| Election Name: | 1816–17 United States Senate elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Flag Year: | 1795 |
| Previous Election: | 1814–15 United States Senate elections |
| Next Election: | 1818–19 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: | 26 seats |
| Seats Before1: | 23 |
| Seats1: | 9 |
| Seats After1: | 25 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| 1Data1: | 9 |
| Party2: | Federalist Party |
| Last Election2: | 11 seats |
| Seats Before2: | 12 |
| Seats2: | 3 |
| Seats After2: | 13 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| 1Data2: | 2 |
| Majority Party | |
| Before Party: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| After Party: | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Map Size: | 330px |
The 1816–17 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 1816 and 1817, 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.
The Democratic-Republican Party gained a net of two seats from the admission of a new state.
Senate party division, 15th Congress (1817–1819)
| DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | ||||||||||||
| width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR |
| Majority → | DR | ||||||||||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | F | DR | DR | DR | DR | |||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | |
| DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | ||||||||||
| Majority → | DR | ||||||||||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | TBD | TBD | DR | DR | DR | |||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | ||
| width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | |||||
| Majority → | DR | ||||||||||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | V | DR | DR | DR | DR | |||||||||||
| F | |||||||||||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | ||||||||||||
| DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | |||||||||||
| width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | width=50px | DR | |
| Majority → | DR | |||||||||||||||||||
| F | F | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | DR | ||||||||||||
| F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F |
| Key |
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|---|
In these special and general elections, the winners were seated during 1816 or before March 4, 1817; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| Virginia (Class 2) | Vacant | William B. Giles (DR) had resigned March 3, 1815. John Wayles Eppes (DR) was elected December 7, 1815, but declined to serve. New senator elected January 3, 1816 on the fourth ballot despite being legally too young to serve. Democratic-Republican gain. Winner later lost re-election to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||||
| Maryland (Class 1) | Vacant | The Maryland General Assembly failed to elect in time for the March 4, 1815 beginning of the term. New senator elected January 29, 1816. Federalist gain. | nowrap | ||||||
| Massachusetts (Class 1) | Christopher Gore | Federalist | 1813 1815 | Incumbent resigned May 30, 1816, unhappy with the politics of Washington and suffering from poor health. New senator elected June 12, 1816. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Indiana (Class 1) | New seat | Indiana was admitted to the Union December 11, 1816. New senator elected November 8, 1816. Democratic-Republican gain. | |||||||
| Indiana (Class 3) | New seat | Indiana was admitted to the Union December 11, 1816. New senator elected November 8, 1816. Democratic-Republican gain. | |||||||
| Georgia (Class 2) | William Wyatt Bibb | Democratic-Republican | 1813 | Incumbent resigned November 9, 1816. New senator elected November 13, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected the same day to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| North Carolina (Class 2) | James Turner | Democratic-Republican | 1804 1810 | Incumbent resigned November 21, 1816 due to ill health. New senator elected December 4, 1816 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected the same day to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| South Carolina (Class 2) | John Taylor | Democratic-Republican | 1810 1810 | Incumbent resigned November 1816. New senator elected December 4, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected the same day to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| Kentucky (Class 2) | Martin D. Hardin | Federalist | 1814 | Incumbent appointee elected December 5, 1816.[2] Winner was not later a candidate for the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| Maryland (Class 1) | Robert Goodloe Harper | Federalist | 1816 | Incumbent resigned December 6, 1816. New senator elected December 20, 1816. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
In these general elections, the winners were seated March 4, 1817; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| Delaware | William H. Wells | Federalist | 1799 1799 1804 1813 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 31, 1817 on the third ballot. Federalist hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Georgia | William Wyatt Bibb | Democratic-Republican | 1813 | Resigned November 9, 1816. New senator elected November 13, 1816 on the second ballot. Winner was also elected to finish the previous term, see above. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Kentucky | Martin D. Hardin | Federalist | 1816 1816 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected December 10, 1816 on the second ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Louisiana | James Brown | Democratic-Republican | 1813 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1817. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Massachusetts | Joseph Bradley Varnum | Democratic-Republican | 1811 | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected June 12, 1816. Federalist gain. | nowrap | ||||
| New Hampshire | Thomas W. Thompson | Federalist | 1814 | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1816 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | ||||
