1876 and 1877 United States Senate elections

The United States Senate elections of 1876 and 1877 had the Democratic Party gain five seats in the United States Senate, and coincided with Rutherford B. Hayes's narrow election as President. Republicans remained in the majority, however.

1876 and 1877 United States Senate elections

Dates vary by state (And other dates for special elections)
26 of the 76 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 39 seats needed for a majority
Leader Henry B. Anthony[lower-alpha 1] John W. Stevenson[lower-alpha 2] Party Republican Democratic Seats before 45 30 Seats won 11 14 Seats after 39 35 Seat change 6 5 Seats up 17 9   Party Anti-Monopoly Independent Seats before 1 0 Seats won 0 1 Seats after 1 1 Seat change 1 Seats up 0 0
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 45th Congress (1877–1879)

• Majority Party: Republican (39)
• Minority Party: Democratic (35)
• Other Parties: Anti-Monopoly (1), Independent (1)
• Total Seats: 76

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

After the November 15, 1876 elections in the new state of Colorado.

D8	D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D9	D10	D11	D12	D13	D14	D15	D16	D17	D18
D28 Retired	D27 Retired	D26 Ran	D25 Ran	D24 Ran	D23 Ran	D22 Ran	D21	D20	D19
D29 Retired	D30 Retired	AM1	R45 Retired	R44 Retired	R43 Retired	R42 Retired	R41 Unknown	R40 Unknown	R39 Unknown
Majority →
R29 Ran	R30 Ran	R31 Ran	R32 Ran	R33 Ran	R34 Ran	R35 Ran	R36 Ran	R37 Ran	R38 Ran
R28	R27	R26	R25	R24	R23	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
D9	D10	D11	D12	D13	D14	D15	D16	D17	D18
D28 Hold	D27 Hold	D26 Hold	D25 Re-elected	D24 Re-elected	D23 Re-elected	D22 Re-elected	D21	D20	D19
D29 Hold	D30 Hold	D31 Gain	D32 Gain	D33 Gain	D34 Gain	D35 Gain	I1 Gain	AM1	R39 Hold
Majority →
R29 Re-elected	R30 Re-elected	R31 Re-elected	R32 Re-elected	R33 Re-elected	R34 Hold	R35 Hold	R36 Hold	R37 Hold	R38 Hold
R28	R27	R26	R25	R24	R23	R22	R21	R20	R19
R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16	R17	R18
R8	R7	R6	R5	R4	R3	R2	R1

Key:	AM# Anti-Monopoly Party D# Democratic I# Independent R# Republican

Race summaries

Special elections during the 44th Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1876 or in 1877 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Louisiana (Class 3)	Vacant			Senate had declined to seat rival claimants William L. McMillen and P. B. S. Pinchback.[1] Senator elected January 12, 1876. Democratic gain.	James B. Eustis (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Connecticut (Class 3)	James E. English	Democratic	1875 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired when successor elected. New senator elected May 17, 1876. Democratic hold.	William Henry Barnum (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Colorado (Class 2)	New state			Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876. Republican gain. New senator was also elected to the next term, see below.	Henry M. Teller (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Colorado (Class 3)	New state			Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876. Republican gain.	Jerome B. Chaffee (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Tennessee (Class 1)	David M. Key	Democratic	1875 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost special election. New senator elected January 19, 1877 on the 74th ballot. Democratic hold.	James E. Bailey (Democratic) 55 votes David M. Key (Democratic) 38 votes W. B. Bates 7 votes[2]
Maine (Class 2)	James G. Blaine	Republican	1876 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 17, 1877. New senator also elected to the next term, see below.	James G. Blaine (Republican) 139 votes William P. Haines 33 votes[2]
West Virginia (Class 1)	Samuel Price	Democratic	1876 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost special election. New senator elected January 26, 1877 on the 5th ballot. Democratic hold.	Frank Hereford (Democratic) 70 votes Samuel Price 10 votes Henry S. Walker 4 votes R. F. Dennis 1 vote Other 1 vote[2]

