1904–05 United States Senate elections

The 1904–05 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President Theodore Roosevelt's landslide election to a full term and the 1904 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 1904 and 1905, 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.

1904–05 United States Senate elections

← 1902 & 1903 February 4, 1904 – April 20, 1905 1906 & 1907 →
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 Arthur P. Gorman (retired) Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1897 March 4, 1903 Leader's seat Iowa Maryland Seats before 57 33 Seats won 22 5 Seats after 57 32 Seat change 1 Seats up 23 7
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

Party share of seats remained roughly the same, when including vacancies and appointments, and the Republicans retained a significant majority over the Democrats.

Special elections were held in Indiana and Massachusetts, in the former due to the ascension of Charles Fairbanks to the Vice Presidency and in the latter due to the death of longtime Senator George Hoar.

In Georgia, the legislature failed to elect until shortly after the beginning of the 59th Congress on March 4. In Delaware the legislature deadlocked and did not elect a Senator until June 1906.

Results summary

Senate party division, 59th Congress (1905–1907)

• Majority party: Republican (58)
• Minority party: Democratic (32)
• Other parties: (0)
• Total seats: 90

Shifts in Party Control Post-Election

Despite legislative deadlocks and the long periods of vacancy in some states, the Republican Party's dominance in the Senate was further solidified in these elections. The party’s strong performance in the Senate mirrored President Theodore Roosevelt's landslide victory in the 1904 presidential election. This continuity of Republican control in both the executive and legislative branches contributed to the implementation of Roosevelt's progressive policies, such as trust-busting and railroad regulation, further cementing the party's influence during the early 20th century.

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

At the beginning of 1904.

					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
R56 Retired	R57 Retired	D33 Retired	D32 Ran	D31 Ran	D30 Ran	D29 Ran	D28 Ran	D27 Ran	D26
R55 Retired	R54 Retired	R53 Retired	R52 Retired	R51 Ran but died	R50 Ran	R49 Ran	R48 Ran	R47 Ran	R46 Ran
Majority →
R36 Ran	R37 Ran	R38 Ran	R39 Ran	R40 Ran	R41 Ran	R42 Ran	R43 Ran	R44 Ran	R45 Ran
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	D17	D18	D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25
R56 Gain	V1 R Loss	V2 D Loss	V3 D Loss	D31 Gain	D30 Re-elected	D29 Re-elected	D28 Re-elected	D27 Re-elected	D26
R55 Hold	R54 Hold	R53 Hold	R52 Hold	R51 Hold	R50 Hold	R49 Hold	R48 Re-elected	R47 Re-elected	R46 Re-elected
Majority →
R36 Re-elected	R37 Re-elected	R38 Re-elected	R39 Re-elected	R40 Re-elected	R41 Re-elected	R42 Re-elected	R43 Re-elected	R44 Re-elected	R45 Re-elected
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	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25
R56	V1	V2	D32 Appointed	D31	D30	D29	D28	D27	D26
R55	R54	R53	R52	R51	R50	R49	R48	R47	R46
Majority →
R36	R37	R38	R39	R40	R41	R42	R43	R44	R45
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 R# Republican V# Vacant

Race summaries

Elections during the 58th Congress

Special elections

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1904 or in 1905 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Ohio (Class 1)	Mark Hanna	Republican	1897 (appointed) 1898 (special) 1898	Incumbent died February 15, 1904. New senator elected March 2, 1904.[2] Republican hold. Winner was also elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Charles W. F. Dick (Republican) 174 ▌John H. Clarke (Democratic) 25[2]
Pennsylvania (Class 1)	Matthew Quay	Republican	1887 1893 1899 (failure to elect) 1899 (appointed; disqualified) 1901 (special)	Incumbent died May 28, 1904. New senator elected January 17, 1905.[citation needed] Republican hold. Winner was also elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Philander C. Knox (Republican) 100%
Massachusetts (Class 2)	Winthrop M. Crane	Republican	1904 (appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Winthrop M. Crane (Republican) [data missing]

In this election, the winner was seated March 4, 1905.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Indiana (Class 3)	Charles W. Fairbanks	Republican	1897 1903	Incumbent resigned March 3, 1905, to become U.S. Vice President. New senator elected January 18, 1905 to begin service on the first day of the new Congress. Republican hold.	▌Y James A. Hemenway (Republican) 100%

