1902 United States House of Representatives elections

Elections to the United States House of Representatives held in 1902 occurred in the middle of President Theodore Roosevelt's first term, about a year after the assassination of President William McKinley in September 1901.

1902 United States House of Representatives elections

June 2, September 12, September 18, and November 8, 1898[lower-alpha 1]
All 386 seats in the United States House of Representatives 194 seats needed for a majority
Leader Joseph Cannon John Sharp Williams Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1903 March 4, 1903 Leader's seat Illinois 18th Mississippi 8th Last election 200 seats 151 seats Seats before 198 seats[lower-alpha 2] 152 seats[lower-alpha 3] Seats won 206[1][2][lower-alpha 4] 176[1][2] Seat change 6 25 Popular vote 5,470,468 4,942,208 Percentage 49.81% 45.00% Swing 0.84% 0.55%   Party Independent Populist Last election 0 seats 5 seats Seats before 0 seats 5 seats Seats won 4 [lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] 0 Seat change 4 5 Popular vote 61,629 151,192 Percentage 0.56% 1.38% Swing 0.23% 0.97%
Speaker before election David Henderson Republican Elected Speaker Joseph Cannon Republican

Due to the increased size of the House and the reapportionment that resulted from the 1900 U.S. Census, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party both gained seats simultaneously, which has not occurred in any elections since. The Democrats increased their share of the House, but not by enough to regain control.

With a stable economy and no cornerstone issue, Democratic gains can mostly be linked to the effects of redistricting. Many of the new seats were in areas with high numbers of immigrants (mostly Eastern and Southern European industrial workers, and Northern European farmers), with new immigrants tending to vote Democrat. The Populist Party disappeared from the House, with its supporters almost unanimously switching to the Democratic Party.

This election marked the third and most recent time in American history where the incumbent President's party gained House seats in a midterm election while still losing seats in the Senate, the first two being in 1814 and 1822.

Election summaries

29 new seats were added in reapportionment following the 1900 Census.[3] No states lost seats, 16 had no change in apportionment, 14 gained 1 seat, 3 gained 2 seats, and 3 gained 3 seats. Two of the states that gained representation elected the new seat at-large.

↓

176	3	207
Democratic	IR	Republican

State	Type	Total seats		Democratic		Republican
		Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Alabama	Districts	9		9		0
Arkansas	Districts	7	1	7	1	0
California	Districts	8	1	3	3	5	2
Colorado	District +at-large[lower-alpha 6]	3[lower-alpha 7]	1	0		3	2[lower-alpha 8]
Connecticut	District +at-large[lower-alpha 6]	5	1	0		5	1
Delaware	At-large	1		1	1	0	1
Florida	Districts	3	1	3	1	0
Georgia	Districts	11		11		0
Idaho	At-large	1[lower-alpha 7]		0		1	1
Illinois	Districts	25	3	8	3	17	6
Indiana	Districts	13		4		9
Iowa	Districts	11		1	1	10	1
Kansas	District +at-large	8		0	1	8	1
Kentucky	Districts	11		10	1	1	1
Louisiana	Districts	7	1	7	1	0
Maine[lower-alpha 9]	Districts	4		0		4
Maryland	Districts	6		2	2	4	2
Massachusetts	Districts	14	1	4	1	10
Michigan	Districts	12		1	1	11	1
Minnesota	Districts	9	2	1	1	8	1
Mississippi	Districts	8	1	8	1	0
Missouri	Districts	16	1	15	3	1	2
Montana	At-large	1[lower-alpha 7]		0		1	1
Nebraska	Districts	6[lower-alpha 10]		1	1	5	3
Nevada	At-large	1		1		0
New Hampshire	Districts	2		0		2
New Jersey	Districts	10	2	3	1	7	1
New York	Districts	37	3	17	4	20	1
North Carolina	Districts	10	1	10	3	0	2
North Dakota	At-large	2	1	0		2	1
Ohio	Districts	21		4		17
Oregon[lower-alpha 9]	Districts	2		0		2
Pennsylvania	District[lower-alpha 11]	32	2	3	1	29[lower-alpha 4]	3
Rhode Island	Districts	2		1	1	1	1
South Carolina	Districts	7		7		0
South Dakota	At-large	2		0		2
Tennessee	Districts	10		8		2
Texas	Districts	16	3	16	3	0
Utah	At-large	1		0		1
Vermont[lower-alpha 9]	Districts	2		0		2
Virginia	Districts	10		9	1	1	1
Washington	At-large	3	1	0		3	1
West Virginia	Districts	5	1	0		5	1
Wisconsin	Districts	11	1	1	1	10
Wyoming	At-large	1		0		1
Total		386	29	176 45.6%	25	210[lower-alpha 4] 54.4%	9

Popular vote Democratic   45.00% Independent   0.56% Populist   1.38% Republican   49.81% Others   3.25%

House seats Democratic   45.60% Independent   1.04% Republican   53.37%

The previous election had 5 Populists, but the party completely disappeared from the U.S. House in the 1902 elections.

