1836–37 United States Senate elections

The 1836–37 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 1836 and 1837, 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 3.

1836–37 United States Senate elections

← 1834 & 1835 Dates vary by state 1838 & 1839 →
17 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 27 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party Democratic Whig Nullifier Last election 22[a] 24[b] 2 Seats before 31[a] 19[b] 2 Seats won 12 5 0 Seats after 34 17 1 Seat change 3 2 1 Seats up 9 7 1
Results:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Whig hold
Majority Party before election Jacksonian Elected Majority Party Democratic

In this election cycle, the Jacksonian coalition emerged as the Democratic Party, and the Adams, or Anti-Jackson, coalition emerged as the Whig Party.

Results summary

Senate party division, 25th Congress (1837–1839)

• Majority party: Democratic (35)
• Minority party: Whig (17–16)
• Other parties: (0–1)
• Total seats: 52

Change in composition

Before the special elections

				NR1	NR2	NR3	NR4	NR5	NR6
NR16	NR15	NR14	NR13	NR12	NR11	NR10	NR9	NR8	NR7
NR17 Del. Resigned	NR18 Del. Resigned	NR19 Md. Died	NR20 N.C. Resigned	NR21 La. Resigned	NR22 Va. Resigned	NR23 Va. Resigned	Ark. New	Ark. New	N2
									N1
J17	J18	J19	J20	J21	J22 Mich.[c]	J23 Mich.[c]	J24 N.H. Resigned	V1 La.
J16	J15	J14	J13	J12	J11	J10	J9	J8	J7
				J1	J2	J3	J4	J5	J6

As a result of the special elections

				NR1	NR2	NR3	NR4	NR5	NR6
NR16	NR15	NR14	NR13	NR12	NR11	NR10	NR9	NR8	NR7
NR17 Del. Hold	NR18 Del. Hold	NR19 Md. Hold	N2	N1	J31 Va. Gain	J30 Va. Gain	J29 Ark. Gain	J28 Ark. Gain	J27 N.C. Gain
Majority →
J17	J18	J19	J20	J21	J22	J23	J24 N.H. Hold	J25 La. Gain	J26 La. Gain
J16	J15	J14	J13	J12	J11	J10	J9	J8	J7
				J1	J2	J3	J4	J5	J6

Before the regular elections

				NR1	NR2	NR3	NR4	NR5	NR6
NR16 Ohio Ran	NR15 Ky. Ran	NR14 Ind. Ran	NR13 Ala. Ran	NR12	NR11	NR10	NR9	NR8	NR7
NR17 La. Ran	NR18 Vt. Ran	NR19 Conn. Unknown	N2 S.C. Ran	N1	J31 Pa. Ran	J30 N.C. Ran	J29 N.Y. Ran	J28 N.H. Ran	J27 Mo. Ran
Majority →
J17	J18	J19	J20	J21	J22	J23 Ark. Ran	J24 Ga. Ran	J25 Ill. Ran	J26 La. Ran
J16	J15	J14	J13	J12	J11	J10	J9	J8	J7
				J1	J2	J3	J4	J5	J6

As a result of the regular elections

"Hold" means the incumbent lost and the winner was from an affiliated new party, either Anti-Jacksonian to Whig or Jacksonian to Democratic.

				NR1	NR2	NR3	NR4	NR5	NR6
W16 Vt. Re-elected (was AJ)	W15 Ind. Hold (was AJ)	W14 La. Re-elected (was AJ)	W13 Ky. Re-elected (was AJ)	NR12	NR11	NR10	NR9	NR8	NR7
W17 S.C. Re-elected (was N)	N1	D34 Ohio Gain (was AJ)	D33 Conn. Gain (was AJ)	D32 Ala. Gain (was AJ)	D31 N.H. Hold (was J)	D30 Ill. Hold (was J)	D29 Pa. Re-elected (was J)	D28 N.C. Re-elected (was J)	D27 N.Y. Re-elected (was J)
Majority →
J17	J18	J19	J20	J21	J22	D23 Ark. Re-elected (was J)	D24 Ga. Re-elected (was J)	D25 La. Re-elected (was J)	D26 Mo. Re-elected (was J)
J16	J15	J14	J13	J12	J11	J10	J9	J8	J7
				J1	J2	J3	J4	J5	J6