Early elections

In these elections, the winners were seated March 4, 1907, in the 60th Congress; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Mississippi (Class 2)	Anselm J. McLaurin	Democratic	1894 (special) 1900	Incumbent re-elected early January 19, 1904.	▌Y Anselm J. McLaurin (Democratic) Unopposed[4]
Louisiana (Class 2)	Murphy J. Foster	Democratic	1900	Incumbent re-elected early May 18, 1904.[5]	▌Y Murphy J. Foster (Democratic) 148 Unopposed[5]

Races leading to the 59th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1905; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
California	Thomas R. Bard	Republican	1900	Incumbent lost renomination New senator elected January 11, 1905.[3] Republican hold.	▌Y Frank Flint (Republican) 111 ▌Theodore Arlington Bell (Democratic) 8[3]
Connecticut	Joseph R. Hawley	Republican	1881 1887 1893	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 17, 1905.[6] Republican hold.	▌Y Morgan Bulkeley (Republican) 228 ▌A. Heaton Robertson (Democratic) 37[6]
Delaware	L. Heisler Ball	Republican	1903 (special)	Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Republican loss. Seat remained vacant until June 13, 1906.	▌J. Edward Addicks (Union Republican) ▌Willard Saulsbury Jr. (Democratic) ▌Henry A. du Pont (Republican) ▌James H. Hughes (Democratic)
Florida	James Taliaferro	Democratic	1899 (special)	Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Incumbent would be appointed to start the term. Appointee was later elected to finish the term; see below.	[data missing]
Indiana	Albert J. Beveridge	Republican	1899	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Albert J. Beveridge (Republican) Unopposed
Maine	Eugene Hale	Republican	1881 1887 1893 1899	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Eugene Hale (Republican) [data missing]
Maryland	Louis E. McComas	Republican	1898	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected February 4, 1904. Democratic gain.	▌Y Isidor Rayner (Democratic) 70.49% ▌Louis E. McComas (Republican) 29.51%
Massachusetts	Henry Cabot Lodge	Republican	1893 1899	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Henry Cabot Lodge (Republican) 198[7] ▌William A. Gaston (Democratic) 72[7]
Michigan	Julius C. Burrows	Republican	1899	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Julius C. Burrows (Republican) Unopposed
Minnesota	Moses E. Clapp	Republican	1901	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Moses E. Clapp (Republican) Unopposed
Mississippi	Hernando Money	Democratic	1897 (appointed) 1899	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1904.[8]	▌Y Hernando Money (Democratic) Unopposed
Missouri	Francis Cockrell	Democratic	1874 1881 1887 1893 1899	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss.[3]	▌William Warner (Republican) ▌Francis Cockrell (Democratic) ▌Thomas K. Niedringhaus (Republican)[3]
Montana	Paris Gibson	Democratic	1901 (special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 16, 1905.[3] Republican gain.	▌Y Thomas H. Carter (Republican) 62 ▌W. C. Conrad (Democratic) 28 ▌Martin Dee (Fusion) 6 Scattering 6[3]
Nebraska	Charles H. Dietrich	Republican	1901 (special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 17, 1905. Republican hold.	▌Y Elmer Burkett (Republican) 92.19% ▌Richard Lee Metcalfe (Democratic) 7.03% ▌Alfred Sorenson (Republican) 0.78%
Nevada	William M. Stewart	Republican	1887 1893 1899	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 25, 1905.[3] Republican hold.	▌Y George S. Nixon (Republican) 31 ▌John Sparks (Democratic) 25[3]
New Jersey	John Kean	Republican	1899	Incumbent re-elected January 2, 1905.	▌Y John Kean (Republican) Unopposed
New York	Chauncey Depew	Republican	1899	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Chauncey Depew (Republican) 136 ▌Smith M. Weed (Democratic) 57[3]
North Dakota	Porter J. McCumber	Republican	1899	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Porter J. McCumber (Republican) Unopposed
Ohio	Mark Hanna	Republican	1897 (appointed) 1898 (special) 1898	Incumbent re-elected, but died February 15, 1904. New senator elected March 2, 1904.[2] Republican hold. Winner was also elected to finish the term; see above.	▌Y Charles W. F. Dick (Republican) 174 ▌John H. Clarke (Democratic) 25[2]
Pennsylvania	Philander C. Knox	Republican	1904 (appointed) 1905 (special)	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Philander C. Knox (Republican) 225 ▌James Knox Polk Hall (Democratic) 25[3]
Rhode Island	Nelson W. Aldrich	Republican	1881 (special) 1886 1892 1898	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1905.[3]	▌Y Nelson W. Aldrich (Republican) 93 ▌George W. Greene (Democratic) 17[3]
Tennessee	William B. Bate	Democratic	1887 1893 1899	Incumbent re-elected January 11, 1905.[3]	▌Y William B. Bate (Democratic) ▌Walter P. Brownlow (Republican)[3]
Texas	Charles A. Culberson	Democratic	1899	Incumbent re-elected January 25, 1905.[3]	▌Y Charles A. Culberson (Democratic) Unopposed
Utah	Thomas Kearns	Republican	1901 (special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 18, 1905.[3] Republican hold.	▌Y George Sutherland (Republican) 57 ▌William H. King (Democratic) 6[3]
Vermont	Redfield Proctor	Republican	1891 (appointed) 1892 (special) 1892 1898	Incumbent re-elected October 18, 1904.[9]	▌Y Redfield Proctor (Republican) 205 ▌John H. Senter (Democratic) 31[9]
Virginia	John W. Daniel	Democratic	1887 1893 1899	Incumbent re-elected January 26, 1904.[4]	▌Y John W. Daniel (Democratic) Unopposed
Washington	Addison G. Foster	Republican	1899	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 27, 1905.[3] Republican hold.	▌Y Samuel H. Piles (Republican) 125 ▌Addison G. Foster (Republican) 2 ▌George Turner (Democratic) 6[3]
West Virginia	Nathan B. Scott	Republican	1899	Incumbent re-elected January 25, 1905.[3]	▌Y Nathan B. Scott (Republican) 82 ▌John T. McGraw (Democratic) 27[3]
Wisconsin	Joseph V. Quarles	Republican	1899	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 25, 1905.[10] Republican hold.	▌Y Robert M. La Follette (Republican) Unopposed
Wyoming	Clarence D. Clark	Republican	1895 (special) 1899	Incumbent re-elected January 25, 1905.[11]	▌Y Clarence D. Clark (Republican) Unopposed

