1806 and 1807 United States Senate elections
The United States Senate elections of 1806 and 1807 were elections that had the Democratic-Republican Party increase its overwhelming control of the Senate by one additional Senator. The Federalists went into the elections with such a small share of Senate seats (7 out of 34, or 21%) that even if they had won every election, they would still have remained a minority caucus. As it was, however, they lost one of the two seats they were defending and picked up no gains from their opponents.
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11 of the 34 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 18 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.
Results summary
Senate Party Division, 10th Congress (1807–1809)
- Majority Party: Democratic-Republican (28)
- Minority Party: Federalist (6)
- Other Parties: 0
- Total Seats: 34
Change in composition
Before the elections
DR7 | DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | |||
DR8 | DR9 | DR10 | DR11 | DR12 | DR13 | DR14 | DR15 | DR16 | DR17 |
Majority → | DR18 | ||||||||
DR27 Pa. Retired |
DR26 N.C. Retired |
DR25 Ohio Unknown |
DR24 Vt. Ran |
DR23 S.C. Ran |
DR22 N.Y. Ran |
DR21 Md. Ran |
DR20 Ky. Ran |
DR19 Ga. Ran | |
F7 N.H. Retired |
F6 Conn. Ran |
F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Beginning of the next Congress
DR7 | DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | |||
DR8 | DR9 | DR10 | DR11 | DR12 | DR13 | DR14 | DR15 | DR16 | DR17 |
Majority → | DR18 | ||||||||
DR27 Pa. Hold |
DR26 Ohio Hold |
DR25 N.C. Hold |
DR24 Md. Hold |
DR23 Ky. Hold |
DR22 Vt. Re-elected |
DR21 S.C. Re-elected |
DR20 N.Y. Re-elected |
DR19 Ga. Re-elected | |
DR28 N.H. Gain |
F6 Conn. Re-elected |
F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 |
Key: |
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Race summaries
Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
Special elections during the preceding Congress
In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1806 or before March 4, 1807; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Georgia (Class 3) |
James Jackson | Democratic-Republican | 1793 1795 (Resigned) 1800 |
Incumbent died March 19, 1806. New senator elected June 19, 1806. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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Kentucky (Class 3) |
John Adair | Democratic-Republican | 1805 (Special) | Incumbent resigned November 18, 1806 after losing re-election, see below. New senator elected November 19, 1806, despite being younger than the constitutional minimum. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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Maryland (Class 3) |
Robert Wright | Democratic-Republican | 1801 (Special) | Incumbent resigned November 12, 1806 to become Governor of Maryland. New senator elected November 25, 1806. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner also elected to the next term, see below. |
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Races leading to the next Congress
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1807; ordered by state.
All the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Connecticut | Uriah Tracy | Federalist | 1796 (Special) 1801 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1807. |
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Georgia | John Milledge | Democratic- Republican |
1806 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1806. |
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Kentucky | John Adair | Democratic-Republican | 1805 (Special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected November 13, 1806 on the fourth ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. Incumbent then resigned immediately and a new senator was elected to finish the term, see above. |
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Maryland | Robert Wright | Democratic-Republican | 1801 (Special) | Incumbent resigned November 12, 1806 to become Governor of Maryland. New senator elected in 1806 or 1807. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner also elected to finish the current term, see above. |
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New Hampshire | William Plumer | Federalist | 1802 (Special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1807. Democratic-Republican gain. |
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New York | John Smith | Democratic- Republican |
1804 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected February 3, 1807. |
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North Carolina | David Stone | Democratic- Republican |
1800 | Incumbent retired to return to the State Superior Court, and then resigned early (February 17, 1807) New senator elected in 1806 on the seventh ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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Ohio | Thomas Worthington | Democratic- Republican |
1803 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected January 1, 1807. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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Pennsylvania | George Logan | Democratic- Republican |
