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The 1872–73 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President Ulysses S. Grant's re-election. 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 1872 and 1873, 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.
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24 of the 74 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 38 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results of the elections: Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold Liberal Republican gain Legislature Failed to Elect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Republican Party, while still retaining a commanding majority, lost two seats. By the beginning of the Congress, however, they would lose three more: two as defections to the Liberal Republican Party, and one a resignation of Henry Wilson to become U.S. Vice President. This remains the last election in which Republicans held a 2/3 majority in the Senate.
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Senate party division, 43rd Congress (1873–1875)
- Majority party: Republican (50–51)
- Minority party: Democratic (19–20)
- Other parties: Liberal Republican (3–2)
- Vacant: (2–1)
- Total seats: 74
Before the elections
After the January 30, 1872 special election in North Carolina.
| D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | |||
| D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 | D14 | D15 Ran |
D16 Unknown |
D17 Unknown |
| R48 Unknown |
R49 Unknown |
R50 Unknown |
R51 Retired |
R52 Retired |
R53 Retired |
R54 Retired |
R55 Retired |
R56 Resigned |
LR1 Retired |
| R47 Ran |
R46 Ran |
R45 Ran |
R44 Ran |
R43 Ran |
R42 Ran |
R41 Ran |
R40 Ran |
R39 Ran |
R38 Ran |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| R28 | R29 | R30 | R31 | R32 | R33 | R34 | R35 | R36 | R37 Ran |
| R27 | R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 | R22 | R21 | R20 | R19 | R18 |
| R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 |
| R7 | R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 | R2 | R1 | |||
Result of the elections
| D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | |||
| D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 | D14 | D15 Hold |
D16 Hold |
D17 Hold |
| R48 Hold |
R49 Hold |
R50 Hold |
R51 Hold |
R52 Hold |
R53 Gain |
LR1 Re-elected, new party |
V1 R Loss |
D19 Gain |
D18 Gain |
| R47 Hold |
R46 Hold |
R45 Hold |
R44 Hold |
R43 Re-elected |
R42 Re-elected |
R41 Re-elected |
R40 Re-elected |
R39 Re-elected |
R38 Re-elected |
| Majority → | R37 Re-elected | ||||||||
| R28 | R29 | R30 | R31 | R32 | R33 | R34 | R35 | R36 | |
| R27 | R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 | R22 | R21 | R20 | R19 | R18 |
| R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 |
| R7 | R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 | R2 | R1 | |||
Beginning of the next Congress
| D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | |||
| D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 | D14 | D15 | D16 | D17 |
| R48 | R49 | R50 | LR1 | LR2 Changed |
LR3 Changed |
V1 | V2 Resigned |
D19 | D18 |
| R47 | R46 | R45 | R44 | R43 | R42 | R41 | R40 | R39 | R38 |
| Majority → | R37 | ||||||||
| R28 | R29 | R30 | R31 | R32 | R33 | R34 | R35 | R36 | |
| R27 | R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 | R22 | R21 | R20 | R19 | R18 |
| R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 |
| R7 | R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 | R2 | R1 | |||
| Key: |
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Special elections during the 42nd Congress
In these elections, the winners were seated during 1872 or in 1873 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| North Carolina (Class 2) |
Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected January 30, 1872. Democratic gain. |
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| Kentucky (Class 3) |
Willis B. Machen | Democratic | 1872 (appointed) | Interim appointee elected January 21, 1873. Winner was not elected to the next term; see below. |
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| Louisiana (Class 3) |
William P. Kellogg | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent resigned November 1, 1872 to become Governor of Louisiana. Legislature failed to elect. The seat remained vacant until January 12, 1876, due to a Senate dispute; see below.[3] Republican loss. |
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Races leading to the 43rd Congress
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1873; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Alabama | George E. Spencer | Republican | 1868 (readmission) | Incumbent re-elected in 1872. |
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| Arkansas | Benjamin F. Rice | Republican | 1868 (readmission) | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. |
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| California | Cornelius Cole | Republican | 1866–67 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. |
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| Connecticut | Orris S. Ferry | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected May 15, 1872 as a Liberal Republican. Liberal Republican gain. |
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| Florida | Thomas W. Osborn | Republican | 1868 (readmission) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. |
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| Georgia | Joshua Hill | Republican | 1867 (not seated) 1871 (admitted) |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1873. Democratic gain. |
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| Illinois | Lyman Trumbull | Liberal Republican |
1855 1861 1867 |
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 20, 1873. Republican gain. |
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| Indiana | Oliver P. Morton | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected in 1873. |
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| Iowa | James Harlan | Republican | 1855 1857 (election voided) 1857 (special) 1860 1865 (resigned) 1866 |
Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 17, 1872.[7] Republican hold. |
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| Kansas | Samuel C. Pomeroy | Republican | 1861 1867 |
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1873. Republican hold. |
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| Kentucky | Willis B. Machen | Democratic | 1872 (appointed) | Interim appointee retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872. Democratic hold. Winner was not elected to finish the current term, see above. |
