1896–97 United States Senate elections

The 1896–97 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 1896 and 1897, 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.

1896–97 United States Senate elections

← 1894 & 1895 Dates vary by state 1898 & 1899 →
30 of the 90 seats in the United States Senate (as well as special elections) 46 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader John Sherman[a] (retired) Arthur Pue Gorman[b] (Lost re-election) Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1891 March 4, 1889 Leader's seat Ohio Maryland Seats before 44 39 Seats won 15 7 Seats after 46 32 Seat change 2 7 Seats up 13 14   Third party Fourth party   Party Populist Silver Republican Seats before 4 0 Seats won 3 2 Seats after 5 2 Seat change 1 2 Seats up 2 0   Fifth party   Party Silver Seats before 2 Seats won 1 Seats after 2 Seat change Seats up 1
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Silver hold      Populist gain      Populist hold      Silver Republican gain      Silver Republican hold      Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

Senate composition by State, 55th Congress

The Democratic Party lost seven seats, mostly to smaller third parties.

Results summary

Senate party division, 55th Congress (1897–1899)

• Majority party: Republican (43)
• Minority party: Democratic (33)
• Other parties: Populist (5); Silver (5); Silver Republican (2)
• Total seats: 90
• Vacant: 2, later filled by 1 Republican and 1 Democrat.

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25
D35 Retired	D34 Retired	D33 Unknown	D32 Ran	D31 Ran	D30 Ran	D29 Ran	D28 Ran	D27 Ran	D26 Ran
D36 Retired	D37 Retired	D38 Retired	D39 Retired	V1	P4 Ran	P3 Ran	P2	P1	S2 Ran
Plurality ↓									S1
R36 Ran	R37 Ran	R38 Ran	R39 Ran	R40 Ran	R41 Ran	R42 Ran	R43 Retired	R44 Retired
R35 Ran	R34 Ran	R33 Ran	R32 Ran	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27	R26
R16	R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25
R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7	R6
					R1	R2	R3	R4	R5

Result of the general elections

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25
P3 Re-elected	P4 Hold	P5 Gain from R	D32 Gain from R	D31 Hold	D30 Hold	D29 Hold	D28 Hold	D27 Re-elected	D26 Re-elected
P2	P1	S2 Re-elected	S1	SR2 Re-elected was R	SR1 Gain from R	R46 Gain from D	R45 Gain from D	R44 Gain from D	V1 D Loss
Majority →									V2
R36 Re-elected	R37 Re-elected	R38 Re-elected	R39 Hold	R40 Gain from D	R41 Gain from D	R42 Gain from D	R43 Gain from D		V3 R Loss
R35 Re-elected	R34 Re-elected	R33 Re-elected	R32 Re-elected	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27	R26
R16	R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25
R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7	R6
					R1	R2	R3	R4	R5

Beginning of the next Congress

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25
P4	P5	D33 Gain	D32	D31	D30	D29	D28	D27	D26
P3	P2	P1	S2	S1	SR1	SR2	SR3 Changed	SR4 Changed	V1
Plurality ↓
								SR5 Changed	V2
R36	R37	R38	R39	R40	R41	R42	R43
R35	R34	R33	R32	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27	R26
R16	R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25
R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7	R6
					R1	R2	R3	R4	R5

Key:	D# Democratic P# Populist R# Republican S# Silver SR# Silver Republican V# Vacant

Race summaries

Elections during the 54th Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1896 or in 1897 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent	Results	Candidates
Utah (Class 1)	None (new state)	Utah became a state January 4, 1896. First senators elected January 22, 1896. Republican gain.	▌Y Frank J. Cannon (Republican) [data missing]
Utah (Class 3)		Utah became a state January 4, 1896. First senators elected January 22, 1896. Republican gain. Winner did not run for the next term; see below.	▌Y Arthur Brown (Republican) [data missing]
Delaware (Class 2)	Vacant	Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected January 19, 1897. Democratic gain.	▌Y Richard R. Kenney (Democratic) [data missing]