1801 (Appointed) 1801 (Special) |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1806. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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South Carolina | John Gaillard | Democratic- Republican |
1804 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected December 9, 1806 on the second ballot. |
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Vermont | Stephen R. Bradley | Democratic- Republican |
1791 1795 (Lost) 1801 (Special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1806. |
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Special elections during the next Congress
In this special election, the winner was seated in 1807 after March 4; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Vermont (Class 1) |
Israel Smith | Democratic-Republican | 1802 | Incumbent resigned October 1, 1807. New senator elected October 10, 1807. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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Connecticut (Class 3) |
Uriah Tracy | Federalist | 1796 (Special) 1801 1807 |
Incumbent died July 19, 1807. Samuel W. Dana (Federalist) was elected to finish the term,[lower-alpha 3] but declined the election.[10] New senator elected October 25, 1807 on the second ballot. Federalist hold. |
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Rhode Island (Class 2) |
James Fenner | Democratic-Republican | 1804 | Incumbent resigned September 1807 to become Governor of Rhode Island. New senator elected October 26, 1807. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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Georgia (Class 2) |
George Jones | Democratic-Republican | 1807 (Appointed) | Predecessor Abraham Baldwin (DR) had died March 4, 1807. Incumbent appointee lost re-election. New senator elected November 7, 1807. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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Connecticut
Georgia
Georgia (Special, Class 2)

Democratic-Republican Abraham Baldwin died March 4, 1807. Democratic-Republican George Jones was appointed August 27. 1807 to continue the term, pending a special election. Jones ran in the November 7, 1807 special election, but lost to Democratic-Republican William H. Crawford.
Class 3

Democratic-Republican James Jackson, who had served since 1793 died March 19, 1806.
Georgia (Special, Class 3)
Democratic-Republican John Milledge was elected June 19, 1806.
Georgia (Regular)
Milledge was later re-elected to the next term.
Kentucky
Maryland
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island (Special)
South Carolina
Vermont
See also
Notes
- Possibly Thomas Telfair
- 'more than likely both fictional characters'
- Dana 96, Asa Spalding (Democratic-Republican) 50, David Humphrey (Federalist) 8
References
- "Georgia 1806 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 11, 2018., citing Georgia Republican (Savannah, GA). June 27, 1806.
- "Kentucky 1806 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 11, 2018., citing The Western World (Frankfort, KY). November 22, 1806. Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 19, 1806.
- "Maryland 1806 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 11, 2018., citing Votes and Proceedings of the Maryland State Senate, 1806. 11-12.
- "Kentucky 1806 U.S. Senate, Ballot 4". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 12, 2018., citing The Western World (Frankfort, KY). November 22, 1806. Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 19, 1806.
- "New York 1807 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 13, 2018., citing Journal of the New York Assembly, 1807. 38-39. Journal of the New York State Senate, 1807. 13-14.
- "North Carolina 1806 U.S. Senate, Ballot 7". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 13, 2018., citing Legislative Papers for 1806. State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh.
- "Ohio 1807 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 13, 2018., citing Taylor, William A. (1900). Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901. Columbus, Ohio: Century Publishing Co. p. 96 – via Internet Archive.
- "South Carolina 1806 U.S. Senate, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 14, 2018., citing The Times (Charleston, SC). December 13, 1806. Charleston Courier (Charleston, SC). December 16, 1806.
- "Vermont 1806 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 14, 2018., citing American Mercury (Hartford, CT). November 6, 1806. Weekly Wanderer (Randolph, VT). October 29, 1806.
- "Connecticut 1807 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 12, 2018., citing Connecticut Herald (New Haven, CT). October 13, 1807.
- "Connecticut 1807 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 12, 2018., citing American Mercury (Hartford, CT). November 5, 1807.
- "Rhode Island 1807 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 14, 2018., citing Newport Mercury (Newport, RI). November 7, 1807.
- "Georgia 1807 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 12, 2018., citing Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, GA). November 14, 1807.
External links
- "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present" – via Senate.gov.