R.I. Re-elected |
A17 Vt. Re-elected |
A18 N.J. Hold |
A19 Conn. Gain |
V2 Mass. A Loss |
V1 | J27 Maine Gain |
J26 Del. Gain |
J25 Va. Hold |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| J15 | J16 | J17 | J18 | J19 Md. Re-elected |
J20 Mo. Re-elected |
J21 N.Y. Re-elected |
J22 Tenn. Re-elected |
J23 Miss. Hold[a] |
J24 Pa. Hold |
| J14 | J13 | J12 | J11 | J10 | J9 | J8 | J7 | J6 | J5 |
| J1 | J2 | J3 | J4 | ||||||
Result of the special elections
Before the March 4, 1827, beginning of the new Congress.
| A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 | ||||||
| A14 | A13 | A12 | A11 | A10 | A9 | A8 | A7 | A6 | A5 |
| A15 | A16 | A17 Md. Gain |
A18 N.J. Hold, same as regular |
A19 N.Y. Gain |
A20 Mass. 2 Hold |
V1 | J27 Del. (sp) Gain |
J26 Miss. (sp) Elected[b][a] |
J25 Ala. (sp) Hold |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| J15 | J16 | J17 | J18 | J19 | J20 | J21 | J22 | J23 | J24 S.C. Hold |
| J14 | J13 | J12 | J11 | J10 | J9 | J8 | J7 | J6 | J5 |
| J1 | J2 | J3 | J4 | ||||||
| Key: |
|
|---|
Remove ads
Special elections during the 19th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1826 or before March 4, 1827; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| New York (Class 3) |
Vacant | Seat vacant after an 1824 legislative deadlock. New senator elected January 14, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian gain. |
| ||
| Maryland (Class 3) |
Edward Lloyd | Jacksonian | 1819 1825 |
Incumbent resigned January 14, 1826. New senator elected January 24, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian gain. |
|
| Mississippi (Class 1) |
Powhatan Ellis | Jacksonian | 1825 (appointed) | Interim appointee lost election January 28, 1826. Jacksonian hold. |
|
| Massachusetts (Class 2) |
James Lloyd | Anti-Jacksonian | 1808 (special) 1808 1813 (resigned) 1822 (special) 1822 |
Incumbent resigned May 23, 1826. New senator elected May 31, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian hold. |
|
| New Jersey (Class 1) |
Joseph McIlvaine | Anti-Jacksonian | 1823 (special) | Incumbent died August 19, 1826 New senator elected November 10, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian hold. Winner also elected to the next term; see below. |
|
| Alabama (Class 3) |
Israel Pickens | Jacksonian | 1826 (appointed) | Interim appointee not elected to finish the term. New senator elected November 27, 1826. Jacksonian hold. |
|
| South Carolina (Class 3) |
William Harper | Jacksonian | 1826 (appointed) | Interim appointee not elected to finish the term. New senator elected November 29, 1826. Jacksonian hold. |
|
| Delaware (Class 2) |
Daniel Rodney | Anti-Jacksonian | 1826 (appointed) | Interim appointee not elected to finish the term. New senator elected January 12, 1827. Jacksonian gain. |
|
Races leading to the 20th Congress
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1827; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Connecticut | Henry W. Edwards | Jacksonian | 1823 (appointed) 1824 (special) |
Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected. Anti-Jacksonian gain. |
|
| Delaware | Thomas Clayton | Anti-Jacksonian | 1824 (special) | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected. Jacksonian gain. |
|
| Indiana | James Noble | Anti-Jacksonian | 1816 1821 |
Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Maine | John Holmes | Anti-Jacksonian | 1820 1821 |
Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected. Jacksonian gain. |
|
| Maryland | Samuel Smith | Jacksonian | 1802 1809 1815 (lost) 1822 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts | Elijah H. Mills | Anti-Jacksonian | 1820 (special) 1820 |
Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature elected late. Anti-Jacksonian loss. |
[data missing] |
| Mississippi | Thomas Reed | Jacksonian | 1826 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1826 or 1827. Jacksonian hold. |
|
| Missouri | Thomas H. Benton | Jacksonian | 1821 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| New Jersey | Joseph McIlvaine | Anti-Jacksonian | 1823 (special) | Incumbent died August 19, 1826. New senator elected November 10, 1826. Anti-Jacksonian hold. Winner was also elected to finish the preceding term; see above. |
|
| New York | Martin Van Buren | Jacksonian | 1821 | Incumbent re-elected February 6, 1827. |
|
| Ohio | Benjamin Ruggles | Anti-Jacksonian | 1815 1821 |
Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Pennsylvania | William Findlay | Jacksonian | 1821 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Jacksonian hold. |
|
| Rhode Island | Asher Robbins | Anti-Jacksonian | 1825 (special) | Incumbent re-elected November 2, 1826. |
|
| Tennessee | John Eaton | Jacksonian | 1818 (appointed) 1819 (special) 1821 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Vermont | Horatio Seymour | Anti-Jacksonian | 1821 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Virginia | John Randolph | Jacksonian | 1825 (Appointed) | Appointee lost election. New senator elected. Jacksonian hold. |
|
Elections during the 20th Congress
In this election, the winner was seated in 1827 after the new Congress began on March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Massachusetts (Class 1) |
Vacant | Vacant due to late election. New senator elected June 8, 1827. Anti-Jacksonian gain. |
| ||
Remove ads
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
Delaware had two elections: A special for the class 2 seat and a regular election for the class 1 seat. The elections flipped both seats from Anti-Jacksonian to Jacksonian.
Delaware (special)
Anti-Jacksonian senator Nicholas Van Dyke died May 21, 1826, and Anti-Jacksonian Daniel Rodney was appointed to continue the class 2 term (ending March 3, 1829) until a special election.
Jacksonian Henry M. Ridgely was elected January 12, 1827.
Delaware (regular)
Anti-Jacksonian Thomas Clayton had served since winning an 1824 special election. It is unknown if Clayton was a candidate for re-election in 1827, but that election was won by Jacksonian Louis McLane.
Remove ads
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
Maryland (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022) |
| ||||||||||||||||
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
Ezekiel F. Chambers won election over Philip Reed by a margin of 18.07%, or 15 votes, for the Class 3 seat.[5]
Maryland (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022) |
| ||||||||||||||||
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Samuel Smith won election by a margin of 87.95%, or 73 votes, for the Class 1 seat.[6]
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
Massachusetts (special, class 2)
Massachusetts (regular)
Massachusetts (special, class 1)
Jacksonian interim appointee Powhatan Ellis had served in the class 1 seat since 1825 for the term ending March 3, 1827.
He faced a special election to finish the term and a regular election to the next term.
Mississippi (special)
Jacksonian Thomas Buck Reed was elected January 27, 1826, to finish the term, but not to the next full term.
Mississippi (regular)
Jacksonian interim appointee Powhatan Ellis was elected sometime (date unknown) to the next term, and would go on to serve until 1832.
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
New Jersey (regular)
New Jersey (special)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
- In Mississippi, Jacksonian appointee Powhatan Ellis lost the election to finish the term, but was elected to the next term.
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