1880–81 United States Senate elections explained

Election Name:	1880–81 United States Senate elections
Country:	United States
Flag Year:	1877
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1878–79 United States Senate elections
Next Election:	1882–83 United States Senate elections
Seats For Election:	25 of the 76 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections)
Majority Seats:	39
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
Seats Before1:	32
Seats1:	15
Seats After1:	37 + VP^[1]
Seat Change1:	5
1Data1:	10
Party2:	Democratic Party (US)
Leader2:	William A. Wallace (Lost re-election)
Leader Since2:	March 4, 1877
Leaders Seat2:	Pennsylvania
Seats Before2:	42
Seats2:	9
Seats After2:	37
Seat Change2:	5
1Data2:	14
Party4:	Readjuster Party
Seats Before4:	0
Seats4:	1
Seats After4:	1
Seat Change4:	1
1Data4:	0
Party5:	Independent (US)
Seats Before5:	1
Seats5:	0
Seats After5:	1
1Data5:	0
Party7:	Anti-Monopoly Party (United States)
Seats Before7:	1
Seats7:	0
Seats After7:	0
Seat Change7:	1
1Data7:	1
Majority Party
Before Party:	Democratic Party (US)
After Party:	Republican

The 1880–81 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with the presidential election of 1880. 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 1880 and 1881, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.^[2] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.

The Democratic Party lost five seats. The newly elected Readjuster senator William Mahone caucused with the Republicans, and the Republican Vice President's tie-breaking vote gave the Republicans the slightest majority. This changed when Vice President Chester Arthur ascended 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

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

Before the elections

	D₈		D₇		D₆		D₅		D₄		D₃		D₂		D₁
width=50px	D₉	width=50px	D₁₀	width=50px	D₁₁	width=50px	D₁₂	width=50px	D₁₃	width=50px	D₁₄	width=50px	D₁₅	width=50px	D₁₆	width=50px	D₁₇	width=50px	D₁₈
	D₂₈		D₂₇		D₂₆		D₂₅		D₂₄		D₂₃		D₂₂		D₂₁		D₂₀		D₁₉
	D₂₉ Ran		D₃₀ Ran		D₃₁ Ran		D₃₂ Ran		D₃₃ Ran		D₃₄ Ran		D₃₅ Ran		D₃₆ Ran		D₃₇ Ran		D₃₈ Ran
Majority →	D₃₉ Unknown
	R₂₉ Unknown		R₃₀ Retired		R₃₁ Retired		R₃₂ Retired		AM₁ Retired		I₁		D₄₂ Retired		D₄₁ Unknown		D₄₀ 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

	D₈		D₇		D₆		D₅		D₄		D₃		D₂		D₁
width=50px	D₉	width=50px	D₁₀	width=50px	D₁₁	width=50px	D₁₂	width=50px	D₁₃	width=50px	D₁₄	width=50px	D₁₅	width=50px	D₁₆	width=50px	D₁₇	width=50px	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
	R₂₉ Hold		R₃₀ Hold		R₃₁ Gain		R₃₂ Gain		R₃₃ Gain		R₃₄ Gain		R₃₅ Gain		R₃₆ Gain		R₃₇ 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:

align=center width=35px	AM_#	Anti-Monopoly Party
align=center width=35px	D_#	Democratic
align=center width=35px	I_#	Independent
align=center width=35px	RA_#	Readjuster
align=center width=35px	R_#	Republican
align=center width=35px	V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Elections during the 46th Congress

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 the Georgia Pacific Railway. Winner elected May 26, 1880. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Alabama (Class 3)	Luke Pryor		Democratic	1880		Unknown if interim appointee retired or lost election. Winner elected November 23, 1880. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Michigan (Class 1)	Henry P. Baldwin		Republican	1879	Interim appointee elected January 19, 1881.	nowrap

Races leading to the 47th Congress

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. Winner elected in 1880. Republican gain.	nowrap
Connecticut	William W. Eaton		Democratic	1874		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1881. Republican gain.	nowrap
Delaware	Thomas F. Bayard		Democratic	1869 1875	Incumbent re-elected in 1881.	nowrap
Florida	Charles W. Jones		Democratic	1875	Incumbent re-elected in 1881.	nowrap
Indiana	Joseph E. McDonald		Democratic	1874 or 1875		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1881.^[3] Republican gain.	nowrap
Maine	Hannibal Hamlin		Republican	1857 1861 1869 1875		Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
Maryland	William P. Whyte		Democratic	1868 1869 1874		Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1880. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Massachusetts	Henry L. Dawes		Republican	1875	Incumbent re-elected in 1881.	nowrap
Michigan	Henry P. Baldwin		Republican	1881		Incumbent retired. Winner elected January 18, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
Minnesota	Samuel J. R. McMillan		Republican	1875	Incumbent re-elected in 1881.	nowrap
Mississippi	Blanche Bruce		Republican	1874		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1880. Democratic gain.	nowrap
Missouri	Francis Cockrell		Democratic	1874	Incumbent re-elected in 1881.	nowrap
Nebraska	Algernon Paddock		Republican	1875		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1880. Republican hold.	nowrap
Nevada	William Sharon		Republican	1875		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected January 12, 1881. Democratic gain.	nowrap
New Jersey	Theodore F. Randolph		Democratic	1875		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1881. Republican gain.	nowrap
New York	Francis Kernan		Democratic	1875		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected January 20, 1881. Republican gain.	nowrap
Ohio	Allen G. Thurman		Democratic	1868 1874		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1880. Republican gain.	nowrap
Pennsylvania	William A. Wallace		Democratic	1875		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected February 23, 1881. Republican gain.	nowrap
Rhode Island	Ambrose Burnside		Republican	1874	Incumbent re-elected in 1880.	nowrap
Tennessee	James E. Bailey		Democratic	1877		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1880 or 1881. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Texas	Samuel B. Maxey		Democratic	1875	Incumbent re-elected in 1881.	nowrap
Vermont	George F. Edmunds		Republican	1866 1866 1868 1874	Incumbent re-elected in 1880.	nowrap
Virginia	Robert E. Withers		Democratic	1875		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1881. Readjuster gain. Winner would caucus with the Republicans.	nowrap
West Virginia	Frank Hereford		Democratic	1877		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1880 or 1881. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Wisconsin	Angus Cameron		Republican	1875		Incumbent retired. Winner elected January 26, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap

Elections during the 47th Congress

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 1879		Incumbent died February 24, 1881. Winner elected March 14, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
Maine (Class 2)	James G. Blaine		Republican	1876 1877 1877		Incumbent resigned March 5, 1881 to become U.S. Secretary of State. Winner elected March 18, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
New York (Class 1)	Thomas C. Platt		Republican	1881		Incumbent resigned May 16, 1881 to protest federal appointments in New York. Winner elected July 27, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
New York (Class 3)	Roscoe Conkling		Republican	1867 1873 1879		Incumbent resigned May 16, 1881 to protest federal appointments in New York. Winner elected July 29, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
Rhode Island (Class 1)	Ambrose Burnside		Republican	1874 1880		Incumbent died September 13, 1881. Winner elected October 5, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
Minnesota (Class 2)	Alonzo J. Edgerton		Republican	1881		Interim appointee replaced by successor elected October 30, 1881. Republican hold.	nowrap
Virginia (Class 2)	John W. Johnston		Democratic	1871 1877		Incumbent lost re-election for the term beginning March 4, 1883. Winner elected early December 21, 1881.^[4] Readjuster gain. Winner caucused with the Republicans.	nowrap

Maryland

Election Name:	1880 United States Senate election in Maryland
Popular Vote1:	-
Colour1:	B0CEFF
Percentage1:	-%
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Candidate1:	Arthur Pue Gorman
Image1:	Arthur Pue Gorman.jpg
Colour2:	B0CEFF
Percentage2:	%
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Candidate2:	William Pinkney Whyte
Next Year:	1886
Next Election:	1886 United States Senate election in Maryland
Previous Year:	1874
Previous Election:	1874 United States Senate election in Maryland
Votes For Election:	80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Vote Type:	Legislative
Election Date:	1880
Type:	presidential

Arthur Pue Gorman won election William Pinkney Whyte for an unknown margin of votes for the Class 1 seat.^[5]

Nevada

See also: List of United States senators from Nevada. On January 12, 1881, James Graham Fair (Republican) was elected.^[6]

New York

See main article: 1881 United States Senate election in New York.

See also: List of United States senators from New York. The New York election was held January 18, 1881, by the New York State Legislature. Democrat Francis Kernan had been elected in January 1875 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1881. At the State election in November 1879, 25 Republicans and 7 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1880-1881) in the State Senate. At the State 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 at Albany, New York.

The caucus of Republican State legislators met on January 13, State Senator Dennis McCarthy presided. All but one of the legislators were present, only State Senator Edward M. Madden (13th D.) was absent. The caucus nominated Ex-Congressman Thomas C. Platt for the U.S. Senate. Platt was a friend of the other U.S. Senator from New York, Roscoe Conkling, and belonged to the Stalwart faction. The opposing Half-Breeds (in the press sometimes referred to as the "anti-machine men") at first wanted to nominate Chauncey M. Depew, but he withdrew before balloting. The majority of the Half-Breeds, led by President pro tempore of the State Senate William H. Robertson, then supported Platt, a minority voted for Sherman S. Rogers, the defeated Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1876. Congressman Richard Crowley was supported by a faction led by Speaker of the State Assembly George H. Sharpe, allied with Governor Alonzo 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 the Democratic State legislators met on January 17, State Senator Charles 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

See main article: 1881 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania election was held on thirty separate dates from January to February 1881. On February 23, 1881, John I. Mitchell was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.^[7] The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, 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:

References

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 BALLOT in NYT on January 14, 1881
COMPLIMENTING MR. KERNAN.; THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS RENOMINATES HIM FOR UNITED STATES SENATOR in NYT on January 18, 1881
Election result: BUSY STATE LEGISLATORS in NYT on January 19, 1881
Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project

Notes and References

The Readjuster caucused with the Republicans, and the Republican Vice President's tie-breaking vote gave the Republicans the slightest majority.
Web site: 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913). National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
Book: The governors of Indiana . Gugin . Linda C. . St. Clair . James E . 2006 . Indiana Historical Society Press . 9780871951960 . February 17, 2020 .
Web site: Jones Salmon . Emily . Harrison H. Riddleberger (1843–1890) . . March 4, 2015.
Web site: Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1880. 2022-11-05. www.ourcampaigns.com.
Book: 1881 . The Journal of the Assembly of the Tenth Session of the Legislature of the State of Nevada . Carson City, NV . State Printing Office . 30.
Web site: U.S. Senate Election - 27 January 1881 - 23 February 1881. Wilkes University. December 23, 2012.