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| Louisiana | William P. Kellogg | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent resigned November 1, 1872 to become Governor of Louisiana. Legislature failed to elect and the seat remained vacant until January 12, 1876 due to a Senate dispute.[3] |
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| Maryland | George Vickers | Democratic | 1868 (special) | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Democratic hold. |
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| Missouri | Francis Blair | Democratic | 1871 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Democratic hold. |
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| Nevada | James W. Nye | Republican | 1865 1867 |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1873. Republican hold. |
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| New Hampshire | James W. Patterson | Republican | 1866–67 | Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected in 1872. Republican hold. |
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| New York | Roscoe Conkling | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected January 21, 1873. |
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| North Carolina | John Pool | Republican | 1868 (readmission) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1872. Democratic gain. |
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| Ohio | John Sherman | Republican | 1861 (special) 1866 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1872. |
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| Oregon | Henry W. Corbett | Republican | 1866–67 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1872. Republican hold. |
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| Pennsylvania | Simon Cameron | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected January 21, 1873. |
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| South Carolina | Frederick A. Sawyer | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. |
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| Vermont | Justin S. Morrill | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected in 1872. |
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| Wisconsin | Timothy O. Howe | Republican | 1861 1867 |
Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1873. |
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Elections during the 43rd Congress
In this election, the winner was elected in 1873 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Massachusetts (Class 2) |
Henry Wilson | Republican | 1855 (special) 1859 1865 1871 |
Incumbent resigned to become U.S. Vice President. New senator elected March 12, 1873.[9] Republican hold. |
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| California (Class 1) |
Eugene Casserly | Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent resigned. New senator elected December 23, 1873.[10] Democratic hold. |
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Early election
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| California (Class 1) |
Eugene Casserly | Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent resigned November 29, 1873. New senator elected early December 20, 1873.[12] Anti-Monopoly gain. |
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California (regular, class 3)
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California (special)
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California (early)
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Kentucky (regular)
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Kentucky (special)
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Louisiana (special)
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Louisiana (regular)
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80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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George R. Dennis was elected by a margin of 75.27%, or 70 votes, for the Class 3 seat.[13]
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The New York election was held January 21, 1873.[c] Republican Roscoe Conkling had been elected in January 1867 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1873.
At the State election in November 1871, 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1872–1873) in the State Senate. In 1872, a faction of the Republican Party opposed the re-election of President Ulysses S. Grant and the Radical Republicans who supported him, and under the name Liberal Republican Party nominated a joint ticket with the Democratic Party. At the State election in November 1872, 91 Republicans, 35 Democrats and 2 Independents were elected for the session of 1873 to the Assembly. The 96th New York State Legislature met from January 7 to May 30, 1873, at Albany, New York.
The caucus of Republican State legislators met on January 8, State Senator William B. Woodin, of Auburn (25th D.), presided. 18 state senators and 88 assemblymen were present. They re-nominated Conkling unanimously. The caucus of the Democratic State legislators nominated Ex-First Judge of Dutchess County Charles Wheaton.
Roscoe Conkling was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected.
| House | Republican | Democratic | Republican | Liberal Republican | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) |
Roscoe Conkling | 20 | Charles A. Wheaton[d] | 5 | William M. Evarts | 1 | Henry R. Selden | 1 |
| State Assembly (128 members) |
Roscoe Conkling | 92 | Charles A. Wheaton | 26 | ||||
Note: The vote for Ex-U.S. Attorney General William M. Evarts was cast by Norman M. Allen (32nd district), the vote for Ex-Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Henry R. Selden by Gabriel T. Harrower (27th district). Allen, Harrower and Abiah W. Palmer (11th district) were the three Liberal Republicans in the State Senate.
North Carolina (regular)
North Carolina (late)
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The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate, voted on January 21, 1873. Incumbent Republican Simon Cameron, who was elected in 1867, won re-election.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Simon Cameron (Incumbent) | 76 | 57.14 | |
| Democratic | William A. Wallace | 50 | 37.59 | |
| Liberal Republican | Thomas Marshall | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Democratic | Hendrick Wright | 1 | 0.75 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 5 | 3.76 | |
| Totals | 133 | 100.00% | ||
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- Possibly Cornelius Cole
- Although the votes were cast on January 21, both Houses met in a joint session on January 22 to compare nominations, and declare the result.[citation needed]
- Charles A. Wheaton (1834-1886), lawyer, of Poughkeepsie, First Judge of the Dutchess County Court 1863-67[citation needed]
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