Beginning of the next Congress

				W1 New party	W2 New party	W3 New party	W4 New party	W5 New party	W6 New party
W16	W15	W14	W13	W12 New party	W11 New party	W10 New party	W9 New party	W8 New party	W7 New party
W17	D35 New party	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30	D29	D28	D27
Majority →
D17 New party	D18 New party	D19 New party	D20 New party	D21 New party	D22 New party	D23	D24	D25	D26
D16 New party	D15 New party	D14 New party	D13 New party	D12 New party	D11 New party	D10 New party	D9 New party	D8 New party	D7 New party
				D1 New party	D2 New party	D3 New party	D4 New party	D5 New party	D6 New party

Key:	NR# National Republican J# Jacksonian N# Nullfier	D# Democratic W# Whig V# Vacant

Race summaries

Bold states link to specific election articles.

Elections seated during the 24th Congress

In these elections, senators were elected to finish terms already in progress either as special elections or as elections to a new state. senators were seated during 1836 or before March 4, 1837; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Louisiana (Class 2)	Vacant			Charles Gayarré had been elected but resigned due to ill health without having taken his seat. New senator elected January 13, 1836. Jacksonian gain. Winner served in the next Congress as a Democrat.	▌Y Robert C. Nicholas (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Virginia (Class 1)	John Tyler	National Republican	1827 1833	Incumbent resigned February 29, 1836. New senator elected March 4, 1836. Jacksonian gain. Winner served in the next Congress as a Democrat.	▌Y William C. Rives (Jacksonian) [data missing]
New Hampshire (Class 3)	Isaac Hill	Jacksonian	1831	Incumbent resigned May 30, 1836 to become Governor of New Hampshire. New senator elected June 8, 1836. Jacksonian hold. Winner lost re-election to the next term; see below.	▌Y John Page (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Delaware (Class 1)	Arnold Naudain	National Republican	1830 (special) 1832	Incumbent resigned June 16, 1836. New senator elected June 17, 1836. National Republican hold. Winner served in the next Congress as a Whig.	▌Y Richard H. Bayard (National Republican) [data missing]
Arkansas (Class 2)	New seats			New state. New senator elected September 19, 1836. Jacksonian gain. Winner served in the next Congress as a Democrat.	▌Y William S. Fulton (Jacksonian) 60 votes[2]
Arkansas (Class 3)				New state. New senator elected September 19, 1836. Jacksonian gain. Winner was also re-elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Ambrose H. Sevier (Jacksonian) 56 votes ▌H. F. Walworth (Unknown) 4 votes[2]
North Carolina (Class 3)	Willie P. Mangum	National Republican	1830	Incumbent resigned November 26, 1836. New senator elected December 5, 1836. Jacksonian gain. Winner was also elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Robert Strange (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Virginia (Class 2)	Benjamin W. Leigh	National Republican	1834 (special) 1835	Incumbent resigned July 4, 1836. New senator elected December 12, 1836. Jacksonian gain. Winner would resign at the end of this Congress; see below.	▌Y Richard E. Parker (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Maryland (Class 3)	Robert H. Goldsborough	National Republican	1813 1819 (retired or lost) 1835 (special)	Incumbent died October 5, 1836. New senator elected December 31, 1836. National Republican hold. Winner was also re-elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y John S. Spence (National Republican) [data missing]
Delaware (Class 2)	John M. Clayton	National Republican	1829 1835	Incumbent resigned December 29, 1836. New senator elected January 9, 1837. National Republican hold. Winner served in the next Congress as a Whig.	▌Y Thomas Clayton (National Republican) [data missing]
Louisiana (Class 3)	Alexander Porter	National Republican	1833 (special)	Incumbent resigned January 5, 1837 due to ill health. New senator elected January 12, 1837. Jacksonian gain. Winner was also re-elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Alexandre Mouton (Jacksonian) [data missing]

