1816–17 United States Senate elections

1816–17 United States Senate elections
12 of the 36 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections); 19 seats needed for a majority
	Results:; Federalist hold Federalist gain; Dem-Republican hold Dem-Republican gain; Legislature Failed To Elect
Majority Party before election; ; Democratic-Republican	Elected Majority Party ; ; Democratic-Republican

The 1816–17 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1816 and 1817, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.^[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2.

The Democratic-Republican Party gained a net of two seats from the admission of a new state.

Results summary

Senate party division, 15th Congress (1817–1819)

Majority party: Democratic-Republican (25–28)
Minority party: Federalist (13–12)
Total seats: 38–42

Change in composition

Results of the January 1816 special elections

DR₈	DR₇	DR₆	DR₅	DR₄	DR₃	DR₂	DR₁
DR₉	DR₁₀	DR₁₁	DR₁₂	DR₁₃	DR₁₄	DR₁₅	DR₁₆	DR₁₇	DR₁₈
Majority →									DR₁₉
F₉ Md. Gain	F₁₀	F₁₁	F₁₂	F₁₃	DR₂₃	DR₂₂	DR₂₁ Va. Gain	DR₂₀	DR₁₉
F₈	F₇	F₆	F₅	F₄	F₃	F₂	F₁

Before the general elections

DR₉	DR₈	DR₇	DR₆	DR₅	DR₄	DR₃	DR₂	DR₁
DR₁₀	DR₁₁	DR₁₂	DR₁₃	DR₁₄	DR₁₅ Ga. Resigned	DR₁₆ La. Ran	DR₁₇ Mass. Unknown	DR₁₈ N.J. Unknown	DR₁₉ N.C. Resigned
Majority →									DR₂₀ R.I. Retired
F₁₀	F₁₁ Del. Ran	F₁₂ Ky. Retired	F₁₃ N.H. Unknown	TBD₁ Ind. New seat	TBD₂ Ind. New seat	DR₂₃ Va. Unknown	DR₂₂ Tenn. Unknown	DR₂₁ S.C. Resigned	DR₂₀ R.I. Retired
F₉	F₈	F₇	F₆	F₅	F₄	F₃	F₂	F₁

Results of the general elections

DR₉	DR₈	DR₇	DR₆	DR₅	DR₄	DR₃	DR₂	DR₁
DR₉
DR₁₀	DR₁₁	DR₁₂	DR₁₃	DR₁₄	DR₁₅ Ga. Hold	DR₁₆ Ind. Gain	DR₁₇ Ind. Gain	DR₁₈ Ky. Gain	DR₁₉ La. Hold
Majority →									DR₂₀ N.H. Gain
F₁₀	F₁₁ Del. Hold	F₁₂ Mass. Gain	F₁₃ R.I. Gain	V₁ Tenn. DR Loss	DR₂₄ Va. Hold	DR₂₃ S.C. Hold	DR₂₂ N.C. Hold	DR₂₁ N.J. Hold	DR₂₀ N.H. Gain
F₉
F₉	F₈	F₇	F₆	F₅	F₄	F₃	F₂	F₁

Results of the 1817 special elections

DR₁₀	DR₉	DR₈	DR₇	DR₆	DR₅	DR₄	DR₃	DR₂	DR₁
DR₁₁	DR₁₂	DR₁₃	DR₁₄	DR₁₅	DR₁₆	DR₁₇	DR₁₈	DR₁₉	DR₂₀
Majority →									DR₂₁
F₁₁	F₁₂	DR₂₈ Tenn. Elected^[a]	DR₂₇ N.H. Gain	DR₂₆ Miss. New seat	DR₂₅ Miss. New seat	DR₂₄ Vt. Hold	DR₂₃	DR₂₂	DR₂₁
F₁₀	F₉	F₈	F₇	F₆	F₅	F₄	F₃	F₂	F₁

Key

DR_#	Democratic-Republican
F_#	Federalist
V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Elections during the preceding Congress