Elections during the 59th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1905 after March 4; sorted by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Missouri (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected March 18, 1905. Republican gain.	▌Y William Warner (Republican) 91 ▌Francis Cockrell (Democratic) 83 ▌Thomas K. Niedringhaus (Republican) 1[3]
Tennessee (Class 1)	William B. Bate	Democratic	1887 1893 1899 1905	Incumbent died March 9, 1905, having just been re-elected. New senator elected March 21, 1905. Democratic hold.	▌Y James B. Frazier (Democratic) ▌Walter P. Brownlow (Republican)[3]
Florida (Class 1)	James Taliaferro	Democratic	1899 (special) 1905 (appointed)	Legislature had failed to elect. Incumbent was appointed to begin the term. Interim appointee elected April 20, 1905.	▌Y James Taliaferro (Democratic) [data missing]
Connecticut (Class 3)	Orville H. Platt	Republican	1879 1885 1891 1897 1903	Incumbent died April 21, 1905. New senator elected May 10, 1905. Republican hold.	▌Y Frank B. Brandegee (Republican) 227 ▌Henry A. Bishop (Democratic) 34

Maryland

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland

1904 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1898 February 9, 1904 1910 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate Isidor Rayner Louis E. McComas Party Democratic Republican Legislative vote 80 36 Percentage 70.49% 29.51

Isidor Rayner defeated incumbent Louis E. McComas by a margin of 40.98%, or 50 votes for the Class 1 seat.^[12]

New York

Main article: 1905 United States Senate election in New York

See also: List of United States senators from New York and 1904 United States House of Representatives elections in New York

The 1905 election in New York was held on January 17, 1905, by the New York State Legislature. Republican Chauncey M. Depew had been elected to this seat in 1899, and his term would expire on March 3, 1905. At the State election in November 1904, large Republican majorities were elected for a two-year term (1905-1906) in the State Senate, and for the session of 1905 to the Assembly. The 128th State Legislature met from January 3, 1905, on at Albany, New York.

