| Election Name: | 1872–73 United States Senate elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1867 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1870–71 United States Senate elections |
| Next Election: | 1874–75 United States Senate elections |
| Seats For Election: | 24 of the 74 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) |
| Majority Seats: | 38 |
| Election Date: | Dates vary by state (And other dates for special elections) |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| Party1: | Republican Party (US) |
| Leader1: | Henry B. Anthony |
| Image1: | Henry B. Anthony - Brady-Handy.jpg |
| Leader Since1: | March 4, 1863 |
| Leaders Seat1: | Rhode Island |
| Last Election1: | 58 seats |
| Seats Before1: | 56 |
| Seats1: | 18 |
| Seats After1: | 54 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| 1Data1: | 20 |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (US) |
| Last Election2: | 9 seats |
| Seats Before2: | 17 |
| Seats2: | 5 |
| Seats After2: | 19 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| 1Data2: | 3 |
| Party4: | Liberal Republican Party (US) |
| Last Election4: | 0 seats |
| Seats Before4: | 1 |
| Seats After4: | 0 |
| Seats4: | 0 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| 1Data4: | 1 |
| Majority Party | |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (US) |
| After Party: | Republican Party (US) |
The 1872–73 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President Ulysses S. Grant's 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 1872 and 1873, 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 3.
The Republican Party, while still retaining a commanding majority, lost two seats. By the beginning of the Congress, however, they would lose three more: two as defections to the Liberal Republican Party, and one a resignation of Henry Wilson to become U.S. Vice President. This remains the last election in which Republicans held a 2/3 majority in the Senate.
Senate party division, 43rd Congress (1873–1875)
After the January 30, 1872 special election in North Carolina.
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In these elections, the winners were seated during 1872 or in 1873 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| North Carolina (Class 2) | Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. New member elected January 30, 1872. Democratic gain. | nowrap | ||||||
| Kentucky (Class 3) | Willis B. Machen | Democratic | 1872 | Interim appointee elected January 21, 1873. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| Louisiana (Class 3) | William P. Kellogg | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent resigned November 1, 1872 to become Governor of Louisiana. Legislature failed to elect and the seat remained vacant for the remainder of the term. The seat also remained vacant until January 12, 1876, due to a Senate dispute, see below. Republican loss. | nowrap | ||||
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1873; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | ||||||
| Alabama | George E. Spencer | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected in 1872. | nowrap | |||
| Arkansas | Benjamin F. Rice | Republican | 1868 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| California | Cornelius Cole | Republican | 1866 or 1867 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Connecticut | Orris S. Ferry | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected May 15, 1872 in a different party. Liberal Republican gain. | nowrap | |||
| Florida | Thomas W. Osborn | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Georgia | Joshua Hill | Republican | 1867 1871 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1873. Democratic gain. | nowrap | |||
| Illinois | Lyman Trumbull | Liberal Republican | 1855 1861 1867 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 20, 1873. Republican gain. | nowrap | |||
| Indiana | Oliver P. Morton | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected in 1873. | nowrap | |||
| Iowa | James Harlan | Republican | 1855 1857 1857 1860 1865 1866 | Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 17, 1872. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Kansas | Samuel C. Pomeroy | Republican | 1861 1867 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1873. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Kentucky | Willis B. Machen | Democratic | 1872 | Unknown if incumbent interim appointee retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872. Democratic hold. Winner was not elected to finish the current term, see above. | nowrap | |||
| Louisiana | William P. Kellogg | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent resigned November 1, 1872 to become Governor of Louisiana. Legislature failed to elect and the seat remained vacant until January 12, 1876, due to a Senate dispute. | nowrap | |||
| Maryland | George Vickers | Democratic | 1868 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or in 1873. Democratic hold. | nowrap | |||
| Missouri | Francis Blair | Democratic | 1871 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Democratic hold. | nowrap | |||
| Nevada | James W. Nye | Republican | 1865 1867 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1873. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| New Hampshire | James W. Patterson | Republican | 1866 or 1867 | Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected in 1872. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| New York | Roscoe Conkling | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected January 21, 1873. | nowrap | |||
| North Carolina | John Pool | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1872. Democratic gain. | nowrap | |||
| Ohio | John Sherman | Republican | 1861 1866 | Incumbent re-elected in 1872. | nowrap | |||
| Oregon | Henry W. Corbett | Republican | 1866 or 1867 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1872. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Pennsylvania | Simon Cameron | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected January 21, 1873. | nowrap | |||
| South Carolina | Frederick A. Sawyer | Republican | 1868 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1872 or 1873. Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Vermont | Justin S. Morrill | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected in 1872. | nowrap | |||
| Wisconsin | Timothy O. Howe | Republican | 1861 1866 | Incumbent re-elected in 1872. | nowrap | |||
In this election, the winner was elected in 1873 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| Massachusetts (Class 2) | Henry Wilson | Republican | 1855 1859 1865 1871 | Incumbent resigned to become U.S. Vice President. New senator elected March 12, 1873. Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| California (Class 1) | Eugene Casserly | Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent resigned. New senator elected December 23, 1873.[2] Democratic hold. | nowrap | ||||
See also: List of United States senators from Alabama.
