1898 and 1899 United States Senate elections

The United States Senate elections of 1898 and 1899 were landslide elections which had the Republican Party gain six seats in the United States Senate.

1898 and 1899 United States Senate elections

Dates vary by state
30 of the 90 seats in the United States Senate (as well as special elections) 46 seats needed for a majority
Leader William B. Allison[1] David Turpie[2] Party Republican Democratic Seats before 44 34 Seats after 50 25 Seat change 6 9 Seats up 11 15 Races won 17 6   Party Populist Silver Republican Seats before 5 5 Seats after 4 3 Seat change 1 2 Seats up 1 3 Races won 0 1   Party Silver Seats before 2 Seats after 2 Seat change Seats up 0 Races won 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, 56th Congress (1899–1901)

• Majority Party: Republican (52)
• Minority Party: Democratic (25)
• Other Parties: Populist (4); Silver Republican (2); Silver (2)
• Vacant: 5
• Total Seats: 90

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the October 7, 1898 special election in Oregon.

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20 Ran	D21 Ran	D22 Ran	D23 Ran	D24 Ran	D25 Ran
P5 Ran	D34 Retired	D33 Retired	D32 Retired	D31 Retired	D30 Ran	D29 Ran	D28 Ran	D27 Ran	D26 Ran
P4	P3	P2	P1	S2	S1	SR1	SR2	SR3 Ran	SR4 Ran
Plurality ↓									SR5 Ran
R36 Ran	R37 Ran	R38 Ran	R39 Ran	R40 Ran	R41 Ran	R42 Ran	R43 Ran	R44 Ran
R35 Ran	R34 Ran	R33	R32	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27	R26
R16	R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25
R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7	R6
					R1	R2	R3	R4	R5

Result of the general elections

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20 Re-elected	D21 Re-elected	D22 Re-elected	D23 Re-elected	D24 Hold	D25 Gain from SR
R50 Gain from D	SR3 Re-elected	SR2	SR1	S1	S2	P1	P2	P3	P4
R49 Gain from D	R48 Gain from D	R47 Gain from D	R46 Gain from D	R45 Gain from D	R44 Gain from D	R43 Hold	V1 D Loss	V2 D Loss	V3 D Loss
Majority →
						R42 Re-elected	V6 R Loss	V5 SR Loss	V4 P Loss
R36 Re-elected	R37 Re-elected	R38 Re-elected	R39 Re-elected	R40 Re-elected	R41 Re-elected
R35 Re-elected	R34 Re-elected	R33	R32	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27	R26
R16	R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25
R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7	R6
					R1	R2	R3	R4	R5

Beginning of the next Congress

					D1	D2	D3	D4	D5
D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7	D6
D16	D17	D18	D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25
SR3	SR2	SR1	S1	S2	P1	P2	P3	P4	D26 Appointed
R50	R49	R48	R47	R46	R45	R44	V1	V2	V3
Majority →						R43
								V5	V4
R36	R37	R38	R39	R40	R41	R42
R35	R34	R33	R32	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27	R26
R16	R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25
R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7	R6
					R1	R2	R3	R4	R5

Key:	D# Democratic P# Populist R# Republican S# Silver SR# Silver Republican V# Vacant

Race summaries

Elections during the 55th Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1898 or in 1899 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Ohio (Class 1)	Mark Hanna	Republican	1897 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 12, 1898. Winner also elected to the next term, see below.	Mark Hanna (Republican) 73 votes Robert McKisson (Republican) 70 votes John J. Lentz (Democratic) 1 vote
Oregon (Class 3)	Vacant			Legislature failed to elect. New senator elected October 7, 1898. Republican gain.	Joseph Simon (Republican) [data unknown/missing]