Races leading to the 25th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1837; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Gabriel Moore	Whig (National Republican)	1831	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1837. Democratic gain.	▌Y John McKinley (Democratic) ▌Gabriel Moore (Democratic) [data missing]
Arkansas	Ambrose Sevier	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1836 (new seat)	Incumbent re-elected in 1837.	▌Y Ambrose Sevier (Democratic) [data missing]
Connecticut	Gideon Tomlinson	Whig (National Republican)	1831	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1836 or 1837. Democratic gain.	▌Y Perry Smith (Democratic) [data missing]
Georgia	Alfred Cuthbert	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1835 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1837.	▌Y Alfred Cuthbert (Democratic) [data missing]
Illinois	William Lee D. Ewing	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1835 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected in 1837. Democratic hold.	▌Y Richard M. Young (Democratic) ▌William Lee D. Ewing (Democratic) [data missing]
Indiana	William Hendricks	Whig (National Republican)	1824 1830	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1836. Whig hold.	▌Y Oliver H. Smith (Whig) ▌William Hendricks (Whig) [data missing]
Kentucky	Henry Clay	Whig (National Republican)	1806 (special) 1807 (retired) 1810 (appointed) 1811 (retired) 1831 (late)	Incumbent re-elected in 1836.	▌Y Henry Clay (Whig) [data missing]
Louisiana	Alexandre Mouton	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1837 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1837.	▌Y Alexandre Mouton (Democratic) [data missing]
Maryland	John S. Spence	Whig (National Republican)	1836 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1837.	▌Y John S. Spence (Whig) [data missing]
Missouri	Lewis F. Linn	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1833 (appointed) ? (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1836.	▌Y Lewis F. Linn (Democratic) [data missing]
New Hampshire	John Page	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1836 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1837. Democratic hold.	▌Y Franklin Pierce (Democratic) [data missing]
New York	Silas Wright Jr.	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1826 (Late)	Incumbent re-elected February 7, 1837.	▌Y Silas Wright Jr. (Democratic) 26+85 ▌Ambrose L. Jordan (Whig) 3+27
North Carolina	Willie P. Mangum	Whig (National Republican)	1830	Incumbent resigned November 26, 1836. New senator elected in 1836. Democratic gain. Successor also elected to finish the current term, see above.	▌Y Robert Strange (Democratic) [data missing]
Ohio	Thomas Ewing	Whig (National Republican)	1830	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in January 1837. Democratic gain.	▌Y William Allen (Democratic) ▌Thomas Ewing (Whig) [data missing]
Pennsylvania	James Buchanan	Democratic (Jacksonian)	1834 (special)	Incumbent re-elected December 14, 1836.	▌Y James Buchanan (Democratic) 85 ▌Thomas M. T. McKennan (Whig) 24 ▌Charles B. Penrose (Whig) 21 ▌Thomas Cunningham (Democratic) 1 ▌Isaac Leet (Democratic) 1 ▌Not voting 1[3]
South Carolina	William C. Preston	Nullifier	1833 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1837 as a Whig.	▌Y William C. Preston (Whig) [data missing]
Vermont	Samuel Prentiss	Whig (National Republican)	1831	Incumbent re-elected in 1837.	▌Y Samuel Prentiss (Whig) [data missing]

