1880–81 United States Senate elections

1880–81 United States Senate elections
25 of the 76 seats in theUnited States Senate(with special elections); 39 seats needed for a majority
	Results of the elections:; Democratic gainDemocratic hold; Republican gainRepublican hold; Readjuster gain
Majority Party before election; ; Democratic	Elected Majority Party; ; Republican

The1880–81 United States Senate electionswere held on various dates in various states, coinciding with thepresidential election of 1880.As theseU.S. Senateelections were prior to the ratification of theSeventeenth Amendmentin 1913, senators were chosen bystate legislatures.Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1880 and 1881, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due tolegislative deadlock.^[2]In these elections, terms were up for the senators inClass 1.

TheDemocratic Partylost five seats. The newly electedReadjustersenatorWilliam Mahonecaucused with the Republicans, and the Republican Vice President's tie-breaking vote gave the Republicans the slightest majority. This changed when Vice PresidentChester Arthurascended to the Presidency on September 19, 1881: with the Vice Presidency vacant during the remainder of Arthur's term, the Senate became evenly divided for the first of three times in history.

Results summary[edit]

Senate party division,47th Congress(1881–1883)

Majority party: Republican (37)
Minority party: Democratic (37)
Other parties: Independent (1);Readjuster(1)
Total seats: 76

Change in Senate composition[edit]

Before the elections[edit]

D₂₉ Ran	D₃₀ Ran	D₃₁ Ran	D₃₂ Ran	D₃₃ Ran	D₃₄ Ran	D₃₅ Ran	D₃₆ Ran	D₃₇ Ran	D₃₈ Ran
D₈	D₇	D₆	D₅	D₄	D₃	D₂	D₁
D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁	D₁₂	D₁₃	D₁₄	D₁₅	D₁₆	D₁₇	D₁₈
D₂₈	D₂₇	D₂₆	D₂₅	D₂₄	D₂₃	D₂₂	D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉
Majority →									D₃₉ Unknown
R₂₉ Unknown	R₃₀ Retired	R₃₁ Retired	R₃₂ Retired	AM₁ Retired	I₁	D₄₂ Retired	D₄₁ Unknown	D₄₀ Unknown	D₃₉ Unknown
R₂₈ Unknown	R₂₇ Ran	R₂₆ Ran	R₂₅ Ran	R₂₄ Ran	R₂₃ Ran	R₂₂	R₂₁	R₂₀	R₁₉
R₉	R₁₀	R₁₁	R₁₂	R₁₃	R₁₄	R₁₅	R₁₆	R₁₇	R₁₈
R₈	R₇	R₆	R₅	R₄	R₃	R₂	R₁

After the elections[edit]

R₂₉ Hold	R₃₀ Hold	R₃₁ Gain	R₃₂ Gain	R₃₃ Gain	R₃₄ Gain	R₃₅ Gain	R₃₆ Gain	R₃₇ Gain	RA₁ Gain
D₈	D₇	D₆	D₅	D₄	D₃	D₂	D₁
D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁	D₁₂	D₁₃	D₁₄	D₁₅	D₁₆	D₁₇	D₁₈
D₂₈	D₂₇	D₂₆	D₂₅	D₂₄	D₂₃	D₂₂	D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉
D₂₉ Re-elected	D₃₀ Re-elected	D₃₁ Re-elected	D₃₃ Re-elected	D₃₃ Hold	D₃₄ Hold	D₃₅ Hold	D₃₆ Gain	D₃₇ Gain	I₁
Plurality ↓									RA₁ Gain
R₂₈ Hold	R₂₇ Hold	R₂₆ Re-elected	R₂₅ Re-elected	R₂₄ Re-elected	R₂₃ Re-elected	R₂₂	R₂₁	R₂₀	R₁₉
R₉	R₁₀	R₁₁	R₁₂	R₁₃	R₁₄	R₁₅	R₁₆	R₁₇	R₁₈
R₈	R₇	R₆	R₅	R₄	R₃	R₂	R₁

Key:

AM_#	Anti-Monopoly Party
D_#	Democratic
I_#	Independent
RA_#	Readjuster
R_#	Republican
V_#	Vacant

Race summaries[edit]

Elections during the 46th Congress[edit]