Races leading to the 56th Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1899; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
California	Stephen M. White	Democratic	1893	Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect.[3] Democratic loss. Seat remained vacant until February 7, 1900.	Ulysses S. Grant Jr. (Republican) Daniel M. Burns W.H.L. Barnes Robert N. Bulla[3]
Connecticut	Joseph Hawley	Republican	1881 1887 1893	Incumbent re-elected January 17, 1899.[4]	Joseph Roswell Hawley (Republican) Daniel N. Morgan (Democratic)
Delaware	George Gray	Democratic	1885 (Special) 1887 1893	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect.[5] Democratic loss. Seat remained vacant until 1903.	George Gray (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Florida	Samuel Pasco	Democratic	1887 1893 (Failure to elect) 1893 (Appointed) 1893 (Special)	Legislature failed to elect.[6] Democratic loss. Incumbent appointed to begin the term.[6] Incumbent lost election to finish the term, see below.	[data unknown/missing]
Indiana	David Turpie	Democratic	1863 (Special) 1863 (Retired) 1887 1893	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected January 17, 1899. Republican gain.	Albert J. Beveridge (Republican) David Turpie (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Maine	Eugene Hale	Republican	1881 1887 1893	Incumbent re-elected in 1899.	Eugene Hale (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Maryland	Arthur P. Gorman	Democratic	1880 1886 1892	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 25, 1898.[7] Republican gain.	Louis E. McComas (Republican) 63 votes Arthur P. Gorman (Democratic) 47 votes Shaw (Republican) 4 votes.[7]
Massachusetts	Henry Cabot Lodge	Republican	1893	Incumbent re-elected in 1899.	Henry Cabot Lodge (Republican) Bruce (Democratic) P. Porter Winfield (Social Democratic)[8]
Michigan	Julius C. Burrows	Republican	1895 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1899.	Julius C. Burrows (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Minnesota	Cushman Davis	Republican	1886 1892	Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1899.[9]	Cushman Davis (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Mississippi	Hernando Money	Democratic	1897 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected in 1899.	Hernando Money (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Missouri	Francis Cockrell	Democratic	1874 1881 1887 1893	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1899.[10]	Francis Cockrell (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Montana	Lee Mantle	Silver Republican	1895 (Special)	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected in 1899. Democratic gain.	William A. Clark (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Nebraska	William V. Allen	Populist	1893	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect.[11] Populist loss. The seat was filled in March 1899, see below.	William V. Allen (Populist)
Nevada	William Stewart	Silver Republican	1887 1893	Incumbent re-elected January 24, 1899.[12]	William Morris Stewart (Silver Republican) A.C. Cleveland W.W. Williams Mason Woodburn
New Jersey	James Smith Jr.	Democratic	1893	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 24, 1899.[13] Republican gain.	John Kean (Republican) James Smith Jr. (Democratic)
New York	Edward Murphy Jr.	Democratic	1893	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 17, 1899. Republican gain.	Chauncey M. Depew (Republican) Edward Murphy Jr. (Democratic)
North Dakota	William N. Roach	Democratic	1893	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 20, 1899.[14] Republican gain.	Porter J. McCumber (Republican) William N. Roach (Democratic) ß[data unknown/missing]
Ohio	Mark Hanna	Republican	1897 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 12, 1898. Winner also elected to finish the term, see above.	Mark Hanna (Republican) 73 votes Robert McKisson (Republican) 70 votes John J. Lentz (Democratic) 1 vote
Pennsylvania	Matthew S. Quay	Republican	1887 1893	Legislature failed to elect. Republican loss. Incumbent appointed to start the term, but Senate rejected credentials. Seat would remain vacant until 1901.	Matthew S. Quay (Republican)
Rhode Island	Nelson W. Aldrich	Republican	1881 (Special) 1886 1892	Incumbent re-elected in 1898.	Nelson W. Aldrich (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
Tennessee	William B. Bate	Democratic	1887 1893	Incumbent re-elected in 1899.	William B. Bate (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Texas	Roger Q. Mills	Democratic	1892 1893	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 24, 1899.[15] Democratic hold.	Charles Culberson (Democratic) Unopposed
Utah	Frank J. Cannon	Silver Republican	1896	Legislature failed to elect.[16] Silver Republican loss. Seat would remain vacant until 1901.	Frank J. Cannon (Republican) Alfred W. McCune (Democratic)
Vermont	Redfield Proctor	Republican	1891 (Appointed) 1892 (Special) 1892	Incumbent re-elected October 19, 1898.[17]	Redfield Proctor (Republican) Thomas W. Moloney (Democrats)
Virginia	John W. Daniel	Democratic	1887 1893	Incumbent re-elected in 1899.	John W. Daniel (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Washington	John L. Wilson	Republican	1895 (Special)	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected February 1, 1899.[18] Republican hold.	Addison G. Foster (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
West Virginia	Charles J. Faulkner	Democratic	1887 1893	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 25, 1899.[19] Republican gain.	Nathan B. Scott (Republican) 48 J.F. McGraw (Democratic) 46 Nathan Goff Jr. (Republican) 1[19]
Wisconsin	John L. Mitchell	Democratic	1893	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 31, 1899.[20] Republican gain.	Joseph V. Quarles (Republican) Timoth E. Ryan (Democratic)
Wyoming	Clarence D. Clark	Republican	1895 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected January 24, 1899.[21]	Clarence D. Clark (Republican) John Eugene Osborne (Democratic)

