1814–15 United States Senate elections explained

Election Name:1814–15 United States Senate elections
Country:United States
Flag Year:1795
Type:legislative
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1812–13 United States Senate elections
Next Election:1816–17 United States Senate elections
Seats For Election:12 of the 36 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections)
Majority Seats:19
Election Date:Dates vary by state
1Blank:Seats up
Party1:Democratic-Republican Party
Last Election1:28 seats
Seats Before1:26
Seats1:5
Seats After1:22
Seat Change1: 3
1Data1:8
Party2:Federalist Party
Last Election2:8 seats
Seats Before2:10
Seats2:5
Seats After2:11
Seat Change2: 1
1Data2:4
Majority Party
Before Party:Democratic-Republican Party
After Party:Democratic-Republican Party

The 1814–15 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 1814 and 1815, 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.

The Democratic-Republican Party lost a seat but still retained their overwhelming Senate majority. Unlike in recent elections, the minority Federalists had gone into the elections with a chance of regaining their long-lost majority had they swept almost all the seats. However, only one seat switched parties. Two seats held by Democratic-Republicans were left unfilled until long after the next Congress began.

Change in composition

Before the elections

Composition after June 1814 special election in New Hampshire.

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Majority →DR

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Result of the regular elections

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width=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DRwidth=50px DR
Majority →DR

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Key
align=center width=35px DRDemocratic-Republican
align=center width=35px FFederalist
align=center width=35px VVacant

Race summaries

Except when noted, number following candidates is whole number votes.

Special elections during the preceding Congress

In these special elections, the winner was elected during 1814 or before March 4, 1815; ordered by election date.

StateIncumbentResultsCandidates
SenatorPartyElectoral
history
Pennsylvania
(Class 3)
Michael LeibDemocratic-
Republican
1809
1808
Incumbent resigned to become Postmaster of Philadelphia.
New senator elected February 24, 1814.[2]
Democratic-Republican hold.
Winner was never seated due to a failure to qualify.
nowrap
New Hampshire
(Class 2)
Nicholas GilmanDemocratic-
Republican
1804
1810
Incumbent died May 4, 1814.
New senator elected June 24, 1814.
Federalist gain.
nowrap
Ohio
(Class 1)
Thomas WorthingtonDemocratic-
Republican
1803
1807
1810
Incumbent resigned to become Governor of Ohio.
New senator elected December 10, 1814 on the fourth ballot.
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
Kentucky
(Class 2)
George WalkerDemocratic-
Republican
1814Interim appointee retired.
New senator elected December 16, 1814.
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
North Carolina
(Class 3)
David StoneDemocratic-
Republican
1800
1807
1812
Incumbent resigned December 24, 1814.
New senator elected December 30, 1814 on the eleventh ballot.[3] [4]
Democratic-Republican hold.
Winner was never seated due to a failure to qualify.
nowrap
Virginia
(Class 1)
Richard BrentDemocratic-
Republican
1809Incumbent died December 30, 1814, having lost re-election, see below.
New senator elected January 2, 1815, having already won election to the next term.
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
Kentucky
(Class 3)
Jesse BledsoeDemocratic-
Republican
1813Incumbent resigned.
New senator elected January 3, 1815 on the second ballot.
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap

Races leading to the next Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1815; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

StateIncumbentResultsCandidates
SenatorPartyElectoral
history
ConnecticutSamuel DanaFederalist1810Incumbent re-elected in 1814.nowrap
DelawareOuterbridge HorseyFederalist1810Incumbent re-elected January 13, 1815.nowrap
MarylandSamuel SmithDemocratic-
Republican
1802
1808
Legislature failed to elect.
A winner would not be elected until 1816.[5]
Democratic-Republican loss.
nowrap
MassachusettsChristopher GoreFederalist1813Interim appointee elected in 1815.nowrap
New JerseyJohn LambertDemocratic-
Republican
1808Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected February 1, 1815 on the third ballot.[6]
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
New YorkObadiah GermanDemocratic-
Republican
1809
New senator elected February 7, 1815.[7] [8]
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
OhioJoseph KerrDemocratic-
Republican
1814Incumbent retired.
New senator elected January 7, 1815 on the third ballot.[9]
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
PennsylvaniaJonathan RobertsDemocratic-
Republican
1814Incumbent re-elected December 10, 1814.[10] nowrap
Rhode IslandWilliam HunterFederalist1811Incumbent re-elected November 4, 1814.nowrap
TennesseeJoseph AndersonDemocratic-
Republican
1797
1799
1799
1803
1809
1809
Incumbent retired.
Legislature failed to elect.
Democratic-Republican loss.
A new senator would later be elected, see below.
nowrap None.
VermontJonathan RobinsonDemocratic-
Republican
1807
1808
Incumbent retired.
New senator elected October 25, 1814
Federalist gain.
nowrap
VirginiaRichard BrentDemocratic-
Republican
1808Incumbent lost re-election, and then died after the election.
New senator elected November 14, 1814.
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap

Special elections during the next Congress

In this special election, the winner was elected in 1815 after March 4; ordered by election date.

StateIncumbentResultsCandidates
SenatorPartyElectoral
history
Tennessee
(Class 1)
VacantLegislature had failed to elect, see above.
New senator elected October 10, 1815.
Democratic-Republican gain.
nowrap
Tennessee
(Class 2)
Jesse WhartonDemocratic-
Republican
1814Interim appointee retired.
New senator elected October 10, 1815.
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
North Carolina
(Class 3)
Francis Locke Jr.Democratic-
Republican
1800
1812
Incumbent resigned, having failed to qualify.
New senator elected December 5, 1815 on the fifth ballot.[11] [12]
Democratic-Republican hold.
nowrap
Virginia
(Class 2)
William B. GilesDemocratic-
Republican
1804
1804
1804
1811
Incumbent resigned March 3, 1815.
New senator elected December 7, 1815.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Winner subsequently declined to serve.
A new senator was later elected in 1816.
nowrap

Connecticut

See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut.

Delaware

See also: List of United States senators from Delaware.

Kentucky (special)

See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky. There were two special elections in Kentucky: one in 1814 and the other in 1815.

Maryland

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland.

Massachusetts

See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts and 1814–1815 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts (special)

New Hampshire (special)

See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire.

New Jersey

See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey.

New York

See main article: 1815 United States Senate election in New York.

See also: List of United States senators from New York.

North Carolina (special)

See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina.

Ohio

See also: List of United States senators from Ohio and 1814 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio.

Ohio (special)

Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania and 1814 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania (regular)

Rhode Island

See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island.

Tennessee

See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee and 1815 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee.

Tennessee (special, class 2)

Vermont

See also: List of United States senators from Vermont.

Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from Virginia.

Virginia (special)

Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from Virginia.

See also

Notes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913). National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
  2. Web site: U.S. Senate Election - February 24, 1814 . Wilkes University . December 21, 2012.
  3. Web site: . Tufts Digital Collations and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825 . February 26, 2018 . North Carolina 1814 U.S. Senate, Special, Ballot 11 ., citing Norfolk Gazette and Publick Ledger (Norfolk, VA). January 4, 1815.
  4. Web site: NC US Senate - Special Election . Our Campaigns . January 6, 2008 . February 24, 2015.
  5. Web site: Our Campaigns . MD US Senate . August 29, 2004 . February 27, 2015.
  6. Web site: NJ US Senate . Our Campaigns . April 1, 2007 . February 26, 2015.
  7. Web site: . Tufts Digital Collations and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825 . February 26, 2018 . New York 1815 U.S. Senate ., citing Ontario Messenger (Canandaigua, NY). February 21, 1815.
  8. Web site: NY US Senate . Our Campaigns . February 23, 2015.
  9. Book: Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901 with Notes and Sketches of Senators and Representatives and Other Historical Data and Incidents . Taylor . William A.. 1900 . 99 . The XX. Century Publishing Co. . . . Internet Archive.
  10. Web site: U.S. Senate Election - December 10, 1814 . Wilkes University . December 21, 2012.
  11. Web site: . Tufts Digital Collations and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825 . February 26, 2018 . North Carolina 1815 U.S. Senate, Special, Ballot 5 ., citing The Star (Raleigh, NC). December 8, 1815.
  12. Web site: NC US Senate - Special Election . Our Campaigns . January 6, 2008 . February 24, 2015.