| New Jersey | John Condit | Democratic-Republican | 1809 1810 | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected January 23, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| North Carolina | James Turner | Democratic-Republican | 1804 1810 | Resigned November 21, 1816 due to ill health. New senator elected December 4, 1816 on the second ballot. Winner was also elected to finish the previous term, see above. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Rhode Island | Jeremiah Howell | Democratic-Republican | 1810 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected June 21, 1816. Federalist gain. | nowrap | ||||
| South Carolina | John Taylor | Democratic-Republican | 1810 1810 | Incumbent resigned November 1816. New senator elected December 4, 1816. Winner was also elected to the previous term, see above. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Tennessee | John Williams | Democratic-Republican | 1815 | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Incumbent was then appointed to start the term. Democratic-Republican loss. | None. | ||||
| Virginia | Armistead T. Mason | Democratic-Republican | 1816 | Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election, but he was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. New senator elected December 9, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | ||||
In three special elections and two general elections, the winners were elected in 1817 after March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | ||||||
| New Hampshire (Class 3) | Jeremiah Mason | Federalist | 1813 | Incumbent resigned June 16, 1817. New senator elected June 27, 1817 on the thirteenth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | |||
| Tennessee (Class 2) | John Williams | Democratic-Republican | 1815 | Legislature had failed to elect and the incumbent was then appointed to start the term. Interim appointee was re-elected October 2, 1817 to finish the term. | nowrap | |||
| Vermont (Class 3) | Dudley Chase | Democratic-Republican | 1812 | Resgined November 3, 1817. New senator elected November 4, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold. | nowrap | |||
| Mississippi (Class 1) | New state | Mississippi was admitted as a new state. New senator elected December 10, 1817 on the fifth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | |||||
| Mississippi (Class 2) | New state | Mississippi was admitted as a new state. New senator elected December 10, 1817 on the fourth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | nowrap | |||||
See also: List of United States senators from Delaware.
See also: List of United States senators from Georgia.
See also: List of United States senators from Indiana. The new state of Indiana elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans, James Noble and Waller Taylor. The election was held November 8, 1816 in advance of Indiana's December 11, 1816 admission as a state. In the election legislators cast a single ballot and the first and second place candidates were deemed elected.
See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky.
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: | 1816 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Popular Vote1: | 45 |
| Colour1: | F6D6C9 |
| Percentage1: | 50.56% |
| Party1: | Federalist |
| Candidate1: | Robert Goodloe Harper |
| Image1: | Robert Goodloe Harper (1765-1825).jpg |
| Popular Vote2: | 44 |
| Percentage2: | 49.44% |
| Candidate2: | John Thomson Mason |
| Next Year: | 1816 |
| Next Election: | 1816 United States Senate special elections in Maryland |
| Previous Year: | 1808 |
| Previous Election: | 1808 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Votes For Election: | 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly |
| Vote Type: | Legislative |
| Election Date: | January 27, 1816 |
| Type: | presidential |
Robert Goodloe Harper won election over John Thomson Mason by a margin of 1.12%, or 1 vote, for the Class 1 seat.[3]
See also: List of United States senators from Maryland.
| Election Name: | 1816 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Popular Vote1: | 46 |
| Colour1: | F6D6C9 |
| Percentage1: | 54.12% |
| Party1: | Federalist |
| Candidate1: | Alexander Contee Hanson |
| Image1: | Alexanderhanson.jpg |
| Popular Vote2: | 39 |
| Percentage2: | 45.88% |
| Party2: | Democratic-Republican |
| Candidate2: | William Winder |
| Next Year: | 1819 |
| Next Election: | 1819 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Previous Year: | 1816 |
| Previous Election: | 1816 United States Senate special elections in Maryland |
| Votes For Election: | 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly |
| Vote Type: | Legislative |
| Election Date: | January 27, 1816 |
| Type: | presidential |
Alexander Contee Hanson won election over William Winder by a margin of 8.24%, or 7 votes, for the Class 1 seat.[4]
See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts.
See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts.
See also: List of United States senators from Mississippi. The new state of Mississippi elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans, Walter Leake and Thomas H. Williams. Two separate elections were held in which each senator was elected.
First Senator (Class 1)
(5th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown)
Second Senator (Class 2)
(4th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown)
See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire.
See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire.
See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey.
See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island.
See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee.
See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee.
See also: List of United States senators from Vermont.
See also: List of United States senators from Virginia.
See also: List of United States senators from Virginia.