Elections leading to the 55th Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1897; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	James L. Pugh	Democratic	1880 (special) 1884 1890	Incumbent lost renomination.[2] New senator elected in 1897. Democratic hold.	▌Y Edmund Pettus (Democratic) [data missing]
Arkansas	James K. Jones	Democratic	1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.[3]	▌Y James K. Jones (Democratic) 114 ▌James Sovereign (Populist) 9[4] ▌Powell Clayton (Republican) 10[3]
California	George Perkins	Republican	1895 (special)	Incumbent re-elected January 13, 1897.[5]	▌Y George Perkins (Republican) [data missing]
Colorado	Henry M. Teller	Republican	1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected as a Silver Republican January 20, 1897.[6] Silver Republican gain.	▌Y Henry M. Teller (Silver Republican) 92 ▌George W. Allen (Populist) 6[6]
Connecticut	Orville H. Platt	Republican	1879 1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.[7]	▌Y Orville H. Platt (Republican) Unopposed
Florida	Wilkinson Call	Democratic	1879 1885 1891	Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. A new senator was later elected; see below.	None.
Georgia	John B. Gordon	Democratic	1873 1879 1880 (resigned) 1890	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1896. Democratic hold.	▌Y Alexander S. Clay (Democratic) [data missing]
Idaho	Fred Dubois	Republican	1890	Incumbent lost re-election as a Silver Republican. New senator elected January 28, 1897. Populist gain.	▌Y Henry Heitfeld (Populist) 39 ▌Fred Dubois (Silver Republican) 30 ▌Thomas F. Nelson (Populist) 1[8]
Illinois	John M. Palmer	Democratic	1890	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 20, 1897.[9] Republican gain.	▌Y William E. Mason (Republican) 125[10] ▌ John P. Altgeld (Democratic) 77[10]
Indiana	Daniel W. Voorhees	Democratic	1877 (appointed) 1879 (special) 1885	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 20, 1897.[11] Republican gain.	▌Y Charles W. Fairbanks (Republican) 85 ▌Daniel W. Voorhees (Democratic) 58 ▌Leroy Templeton (Populist) 6[11]
Iowa	William B. Allison	Republican	1872 1878 1884 1890	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1896.[12]	▌Y William B. Allison (Republican) 79 ▌Washington Irving Babb (Democratic) 25 ▌Frank Q. Stuart (Unknown) 1[12][13]
Kansas	William A. Peffer	Populist	1891	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 27, 1897.[14] Populist hold.	▌Y William A. Harris (Populist) ▌William A. Peffer (Populist) [data missing]
Kentucky	J. C. S. Blackburn	Democratic	1884 1890	Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. A new senator was later elected; see below.	None.
Louisiana	Newton C. Blanchard	Democratic	1894 (appointed) 1894 (special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected May 28, 1896.[15] Democratic hold.	▌Y Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) ▌Denegree (Citizen's League) 3-vote majority[15]
Maryland	Charles H. Gibson	Democratic	1891 (appointed) 1892 (special)	Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected January 22, 1896.[16] Republican gain.	▌Y George L. Wellington (Republican) 63 ▌Phillips Lee Goldsborough (Republican) 1 ▌John Water Smith (Democratic) 24 ▌John R. Pattison (Democratic) 7 ▌James E. Elegood (Unknown) 1[16]
Missouri	George G. Vest	Democratic	1879 1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.[17]	▌Y George G. Vest (Democratic) [data missing]
Nevada	John P. Jones	Silver	1873 1879 1885 1891	Incumbent re-elected January 26, 1897.[18]	▌Y John P. Jones (Silver) 40 ▌William McMillan (Republican) 4 ▌A. L. Fitzgerald (Populist) 1[18][19][20]
New Hampshire	Jacob H. Gallinger	Republican	1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.[21]	▌Y Jacob H. Gallinger (Republican) Unopposed
New York	David B. Hill	Democratic	1891	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 20, 1897. Republican gain.	▌Y Thomas C. Platt (Republican) 147 ▌David B. Hill (Democratic) 42 ▌Henry George (Ind. Democratic) 4
North Carolina	Jeter Pritchard	Republican	1894 (special)	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.[22]	▌Y Jeter Pritchard (Republican) 88 ▌[FNU] Thompson (Populist) 43 ▌[FNU] Doughton (Democratic) 33[22]
North Dakota	Henry C. Hansbrough	Republican	1891	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1897.[23]	▌Y Henry C. Hansbrough (Republican) [data missing]
Ohio	Calvin S. Brice	Democratic	1890	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 14, 1896.[24] Republican gain.	▌Y Joseph B. Foraker (Republican) [data missing]
Oregon	John H. Mitchell	Republican	1885 (late) 1890	Legislature failed to elect. Republican loss. A new senator was later elected; see below.	▌John H. Mitchell (Republican)
Pennsylvania	J. Donald Cameron	Republican	1877 (special) 1879 1885 1891	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 19, 1897. Republican hold.	▌Y Boies Penrose (Republican) 83.00% ▌Chauncey F. Black (Democratic) 15.42% ▌John Wanamaker (Republican) 0.40%
South Carolina	John L. M. Irby	Democratic	1884	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 26, 1897.[25] Democratic hold.	▌Y Joseph Earle (Democratic) Unopposed[25]
South Dakota	James H. Kyle	Populist	1891	Incumbent re-elected February 18, 1897.[26]	▌Y James H. Kyle (Populist) [data missing]
Utah	Arthur Brown	Republican	1896 (new state)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected February 3, 1897.[27] Democratic gain.	▌Y Joseph L. Rawlins (Democratic) 32 ▌Moses Thatcher (Democratic) 29 ▌[FNU] Henderson (Unknown) 1 ▌[FNU] Brown (Unknown) 1
Vermont	Justin S. Morrill	Republican	1866 1872 1878 1884 1890	Incumbent re-elected in 1896.	▌Y Justin S. Morrill (Republican) [data missing]
Washington	Watson C. Squire	Republican	1889 1891	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 29, 1897.[28] Silver Republican gain.	▌Y George Turner (Silver Republican) 67[28] [data missing]
Wisconsin	William F. Vilas	Democratic	1890	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 26, 1897.[25] Republican gain.	▌Y John C. Spooner (Republican) ▌Edward S. Bragg (Gold Democratic) ▌Willis C. Silverthorn (Democratic)[25]