See also: List of United States senators from Arkansas.
See also: List of United States senators from California.
See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut.
See also: List of United States senators from Florida and 1872 United States House of Representatives election in Florida.
See also: List of United States senators from Georgia.
See also: List of United States senators from Illinois.
See also: List of United States senators from Indiana.
See also: List of United States senators from Iowa.
See also: List of United States senators from Kansas.
See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky.
See also: List of United States senators from Louisiana.
See also: List of United States senators from Maryland.
| Election Name: | 1872 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Popular Vote1: | 81 |
| Colour1: | B0CEFF |
| Percentage1: | 87.10% |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Candidate1: | George R. Dennis |
| Image1: | George Dennis of Maryland, sitting.jpg |
| Popular Vote2: | 11 |
| Colour2: | FFB6B6 |
| Percentage2: | 11.83% |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Candidate2: | Lewis Henry Steiner |
| Next Year: | 1878 |
| Next Election: | 1878 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Previous Year: | 1868 |
| Previous Election: | 1868 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Votes For Election: | 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly |
| Vote Type: | Legislative |
| Election Date: | January 18, 1872 |
| Type: | presidential |
George R. Dennis was elected by a margin of 75.27%, or 70 votes, for the Class 3 seat.[4]
See main article: 1873 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts.
See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts.
See also: List of United States senators from Missouri.
See also: List of United States senators from Nevada.
See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire.
See main article: 1873 United States Senate election in New York.
See also: List of United States senators from New York. The New York election was held January 21, 1873. Republican Roscoe Conkling had been elected in January 1867 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1873.
At the State election in November 1871, 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1872–1873) in the State Senate. In 1872, a faction of the Republican Party opposed the re-election of President Ulysses S. Grant and the Radical Republicans who supported him, and under the name Liberal Republican Party nominated a joint ticket with the Democratic Party. At the State election in November 1872, 91 Republicans, 35 Democrats and 2 Independents were elected for the session of 1873 to the Assembly. The 96th New York State Legislature met from January 7 to May 30, 1873, at Albany, New York.
The caucus of Republican State legislators met on January 8, State Senator William B. Woodin, of Auburn (25th D.), presided. 18 state senators and 88 assemblymen were present. They re-nominated Conkling unanimously. The caucus of the Democratic State legislators nominated Ex-First Judge of Dutchess County Charles Wheaton.
Roscoe Conkling was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected.
| House | Republican | Democratic | Republican | Liberal Republican | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) | Roscoe Conkling | 20 | Charles A. Wheaton | 5 | William M. Evarts | 1 | Henry R. Selden | 1 | |
| State Assembly (128 members) | Roscoe Conkling | 92 | Charles A. Wheaton | 26 | |||||
Note: The vote for Ex-U.S. Attorney General William M. Evarts was cast by Norman M. Allen (32nd district), the vote for Ex-Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Henry R. Selden by Gabriel T. Harrower (27th district). Allen, Harrower and Abiah W. Palmer (11th district) were the three Liberal Republicans in the State Senate.
See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from Ohio.
See also: List of United States senators from Oregon.
See main article: 1873 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.
See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania and 1872 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate, voted on January 21, 1873. Incumbent Republican Simon Cameron, who was elected in 1867, won re-election.[5]
|-| colspan=3 align=right | Totals| align=right | 133| align=right | 100.00%|}
See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina and 1872 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from Vermont.
See also: List of United States senators from Wisconsin.