Elections during the 56th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1899 after March 4, and seated in the 56th Congress.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Nebraska (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect, see above. New senator elected late March 8, 1899.[22] Republican gain.	Monroe Hayward (Republican) 74 votes William V. Allen (Populist) 58 votes[22]
Florida (Class 1)	Samuel Pasco	Democratic	1887 1893 (Failure to elect) 1893 (Appointed) 1893 (Special) 1899 (Failure to elect) 1899 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election to finish the term. New senator elected April 19, 1899.[23] Democratic hold.	James Taliaferro (Democratic) Samuel Pasco (Democratic)

In this election, the winner was seated in the 57th Congress, starting March 4, 1901.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Virginia (Class 2)	Thomas S. Martin	Democratic	1893 (Early)	Incumbent re-elected early December 19, 1899 for the term beginning March 4, 1901.[24]	Thomas S. Martin (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]

Maryland

Minnesota

New York

The election in New York was held January 17, 1899.

Democrat Edward Murphy Jr. had been elected to this seat in 1893, and his term would expire on March 3, 1899. At the State election in November 1898, 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1899–1900) in the State Senate; and 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats were elected for the session of 1899 to the Assembly. The 122nd New York State Legislature met from January 4 to April 28, 1899, at Albany, New York.

The Republican caucus met on January 12. State Senator Hobart Krum presided. They nominated Chauncey M. Depew unanimously. Depew had been Secretary of State of New York from 1864 to 1865, and was the frontrunning candidate to succeed Thomas C. Platt at the U.S. Senate special election in 1881 when he withdrew after the 41st ballot. Parallel to his political career, he moved up the ladder in the Vanderbilt Railroad System, being President of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad from 1885 to 1898, and holding positions in dozens of other railroad companies.

The Democratic caucus met also on January 12. State Senator George W. Plunkitt presided. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Edward Murphy Jr. unanimously.

Chauncey M. Depew was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected.

1899 United States Senator election result

House	Republican		Democratic
State Senate (50 members)	Chauncey M. Depew	27	Edward Murphy Jr.	23
State Assembly (150 members)	Chauncey M. Depew	84	Edward Murphy Jr.	60

Note: The votes were cast on January 17, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 18 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Ohio

Ohio (Special)

Oregon

Oregon (Special)

Rhode Island

South Carolina (Special)

Utah

In mid-August 1898, Alfred W. McCune decided to seek office as a Democrat for the United States Senate.[25] State legislators had already indicated they would not support the incumbent, Frank J. Cannon for reelection. Cannon, a Republican, had voted against the Dingley Act, which would have raised tariffs on sugar and helped the Utah sugar industry.[26] The Dingley bill was strongly supported by the LDS Church hierarchy, who now opposed his reelection.[26] Other factors were his support for Free Silver; rumors about immoral acts he may have committed while living in Washington, D.C.; and that the Utah legislature was controlled by Democrats.[26] The McCunes were close friends with Heber J. Grant, seventh LDS Church president and an ordained LDS apostle.[27] Although the LDS church had (just weeks before) made a decision to stay out of state politics, McCune asked Grant for the church's assistance in winning office.[25] Grant consulted with Joseph F. Smith (Apostle and sixth LDS president) and John Henry Smith (a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of the LDS Church), both of whom supported McCune's senatorial bid.[25] But McCune was not alone in seeking the office. Former Representative William H. King was also running (and backed by two Apostles), as was James Moyle (a prominent attorney and founder of the Utah Democratic Party who was backed by state legislators) and George Q. Cannon (an Apostle and member of the First Presidency).[25]

At the time, members of the Senate were still elected by their respective state legislatures.[25] The Utah state legislature convened in January 1899.[28] There were 13 Republicans and 50 Democrats in the state legislature.[29] From the beginning, McCune was considered the leading candidate.[28] But the legislature quickly deadlocked over the election. One-hundred and twenty-one ballots were cast, and no winner emerged.[28] McCune was one or two votes shy of winning on several ballots.[28] on February 18, before the 122nd ballot, state representative Albert A. Law (a Republican from Cache County and a Cannon supporter) claimed McCune offered him $1,500 for his vote.[30] McCune strenuously denied the charge, and a seven-member legislative established to investigate the allegation.[28][30] The committee voted 7-to-2 to absolve McCune of the charge, and this outcome was announced to the legislature on March 6.[28][30] Balloting resumed, and on March 8, on the 149th ballot, McCune still lacked enough votes to win office (he had only 25 votes).[28][30] The legislature adjourned without having chosen a senator,[31] and McCune traveled in Europe for several weeks to regain his health (returning in June 1899).[32]

Utah's U.S. Senate seat remained vacant until January 1901.

