1870–71 United States Senate elections
(Redirected from 1871 United States Senate special election in Minnesota)
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25 of the 70 (4 vacant)/74 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 36 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results of the elections: Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican hold Legislature failed to elect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1870–71 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 1870 and 1871, 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.
The Republican Party lost five seats, though it still retained an overwhelming majority. In advance of these elections, the last four seceded states were readmitted to the Senate.
Mississippian Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American to be elected as a U.S. Senator and become a member of Congress.[2]
In Georgia, Foster Blodgett was elected and presented his credentials as Senator-elect, but the Senate declared him not elected.
In Virginia, Republican John F. Lewis and Democrat John W. Johnston were elected on January 26, 1870, to fill seats that had been vacant since 1864 and 1865.
Results summary
[edit]Senate party division, 42nd Congress (1871–1873)
- Majority party: Republican (55)
- Minority party: Democratic (14)
- Other parties: Liberal Republican (1)
- Vacant: (4)
- Total seats: 74
Change in Senate composition
[edit]By March 30, 1870
[edit]After the readmission of Virginia, Texas, and Mississippi, and the special elections in Iowa and Maine.
| D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | V1 | |||
| D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 Gain Readmitted |
R62 Gain Readmitted |
R61 Gain Readmitted |
R60 Gain Special |
R59 Gain Readmitted |
R58 Gain Readmitted |
R57 Gain Readmitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R47 | R48 | R49 | R50 | R51 | R52 | R53 | R54 | R55 | R56 Appointee elected |
| R46 | R45 | R44 | R43 | R42 | R41 | R40 | R39 | R38 | R37 |
| Majority → | R36 | ||||||||
| R27 | R28 | R29 | R30 | R31 | R32 | R33 | R34 | R35 | |
| R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 | R22 | R21 | R20 | R19 | R18 | R17 |
| R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 |
| R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 | R2 | R1 | V2 | |||
Before the elections
[edit]Including the February 1871 readmission of Georgia.
| D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | |||
| D8 Ran |
D9 Ran |
D10 Unknown |
D11 Unknown |
R63 Retired |
R62 Retired |
R61 Retired |
R60 Retired |
R59 Retired |
R58 Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R48 Ran |
R49 Ran |
R50 Ran |
R51 Ran |
R52 Ran |
R53 Ran |
R54 Ran |
R55 Unknown |
R56 Unknown |
R57 Unknown |
| R47 Ran |
R46 Ran |
R45 Ran |
R44 Ran |
R43 Ran |
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 | |||
Result of the elections
[edit]| D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | |||
| D8 Hold |
D9 Hold |
D10 Hold |
D11 Gain |
D12 Gain |
D13 Gain |
D14 Gain |
V1 D Loss |
V2 R Loss |
R58 Hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R48 Re-elected |
R49 Hold |
R50 Hold |
R51 Hold |
R52 Hold |
R53 Hold |
R54 Hold |
R55 Hold |
R56 Hold |
R57 Hold |
| R47 Re-elected |
R46 Re-elected |
R45 Re-elected |
R44 Re-elected |
R43 Re-elected |
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 | |||
Beginning of the next Congress
[edit]| D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 | D2 | D1 | |||
| D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 | D14 Gain |
V1 D Loss |
V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R48 | R49 | R50 | R51 | R52 | R53 | R54 | R55 | LR1 Change |
V4 R Loss |
| 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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Race summaries
[edit]Special elections during the 41st Congress
[edit]In these elections, the winners were seated during 1870 or in 1871 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Iowa (Class 2) |
James W. Grimes | Republican | 1858 1864 |
Incumbent resigned December 6, 1869 due to ill health. State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected January 18, 1870.[3] Winner did not seek election to the next term. |
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| Maine (Class 2) |
Lot M. Morrill | Republican | 1861 (special) 1863 1869 (Lost) 1869 (Appointed) |
Interim appointee elected January 19, 1870 to finish the term. Winner was also elected to the next term, see below. |
|
| Virginia (Class 1) |
Vacant since January 2, 1864, when Joseph Segar (U) was not seated.[4] |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected January 26, 1870. Republican gain. |
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| Virginia (Class 2) |
Vacant since March 4, 1865, when John Curtiss Underwood (U) was not seated.[5] |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected January 26, 1870. Democratic gain. Winner was also elected late to the next term, see below. |
