1792–93 United States Senate elections
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10 of the 30 seats in the United States Senate (as well as special elections) 16 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results: Pro-Administration hold Pro-Administration gain Anti-Administration hold Anti-Administration gain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1792–93 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President George Washington's unanimous 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 1792 and 1793, 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 ten senators in Class 2.
Formal organized political parties had yet to form in the United States, but two political factions were present: The coalition of Senators who supported George Washington's administration were known as the Pro-Administration Party, and the Senators against him as the Anti-Administration Party.
Results summary
Senate party division, 3rd Congress (1793–1795)
- Majority party: Pro-Administration Party (16)
- Minority party: Anti-Administration Party (13)
- Other parties: 0
- Total seats: 30
- Vacant: 1 (later filled by Pro-Administration)
Change in composition
Note: There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.[2]
Virginia's elections are considered a single race here.
Before the elections
After the June 1792 admission of Kentucky.
| A5 | A4 | A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||
| A6 | A7 Ga. Ran |
A8 Ky. Ran |
A9 N.H. Ran |
A10 R.I. Unknown |
A11 S.C. Ran |
A12 Va. Resigned/Ran |
V1 Pa. |
P15 N.C. Ran |
P17 N.J. Retired |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | P12 | P16 Del. Unknown |
P13 Md. (sp) Resigned |
P14 Mass. Ran |
| P5 | P4 | P3 | P2 | P1 | |||||
Results of the election
| A5 | A4 | A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||
| A6 | A7 Ga. Hold |
A8 Ky. Re-elected |
A9 N.C. Gain |
A10 S.C. Re-elected |
A11 Va. Ran/Re-elected |
V1 Pa. |
P18 R.I. Gain |
P16 N.J. Hold |
P17 N.H. Gain |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | P12 | P15 Del. Hold |
P13 Md. (sp) Hold |
P14 Mass. Re-elected |
| P5 | P4 | P3 | P2 | P1 | |||||
Beginning of the next Congress
Two Pro-Administration senators (Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina and John Langdon of New Hampshire) changed to Anti-Administration.
The vacant seat in Pennsylvania was filled February 28, 1793 by an Anti-Administration senator.
| A5 | A4 | A3 | A2 | A1 | |||||
| A6 | A7 | A8 | A9 | A10 | A11 | A12 N.H. (cl. 1) Changed |
A13 N.C. (cl. 3) Changed |
A14 Pa. Late |
P16 |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| P6 | P7 | P8 | P9 | P10 | P11 | P12 | P13 | P14 | P15 |
| P5 | P4 | P3 | P2 | P1 | |||||
| Key: |
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Race summaries
Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
Elections during the 2nd Congress
In these elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1793; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| Kentucky (Class 2) |
None (new state) | Kentucky was admitted to the Union June 1, 1792. Winner elected June 18, 1792. Anti-Administration gain. |
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| Kentucky (Class 3) |
None (new state) | Kentucky was admitted to the Union June 1, 1792. Winner elected June 18, 1792. Anti-Administration gain. |
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| Virginia (Class 2) |
Richard Henry Lee | Anti-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent resigned October 8, 1792. Winner elected October 18, 1792. Anti-Administration hold. |
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| Maryland (Class 1) |
Charles Carroll | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent resigned November 30, 1792. Winner elected January 10, 1793. Pro-Administration hold. |
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| Pennsylvania (Class 1) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect in 1791–1792, leaving the seat vacant. Winner elected February 28, 1793. Anti-Administration gain. |
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Races leading to the 3rd Congress
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1793; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| Delaware | Richard Bassett | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1793. Pro-Administration hold. |
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| Georgia | William Few | Anti-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1793. Anti-Administration hold. |
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| Kentucky | John Brown | Anti-Administration | 1792 (new state) | Incumbent re-elected December 11, 1792. |
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| Massachusetts | Caleb Strong | Pro-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent re-elected in 1793. |
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| New Hampshire | Paine Wingate | Anti-Administration | 1788 | Incumbent lost re-election in 1792. Pro-Administration gain. |
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| New Jersey | Philemon Dickinson | Pro-Administration | 1790 (special) | Incumbent retired. Winner's election date unknown. Pro-Administration hold. |
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| North Carolina | Samuel Johnston | Pro-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1792.[9] Anti-Administration gain. |
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| Rhode Island | Joseph Stanton Jr. | Anti-Administration | 1790 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1793. Pro-Administration gain. |
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| South Carolina | Pierce Butler | Anti-Administration | 1789 | Incumbent re-elected December 5, 1792. |
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| Virginia | John Taylor | Anti-Administration | 1792 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1793. |
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Election in 1793 during the 3rd Congress
In this special election, the winner was seated after March 4, 1793, the beginning of the next Congress.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| Connecticut (Class 3) |
Roger Sherman | Pro-Administration | 1791 (special) | Incumbent died July 23, 1793. Winner elected December 2, 1793. Pro-Administration hold. |
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Connecticut (special)
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Delaware
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Georgia
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One-term Anti-Federalist William Few was defeated by fellow Anti-Federalist, James Jackson. Jackson won 24 votes in the Georgia House of Representatives and 11 in the State Senate for a combined total of 35. Few won 3 in the House and 2 in the Senate for a combined total of 5. Jackson took office as a member of the 3rd United States Congress on March 4, 1793. He would later resign in 1795 to run for his state's legislature.