Elections during the 25th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated in 1837 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Virginia (Class 2)	Richard E. Parker	Democratic	1836 (special)	Incumbent resigned March 4, 1837 to become judge of the Supreme Court of Virginia. New senator elected March 14, 1837. Democratic hold.	▌Y William H. Roane (Democratic) [data missing]
Alabama (Class 3)	John McKinley	Democratic	1833 (special)	Incumbent resigned April 22, 1837 to become Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. New senator elected June 19, 1837. Democratic hold.	▌Y Clement C. Clay (Democratic) [data missing]
Georgia (Class 2)	John Pendleton King	Democratic	1833 (special)	Incumbent resigned November 1, 1837. New senator elected November 22, 1837. Democratic hold.	▌Y Wilson Lumpkin (Democratic) 55.10% ▌John M. Berrien (Whig) 39.18% ▌Daniel M. Stewart (Democratic) 1.63% Scattering 4.08%[4]

Alabama

There were two elections in Alabama in this cycle, both for the same seat.

See also: List of United States senators from Alabama and 1837 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama

Alabama (regular)

First-term senator Anti-Jacksonian Gabriel Moore lost re-election in November 1836 to Jacksonian John McKinley.

Alabama (special)

Shortly after the new term started, Jacksonian-now-Democrat John McKinley resigned to become Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was replaced by fellow Democrat Clement C. Clay in a June 19, 1837 special election.

Clay would serve only until November 15, 1841, when he, too, resigned.

Arkansas

1836 United States Senate election in Arkansas

September 19, 1836 1837 →
68 members of the Arkansas General Assembly
Candidate Ambrose H. Sevier William S. Fulton Horace F. Walworth Party Jacksonian Jacksonian Legislative vote 60 56 4 Percentage 88.2% 82.3% 5.9%

See also: List of United States senators from Arkansas, 1836 United States House of Representatives election in Arkansas, and 1837 United States House of Representatives election in Arkansas

Arkansas became a new state and elected its two senators in a joint session of the Arkansas General Assembly on September 19, 1836.^[5]

Jacksonian former Governor of Arkansas Territory William Fulton was elected to the Class 2 seat, with the term ending March 3, 1841.

Jacksonian former delegate Ambrose Sevier was elected to the Class 3 seat, with the term ending March 3, 1837.

Sevier was also re-elected in 1837 to the next term that would end in 1843.

Connecticut

See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut and 1837 United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut

Delaware

See also: List of United States senators from Delaware and 1836 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware

Georgia

There were two elections in Georgia in this cycle.

See also: List of United States senators from Georgia and 1836 United States House of Representatives election in Georgia

Georgia (regular)

Georgia (special)

Illinois

See also: List of United States senators from Illinois and 1836 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

Indiana

See also: List of United States senators from Indiana and 1837 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana

Kentucky

See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky and 1837 United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky

Louisiana

There were two elections in Louisiana in this cycle, both for the same seat.

See also: List of United States senators from Louisiana and 1836 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana

Anti-Jacksonian Alexander Porter resigned January 5, 1837 due to ill health.

Louisiana (special)

Jacksonian Alexandre Mouton was elected January 12, 1837 to finish Porter's term, ending March 3, 1837.

Louisiana (regular)

Jacksonian Alexandre Mouton was also elected as a Democrat in 1837 (possibly re-elected) to the next term, beginning March 4, 1837.

Maryland

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland

Maryland (special)

1836 United States Senate special election in Maryland

← 1835 December 1836 1837 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate John S. Spence Party Whig Legislative vote - Percentage -%  %

Anti-Jacksonian Robert Henry Goldsborough died October 5, 1836. Anti-Jacksonian John S. Spence was elected in late 1836 to finish Goldsborough's term, ending March 3, 1837.^[6]

Maryland (regular)

1837 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1836 December 1837 1841 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate John S. Spence Party Whig Legislative vote - Percentage -%  %

John S. Spence won election to a full term an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.^[7]

Missouri

See also: List of United States senators from Missouri and 1836 United States House of Representatives election in Missouri

New Hampshire

See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire and 1837 United States House of Representatives election in New Hampshire

New York

Main article: 1837 United States Senate election in New York

See also: List of United States senators from New York and 1836 United States House of Representatives elections in New York

Silas Wright Jr., had been elected in 1833 to this seat after the resignation of William L. Marcy who had been elected Governor of New York. Wright's term would expire on March 3, 1837.