Elections during the 55th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1897 after March 4; ordered by date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Ohio (Class 1)	John Sherman	Republican	1861 (special) 1866 1872 1877 (resigned) 1881 1886 1892	Incumbent resigned March 4, 1897. New senator elected March 5, 1897. Republican hold.	▌Y Mark Hanna (Republican) [data missing]
Florida (Class 3)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect; see above. New senator elected May 14, 1897.[29] Democratic gain.	▌Y Stephen Mallory II (Democratic) 53 ▌[FNU] Chipley (Unknown) 44 ▌[FNU] Call (Unknown) 1[29]
Kentucky	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect; see above. New senator elected April 28, 1897. Republican gain.	▌Y William J. Deboe (Republican) 71 ▌J. C. S. Blackburn (Democratic) 50 ▌Henry L. Martin (Democratic) 13 ▌William J. Stone (Democratic) 1
Oregon (Class 3)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect; see above. New senator elected May 15, 1897. Republican gain.	▌Y Joseph Simon (Republican) [data missing]

Maryland

1896 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1892 January 1890 1902 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate George L. Wellington Party Republican Legislative vote - Percentage -%

George L. Wellington was elected by an unknown margin, for the Class 3 seat.^[30]

New York

Main article: 1897 United States Senate election in New York

The election in New York was held on January 19, 1897, by the New York State Legislature. Democrat David B. Hill had been elected to this seat in 1891, and his term would expire on March 3, 1897. At the State election in November 1895, 36 Republicans and 14 Democrats were elected for a three-year term (1896–1898) in the state senate. At the State election in November 1896, 114 Republicans and 36 Democrats were elected for the session of 1897 to the Assembly. The 120th New York State Legislature met from January 6 to April 24, 1897, at Albany, New York.

The Republican caucus met on January 14. 149 State legislators attended, and State Senator Cornelius R. Parsons (43rd D.), Ex-Mayor of Rochester, presided. The caucus nominated the Republican boss Thomas C. Platt, who had been briefly a U.S. Senator in 1881, on the first ballot.

1897 Republican caucus for United States Senator result

Candidate	First ballot
Y Thomas C. Platt	142
Joseph H. Choate	7

The Democratic caucus met on January 18. 46 State legislators attended, but 5 walked out before the roll was called, after making speeches against Hill. The incumbent U.S. Senator David B. Hill was re-nominated.

1897 Democratic caucus for United States Senator result

Candidate	First ballot
Y David B. Hill	36
Wilbur F. Porter[c]	3
Robert C. Titus	2

Thomas C. Platt was the choice of both the Assembly and the state senate, and was declared elected. Four anti-Hill Democrats voted for Labor leader Henry George, who later the same year ran for Mayor of New York as a "Jefferson Democrat" but died a few days before the election.

1897 United States Senator election result

House	Republican		Democrat
State Senate (50 members)	Y Thomas C. Platt	35	David B. Hill	11	Henry George	2
State Assembly (150 members)	Thomas C. Platt	112	David B. Hill	31	Henry George	2

Note: The votes were cast on January 19, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 20 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Pennsylvania

Main article: 1897 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

The election in Pennsylvania was held January 19, 1897. Boies Penrose was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.^[31] Incumbent Republican J. Donald Cameron, who was elected in an 1877 special election and subsequently re-elected in 1879, 1885, and 1891, was not a candidate for re-election. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 19, 1897, to elect a new senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1897. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Boies Penrose	210	83.00
	Democratic	Chauncey F. Black	39	15.42
	Republican	John Wanamaker	1	0.40
	N/A	Not voting	3	1.19
Totals			253	100.00%

South Carolina

Main article: 1897 United States Senate election in South Carolina

The election in South Carolina was a unanimous election of the Democratic nominee on January 26, 1897. The Democratic primary election was held on August 26, 1896, and September 9. The Democratic Party of South Carolina organized primary elections for the U.S. Senate beginning in 1896 and the General Assembly would confirm the choice of the Democratic voters. Conservative Democratic Joseph H. Earle won the Democratic primary and was elected by the General Assembly for a six-year term.