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1880 or in 1881 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Georgia (Class 3)	John B. Gordon	Democratic	1873 1879	Incumbent resigned to promote a venture for theGeorgia Pacific Railway. WinnerelectedMay 26, 1880. Democratic hold.	▌YJoseph E. Brown(Democratic) [data missing]
Alabama (Class 3)	Luke Pryor	Democratic	1880(Appointed)	Unknown if interim appointee retired or lost election. WinnerelectedNovember 23, 1880. Democratic hold.	▌YJames L. Pugh(Democratic) [data missing]
Michigan (Class 1)	Henry P. Baldwin	Republican	1879(Appointed)	Interim appointeeelectedJanuary 19, 1881.	▌YHenry P. Baldwin(Republican) [data missing]

Races leading to the 47th Congress[edit]

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1881; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
California	Newton Booth	Anti-Monopoly	1874	Incumbent retired. Winnerelectedin 1880. Republican gain.	▌YJohn F. Miller(Republican) [data missing]
Connecticut	William W. Eaton	Democratic	1874	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winnerelectedin 1881. Republican gain.	▌YJoseph Roswell Hawley(Republican) [data missing]
Delaware	Thomas F. Bayard	Democratic	1869 1875	Incumbentre-electedin 1881.	▌YThomas F. Bayard(Democratic) [data missing]
Florida	Charles W. Jones	Democratic	1875	Incumbentre-electedin 1881.	▌YCharles W. Jones(Democratic) [data missing]
Indiana	Joseph E. McDonald	Democratic	1874 or 1875	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1881.^[3] Republican gain.	▌YBenjamin Harrison(Republican) 81 votes ▌Joseph E. McDonald(Democratic) 62 votes^[3]
Maine	Hannibal Hamlin	Republican	1857 1861(Resigned) 1869 1875	Incumbent retired. Winnerelectedin 1881. Republican hold.	▌YEugene Hale(Republican) [data missing]
Maryland	William P. Whyte	Democratic	1868(Appointed) 1869(Retired) 1874	Incumbent retired. Winnerelectedin 1880. Democratic hold.	▌YArthur P. Gorman(Democratic) [data missing]
Massachusetts	Henry L. Dawes	Republican	1875	Incumbentre-electedin 1881.	▌YHenry L. Dawes(Republican) [data missing]
Michigan	Henry P. Baldwin	Republican	1881(special)	Incumbent retired. WinnerelectedJanuary 18, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YOmar D. Conger(Republican) [data missing]
Minnesota	Samuel J. R. McMillan	Republican	1875	Incumbentre-electedin 1881.	▌YSamuel J. R. McMillan(Republican) [data missing]
Mississippi	Blanche Bruce	Republican	1874	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winnerelectedin 1880. Democratic gain.	▌YJames Z. George(Democratic) [data missing]
Missouri	Francis Cockrell	Democratic	1874	Incumbentre-elected in 1881.	▌YFrancis Cockrell(Democratic) [data missing]
Nebraska	Algernon Paddock	Republican	1875	Incumbent lost re-election. Winnerelectedin 1880. Republican hold.	▌YCharles Van Wyck(Republican) ▌Algernon Paddock(Republican) [data missing]
Nevada	William Sharon	Republican	1875	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. WinnerelectedJanuary 12, 1881. Democratic gain.	▌YJames Graham Fair(Democratic) [data missing]
New Jersey	Theodore F. Randolph	Democratic	1875	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winnerelectedin 1881. Republican gain.	▌YWilliam Joyce Sewell(Republican) ▌Theodore Fitz Randolph(Democratic) [data missing]
New York	Francis Kernan	Democratic	1875	Incumbent lost re-election. WinnerelectedJanuary 20, 1881. Republican gain.	▌YThomas C. Platt(Republican) ▌Francis Kernan(Democratic) [data missing]
Ohio	Allen G. Thurman	Democratic	1868 1874	Incumbent lost re-election. Winnerelectedin 1880. Republican gain.	▌YJohn Sherman(Republican) ▌Allen G. Thurman(Democratic) [data missing]
Pennsylvania	William A. Wallace	Democratic	1875	Incumbent lost re-election. WinnerelectedFebruary 23, 1881. Republican gain.	▌YJohn I. Mitchell(Republican) 59.76% ▌William A. Wallace(Democratic) 36.65%
Rhode Island	Ambrose Burnside	Republican	1874	Incumbentre-electedin 1880.	▌YAmbrose Burnside(Republican) [data missing]
Tennessee	James E. Bailey	Democratic	1877(special)	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1880 or 1881. Democratic hold.	▌YHowell E. Jackson(Democratic) [data missing]
Texas	Samuel B. Maxey	Democratic	1875	Incumbentre-electedin 1881.	▌YSamuel B. Maxey(Democratic) [data missing]
Vermont	George F. Edmunds	Republican	1866(Appointed) 1866(special) 1868 1874	Incumbentre-electedin 1880.	▌YGeorge F. Edmunds(Republican) [data missing]
Virginia	Robert E. Withers	Democratic	1875	Incumbent lost re-election. Winnerelectedin 1881. Readjuster gain. Winner would caucus with the Republicans.	▌YWilliam Mahone(Readjuster) [data missing]
West Virginia	Frank Hereford	Democratic	1877(special)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1880 or 1881. Democratic hold.	▌YJohnson N. Camden(Democratic) [data missing]
Wisconsin	Angus Cameron	Republican	1875	Incumbent retired. WinnerelectedJanuary 26, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YPhiletus Sawyer(Republican) 98 ▌James G. Jenkins(Democratic) 29 ▌C. D. Parker(Democratic) 1 ▌C. C. Washburn(Republican) 2^[4]