At the State election in November 1836, 94 Democrats and 34 Whigs were elected to the Assembly, and seven of the eight State senators elected were Democrats. The 60th New York State Legislature met from January 3 to May 16, 1837, at Albany. The party strength in the Assembly as shown by the election for Speaker was: 80 for Democrat Edward Livingston and 27 for Whig Luther Bradish.

Wright was re-nominated in a Democratic caucus by a large majority. Silas Wright Jr., was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.

House	Democratic		Whig
State Senate (32 members)	Silas Wright Jr.	26	Ambrose L. Jordan	3
State Assembly (128 members)	Silas Wright Jr.	85	Ambrose L. Jordan	27

North Carolina

There were two elections in North Carolina in this cycle, both for the same seat.

See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina and 1837 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina

Anti-Jacksonian Willie P. Mangum resigned November 26, 1836.

North Carolina (special)

Jacksonian Robert Strange was elected in late 1836 to finish Mangum's term, ending March 3, 1837.

North Carolina (regular)

Jacksonian Robert Strange was also elected as a Democrat in 1836, to the next term, beginning March 4, 1837.

Ohio

See also: List of United States senators from Ohio and 1836 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio

Pennsylvania

Main article: 1836 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania and 1836 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on December 14, 1836, to elect a Senator to serve the term beginning on March 4, 1837. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

Pennsylvania General Assembly Results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Buchanan (Incumbent)	85	63.91
	Whig	Thomas M. T. McKennan	24	18.05
	Whig	Charles B. Penrose	21	15.79
	Democratic	Thomas Cunningham	1	0.75
	Democratic	Isaac Leet	1	0.75
	N/A	Not voting	1	0.75
Totals			133	100.00%

South Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina and 1836 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

Vermont

See also: List of United States senators from Vermont and 1836 United States House of Representatives elections in Vermont

Virginia (special)

See also: List of United States senators from Virginia and 1837 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia

There were three special elections in Virginia in this cycle.

Virginia (special, class 1)

Two-term Anti-Jacksonian (and future President) John Tyler resigned February 29, 1836 due to policial differences and conflict with the Virginia House of Delegates, which had come under control of the rival Jacksonians.

Former Jacksonian senator William C. Rives (who had served in the class 2 seat from December 10, 1832, to February 22, 1834) was elected March 4, 1836 to finish Tyler's term that would end March 3, 1839.

Virginia (special, class 2 1836)

Anti-Jacksonian Benjamin W. Leigh, who had served in the seat since an 1834 special election and re-elected in 1835, resigned July 4, 1836 to return to his private legal practice.

Jacksonian Richard E. Parker was elected December 12, 1836, but he would only remain in the seat for four months.

Virginia (special, class 2 1837)

Parker, now a Democrat, was elected to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and so he resigned from the Senate March 13, 1837.

Fellow Democrat William H. Roane was elected March 14, 1837 to finish the term that would end March 3, 1841.

See also

• 1836 United States elections
  • 1836 United States presidential election
  • 1836–37 United States House of Representatives elections
• 24th United States Congress
• 25th United States Congress

Notes

1. As the Jacksonian party
2. As the National Republican party
3. Michigan's senators were elected in 1835, but not seated until early 1837

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. "Senate". The Arkansas advocate. Little Rock, Ark. September 23, 1836. pp. 2–3. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
3. "U.S. Senate Election - 14 December 1836" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
4. "Our Campaigns - GA US Senate - Appointment Race - Nov 01, 1837".
5. Herndon, Dallas T. (1947). Annals of Arkansas. Vol. 1. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: The Historical Record Association. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-56546-450-6. LCCN 48002456. OCLC 3920841.
6. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Feb 00, 1837". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
7. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Feb 00, 1837". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov