1900–01 United States Senate elections

The 1900–01 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President William McKinley's re-election as well as the 1900 House of Representatives elections. 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 1900 and 1901, 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.

1900–01 United States Senate elections

← 1898 & 1899 January 16, 1900 – March 28, 1901 1902 & 1903 →
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 William B. Allison James K. Jones Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1897 March 4, 1899 Leader's seat Iowa Arkansas Seats before 53 27 Seats after 55 29 Seat change 2 2 Seats up 17 11 Races won 14 13   Third party Fourth party   Party Populist Silver Republican Seats before 4 2 Seats after 2 2 Seat change 2 Seats up 1 1 Races won 0 1   Fifth party   Party Silver Seats before 2 Seats after 2 Seat change Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Silver Republican gain      Silver Republican hold      Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

Both the Republicans and the Democrats gained two seats at the expense of various third parties and vacancies. Special elections were held to fill vacant seats in Pennsylvania, Utah, and Montana (of which the Republicans won the two former and Democrats the latter) as well as to replace appointees in Minnesota, Nebraska, and Vermont (all of which were carried by the Republicans). Republicans flipped Democratic-held seats in Minnesota, as well as a Populist seat in Nebraska and a Silver Republican held seat in South Dakota. The Silver Republican party kept itself to net neutral gain by flipping a Republican held seat in Idaho. The Democratic party, meanwhile, flipped Republican held seats in Montana and Colorado as well as a Populist held seat in North Carolina.

In Nebraska and Montana's special election, senators were elected shortly after the beginning of the 57th Congress on March 4. In Delaware, the legislature again failed to elect a candidate, leaving both senate seats vacant– the only time a state has gone without representation in the Senate since the first Congress.

Results summary

Senate party division, 57th Congress (1901–1903)

• Majority party: Republican (55)
• Minority party: Democratic (29)
• Other parties: Populist (2); Silver Republican 2; Vacant 2
• Total seats: 90

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

At the beginning of 1900.

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16 Ran	D17 Ran	D18 Ran	D19 Ran	D20 Ran	D21 Ran	D22 Retired	D23 Retired	D24 Retired	D25 Retired
SR2	SR1	S1	S2	P1	P2	P3	P4	P5 Ran	D26 Retired
SR3 Ran	R51 Retired	R50 Unknown	R49 Ran	R48 Ran	R47 Ran	R46 Ran	R45 Ran	R44 Ran	V1
Majority →									V2
R36 Ran	R37 Ran	R38 Ran	R39 Ran	R40 Ran	R41 Ran	R42 Ran	R43 Ran		V3
R35 Ran	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

Result of the general elections

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16 Re-elected	D17 Re-elected	D18 Re-elected	D19 Re-elected	D20 Re-elected	D21 Hold	D22 Hold	D23 Hold	D24 Hold	D25 Hold
SR1	S1	S2	P1	P2	P3	P4	D28 Gain from P	D27 Gain from R	D26 Gain from R
SR2	SR3 Gain from R	R48 Gain from SR	R47 Re-elected	R46 Re-elected	R45 Re-elected	R44 Hold	R43 Re-elected	V5 D Loss	V1
Majority →								V4 R Loss	V2
R36 Re-elected	R37 Re-elected	R38 Re-elected	R39 Re-elected	R40 Re-elected	R41 Re-elected	R42 Hold			V3
R35 Re-elected	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

Beginning of the next Congress

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10 Change from SR	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25
R52 Gain from V	R53 Gain from V	SR2	SR1	P1	P2	P3	D28	D27	D26
R51 Change from P	R50 Change from S	R49 Change from S	R48	R47	R46	R45	R44	V4 D Loss	V1
Majority →
R36	R37	R38	R39	R40	R41	R42	R43	V3	V2
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 to the 56th Congress

In these elections, the winner was seated in the current (56th) Congress during 1900 or in 1901 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Mississippi (Class 2)	William V. Sullivan	Democratic	1898 (appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 16, 1900. Winner was not a candidate in the election for the next term; see below.	▌Y William V. Sullivan (Democratic) Unopposed[2]
California (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected February 7, 1900. Republican gain.	▌Y Thomas R. Bard (Republican) 85 ▌James D. Phelan (Democratic) 30 ▌Stephen M. White (Democratic) 1[3]
Vermont (Class 3)	Jonathan Ross	Republican	1899 (appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected October 18, 1900.[2] Republican hold.	▌Y William P. Dillingham (Republican) 162 ▌William W. Grout (Republican) 96 ▌Seneca Hazleton (Democratic) 6 ▌Jonathan Ross (Republican) 5 ▌C. A. Prouty (Republican) 1[2]
Pennsylvania (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. Predecessor appointed, but declared not entitled to the seat.[4] Predecessor re-elected January 16, 1901. Republican gain.	▌Y Matthew Quay (Republican) 130 ▌James M. Guffey (Democratic) 56 ▌John Dalzell (Republican) 34 ▌Charles E. Smith (Republican) 12 ▌George F. Huff (Republican) 7 ▌John Stewart (Republican) 3 Others, 1 each; see below[5]
Minnesota (Class 1)	Charles A. Towne	Democratic	1900 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected January 23, 1901. Republican gain.	▌Y Moses E. Clapp (Republican) 135 ▌Charles A. Towne (Democratic) 38[6]
Utah (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect.[2] New senator elected January 23, 1901. Republican gain.	▌Y Thomas Kearns (Republican) 37 ▌Alfred W. McCune (Democratic) 25[7]
Delaware (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect to begin the term. Legislature again failed to elect to finish the term.[8]	▌J. Edward Addicks (Republican) ▌Charles F. Richards (Republican) ▌Willard Saulsbury (Democratic)[8]

Elections to the 57th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1901; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	John T. Morgan	Democratic	1876 1882 1888 1894	Incumbent re-elected November 27, 1900.[9]	▌Y John T. Morgan (Democratic) Unopposed[3]
Arkansas	James H. Berry	Democratic	1885 (special) 1889 1895	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901.[10]	▌Y James H. Berry (Democratic) 123 ▌H. L. Remmel (Republican) 2[10]
Colorado	Edward O. Wolcott	Republican	1889 1895	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 15, 1901.[11] Democratic gain.	▌Y Thomas M. Patterson (Democratic) 91 ▌Edward O. Wolcott (Republican) 8[11]
Delaware	Richard R. Kenney	Democratic	1897 (special)	Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss.	▌J. Edward Addicks (Republican) ▌Henry A. du Pont (Republican) ▌Anthony Higgins (Republican) ▌Richard R. Kenney (Democratic)[8]
Georgia	Augustus O. Bacon	Democratic	1894	Incumbent re-elected November 6, 1900.[2]	▌Y Augustus O. Bacon (Democratic) Unopposed[2]
Idaho	George L. Shoup	Republican	1890 1895	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 16, 1901.[12][13] Silver Republican gain. New senator changed party to Democratic.	▌Y Fred Dubois (Silver Republican) 37 ▌George L. Shoup (Republican) 27[8]
Illinois	Shelby M. Cullom	Republican	1882 1888 1894	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901.[8][14]	▌Y Shelby M. Cullom (Republican) 100 ▌Samuel Alschuler (Democratic) 85[8]
Iowa	John H. Gear	Republican	1894	Incumbent re-elected January 17, 1900.[15][2] Incumbent died July 14, 1900.[2] A new senator was appointed to finish the term and to the next term.[2]	▌Y John H. Gear (Republican) 111 ▌Fred E. White (Democratic) 32[15][16]
Kansas	Lucien Baker	Republican	1895	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 22, 1901.[17] Republican hold.	▌Y Joseph R. Burton (Republican) 109 ▌David Overmyer (Democratic) 51[8]
Kentucky	William Lindsay	Democratic	1882	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 16, 1900, after an election January 10, 1900[2] was cast in doubt.[18] Democratic hold.	▌Y J. C. S. Blackburn (Democratic) 79 ▌William O. Bradley (Republican) 54
Louisiana	Donelson Caffery	Democratic	1894 (appointed) 1894 (special) 1894	Incumbent retired. New senator elected May 22, 1900.[19] Democratic hold.	▌Y Murphy J. Foster (Democratic) 148 Unopposed[2]
Maine	William P. Frye	Republican	1881 (special) 1883 1889 1895	Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901.[20][21]	▌Y William P. Frye (Republican) 131 ▌Swasey M. Staples (Democratic) 14[21][20]
Massachusetts	George F. Hoar	Republican	1877 1883 1889 1895	Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901.[6][22]	▌Y George F. Hoar (Republican) 77 ▌Richard Olney (Democratic) 56 ▌Charles H. Bradley (Social Democratic) 1[6][22]
Michigan	James McMillan	Republican	1889 1895	Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901.[6][23]	▌Y James McMillan (Republican) 116 ▌Thomas E. Barkworth (Unknown) 1[23][6]
Minnesota	Knute Nelson	Republican	1895	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901.[6]	▌Y Knute Nelson (Republican) 136 ▌R. R. Nelson (Democratic) 40[6]
Mississippi	William V. Sullivan	Democratic	1898 (appointed)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 16, 1900. Democratic hold. Winner was not a candidate to finish the term; see above.	▌Y Anselm J. McLaurin (Democratic) Unopposed[2]
Montana	Thomas H. Carter	Republican	1895	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 16, 1901.[6] Democratic gain. The election was later challenged.[2]	▌Y William A. Clark (Democratic) 57 votes ▌Thomas H. Carter (Republican) 31 votes ▌Martin Maginnis (Democratic) 4 votes ▌R. B. Smith (Democratic) 1 vote[24][25]
Nebraska	John M. Thurston	Republican	1895	Legislature failed to elect.[26] Republican loss.	[data missing]
New Hampshire	William E. Chandler	Republican	1889 (special) 1895	Incumbent lost remomination. New senator elected January 15, 1901.[27][5] Republican hold.	▌Y Henry E. Burnham (Republican) 301 ▌Charles F. Stone (Democratic) 84 ▌Henry M. Baker (Independent) 1[27][5]
New Jersey	William J. Sewell	Republican	1895	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901.[5][28]	▌Y William J. Sewell (Republican) 62 ▌Alvah A. Clark (Democratic) 17[5][28]
North Carolina	Marion Butler	Populist	1894	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 22, 1901.[5][29] Democratic gain.	▌Y F. M. Simmons (Democratic) 124 ▌Richmond Pearson (Republican) 26[5]
Oregon	George W. McBride	Republican	1895	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected February 24, 1901.[5][30] Republican hold.	▌Y John H. Mitchell (Republican) 46 ▌Henry W. Corbett (Republican) 29 ▌A. S. Bennett (Democratic) 16[5][30]
Rhode Island	George P. Wetmore	Republican	1894	Incumbent re-elected June 12, 1900.[31]	▌Y George P. Wetmore (Republican) 88 ▌Samuel R. Honey (Democratic) 10[2]
South Carolina	Benjamin Tillman	Democratic	1894	Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901.[7][32]	▌Y Benjamin Tillman (Democratic) Unopposed[7]
South Dakota	Richard F. Pettigrew	Silver Republican	1889 1894	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 22, 1901.[7][33] Republican gain.	▌Y Robert J. Gamble (Republican) 115 ▌Richard F. Pettigrew (Silver Republican) 13[7][33]
Tennessee	Thomas B. Turley	Democratic	1883	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 16, 1901.[7][34] Democratic hold.	▌Y Edward W. Carmack (Democratic) 99 ▌Thomas N. Burkett (Republican) 24[7]
Texas	Horace Chilton	Democratic	1882	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 22, 1901.[7][35] Democratic hold.	▌Y Joseph W. Bailey (Democratic) 137 ▌Edwin A. Atlee (Democratic) 2 ▌Horace Chilton (Democratic) 2 ▌M. M. Crane (Democratic) 1 ▌John H. Reagan (Democratic) 1[7][35]
Virginia	Thomas S. Martin	Democratic	1893 (early)	Incumbent had already been re-elected early December 19, 1899.
West Virginia	Stephen B. Elkins	Republican	1895	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901.[7][36]	▌Y Stephen B. Elkins (Republican) 61 ▌John T. McGraw (Democratic) 23[7]
Wyoming	Francis E. Warren	Republican	1890 1893 (lost) 1895	Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901.[7]	▌Y Francis E. Warren (Republican) 52 ▌John E. Osborne (Democratic) 3[7][37]

Early election to the 58th Congress

In this election, the winner was seated in the 58th Congress, starting March 4, 1903.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Louisiana (Class 3)	Samuel D. McEnery	Democratic	1896	Incumbent re-elected early May 22, 1900 for the term beginning March 4, 1903.[2][19]	▌Y Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) 148 Unopposed[4]

Elections during the 57th Congress

In these elections, the winners was elected in 1901 after March 4 and seated in the 57th Congress.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Montana (Class 1)	Vacant			William A. Clark resigned May 15, 1900, and was later elected to the state's other seat; see above. New senator elected March 7, 1901.[6] Democratic gain.	▌Y Paris Gibson (Democratic) 47 ▌Thomas H. Carter (Republican) 33 ▌John MacGinnis (Democratic)11 ▌H. L. Frank (Democratic) 1[6]
Nebraska (Class 1)	William V. Allen	Populist	1893 1899 (lost) 1899 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost election as a Fusion candidate.[38] New senator elected March 28, 1901.[26] Republican gain.	▌Y Charles H. Dietrich (Republican) 70 ▌William V. Allen (Fusion)[38] 58 ▌George W. Berge (Unknown) 2[26]
Nebraska (Class 2)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect; see above. New senator elected March 28, 1901.[26] Republican gain.	▌Y Joseph Millard (Republican) 70 ▌William H. Thompson (Fusion)[38] 52 ▌Gilbert Hitchcock (Fusion)[38] 8[26]

Pennsylvania (special)

Main article: 1901 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania

The special election in Pennsylvania was held on January 15, 1901, after the regularly scheduled legislative election in January–April 1899 failed to elect a Senator. Former Senator Matthew Quay, who had left the Senate for nearly two years because of the political stalemate, was again elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.^[39][40]

Republican Matthew Quay was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the 1893 election. With Sen. Quay's term expiring on March 4, 1899, the General Assembly convened on January 18, 1899, to elect a Senator for the next term. Between January 18 and April 19, 1899, seventy-nine ballots were recorded in an attempt to elect a Senator. Instead, the legislature adjourned sine die without electing a Senator due to a dispute between Sen. Quay's political machine and an anti-Quay faction within the Republican Party, along with Democratic Party opposition.^[39]

Sen. Quay's term expired on March 4, 1899. Since a Senator had not been elected for the successive term, the seat was vacated. At the time, Quay was under indictment for misuse of funds. He was acquitted, after which Governor William Stone appointed Quay to the vacated Senate seat (a power the Governor did not legally have until the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1913). The Senate refused to recognize Quay's appointment, and the seat remained vacant until a Senator could be officially elected (which would ultimately be Quay himself, after a nearly two-year hiatus). This incident, among others, would later be cited by supporters of the 17th Amendment, which mandated the direct election of U.S. Senators.^[39]

The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on January 15, 1901, for a special election to elect a Senator to serve out the remainder of the term that began on March 4, 1899. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Matthew Quay	130	51.18
	Democratic	James M. Guffey	56	22.05
	Republican	John Dalzell	34	13.39
	Republican	Charles E. Smith	12	4.72
	Republican	George Franklin Huff	7	2.76
	Republican	John Stewart	3	1.18
	Socialist	John H. Harris	1	0.39
	Republican	William McConway	1	0.39
	Republican	Henry C. McCormick	1	0.39
	Republican	Marlin Olmsted	1	0.39
	Prohibition	Silas C. Swallow	1	0.39
	Republican	Charles Tubbs	1	0.39
	N/A	Not voting	6	2.36
Totals			254	100.00%

See also

• 1900 United States elections
  • 1900 United States presidential election
  • 1900 United States House of Representatives elections
• 56th United States Congress
• 57th United States Congress

Notes

1. "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
2. Tribune Almanac (1901), p. 300.
3. Tribune Almanac (1901), pp. 299–300.
4. Tribune Almanac (1901), p. 299.
5. Tribune Almanac (1902), p. 300.
6. Tribune Almanac (1902), p. 298.
7. Tribune Almanac (1902), p. 301.
8. Tribune Almanac (1902), p. 297.
9. "Senator morgan re-elected". The New York Times. November 28, 1900. p. 7.
10. "Another Term for Berry of Arkansas". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
11. "Patterson wins in colorado". The New York Times. January 16, 1901. p. 3.
12. "Dubois lands the prize". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. January 16, 1901. p. 1.
13. "Dubois chosen on first ballot". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. January 16, 1901. p. 1.
14. "Cullom of Illinois Succeeds Himself". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
15. Clark, p. 245.
16. A different source tallied the results with an additional vote for both Gear and White.^[2]
17. "J.R. Burton the Choice in Kansas". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
18. "Blackburn's Election Duplicated". The New York Times. January 17, 1900. p. 2.
19. "Louisiana Senators Elected". The New York Times. May 23, 1900. p. 2.
20. Tribune Almanac (1902), pp. 297–298.
21. "Frye Wins Out in Maine". The New York Times. January 16, 1901. p. 3.
22. "Democrats Help Re-elect Hoar". The New York Times. January 16, 1901. p. 3.
23. "McMillan of Michigan Re-elected". The New York Times. January 16, 1901. p. 3.
24. Tribune Almanac (1902), p. 299.
25. "W.A. CLARK AGAIN A SENATOR.; Montana Legislature Elects Him on the First Ballot -- He Buys All the Wine in Helena". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
26. Tribune Almanac (1902), pp. 299–300.
27. "Burnham Is New Hampshire's Choice". The New York Times. January 16, 1901. p. 3.
28. "Senator sewell re-elected". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
29. "North Carolina Elects a Democrat". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
30. "Oregon elects a senator". The New York Times. February 25, 1901. p. 1.
31. "Senator wetmore re-elected". The New York Times. June 13, 1900. p. 2.
32. "Tillman South Carolina's Choice". The New York Times. January 24, 1901. p. 5.
33. "R.J. Gamble Succeeds Pettigrew". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
34. "Tennessee Elects Carmack". The New York Times. January 17, 1901. p. 2.
35. "Bailey a Senator from Texas". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
36. "Elkins Re-elected in West Virginia". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
37. "Warren Wins in Wyoming". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
38. "Fusion" here meant Democratic.Tribune Almanac (1902), pp. 299–300
39. "U.S. Senate Election - 1899" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
40. "U.S. Senate Election - 15 January 1901" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 23, 2012.

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.
• The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1901. New York: The Tribune Association. 1901. pp. 299–301.
• The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1902. New York: The Tribune Association. 1902. pp. 297–301.