Races leading to the 45th Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1877; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	George Goldthwaite	Democratic	1870	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1876. Democratic hold.	John Tyler Morgan (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Arkansas	Powell Clayton	Republican	1870	Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. New senator elected January 16, 1877. Democratic gain.	Augustus Garland (Democratic) 113 votes "Eighteen Republicans voted for Garland, of whom five were colored."[2] T. D. W. Youlee 8 votes
Colorado	Henry M. Teller	Republican	1876 (New state)	Incumbent re-elected in 1876 or 1877.	Henry M. Teller (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Delaware	Eli M. Saulsbury	Democratic	1870	Incumbent re-elected in 1876.	Eli M. Saulsbury (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Georgia	Thomas M. Norwood	Democratic	1871 (Readmission)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 26, 1877 on the fourth ballot. Democratic hold.	Benjamin Harvey Hill (Democratic) 114 votes Thomas M. Norwood (Democratic) 85 votes Herschel V. Johnson 6 votes James M. Smith 5 votes Charles J. Jenkins 1 vote[2]
Illinois	John A. Logan	Republican	1870 or 1871	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 25, 1877 on the fortieth ballot. Independent gain.	David Davis (Independent) 101 votes John A. Logan (Republican) 1 vote John C. Haines (Republican) 3 votes Charles B. Lawrence 94 votes Scattering 1 vote[2]
Iowa	George G. Wright	Republican	1870	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 19, 1876. Republican hold.	Samuel J. Kirkwood (Republican) 108 Shepard Leffler 37[3]
Kansas	James M. Harvey	Republican	1874 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New elected January 31, 1877 on the seventeenth ballot. Republican hold.	Preston B. Plumb (Republican) 89 votes John Martin 8 votes David P. Lowe 63 votes Scattering 3 votes[2]
Kentucky	John W. Stevenson	Democratic	1871	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1876. Democratic hold.	James B. Beck (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Louisiana	Joseph R. West	Republican	1870 or 1871	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 10, 1877.[2] Republican hold.	William P. Kellogg (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Maine	James G. Blaine	Republican	1876 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 16, 1877.[2] New senator also elected to finish the term, see above.	James G. Blaine (Republican) 139 votes William P. Haines 33 votes
Massachusetts	George S. Boutwell	Republican	1873 (Special)	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected in 1877. Republican hold.	George Frisbie Hoar (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Michigan	Thomas W. Ferry	Republican	1871	Incumbent re-elected in 1877.	Thomas W. Ferry (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Minnesota	William Windom	Republican	1870 (Appointed) 1871	Incumbent re-elected in 1877.	William Windom (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Mississippi	James L. Alcorn	Republican	1870	Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1876. Democratic gain.	Lucius Q.C. Lamar II (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Nebraska	Phineas Hitchcock	Republican	1870	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1877. Republican hold.	Alvin Saunders (Republican) Phineas Hitchcock (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
New Hampshire	Aaron H. Cragin	Republican	1864 1870	Unknown if incumbent retired or ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1876. Republican hold.	Edward H. Rollins (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
New Jersey	Frederick T. Frelinghuysen	Republican	1870 or 1871	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 24, 1877. Democratic gain.	John R. McPherson (Democratic) 41 votes Cortland Parker 18 votes George M. Robeson 11 votes Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (Republican) 10 votes William Walter Phelps 1 vote[2]
North Carolina	Matt W. Ransom	Democratic	1872 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1876.	Matt W. Ransom (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Oregon	James K. Kelly	Democratic	1870	Incumbent retired. New senator's election year unknown. Democratic hold.	La Fayette Grover (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Rhode Island	Henry B. Anthony	Republican	1858 1864 1870	Incumbent re-elected in 1876.	Henry B. Anthony (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
South Carolina	Thomas J. Robertson	Republican	1868 (Readmission) 1870	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1876. Democratic gain.	Matthew Butler (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Tennessee	Henry Cooper	Democratic	1870 or 1871	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 10, 1877.[2] Democratic hold.	Isham G. Harris (Democratic) 77 votes L. L. Hawkins 19 votes James D. Porter 1 vote Horace H. Harrison 1 vote W. B. Bates 1 vote[2]
Texas	Morgan C. Hamilton	Republican	1870 (Readmission) 1871	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1876. Democratic gain.	Richard Coke (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Virginia	John W. Johnston	Democratic	1870 (Readmission) 1871	Incumbent re-elected in 1877.	John W. Johnston (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
West Virginia	Henry G. Davis	Democratic	1871	Incumbent re-elected January 26, 1877 on the fourth ballot.	Henry G. Davis (Democratic) 60 votes Charles J. Faulkner 19 votes Gideon D. Camden 3 votes John Brannon 2 votes John J. Davis 1 vote Scattering 1 vote[2]

Elections during the 45th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1877 after March 4.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Pennsylvania (Class 3)	Simon Cameron	Republican	1857 1861 (Resigned) 1867 1873	Incumbent resigned March 12, 1877. Successor elected March 20, 1877. Republican hold.	J. Donald Cameron (Republican) Andrew H. Dill (Democratic) Hiester Clymer (Democratic) Andrew G. Curtin (Democratic) John Jackson (Democratic)
Ohio (Class 3)	John Sherman	Republican	1861 (Special) 1866 1872	Incumbent resigned March 8, 1877 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. New senator elected March 21, 1877. Republican hold.	Stanley Matthews (Republican) 82 votes Alfred Ginther 6 votes Frank H. Hurd (Democratic) 1 vote[4]

Alabama

Arkansas

Colorado

Connecticut (Special)

Delaware

Georgia

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

North Carolina

Ohio (Special)

Oregon

Pennsylvania (Special)

The special election in Pennsylvania was held March 20, 1877.

Republican Senator Simon Cameron had been elected to the United States Senate by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in 1867 and was re-elected in 1873. Sen. Cameron resigned on March 12, 1877.[5]

Following the resignation of Simon Cameron, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 20, 1877, to elect a new Senator to fill the vacancy. Former United States Secretary of War J. Donald Cameron, Simon Cameron's son, was elected to complete his father's term, set to expire on March 4, 1879.[6] The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

Pennsylvania Results[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	J. Donald Cameron	147	58.57
	Democratic	Andrew H. Dill	92	36.65
	Democratic	Hiester Clymer	1	0.40
	Democratic	Andrew G. Curtin	1	0.40
	Democratic	John Jackson	1	0.40
	N/A	Not voting	9	3.59
Totals			251	100.00%

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia (Special)

Senator Frank Hereford

First-term Democrat Allen T. Caperton died July 26, 1876, in his second year in office. Fellow-Democrat Samuel Price was appointed August 26, 1876 to continue the term, pending a special election in which he was a candidate. Price lost the election to Democratic congressman Frank Hereford January 26, 1877 on the 5th ballot.[2]

• Frank Hereford (Democratic) 70 votes
• Samuel Price 10 votes
• Henry S. Walker 4 votes
• R. F. Dennis 1 vote
• Other 1 vote[2]

Hereford resigned from the House January 31, 1877, thereby qualifying for the Senate. He only finished the term and left office in 1881.

West Virginia (Regular)

Senator Henry G. Davis

First-term Democrat Henry G. Davis was re-elected January 26, 1877 on the fourth ballot.

• Henry G. Davis (Democratic) 60 votes
• Charles J. Faulkner 19 votes
• Gideon D. Camden 3 votes
• John Brannon 2 votes
• John J. Davis 1 vote
• Scattering 1 vote[2]

Davis would retire after this second term, in 1883.

Notes

1. as Republican Conference Chair
2. as Democratic Caucus Chair

See also

• 1876 United States elections
  • 1876 United States presidential election
  • 1876 and 1877 United States House of Representatives elections
• 44th United States Congress
• 45th United States Congress

References

1. Taft, George S. (1885). Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1885 - Pages 483 - 512. U.S. Government Publishing Office.
2. J. F. Cleveland, etc. (ed.). The Tribune almanac and political register. 1874-78. The Tribune Association. pp. 31–33.
3. Journal of the House of Representatives of the Sixteenth General Assembly of the State of Iowa. 1876. p. 36–37 – via Google books.
4. Taylor & Taylor, p. 76, vol. II.
5. "CAMERON, Simon, (1799 - 1889)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
6. "CAMERON, James Donald, (1833 - 1918)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
7. "U.S. Senate Election - 20 March 1877" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.

Further reading

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project
• Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900. State of Ohio.