Elections during the 47th Congress[edit]

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1881 after March 4; ordered by date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Wisconsin (Class 3)	Matthew H. Carpenter	Republican	1868 or 1869 1875(Lost) 1879	Incumbent died February 24, 1881. WinnerelectedMarch 14, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YAngus Cameron(Republican) [data missing]
Maine (Class 2)	James G. Blaine	Republican	1876(Appointed) 1877(special) 1877	Incumbent resigned March 5, 1881 to becomeU.S. Secretary of State. WinnerelectedMarch 18, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YWilliam P. Frye(Republican) [data missing]
New York (Class 1)	Thomas C. Platt	Republican	1881	Incumbent resigned May 16, 1881 to protest federal appointments in New York. WinnerelectedJuly 27, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YWarner Miller(Republican) [data missing]
New York (Class 3)	Roscoe Conkling	Republican	1867 1873 1879	Incumbent resigned May 16, 1881 to protest federal appointments in New York. WinnerelectedJuly 29, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YElbridge G. Lapham(Republican) [data missing]
Rhode Island (Class 1)	Ambrose Burnside	Republican	1874 1880	Incumbent died September 13, 1881. WinnerelectedOctober 5, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YNelson W. Aldrich(Republican) [data missing]
Minnesota (Class 2)	Alonzo J. Edgerton	Republican	1881(Appointed)	Interim appointee replaced by successorelectedOctober 30, 1881. Republican hold.	▌YWilliam Windom(Republican) [data missing]
Virginia (Class 2)	John W. Johnston	Democratic	1871 1877	Incumbent lost re-election for the term beginning March 4, 1883. WinnerelectedearlyDecember 21, 1881.^[5] Readjuster gain. Winner caucused with the Republicans.^[5]	▌YHarrison H. Riddleberger(Readjuster) ▌John W. Johnston(Democratic) [data missing]

Maryland[edit]

Arthur Pue Gormanwon electionWilliam Pinkney Whytefor an unknown margin of votes for the Class 1 seat.^[6]

Nevada[edit]

On January 12, 1881,James Graham Fair(Republican) was elected.^[7]

New York[edit]

The New York election was held January 18, 1881, by theNew York State Legislature.DemocratFrancis Kernanhad been elected in January 1875 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1881. At theState election in November 1879,25 Republicans and 7 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1880-1881) in the State Senate. At theState election in November 1880,81 Republicans and 47 Democrats were elected for the session of 1881 to the Assembly. The 104th State Legislature met from January 4, 1881, on atAlbany, New York.

The caucus ofRepublicanState legislators met on January 13, State SenatorDennis McCarthypresided. All but one of the legislators were present, only State Senator Edward M. Madden (13th D.) was absent. The caucus nominated Ex-CongressmanThomas C. Plattfor theU.S. Senate.Platt was a friend of the other U.S. Senator from New York,Roscoe Conkling,and belonged to theStalwartfaction. The opposingHalf-Breeds(in the press sometimes referred to as the "anti-machine men" ) at first wanted to nominateChauncey M. Depew,but he withdrew before balloting. The majority of the Half-Breeds, led by President pro tempore of the State SenateWilliam H. Robertson,then supported Platt, a minority voted for Sherman S. Rogers, the defeated Republican candidate forLieutenant Governor of New Yorkin1876.Congressman Richard Crowley was supported by a faction led by Speaker of the State AssemblyGeorge H. Sharpe,allied with GovernorAlonzo B. Cornell.U.S. Vice President William A. Wheeler, and Congressmen Elbridge G. Lapham and Levi P. Morton also received votes.

