| Election Name: | 1804–05 United States Senate elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1795 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1802–03 United States Senate elections |
| Next Election: | 1806–07 United States Senate elections |
| Seats For Election: | 11 of the 34 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) |
| Majority Seats: | 18 |
| Election Date: | Dates vary by state |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| Party1: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Last Election1: | 22 seats |
| Seats Before1: | 25 |
| Seats1: | 9 |
| Seats After1: | 27 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| 1Data1: | 7 |
| Party2: | Federalist Party |
| Last Election2: | 9 seats |
| Seats Before2: | 9 |
| Seats2: | 2 |
| Seats After2: | 7 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| 1Data2: | 4 |
| Majority Party | |
| Before Party: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| After Party: | Democratic-Republican Party |
The 1804–05 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 1804 and 1805, 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 2.
These elections expanded the Democratic-Republican Party's overwhelming control over the Senate. The Federalists went into the elections with such a small share of Senate seats (9 out of 34, or 27%) that even if they had won every election, they would have still remained a minority caucus.
Senate party division, 9th Congress (1805–1807)
Only reflects results of regular elections.
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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 winner was seated during 1804 or before March 4, 1805; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| New York (Class 3) | John Armstrong Jr. | Democratic-Republican | 1800 1801 1802 1803 | Interim appointee resigned December 3, 1804, to become U.S. Senator from Class 1 seat. New senator elected February 3, 1804. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| New York (Class 1) | Theodorus Bailey | Democratic-Republican | 1803 | Resigned January 16, 1804, to become Postmaster of New York City. New senator elected February 3, 1804. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Rhode Island (Class 1) | Samuel J. Potter | Democratic-Republican | 1802 | Died October 14, 1804. New senator elected October 29, 1804. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| New York (Class 1) | John Armstrong Jr. | Democratic-Republican | 1804 | Resigned to become U.S. Minister to France. New senator elected November 9, 1804. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Delaware (Class 2) | William H. Wells | Federalist | 1799 1799 | Resigned November 6, 1804. New senator elected November 13, 1804. Winner also elected to the next term, see below. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Virginia (Class 1) | Andrew Moore | Democratic-Republican | 1804 | Interim appointee resigned December 3, 1804, to become U.S. Senator from Class 1 seat. New senator elected December 4, 1804. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Virginia (Class 2) | William B. Giles | Democratic-Republican | 1804 | Interim appointee resigned December 3, 1804, to become U.S. Senator from Class 2 seat. New senator elected December 4, 1804. Winner also elected to the next term, see below. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| South Carolina (Class 3) | Pierce Butler | Democratic-Republican | 1802 | Resigned November 21, 1804. New senator elected December 6, 1804. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1805; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | ||||||
| Delaware | James A. Bayard | Federalist | 1804 | Incumbent re-elected January 24, 1805. | nowrap | |||
| Georgia | Abraham Baldwin | Democratic- Republican | 1799 | Incumbent re-elected November 14, 1804. | nowrap | |||
| Kentucky | John Brown | Democratic- Republican | 1792 (New seat) 1792 1798 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1804 on the seventh ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Massachusetts | Timothy Pickering | Federalist | 1803 | Incumbent re-elected February 6, 1805, on the third ballot. | nowrap | |||
| New Hampshire | Simeon Olcott | Federalist | 1801 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected November 28, 1804. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | |||
| New Jersey | Jonathan Dayton | Federalist | 1798 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1804. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | |||
| North Carolina | Jesse Franklin | Democratic- Republican | 1798 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1804 on the fifth ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner would later reject his election and never take the seat. A new election was held the next year, see below. | nowrap | |||
| Rhode Island | Christopher Ellery | Democratic- Republican | 1801 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1804. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| South Carolina | Thomas Sumter | Democratic- Republican | 1801 | Incumbent elected December 6, 1804. | nowrap | |||
| Tennessee | William Cocke | Democratic- Republican | 1799 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected early September 23, 1803. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Virginia | William B. Giles | Democratic- Republican | 1804 1804 1804 | Incumbent re-elected December 7, 1804. | nowrap | |||
In this special election, the winner was seated in 1805 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | ||||||
| Kentucky (Class 3) | John Breckinridge | Democratic-Republican | 1800 | Resigned August 7, 1805, to become U.S. Attorney General. New senator elected November 8, 1805. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| North Carolina (Class 2) | Vacant | Montfort Stokes (DR) had been elected in 1804, see above, but rejected the position. New senator elected November 22, 1805. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | |||||
See also: List of United States senators from Delaware.
There were two elections this cycle to the same seat, because Federalist William H. Wells, who had first been elected in 1799, resigned November 6, 1804.
Federalist James A. Bayard was elected November 13, 1804, to finish the term ending the following March.
Federalist James A. Bayard also elected in 1805, to the next term.
See also: List of United States senators from Georgia.
See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky.
See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts.
See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire.
See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey.
See main article: February 1804 United States Senate special elections in New York and November 1804 United States Senate special election in New York.
See also: List of United States senators from New York.
In February 1804 two senators were elected to finish vacant terms. The winner of the class 1 seat later resigned, leading to a November special election.
Theodorus Bailey had been elected to the Class 1 seat (term 1803–1809) but resigned on January 16, 1804, after his appointment as Postmaster of New York City.
John Armstrong had been re-elected to the class 3 seat to the term that would end March 3, 1807. He resigned February 5, 1802, and DeWitt Clinton was elected February 9, 1802 to finish the term.
Clinton then resigned on November 4, 1803, after his appointment as Mayor of New York City, and Governor George Clinton appointed Armstrong to his old seat to continue the term temporarily until another special election.
Armstrong was then elected to the class 1 seat and so resigned from the class 3 seat.
See main article: February 1804 United States Senate special elections in New York.
The first special election was held February 3, 1804, by the New York State Legislature to elect both senators. The class 1 term ended March 3, 1809, and the class 3 term ended March 3, 1813.
U.S. Senator (Class 1) Incumbent: Theodorus Bailey
| House | Democratic-Republican | Federalist | Federalist | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) | nowrap | John Armstrong | ||||||
| State Assembly (99 members) | nowrap | John Armstrong | 83 | Jacob Radcliff | 4 | Egbert Benson | 3 | |
U.S. Senator (Class 3) Incumbent: John Armstrong
| House | Democratic-Republican | Federalist | Federalist | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) | nowrap | John Smith | ||||||
| State Assembly (99 members) | nowrap | John Smith | Smith was nominated unanimously by the Assembly, but the exact number of votes given is unclear. | |||||
John Smith was seated February 23, 1804. John Armstrong was seated February 25, 1804.
See main article: November 1804 United States Senate special election in New York. Once again, John Armstrong resigned from the Senate on June 30, 1804 (a third time in three years) when appointed U.S. Minister to France. To fill the vacancy, the legislature held a special election November 9, 1804, and elected Samuel L. Mitchill.
| House | Democratic-Republican | Federalist | Democratic-Republican | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (30 members) | Samuel L. Mitchill | ||||||
| State Assembly (100 members) | Samuel L. Mitchill | 75 | Rufus King | 14 | David Thomas | 1 | |
Mitchill was seated November 23, 1804.
See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island.
Democratic-Republican James Fenner beat incumbent Democratic-Republican Christopher Ellery in 1804.
Democratic-Republican Samuel J. Potter died October 14, 1804, Democratic-Republican Benjamin Howland was elected October 29, 1804, to finish the term.
See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina.
Democratic-Republican Thomas Sumter was re-elected December 6, 1804.
Democratic-Republican Pierce Butler resigned November 21, 1804, and Democratic-Republican John Gaillard was elected December 6, 1804.
See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee.
See also: List of United States senators from Virginia and 1805 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia.
The incumbent senators effectively switched seats due to appointments and special elections.
Democratic-Republican Wilson C. Nicholas resigned May 22, 1804, and Democratic-Republican Andrew Moore was appointed August 11, 1804, to continue the term. Moore was elected to the other seat, so he resigned and Democratic-Republican William B. Giles, who had already been elected to this seat's next term, was elected December 4, 1804, to finish the term.
Democratic-Republican William B. Giles was elected December 4, 1804, to the next term.
Democratic-Republican Abraham B. Venable resigned June 7, 1804, and Democratic-Republican William B. Giles was appointed August 11, 1804, to continue the term. Giles was elected to the other seat, so he resigned and Democratic-Republican Andrew Moore was elected December 4, 1804, to finish the term.