Late in 1904, Ex-Governor Frank S. Black tried to be nominated to succeed Depew. Black was supported by Governor Benjamin B. Odell Jr., but after intense fighting behind the scenes, Odell finally dropped Black and accepted Depew's re-election which had been supported by his fellow Senator Thomas C. Platt and Speaker S. Frederick Nixon. The Republican caucus met on January 16. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Chauncey M. Depew unanimously.

The Democratic caucus met also on January 16. They nominated again Smith M. Weed who had been the candidate of the Democratic minority in the U.S. Senate election of 1887.

1905 Democratic caucus for United States Senator result

Candidate	First ballot
Y Smith M. Weed	42
D. Cady Herrick	14

Chauncey M. Depew was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected.

1905 United States Senator election result

Office	House	Republican		Democrat
State Senate (50 members)	Y Chauncey M. Depew	36	Smith M. Weed	13
State Assembly (150 members)	Y Chauncey M. Depew	100	Smith M. Weed	44

Note: The votes were cast on January 17, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 18 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Pennsylvania

Main article: 1905 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania and 1904 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania

The election in Pennsylvania was held on January 17, 1905. Incumbent Philander C. Knox was elected by the Pennsylvania State Assembly to his first full term in the United States Senate.^[13]

Republican Matthew Quay was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate in the previous election in January 1901. He served until his death on May 28, 1904.^[14] In June 1904, Republican Philander C. Knox was appointed to serve out the remainder of Quay's term, ending on March 4, 1905, when he began a term in his own right.^[15]

The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and Senate, convened on January 17, 1905, to elect a Senator to serve the term beginning on March 4, 1905. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[13][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Philander C. Knox (Incumbent)	222	87.40
	Democratic	James K. P. Hall	23	9.06
	N/A	Not voting	9	3.54
Totals			254	100.00%

See also

• 1904 United States elections
  • 1904 United States presidential election
  • 1904 United States House of Representatives elections
• 58th United States Congress
• 59th 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. "GEN. DICK SUCCEEDS HANNA". The New York Times. March 3, 1904. p. 9.
3. The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906. New York: The Press Publishing Co. New York World. 1905. p. 108.
4. Tribune Almanac 1905, p. 234.
5. Official Journal of the Proceedings of House of Representatives of the State of Louisiana at the Regular Session of the General Assembly. 1904. p. 76.
6. "BULKELEY IN CONNECTICUT". The New York Times. January 18, 1905. p. 2.
7. "ELECTED LODGE AND W.M. CRANE". Boston Daily Globe. 18 Jan 1905. p. 2.
8. "Re-elect Senators McLaurin and Money" (PDF). The New York Times. January 20, 1904. p. 5.
9. "SENATOR PROCTOR RE-ELECTED" (PDF). The New York Times. October 19, 1904. p. 1.
10. "Gov. La Follette Elected Senator". The New York Times. January 25, 1905. p. 5.
11. "Clark Returned for Another Term". The New York Times. January 25, 1905. p. 5.
12. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Feb 04, 1904". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
13. "U.S. Senate Election - 17 January 1905" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
14. "QUAY, Matthew Stanley, (1833–1904)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
15. "KNOX, Philander Chase, (1853–1921)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
16. "PA US Senate - 1905". OurCampaigns. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Rhoades, Henry Eckford; McPherson, Edward; Schem, A. J.; Ottarson, F. J.; Cleveland, John F.; Greeley, Horace (1905). The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1905. New York: The Tribune Association. pp. 233–234.
• The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1906. New York: The Tribune Association. 1906. pp. 244–246.
• New York
  • "BLACK AND DEPEW SEE ODELL ON SENATORSHIP" (PDF). The New York Times. November 23, 1904.
  • "ODELL FOR BLACK; OPEN WAR BEGINS" (PDF). The New York Times. December 16, 1904.
  • "BLACK NOW A CANDIDATE, HIS ORGAN DECLARES" (PDF). The New York Times. December 18, 1904.
  • "ODELL YIELDS TO DEPEW; SENATORSHIP FIGHT ENDS" (PDF). The New York Times. December 30, 1904.
  • "DEPEW NAMED FOR SENATOR.; ...S.M. Weed Democratic Nominee" (PDF). The New York Times. January 17, 1905.
  • "ANOTHER TERM FOR DEPEW" (PDF). The New York Times. January 18, 1905.
• Pennsylvania: Cox, Harold (January 31, 2007). "Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006". The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.