**1881 Republican caucus for United States Senator result**
Office	Candidate	First ballot
U.S. Senator	Thomas C. Platt	54
	Richard Crowley	26
	Sherman S. Rogers	10
	William A. Wheeler	10
	Elbridge G. Lapham	4
	Levi P. Morton	1

The caucus of theDemocraticState legislators met on January 17, State SenatorCharles A. Fowler(14th D.) presided. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Francis Kernan by acclamation.

Thomas C. Platt was the choice of both the State Senate and the Assembly, and was declared elected.

**1881 United States Senator election result**
House	Republican		Democrat
State Senate (32 members)	Thomas C. Platt	25	Francis Kernan	6
State Assembly (128 members)	Thomas C. Platt	79	Francis Kernan	44

Notes:

The votes were cast on January 18, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 19 to compare nominations, and declare the result.
State Senator Stevens (Dem., 22nd D.) was absent and did not vote.

Pennsylvania[edit]

The Pennsylvania election was held on thirty separate dates from January to February 1881. On February 23, 1881,John I. Mitchellwas elected by thePennsylvania General Assembly.^[8]The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of theHouse of Representativesand theSenate,convened on January 27, 1881, to elect a Senator to serve the term beginning on March 4, 1881. Thirty-five ballots were recorded on thirty separate dates spanning from January 27 to February 23, 1881. The results of the thirty-fifth and final ballot of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[8]^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John I. Mitchell	150	59.76
	Democratic	William A. Wallace(Incumbent)	92	36.65%
	N/A	Not voting	7	2.79%
	N/A	Other	2	0.80%
Total votes			251	100%

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

^^a ^bThe Readjuster caucused with the Republicans, and the Republican Vice President's tie-breaking vote gave the Republicans the slightest majority.
^"17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)".National Archives and Records Administration.February 8, 2022.
^^a ^bGugin, Linda C.; St. Clair, James E (2006).The governors of Indiana.Indiana Historical Society Press.ISBN 9780871951960.RetrievedFebruary 17,2020.
^"Blue Book for the State of Wisconsin".1883. p. 463.
^^a ^bJones Salmon, Emily."Harrison H. Riddleberger (1843–1890)".Encyclopedia Virginia/Dictionary of Virginia Biography.RetrievedMarch 4,2015.
^"Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1880".ourcampaigns.RetrievedNovember 5,2022.
^The Journal of the Assembly of the Tenth Session of the Legislature of the State of Nevada.Carson City, NV: State Printing Office. 1881. p. 30.
^^a ^b"U.S. Senate Election - 27 January 1881 - 23 February 1881"(PDF).Wilkes University.RetrievedDecember 23,2012.
^"PA US Senate - 1881".OurCampaigns.RetrievedDecember 22,2012.

Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present,via Senate.gov
Members of the 47th United States Congress
SENATOR THOMAS C. PLATT; SELECTED BY THE CAUCUS UPON THE FIRST BALLOTin NYT on January 14, 1881
COMPLIMENTING MR. KERNAN.; THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS RENOMINATES HIM FOR UNITED STATES SENATORin NYT on January 18, 1881
Election result:BUSY STATE LEGISLATORSin NYT on January 19, 1881
Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006from theWilkes University Election Statistics Project

[1] sRepublican Conference Chair

[3] sDemocratic Caucus Chair

[caucus-2] The Readjuster caucused with the Republicans, and the Republican Vice President's tie-breaking vote gave the Republicans the slightest majority.

[4] "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)".National Archives and Records Administration.February 8, 2022.

[Indiana1881-5] Gugin, Linda C.; St. Clair, James E (2006).The governors of Indiana.Indiana Historical Society Press.ISBN 9780871951960.RetrievedFebruary 17,2020.

[6] "Blue Book for the State of Wisconsin".1883. p. 463.

[Riddleberger-7] Jones Salmon, Emily."Harrison H. Riddleberger (1843–1890)".Encyclopedia Virginia/Dictionary of Virginia Biography.RetrievedMarch 4,2015.

[8] "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1880".ourcampaigns.RetrievedNovember 5,2022.

[9] The Journal of the Assembly of the Tenth Session of the Legislature of the State of Nevada.Carson City, NV: State Printing Office. 1881. p. 30.

[results-10] "U.S. Senate Election - 27 January 1881 - 23 February 1881"(PDF).Wilkes University.RetrievedDecember 23,2012.

[11] "PA US Senate - 1881".OurCampaigns.RetrievedDecember 22,2012.

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