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| Texas (Class 2) |
Vacant since July 11, 1861, when John Hemphill (D) was expelled. |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 22, 1870.[6] Allowed to take office when state readmitted on March 30, 1870. Republican gain. Winner was also elected to the next term, see below. |
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| Mississippi (Class 1) |
Vacant since January 21, 1861, when Jefferson Davis (D) resigned |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 23, 1870. Republican gain. |
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| Mississippi (Class 2) |
Vacant since January 12, 1861, when Albert G. Brown (D) withdrew. |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 23, 1870. Republican gain. Unknown if winner ran for the next term or retired, see below. |
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| Texas (Class 1) |
Vacant since March 23, 1861, when Louis Wigfall (D) withdrew. |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected March 30, 1870. Republican gain. |
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| Missouri (Class 3) |
Daniel T. Jewett | Republican | 1870 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired. New senator elected January 20, 1871 to finish the term. Democratic gain. |
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| Minnesota (Class 2) |
William Windom | Republican | 1865 | Interim appointee was not elected to finish the term. Winner elected January 22, 1871 to finish the term. Republican hold. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below. Instead, interim appointee was elected to the next term, see below. |
|
| Georgia (Class 3) |
Vacant since January 28, 1861, when Alfred Iverson Sr. (D) withdrew. |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner had been elected in 1867, but not seated until readmission. Winner finally seated February 1, 1871. Republican gain. |
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| Georgia (Class 2) |
Vacant since February 4, 1861, when Robert Toombs (D) withdrew. |
State readmitted to the Union. Winner elected February 24, 1871. Democratic gain. Unknown if winner ran for the next term or retired, see below. |
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Races leading to the 42nd Congress
[edit]In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1871; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Alabama | Willard Warner | Republican | 1868 (Readmission) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1870. Democratic gain. |
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| Arkansas | Alexander McDonald | Republican | 1868 (Readmission) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1870. Republican hold. |
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| Delaware | Willard Saulsbury Sr. | Democratic | 1858 1864 |
Incumbent lost re-election to his older brother. New senator elected in 1870. Democratic hold. |
|
| Georgia | Homer V. M. Miller | Democratic | 1871 (Readmission) | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1876 or 1877. Democratic hold. Senate later refused to seat Senator-elect Foster Blodgett. |
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| Illinois | Richard Yates | Republican | 1864 or 1865 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1870 or 1871. Republican hold. |
|
| Iowa | James B. Howell | Republican | 1870 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 18, 1870.[3] Republican hold. |
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| Kansas | Edmund G. Ross | Republican | 1866 (Appointed) 1867 (special) |
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1871. Republican hold. |
|
| Kentucky | Thomas C. McCreery | Democratic | 1868 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1871. Democratic hold. |
|
| Louisiana | John S. Harris | Republican | 1868 (Readmission) | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1870 or 1871. Republican hold. |
|
| Maine | Lot M. Morrill | Republican | 1861 (special) 1863 1869 (Lost) 1869 (Appointed) 1870 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1870 or 1871. |
|
| Massachusetts | Henry Wilson | Republican | 1855 (special) 1859 1865 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1871. |
|
| Michigan | Jacob M. Howard | Republican | 1862 (special) 1865 |
Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected January 18, 1871. Republican hold. |
|
| Minnesota | Ozora P. Stearns | Republican | 1871 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in January 1871. Republican hold. |
|
| Mississippi | Hiram Rhodes Revels | Republican | 1870 (Readmission) | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected January 18, 1870. Republican hold. |
|
| Nebraska | John M. Thayer | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1870. Republican hold. |
|
| New Hampshire | Aaron H. Cragin | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected in 1870. |
|
