| Election Name: | 1796–97 United States Senate elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1795 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1794–95 United States Senate elections |
| Next Election: | 1798–99 United States Senate elections |
| Seats For Election: | 11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) |
| Majority Seats: | 17 |
| Election Date: | Dates vary by state |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Races won |
| Party1: | Federalist Party |
| Seats Before1: | 19 |
| Seats After1: | 20 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| 1Data1: | 8 |
| 2Data1: | 9 |
| Party2: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Seats Before2: | 12 |
| Seats After2: | 10 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| 1Data2: | 3 |
| 2Data2: | 1 |
| Majority Party | |
| Before Party: | Federalist Party |
| After Party: | Federalist Party |
The 1796–97 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 1796 and 1797, 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.
They coincided with John Adams's election as President. The ruling Federalist Party gained one seat.
Senate party division, 5th Congress (1797–1799)
After the August 2, 1796 admission of Tennessee.
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| Key |
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Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
In these special elections, the winners were seated before March 4, 1797; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | First elected | |||||||
| Georgia (class 2) | George Walton | Federalist | 1795 | Appointee retired when successor elected. New senator elected February 20, 1796. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Connecticut (class 1) | Oliver Ellsworth | Federalist | 1788 | Incumbent resigned to become Chief Justice of the United States. New senator elected May 12, 1796. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Massachusetts (class 1) | George Cabot | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. New senator elected June 11, 1796, on the second ballot. Federalist hold. Successor also elected the same day to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| Massachusetts (class 2) | Caleb Strong | Federalist | 1788 | Incumbent resigned June 1, 1796. New senator elected June 11, 1796, on the second ballot. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Connecticut (class 3) | Jonathan Trumbull Jr. | Federalist | 1794 or 1795 | Incumbent resigned June 10, 1796, to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. New senator elected October 13, 1796. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Vermont (class 1) | Moses Robinson | Democratic-Republican | Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. New senator elected October 18, 1796. Federalist gain. Successor also elected the same day to the next term, see below. | nowrap | |||||
| New York (class 3) | Rufus King | Federalist | 1789 | Incumbent resigned May 23, 1796, to become U.S. Minister to Great Britain. New senator elected November 9, 1796. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| New Jersey (class 2) | Frederick Frelinghuysen | Federalist | 1792 or 1793 | Incumbent resigned November 12, 1796. New senator elected November 12, 1796. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Maryland (class 1) | Richard Potts | Federalist | 1793 | Incumbent resigned October 24, 1796. New senator elected November 28, 1796. Federalist hold. Successor also later elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| South Carolina (class 2) | Pierce Butler | Democratic-Republican | 1789 | Incumbent resigned October 25, 1796. New senator elected December 8, 1796. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1797; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | First elected | ||||||
| Connecticut | James Hillhouse | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | nowrap | |||
| Delaware | Henry Latimer | Federalist | 1795 | Incumbent re-elected January 6, 1797. | nowrap | |||
| Maryland | John Eager Howard | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent re-elected December 9, 1796. | nowrap | |||
| Massachusetts | George Cabot | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. New senator elected June 11, 1796, on the third ballot. Federalist hold. Winner also elected to finish the current term, see above. | nowrap | |||
| New Jersey | John Rutherfurd | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent re-elected in 1796. | nowrap | |||
| New York | Aaron Burr | Democratic-Republican | 1791 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 24, 1797. Federalist gain. | nowrap | |||
| Pennsylvania | James Ross | Federalist | 1794 | Incumbent re-elected February 16, 1797. | nowrap | |||
| Rhode Island | Theodore Foster | Federalist | 1790 | Incumbent re-elected in 1797. | nowrap | |||
| Tennessee | William Cocke | Democratic-Republican | 1796 | Legislature failed to elect. Democratic-Republican loss. Incumbent later appointed to continue term. | None | |||
| Vermont | Moses Robinson | Democratic-Republican | Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. New senator elected October 18, 1796. Federalist gain. Winner also elected to finish the current term, see above. | nowrap | ||||
| Virginia | Stevens Mason | Democratic-Republican | 1794 | Incumbent re-elected November 29, 1796. | nowrap | |||
In these special elections, the winners were elected after the March 4, 1797 beginning of the next Congress.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | First elected | |||||||
| Tennessee (class 1) | William Cocke | Democratic-Republican | 1796 | Interim appointee lost re-election. New senator elected September 26, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Tennessee (class 2) | William Blount | Democratic-Republican | 1796 | Incumbent expelled July 8, 1797. New senator elected September 26, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Vermont (class 1) | Isaac Tichenor | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent resigned October 17, 1797, to become Governor of Vermont. New senator elected October 17, 1797. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Rhode Island (class 2) | William Bradford | Federalist | 1793 | Incumbent resigned in October 1797. New senator elected November 13, 1797. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Maryland (class 3) | John Henry | Federalist | 1788 | Incumbent resigned July 10, 1797, to become Governor of Maryland. New senator elected December 8, 1797. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut and 1796 United States House of Representatives election in Connecticut.