In these special and general elections, the winners were seated during 1816 or before March 4, 1817; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Virginia (Class 2)	Vacant			William B. Giles (DR) had resigned March 3, 1815. John Wayles Eppes (DR) was elected December 7, 1815, but declined to serve. New senator elected January 3, 1816 on the fourth ballot despite being legally too young to serve. Democratic-Republican gain. Winner later lost re-election to the next term, see below.	▌ Y Armistead T. Mason (Democratic-Republican) 128 votes ▌Scattering 33 votes^[2]
Maryland (Class 1)	Vacant			The Maryland General Assembly failed to elect in time for the March 4, 1815 beginning of the term. New senator elected January 29, 1816. Federalist gain.	▌ Y Robert Harper (Federalist) 45 votes ▌John T. Mason (Democratic-Republican) 44 votes^[3]
Massachusetts (Class 1)	Christopher Gore	Federalist	1813 (Appointed) 1815 (special)	Incumbent resigned May 30, 1816, unhappy with the politics of Washington and suffering from poor health. New senator elected June 12, 1816. Federalist hold.	▌ Y Eli P. Ashmun (Federalist) 158 votes ▌Scattering 137 votes^[4]
Indiana (Class 1)	New seat			Indiana was admitted to the Union December 11, 1816. New senator elected November 8, 1816. Democratic-Republican gain.	▌ Y James Noble (Democratic-Republican) 265 votes ▌ Y Waller Taylor (Democratic-Republican) 20 votes ▌James Scott 16 votes ▌Jesse L. Holman 3 votes ▌Ezra Ferris 2 votes ▌Davis Floyd (Democratic-Republican) 2 votes ▌Walter Wilson 2 votes ▌Elias MacNamee 1 vote^[5]
Indiana (Class 3)	New seat			Indiana was admitted to the Union December 11, 1816. New senator elected November 8, 1816. Democratic-Republican gain.
Georgia (Class 2)	William Wyatt Bibb	Democratic-Republican	1813 (special)	Incumbent resigned November 9, 1816. New senator elected November 13, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected the same day to the next term, see below.	▌ Y George M. Troup (Democratic-Republican) 62 votes ▌Clark 49 votes ▌Spalding 6 votes^[6]
North Carolina (Class 2)	James Turner	Democratic-Republican	1804 1810	Incumbent resigned November 21, 1816 due to ill health. New senator elected December 4, 1816 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected the same day to the next term, see below.	▌ Y Montfort Stokes (Democratic-Republican) 98 votes ▌John Branch (Democratic-Republican) 87 votes^[7]
South Carolina (Class 2)	John Taylor	Democratic-Republican	1810 (special) 1810	Incumbent resigned November 1816. New senator elected December 4, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was also elected the same day to the next term, see below.	▌ Y William Smith (Democratic-Republican) 101 votes ▌James R. Pringle 51 votes^[8]
Kentucky (Class 2)	Martin D. Hardin	Federalist	1814 (Appointed)	Incumbent appointee elected December 5, 1816.^[9] Winner was not later a candidate for the next term, see below.	▌ Y Martin D. Hardin (Democratic-Republican) 74 votes ▌Samuel H. Woodson (Democratic-Republican) 31 votes ▌Norborn B. Beall (Democratic-Republican) 12 votes ▌Matthew Lyon (Democratic-Republican) 2 votes^[10]
Maryland (Class 1)	Robert Goodloe Harper	Federalist	1816 (special)	Incumbent resigned December 6, 1816. New senator elected December 20, 1816. Federalist hold.	▌ Y Alexander Hanson (Federalist) 46 votes ▌William H. Winder (Federalist) 39 votes ▌Scattering (Federalist) 3 votes^[11]

Races leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were seated March 4, 1817; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Delaware	William H. Wells	Federalist	1799 (special) 1799 1804 (Resigned) 1813 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 31, 1817 on the third ballot. Federalist hold.	▌ Y Nicholas Van Dyke (Federalist) 14 votes ▌William Hill Wells (Federalist) 11 votes ▌James Tilton (Democratic-Republican) 1 vote^[12]
Georgia	William Wyatt Bibb	Democratic-Republican	1813 (special)	Resigned November 9, 1816. New senator elected November 13, 1816 on the second ballot. Winner was also elected to finish the previous term, see above. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌ Y George M. Troup (Democratic-Republican) 62 votes ▌Clark 49 votes ▌Spalding 6 votes^[6]
Kentucky	Martin D. Hardin	Federalist	1816 (Appointed) 1816 (special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected December 10, 1816 on the second ballot. Democratic-Republican gain.	▌ Y John J. Crittenden (Democratic-Republican) 72 votes ▌John Adair (Federalist) 47 votes^[13]
Louisiana	James Brown	Democratic-Republican	1813 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1817. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌ Y William Claiborne (Democratic-Republican) 27 votes ▌James Brown (Democratic-Republican) 22 votes ▌Blank 1 vote^[14]
Massachusetts	Joseph Bradley Varnum	Democratic-Republican	1811	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected June 12, 1816. Federalist gain.	▌ Y Harrison Gray Otis (Federalist) 183 votes ▌John Holmes (Democratic-Republican) 130 votes ▌Levi Lincoln Jr. (Democratic-Republican) 6 votes ▌Scattering 5 votes^[15]
New Hampshire	Thomas W. Thompson	Federalist	1814 (special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1816 on the third ballot. Democratic-Republican gain.	▌ Y David L. Morrill (Democratic-Republican) 92 votes ▌John F. Parrott (Democratic-Republican) 86 votes ▌Scattering 5 votes^[16]
New Jersey	John Condit	Democratic-Republican	1809 (special) 1810	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected January 23, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌ Y Mahlon Dickerson (Democratic-Republican) Unanimous Unopposed^[17]
North Carolina	James Turner	Democratic-Republican	1804 1810	Resigned November 21, 1816 due to ill health. New senator elected December 4, 1816 on the second ballot. Winner was also elected to finish the previous term, see above. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌ Y Montfort Stokes (Democratic-Republican) 96 votes ▌Bartlett Yancey (Democratic-Republican) 91 votes [data missing]^[18]
Rhode Island	Jeremiah Howell	Democratic-Republican	1810	Incumbent retired. New senator elected June 21, 1816.^[19] Federalist gain.	▌ Y James Burrill Jr. (Federalist) Unanimous^[19]
South Carolina	John Taylor	Democratic-Republican	1810 (special) 1810	Incumbent resigned November 1816. New senator elected December 4, 1816. Winner was also elected to the previous term, see above. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌ Y William Smith (Democratic-Republican) 101 votes ▌James R. Pringle 51 votes^[8]
Tennessee	John Williams	Democratic-Republican	1815 (special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Incumbent was then appointed to start the term. Democratic-Republican loss.	None.
Virginia	Armistead T. Mason	Democratic-Republican	1816 (special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election, but he was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. New senator elected December 9, 1816. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌ Y John W. Eppes (Democratic-Republican) 103 votes ▌John Mercer (Democratic-Republican) 93 votes^[20]^[21]