[[File:58 us house membership.png|thumb|350px| House seats by party holding plurality in state   80+% to 100% Democratic   80+% to 100% Republican   60+% to 80% Democratic   60+% to 80% Republican   Up to 60% Democratic   Up to 60% Republican ]]

[[File:58 us house changes.png|thumb|350px| Net gain in party representation   6+ Democratic gain   6+ Republican gain   3-5 Democratic gain   3-5 Republican gain   1-2 Democratic gain   1-2 Republican gain   no net change ]]

Special elections

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New York 7
Pennsylvania 17
Kentucky 3
Massachusetts 6
Missouri 12	James Joseph Butler	Democratic	1901	Seat declared vacant. Incumbent re-elected November 4, 1902 to finish his term. Special election later successfully contested by George C. R. Wagoner.	James Joseph Butler (Democratic) George C. R. Wagoner (Republican)
New York 10
Virginia 6
New Jersey 4
Texas 3
New York 26
Texas 4
Connecticut 3

Election dates

All the states held their elections November 4, 1902, except for 3 states, with 8 seats among them:

• June 2: Oregon
• September 2: Vermont
• September 8: Maine

Alabama

Arizona Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Arkansas

California

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
California 1	Samuel D. Woods Redistricted from the 2nd district	Republican	1900	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	James N. Gillett (Republican) 50.5% Thomas S. Ford (Democratic) 46.7% M. E. Shore (Socialist) 1.9% W. O. Clark (Prohibition) 0.9%
California 2	Frank Coombs Redistricted from the 1st district	Republican	1900	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	Theodore A. Bell (Democratic) 49.2% Frank Coombs (Republican) 48.3% G. H. Rogers (Socialist) 1.7% W. P. Fassett (Prohibition) 0.8%
California 3	Victor H. Metcalf	Republican	1898	Incumbent re-elected.	Victor H. Metcalf (Republican) 66.2% Calvin B. White (Democratic) 27.7% M. W. Wilkins (Socialist) 5% T. H. Montgomery (Prohibition) 1.1%
California 4	Julius Kahn	Republican	1898	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	Edward J. Livernash (Democratic) 49.2% Julius Kahn (Republican) 48.7% William Costley (Socialist) 1.9% Joseph Rowell (Prohibition) 0.2%
California 5	Eugene F. Loud	Republican	1890	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	William J. Wynn (Democratic) 56.5% Eugene F. Loud (Republican) 41.2% Joseph Lawrence (Socialist) 1.5% Frank W. Caton (Prohibition) 0.7%
California 6	James C. Needham Redistricted from the 7th district	Republican	1898	Incumbent re-elected.	James C. Needham (Republican) 53.5% Gaston N. Ashe (Democratic) 42.5% J. L. Cobb (Socialist) 2.5% L. C. Jolley (Prohibition) 1.4%
California 7	James McLachlan Redistricted from the 6th district	Republican	1900	Incumbent re-elected.	James McLachlan (Republican) 64.8% Carl A. Johnson (Democratic) 27% George H. Hewes (Socialist) 4.2% Frederick F. Wheeler (Prohibition) 4%
California 8	None (District created)			New seat. New member elected. Republican gain.	Milton J. Daniels (Republican) 51.9% William E. Smythe (Democratic) 40.8% Noble A. Richardson (Socialist) 5.4% Ellsworth Leonardson (Prohibition) 2%

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Florida 1	Stephen M. Sparkman	Democratic	1894	Incumbent re-elected.	Stephen M. Sparkman (Democratic) Unopposed
Florida 2	Robert Wyche Davis	Democratic	1896	Incumbent re-elected.	Robert Wyche Davis (Democratic) Unopposed
Florida 3	None (District created)			New seat. New member elected. Democratic gain.	William B. Lamar (Democratic) Unopposed