Vermont

See also

Mark Hanna campaign button in Ohio

• 1898 United States elections
  • 1898 United States House of Representatives elections
• 55th United States Congress
• 56th United States Congress

Notes

1. as Republican Conference Chair
2. as Democratic Caucus Chair
3. "WHITE'S SUCCESSOR NOT NAMED". The New York Times. January 17, 1899. p. 2.
4. "Hawley Elected in Connecticut". The New York Times. January 18, 1899. p. 2.
5. "DEADLOCK IN DELAWARE". The New York Times. January 17, 1899. pp. 1, 2.
6. "Senator Pasco's Credentials". The New York Times. March 4, 1899. p. 2.
7. Public Opinion. 1898. p. 137.
8. "Henry Cabot Lodge Re-elected". The New York Times. January 18, 1899. p. 2.
9. "SENATORS FORMALLY ELECTED". The Chicago Daily Tribune. January 19, 1899. p. 2.
10. "Cockrell Re-elected in Missouri". The New York Times. January 18, 1899. p. 2.
11. "No Election in Nebraska". The New York Times. p. 2.
12. "Stewart Re-elected in Nevada". The New York Times. January 25, 1899. p. 2.
13. "KEAN UNITED STATES SENATOR". The New York Times. January 25, 1899. p. 2.
14. "An Election in North Dakota". The New York Times. January 21, 1899. p. 1.
15. "Culberson Elected in Texas". The New York Times. January 25, 1899. p. 2.
16. "Utah Fails to Elect Senator". Boston Evening Transcript. March 10, 1899. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
17. "Senator Proctor Re-elected". The New York Times. October 19, 1898. p. 4.
18. "AN ELECTION IN WASHINGTON". The New York Times. February 2, 1899. p. 2.
19. "WEST VIRGINIA'S NEW SENATOR". The New York Times. January 26, 1899. p. 2.
20. "Quarles Elected in Wisconsin". The New York Times. February 1, 1899. p. 8.
21. "Clark Re-elected in Wyoming". The New York Times. January 25, 1899. p. 2.
22. "Hayward Elected in Nebraska". The New York Times. March 9, 1899. p. 2.
23. Byrd, p. 93.
24. "Senator Martin Is Re-elected". The New York Times. December 20, 1899. p. 9.
25. Alexander, p. 10.
26. Powell, p. 70.
27. Wadley.
28. Whitney 1916, p. 527.
29. Smoot, p. 860.
30. Smoot, p. 863.
31. "Utah With One Senator" (PDF). The New York Times. March 11, 1899.
32. Whitney1904, p. 508.

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789–Present, via Senate.gov
• Proceedings before the Committee on Privileges and Elections of the United States Senate in the Matter of the Protests Against the Right on Hon. Reed Smoot, a Senator from the State of Utah, to Hold his Seat. 1. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1906.
• Alexander, Thomas G. (1996). Mormonism in Transition. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
• Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy (ed.). The Senate, 1789–1989: Historical Statistics, 1789–1992. United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160632563.
• Maisel, Louis S. (2001). Jews in American Politics. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
• Powell, Allan Kent (1995). Utah History Encyclopedia. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
• "United States Senators". The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1899. New York: The Tribune Association. 1899. pp. 255–256 – via Hathi Trust Digital Library.
• "United States Senators". The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1900. New York: The Tribune Association. 1900. pp. 240–247 – via Hathi Trust Digital Library.
• Wadley, Carma (April 19, 2001). "A Unique 100-Year-Old Heirloom". Deseret News.
• Whitney, Orson F. (October 1904). History of Utah. IV Biographical. George Q. Cannon & Sons., Co.
• Whitney, Orson F. (1916). Popular History of Utah. The Deseret News. Deseret News.
• "MR. DEPEW FOR SENATOR" (PDF). The New York Times. January 13, 1899.
• "Senator Murphy Renominated" (PDF). The New York Times. January 13, 1899.
• "ELECTION OF MR. DEPEW" (PDF). The New York Times. January 18, 1899.