| New Jersey | Alexander G. Cattell | Republican | 1866 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1870 or 1871. Republican hold. |
|
| North Carolina | Joseph Abbott | Republican | 1868 (Readmission) | Incumbent lost renomination. Legislature failed to elect. Republican loss. Seat remained vacant until January 30, 1872. |
[data missing] |
| Oregon | George H. Williams | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1870. Democratic gain. |
|
| Rhode Island | Henry B. Anthony | Republican | 1858 1864 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1870. |
|
| South Carolina | Thomas J. Robertson | Republican | 1868 (Readmission) | Incumbent re-elected in 1870. |
|
| Tennessee | Joseph S. Fowler | Republican | 1866 (Readmission) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1870 or 1871. Democratic gain. |
|
| Texas | Morgan C. Hamilton | Republican | 1870 (Readmission) | Incumbent re-elected in 1870. |
|
| Virginia | John W. Johnston | Democratic | 1870 (Readmission) | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat remained vacant until March 15, 1871. |
[data missing] |
| West Virginia | Waitman T. Willey | Republican | 1863 1865 |
Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1871. Democratic gain. |
|
Elections during the 42nd Congress
[edit]In this election, the winner was elected in 1871 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Virginia (Class 2) |
Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. Previous incumbent re-elected March 15, 1871. Democratic gain. |
▌  John W. Johnston (Democratic)[data missing] | ||
| Georgia (Class 2) |
Vacant | Foster Blodgett had presented credentials as Senator-elect, but the Senate declared him not elected. Winner elected November 14, 1871. Democratic gain. |
▌ Thomas M. Norwood (Democratic) [data missing] | ||
West Virginia
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Needed to win: Majority of votes cast in each House of the Legislature 54 votes cast in the House; 28 votes needed 21 votes cast in the Senate; 11 votes needed | ||||||||||||||||
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Henry G. Davis, a Democratic state legislator, was elected to replace outgoing Republican incumbent Waitman T. Willey. Davis won the Democratic caucus vote over former legislators Daniel Lamb and Benjamin H. Smith. Davis' victory was attributed to widespread support throughout the state, as well as among party leaders. Nearly all of Lamb's votes, meanwhile, were localized to the Northern Panhandle.[10]
| Candidate | First Ballot | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Henry G. Davis | 27 | 52.9 |
| Daniel Lamb | 12 | 23.5 |
| Benjamin H. Smith | 12 | 23.5 |
| Total | 51 | 100 |
| Needed to win | 26 | >50 |
| Party | Candidate | House | Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| Democratic | Henry G. Davis | 39 | 72.2 | 14 | 66.7 | |
| Republican | James H. Brown | 15 | 27.8 | 7 | 33.3 | |
| Total | 54 | 100 | 21 | 100 | ||
| Needed to win | 28 | >50 | 11 | >50 | ||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Facts & Milestones". United States Senate.
- ^ a b Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa. pp. 150–151.
- ^ Segar was not seated on the premise that the Union-friendly legislature was illegitimate despite having seated his predecessor based credentials from the same legislature. In reality, the Senate refused because it did not want to set a precedent for easing reentry of Confederate states. See "Musical Chairs (1861–1869)". United States Senate. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
- ^ "Musical Chairs (1861–1869)". United States Senate. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
- ^ "HAMILTON, Morgan Calvin - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved October 31, 2019."HAMILTON, Morgan Calvin - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MO US Senate - Special Election Race - Jan 20, 1871". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019."Our Campaigns - MO US Senate - Special Election Race - Jan 20, 1871". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ University of Minnesota Libraries, University of Minnesota. "1871 Minnesota U.S. Senate Special Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ University of Minnesota Libraries, University of Minnesota. "1871 Minnesota U.S. Senate Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ "Nomination of H.G. Davis to be U.S. Senator". Wheeling Register. January 28, 1871 – via NewspaperArchive.
- ^ Journal of the House of Delegates of the State of West Virginia. West Virginia Legislature. January 31, 1871. pp. 78, 90.
External links
[edit]- "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate.
- Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy (ed.). The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992. United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-063256-3.
- Taft, George S. (1885). Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1885. United States Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.