Georgia

Hawaii Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Maryland 1	William H. Jackson	Republican	1900	Incumbent re-elected.	William H. Jackson (Republican) 50.6% James E. Ellegood (Democratic) 45.5% R. J. McAllen (Prohibition) 3.9%
Maryland 2	Albert Blakeney	Republican	1900	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	J. Frederick C. Talbott (Democratic) 50.8% William Tyler Page (Republican) 46.2% Henry N. Hanna (Prohibition) 3.0%
Maryland 3	Frank C. Wachter	Republican	1898	Incumbent re-elected.	Frank C. Wachter (Republican) 48.8% Lee S. Meyer (Democratic) 48.2% B.F. Lewis (Prohibition) 1.4% F. Mareck (Socialist) 1.6%
Maryland 4	Charles R. Schirm	Republican	1900	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	James W. Denny (Democratic) 50.0% Charles R. Schirm (Republican) 48.1% Andrew J. Church (Prohibition) 1.9%
Maryland 5	Sydney Emanuel Mudd I	Republican	1896	Incumbent re-elected.	Sydney Emanuel Mudd I (Republican) 56.9% Benjamin H. Camalier (Democratic) 41.3% Samuel R. Neave (Prohibition) 1.8%
Maryland 6	George A. Pearre	Republican	1898	Incumbent re-elected	George A. Pearre (Republican) 53.0% C. F. Kenneweg (Democratic) 42.8% J.A. Hopkins (Prohibition) 3.1%

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
South Carolina 1	William Elliott	Democratic	1886 1896	Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator. New member elected. Democratic hold.	George Swinton Legaré (Democratic) 95.5% Aaron P. Prioleau (Republican) 4.5%
South Carolina 2	W. Jasper Talbert	Democratic	1892	Incumbent retired to run for Governor of South Carolina. New member elected. Democratic hold.	George W. Croft (Democratic) 94.9% W. S. Dixon (Republican) 5.0% Others 0.1%
South Carolina 3	Asbury Latimer	Democratic	1892	Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator. New member elected. Democratic hold.	Wyatt Aiken (Democratic) 98.9% John Scott (Republican) 1.1%
South Carolina 4	Joseph T. Johnson	Democratic	1900	Incumbent re-elected.	Joseph T. Johnson (Democratic) 98.7% L. W. C. Blalock (Republican) 1.3%
South Carolina 5	David E. Finley	Democratic	1898	Incumbent re-elected.	David E. Finley (Democratic) 99.3% C. P. T. White (Republican) 0.7%
South Carolina 6	Robert B. Scarborough	Democratic	1900	Incumbent re-elected.	Robert B. Scarborough (Democratic) Unopposed
South Carolina 7	Asbury F. Lever	Democratic	1901 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Asbury F. Lever (Democratic) 96.2% Alexander D. Dantzler (Republican) 3.8%

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Non-voting delegates

District	Incumbent			This race
	Delegate	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Arizona Territory at-large
Hawaii Territory at-large
New Mexico Territory at-large
Oklahoma Territory at-large	Dennis T. Flynn	Republican	1892 1894 (Lost) 1898	Incumbent retired. New delegate elected. Republican hold.	Bird S. McGuire (Republican) 50.22% William M. Cross (Democratic) 49.78%[4]

See also

• 1902 United States elections
  • 1902 and 1903 United States Senate elections
• 57th United States Congress
• 58th United States Congress

Notes

1. Regulars only, not including specials
2. Includes five vacancies.
3. Includes 6 vacancies.
4. Includes 3 Independent Republicans.
5. Includes 1 "Anti-Machine" candidate.
6. Additional seat elected at-large due to Colorado delaying redistricting.
7. Election of 1900 saw the election of 1 Populist.
8. There was one member of the Silver Republican Party faction elected in 1900, John F. Shafroth. Shafroth attempted to get elected as a Democrat in 1902, but his election was contested and overturned.
9. Elections held early.
10. Election of 1900 saw the election of 2 Populists in Nebraska.
11. At-large seats eliminated in redistricting.

References

1. "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
2. Martis, pp. 156–157.
3. Apportionment Act of 1901
4. "Our Campaigns - OK Territorial Delegate Race - Nov 04, 1902". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.

Bibliography

• Republican Congressional Committee, The Republican Campaign Textbook 1902 (1902).
• Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
• Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
• "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
• Secretary of State (1903). Maryland Manual 1902. Baltimore: Wm. J. C. Dulany Co. Retrieved 23 June 2020.

External links

• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)