See main article: 1796 United States Senate special elections in Connecticut.
See main article: 1796 United States Senate special elections in Connecticut.
See also: List of United States senators from Delaware and 1796 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware.
See main article: 1797 United States Senate election in Delaware.
See also: List of United States senators from Georgia and 1796 United States House of Representatives election in Georgia.
See main article: 1796 United States Senate special election in Georgia.
See also: List of United States senators from Maryland.
| Election Name: | 1796 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Popular Vote1: | - |
| Colour1: | F6D6C9 |
| Percentage1: | -% |
| Party1: | Federalist Party |
| Candidate1: | John Eager Howard |
| Image1: | Johneagerhoward.jpg |
| Next Year: | 1796 |
| Next Election: | 1796 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Previous Year: | 1793 |
| Previous Election: | 1793 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Votes For Election: | 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly |
| Vote Type: | Legislative |
| Election Date: | 1796 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Type: | presidential |
John Eager Howard won election to fill the seat vacated by Richard Potts by an unknown number of votes, for the Class 1 seat.[2]
| Election Name: | 1796 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Popular Vote1: | - |
| Colour1: | F6D6C9 |
| Percentage1: | -% |
| Party1: | Federalist Party |
| Candidate1: | John Eager Howard |
| Image1: | Johneagerhoward.jpg |
| Colour2: | AACC99 |
| Party2: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Candidate2: | Richard Sprigg Jr. |
| Next Year: | 1802 |
| Next Election: | 1802 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Previous Year: | 1796 |
| Previous Election: | 1796 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Votes For Election: | 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly |
| Vote Type: | Legislative |
| Election Date: | 1796 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Type: | presidential |
John Eager Howard won re-election over Richard Sprigg Jr. by an unknown number of votes, for the Class 1 seat.[3]
See also: List of United States senators from Maryland.
| Election Name: | 1797 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Popular Vote1: | 45 |
| Colour1: | F6D6C9 |
| Percentage1: | 50.56% |
| Party1: | Federalist Party |
| Candidate1: | James Lloyd |
| Popular Vote2: | 44 |
| Colour2: | AACC99 |
| Percentage2: | 49.44% |
| Party2: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Candidate2: | William Winder |
| Next Year: | 1800 |
| Next Election: | 1800 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Previous Year: | 1795 |
| Previous Election: | 1795 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Votes For Election: | 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly |
| Vote Type: | Legislative |
| Election Date: | December 8, 1797 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Type: | presidential |
James Lloyd won election over William Winder by a margin of 1.12%, or 1 vote, for the Class 3 seat.[4]
See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts and 1796–1797 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts.
See main article: 1796 United States Senate election in Massachusetts.
See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey and 1797 United States House of Representatives election in New Jersey.
See main article: 1796 United States Senate election in New Jersey.
See also: List of United States senators from New York and 1796 United States House of Representatives elections in New York.
See main article: 1797 United States Senate election in New York.
See main article: 1796 United States Senate special election in New York.
See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania and 1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania.
See main article: 1797 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.
See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island and 1796 United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island.
See main article: 1797 United States Senate election in Rhode Island.
See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina and 1796 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee, 1796 United States House of Representatives election in Tennessee and 1797 United States House of Representatives election in Tennessee.
Tennessee became a state June 1, 1796 and elected its new senators August 2, 1796.
The term of the initially-elected senator, Democratic-Republican William Cocke, ended March 3, 1797 and the Tennessee legislature failed to elect a senator for the new term. The Governor of Tennessee, therefore, appointed Cocke to begin the term, pending a special election. Cocke, however, lost that October 6, 1798 special election to Democratic-Republican Andrew Jackson.
Democratic-Republican William Blount was expelled July 8, 1797 for conspiracy with the Kingdom of Great Britain. Democratic-Republican Joseph Anderson was elected September 26, 1797 to finish Blount's term.
See also: List of United States senators from Vermont and 1796–1797 United States House of Representatives elections in Vermont.
Incumbent Democratic-Republican Moses Robinson resigned October 15, 1796.
Federalist Isaac Tichenor was elected October 18, 1796, both to finish Robinson's term and to the new term that would begin March 4, 1797. However, Tichenor resigned just one year later, October 17, 1797, to become Governor of Vermont. Federalist Nathaniel Chipman was then elected October 17, 1797, to finish the term.
See also: List of United States senators from Virginia and 1797 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia.
See main article: 1796 United States Senate election in Virginia.