In 1896, Governor of South Carolina John Gary Evans entered the first ever election in the state of South Carolina for the U.S. Senate. He had the backing of Senator Ben Tillman and much of the farming interests in the state. However, the farmers' movement had largely run its course and the Tillmanite reform movement had angered a considerable number of voters in the state. Conservative Joseph H. Earle and Newberry native John T. Duncan announced their candidacy's in opposition to Governor Evans. In the primary on August 26 Evans emerged as the frontrunner, but did not garner over 50% of the vote and was forced to face Earle in a runoff election. Those who had voted for Duncan threw their support to Earle and it provided him with the margin he needed for victory over Evans.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Primary Election, 1896

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Gary Evans	38,802	49.6
	Democratic	Joseph H. Earle	31,092	39.8
	Democratic	John T. Duncan	8,327	10.6

South Carolina U.S. Senate Primary Election Runoff, 1896

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph H. Earle	42,915	52.0	+12.2
	Democratic	John Gary Evans	39,576	48.0	−1.6

See also

• 1896 United States elections
  • 1896 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 1896 United States presidential election
• 54th United States Congress
• 55th United States Congress

Notes

1. as Republican Conference Chair
2. as Democratic Caucus Chair
3. Wilbur F. Porter (b. ca. 1841), lawyer, five times Mayor of Watertown, ran for Governor in 1896.

1. "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
2. Schlup, Leonard C.; Ryan, James Gilbert (February 16, 2018). Historical Dictionary of the Gilded Age. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765621061 – via Google Books.
3. "Jones in Arkansas". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
4. Hild, Matthew (September 28, 2021). "James Richard Sovereign (1854–1928)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
5. "Perkins Re-elected in California". The New York Times. January 13, 1897. p. 12.
6. "Teller in Colorado". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
7. "Platt in Connecticut". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
8. "Henry Heitfeld Elected". Idaho Daily Statesman. January 29, 1897.
9. "Mason in Illinois". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
10. "Mason Elected Wednesday". The Champaign County News. Vol. 6, no. 49. January 23, 1897. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Fairbanks in Indiana". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
12. Clark, p. 238.
13. "Frank Q. Stuart". The Annals of Iowa. 15 (3). University of Iowa: 233–234. 1926. doi:10.17077/0003-4827.4961. Retrieved September 29, 2022. In 1894 he was the Democratic and Peoples Party fusion candidate for Congress from the Eighth District
14. "Peffer's Successor Chosen". The New York Times. January 28, 1897. p. 1.
15. "M'ENERY ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. May 29, 1896. p. 5.
16. "WELLINGTON IS ELECTED". The New York Times. January 23, 1896. p. 5.
17. "Vest in Missouri". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
18. "Jones of Nevada Re-elected". The New York Times. January 27, 1897. p. 3.
19. "Salmagundi". Daily Independent. Elko, Nev. January 27, 1897. p. 3. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
20. Tribune Almanac 1898, p. 162.
21. "Gallinger in New Hampshire". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
22. "PRITCHARD IN NORTH CAROLINA". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
23. "Hansbrough in North Dakota". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
24. "Foraker will succeed Brice: Ohio's Republican Legislators Vote Solidly for the Ex-Governor" (PDF). The New York Times. January 14, 1896.
25. "TWO SENATORS ELECTED". The New York Times. January 27, 1897. p. 3.
26. "SENATOR KYLE RE-ELECTED". The New York Times. February 19, 1897. p. 3.
27. "Joseph L. Rawlins". Sacramento Daily Union. February 4, 1897.
28. "TURNER ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. January 30, 1897. p. 1.
29. "MALLORY ELECTED SENATOR". The New York Times. May 15, 1897. p. 12.
30. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1896". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
31. "U.S. Senate Election - 19 January 1897" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa City, Iowa.
• Cox, Harold (January 31, 2007). "Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682–2006". The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
• Rhoades, Henry Eckford, ed. (1898). The Tribune Almanac for 1898. New York, NY: The Tribune Association.
• Jordan, Frank E. The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876-1962. p. 54.
• "Evans Makes a Denial". New York Times. June 23, 1896. p. 5.
• "Hope for South Carolina". New York Times. September 23, 1896. p. 9.
• Members of the 55th United States Congress
• PROCEEDINGS OF THE CAUCUS, The New York Times, January 15, 1897
• MR. HILL IS RENOMINATED, The New York Times, January 19, 1897
• MANY SENATORS SELECTED; Platt Gets a Big Majority in Each House of New York's Legislature, The New York Times, January 20, 1897