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1787 Massachusetts Senate election

Elections to the Massachusetts Senate were held during 1787 to elect 40 State Senators. Candidates were elected at the county level, with some counties electing multiple Senators.

For election, a candidate needed the support of a majority of those voting. If a seat remained vacant because no candidate received such majority, the Massachusetts General Court was empowered to fill it by a majority vote of its members.

The primary issue in this race was the ongoing ratification of the United States Constitution by a separate ratifying convention; the reaction divided the state (and nation) between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, though the factions did not appear as strictly formal political parties until 1789.

The elections were also held during the midst of Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts against the national government, formed in opposition to the ongoing debt crisis.

Apportionment

The apportionment of seats by population was as follows:

  • Barnstable County: 1
  • Berkshire County: 2
  • Bristol County: 3
  • Cumberland County: 1
  • Dukes and Nantucket Counties: 1
  • Essex County: 6
  • Hampshire County: 4
  • Lincoln County: 1
  • Middlesex County: 5
  • Plymouth County: 3
  • Suffolk County: 6
  • Worcester County: 5
  • York County: 2

Results

Barnstable

1787 Barnstable Senate election[1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Thomas Smith 358 68.32%
ScatteringAll others16631.68%
Total votes524 100.00%

Berkshire

1787 Berkshire Senate election[2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Thompson J. Skinner (incumbent) 659 78.45%
Unknown Elijah Dwight 503 59.88%
Total votes840 100.00%

Both candidates were elected.

Bristol

1787 Bristol Senate election[3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Holder Slocum 1,507 74.49%
Unknown Abraham White 1,504 74.35%
Unknown Phanuel Bishop 1,111 54.92%
Total votes2,023 100.00%

Cumberland

1787 Cumberland Senate election[4]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Josiah Thacher 286 63.56%
ScatteringAll others16436.44%
Total votes450 100.00%

Dukes and Nantucket

1787 Dukes and Nantucket Senate election[5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
UnknownMatthew Mayhew15543.78%
UnknownThomas Cooke13738.70%
ScatteringAll others6217.51%
Total votes354 100.00%

Because Mayhew failed to achieve a majority, the election was put to the General Court, which certified his election with near unanimity.

General Court

1787 General Court election[6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Matthew Mayhew 178 90.82%
Total votes196 100.00%

Essex

1787 Essex Senate election[7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
FederalistBenjamin Goodhue (incumbent) 1,493 63.83%
Unknown Aaron Wood 1,313 56.14%
Unknown Peter Coffin 1,241 53.06%
UnknownIsrael Hutchinson1,12448.05%
FederalistTristram Dalton (incumbent)1,10547.24%
UnknownSamuel Holton88238.70%
UnknownJohn Manning85837.71%
UnknownJonathan Greenleaf85036.34%
UnknownStephen Choate80834.54%
Total votes2,339 100.00%

Dalton, Choate, and Greenleaf would subsequently be elected by the General Court.

General Court

1787 General Court election[8]
PartyCandidateVotes%
FederalistTristram Dalton (incumbent) 207 95.83%
Unknown Stephen Choate 121 56.02%
Unknown Jonathan Greenleaf 121 56.02%
Total votes216 100.00%

Hampshire

1787 Hampshire Senate election[9]
PartyCandidateVotes%
FederalistCaleb Strong (incumbent) 696 50.51%
UnknownJohn Hastings62044.99%
UnknownOliver Phelps51737.52%
UnknownWilliam Shepard47734.62%
UnknownDavid Smead36226.27%
UnknownDavid Sexton33924.60%
UnknownJohn Bliss31322.71%
Total votes1,378 100.00%

Hastings, Smead, and Phelps were subsequently elected by the General Court.

General Court

1787 General Court election[10]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown John Hastings 218 99.09%
Unknown Oliver Phelps 158 71.82%
Unknown David Smead 145 65.90%
Total votes220 100.00%

Lincoln

1787 Lincoln Senate election[11]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Samuel Thompson 307 56.43%
ScatteringAll others23743.57%
Total votes544 100.00%

Middlesex

1787 Middlesex Senate election[12]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Joseph B. Varnum (incumbent) 2,005 75.95%
Unknown Isaac Stearns 1,892 71.67%
Unknown Ebenezer Bridge 1,403 53.14%
UnknownWalter MacFarland1,30049.24%
UnknownJoseph Hosmer92435.00%
UnknownMarshal Spring83131.48%
UnknownEleazer Brooks72027.27%
Total votes2,640 100.00%

Based on returns from Weston, Ezra Sergant, Abraham Fuller, James Prescot, Joseph Curtis, Thomas Fairweather, Joseph Roberts, John Brooks, and Abner Sanderson also received votes, but how many they received county-wide is unknown.[13]

Hosmer and MacFarland were subsequently elected by the General Court.

General Court

1787 General Court election[14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Joseph Hosmer 127 58.26%
Unknown Walter MacFarland 116 53.21%
Total votes218 100.00%

Plymouth

1787 Plymouth Senate election[15]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Nathan Mitchel 890 63.44%
UnknownNoah Fearing53738.28%
UnknownCharles Turner40128.58%
UnknownNathan Cushing36926.30%
UnknownAbraham Holmes35024.95%
Total votes1,403 100.00%

Turner and Cushing were subsequently elected by the General Court.

General Court

1787 General Court election[16]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Nathan Cushing 143 64.71%
Unknown Charles Turner 118 53.39%
Total votes221 100.00%

Suffolk

1787 Suffolk Senate election[17]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Stephen Metcalf 2,087 65.75%
FederalistCotton Tufts 1,976 62.26%
Anti-Federalist Samuel Adams 1,704 53.69%
FederalistWilliam Phillips Jr. 1,590 50.09%
UnknownThomas Dawes1,13735.82%
UnknownBenjamin Austin Jr.1,05633.27%
Anti-FederalistJames Warren1,03132.48%
UnknownElijah Dunbar99431.32%
Total votes3,174 100.00%

Austin and Dunbar were subsequently elected by the General Court. (No result is listed for Dunbar's election.)

General Court

1787 General Court election[18]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Benjamin Austin Jr. 129 61.72%
Total votes209 100.00%

Worcester

1787 Worcester Senate election[19]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Jonathan Grout (incumbent) 2,341 67.72%
Unknown Samuel Curtis 2,290 66.24%
Unknown Abel Wilder 1,841 53.25%
UnknownJoseph Stone1,63547.30%
Anti-FederalistAmos Singletary1,13332.77%
UnknownSeth Washburn99128.67%
UnknownPeter Penniman89225.80%
Total votes3,457 100.00%

General Court

1787 General Court election[20]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Anti-Federalist Amos Singletary 110 52.13%
Unknown Seth Washburn 109 51.66%
Total votes211 100.00%

York

1787 York Senate election[21]
PartyCandidateVotes%
UnknownJohn Frost27148.13%
UnknownTristram Jordan23241.21%
UnknownIchabod Goodwin14926.47%
UnknownEdward Cutts11019.54%
Total votes563 100.00%

No candidate received a majority. Cutts and Jordan were subsequently elected by the General Court.

General Court

1787 General Court election[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Unknown Edward Cutts 112 52.13%
Unknown Tristram Jordan 109 51.66%
Total votes211 100.00%

References

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