| Party | Candidate | Votes in the House | Votes in the Senate | Total | % |
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| Anti-Federalist | James Jackson | 24 | 11 | 35 | 85.4% |
| Anti-Federalist | William Few (incumbent) | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12.2% |
| Anti-Federalist | George Mathews | 1 | - | 1 | 2.4% |
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Kentucky
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Incumbent John Brown, who had previously been elected in a special election was easily reelected with no opposition and 100% of votes from the legislators.
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Maryland (special)
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Richard Potts won election to fill the seat vacated by Charles Carroll over Josh Hoskins Stone by a margin of 21.84%, or 19 votes, for the Class 1 seat.[12]
Massachusetts
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New Hampshire
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Incumbent U.S. Senator Paine Wingate was not reelected. The New Hampshire General Court instead elected Federalist Samuel Livermore, a U.S. Representative, to the seat. Livermore, like his fellow senator, John Langdon, would go on to serve as President Pro-Tempore during this term.
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New Jersey
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North Carolina
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Pro-Administration Samuel Johnston lost re-election to Anti-Administration Alexander Martin for the class 2 seat. The other senator, Benjamin Hawkins, switched his support from Pro- to Anti-Administration.
Pennsylvania (special)
There was a special election on February 28, 1793, for the Class 1 seat from Pennsylvania. Incumbent William Maclay's term had ended on March 3, 1791, but the legislature failed to elect a successor due to a disagreement on the procedure to be followed in the election.
The seat remained vacant until Albert Gallatin was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the seat during this election.[13]
Upon agreement between the two houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Senate, regarding the procedure to elect a new Senator, an election was finally held on February 28, 1793. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Administration | Albert Gallatin | 45 | 51.72% | |
| Pro-Administration | Henry Miller | 35 | 40.23% | |
| Pro-Administration | Arthur St. Clair | 1 | 1.15% | |
| Pro-Administration | William Irvine | 1 | 1.15% | |
| N/A | Not voting | 5 | 5.75% | |
| Total votes | 87 | 100% | ||
On February 28, 1794, the Senate determined that Gallatin did not satisfy the citizenship requirement for service and he was removed from office. He later went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gallatin was replaced in the Senate by a special election in 1794.[14]
Rhode Island
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South Carolina
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Virginia
Anti-Administration senator Richard Henry Lee resigned October 8, 1792, just before the March 3, 1793 end of term. Anti-administration John Taylor of Caroline was elected October 18, 1792 to finish Lee's term and then re-elected in 1793 to the next term.
Special
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Taylor of Caroline | 90 | 55.6 | |
| Arthur Lee | 39 | 24.1 | |
| Francis Corbin | 33 | 20.4 | |
Regular
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See also
References
- ^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
- ^ Martis, Kenneth C. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress.
- ^ "A New Nation Votes". elections.lib.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
- ^ "Virginia 1792 U.S. Senate, Special". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing Mattern, David B., J. C. A. Stagg, Jeanne K. Cross and Susan Holbrook Perdue, ed. The Papers of James Madison, Congressional Series. Vol. 14. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 1983. 392.)
- ^ "Pennsylvania 1793 U.S. Senate". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing The Pennsylvania Journal and the Weekly Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). March 6, 1793)
- ^ "Georgia 1792 U.S. Senate". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State (Augusta, GA). December 1, 1792.)
- ^ "Kentucky 1792 U.S. Senate". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing The Mirrour (Concord, NH). January 28, 1793.; Election of United States Senators by the General Assembly (typed manuscript). Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort.)
- ^ "New Hampshire 1792 U.S. Senate". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing Osborne's Newhampshire Spy (Portsmouth, NH). June 23, 1792.)
- ^ "North Carolina 1792 U.S. Senate". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing Legislative Papers. State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh.; Legislative Papers 1792 Box 119. State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh.)
- ^ "South Carolina 1792 U.S. Senate". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing "Rough House Journals.")
- ^ "A New Nation Votes". elections.lib.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Dec 06, 1792". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
- ^ a b "U.S. Senate Election - 28 February 1793" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "GALLATIN, Albert, (1761 - 1849)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "Virginia 1792 U.S. Senate, Special". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (referencing Mattern, David B., J. C. A. Stagg, Jeanne K. Cross and Susan Holbrook Perdue, ed. The Papers of James Madison, Congressional Series. Vol. 14. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 1983. 392.)
External links
- Party Division in the Senate, 1789–present via Senate.gov