Elections during the next Congress

In three special elections and two general elections, the winners were elected in 1817 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
New Hampshire (Class 3)	Jeremiah Mason	Federalist	1813 (special)	Incumbent resigned June 16, 1817. New senator elected June 27, 1817 on the thirteenth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain.	▌ Y Clement Storer (Democratic-Republican) ▌Jeremiah Smith (Federalist)^[22]^[b]^[c]
Tennessee (Class 2)	John Williams	Democratic-Republican	1815 (special)	Legislature had failed to elect and the incumbent was then appointed to start the term. Interim appointee was re-elected October 2, 1817 to finish the term.	▌ Y John Williams (Democratic-Republican) 51 votes Unopposed^[23]
Vermont (Class 3)	Dudley Chase	Democratic-Republican	1812	Resgined November 3, 1817. New senator elected November 4, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌ Y James Fisk (Democratic-Republican) [data missing]
Mississippi (Class 1)	New state			Mississippi was admitted as a new state. New senator elected December 10, 1817 on the fifth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain.	▌ Y Walter Leake (Democratic-Republican) 15 votes ▌Christopher Rankin (Democratic-Republican) 8 votes ▌Cowles Mead (Democratic-Republican) 5 votes ▌Thomas H. Williams (Democratic-Republican) 1 vote^[24]
Mississippi (Class 2)	New state			Mississippi was admitted as a new state. New senator elected December 10, 1817 on the fourth ballot. Democratic-Republican gain.	▌ Y Thomas H. Williams (Democratic-Republican) 16 votes ▌Cowles Mead (Democratic-Republican) 12 votes ▌Christopher Rankin (Democratic-Republican) 1 vote^[25]

Delaware

Georgia

Georgia (regular)

Georgia (special)

Indiana

Indiana's senators

James Noble (DR)
(Class 1)

Waller Taylor (DR)
(Class 3)

The new state of Indiana elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans, James Noble and Waller Taylor. The election was held November 8, 1816 in advance of Indiana's December 11, 1816 admission as a state. In the election legislators cast a single ballot and the first and second place candidates were deemed elected.

Y James Noble (Democratic-Republican) 265 votes
Y Waller Taylor (Democratic-Republican) 20 votes
James Scott 16 votes
Jesse L. Holman 3 votes
Ezra Ferris 2 votes
Davis Floyd 2 votes
Walter Wilson 2 votes
Elias MacNamee 1 vote^[5]

Kentucky

Kentucky (regular)

Kentucky (special)

Louisiana

Maryland (special)

Maryland (special, January 1816)

Robert Goodloe Harper won election over John Thomson Mason by a margin of 1.12%, or 1 vote, for the Class 1 seat.^[26]

Maryland (special, December 1816)

Alexander Contee Hanson won election over William Winder by a margin of 8.24%, or 7 votes, for the Class 1 seat.^[27]

Massachusetts

Massachusetts (regular)

Massachusetts (special)

Mississippi

Mississippi's senators

Walter Leake (DR)
(Class 1)

Thomas H. Williams (DR)
(Class 2)

The new state of Mississippi elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans, Walter Leake and Thomas H. Williams. Two separate elections were held in which each senator was elected.

First Senator (Class 1)
(5th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown)

Y Walter Leake (Democratic-Republican) 15 votes
Christopher Rankin 8 votes
Cowles Mead 5 votes
Thomas H. Williams 1 vote^[24]

Second Senator (Class 2)
(4th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown)

Y Thomas H. Williams (Democratic-Republican) 16 votes
Cowles Mead 12 votes
Christopher Rankin 1 vote^[25]

New Hampshire

New Hampshire (regular)

New Hampshire (special)

New Jersey

North Carolina

North Carolina (regular)

North Carolina (special)

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Carolina (regular)

South Carolina (special)

Tennessee

Tennessee (regular)

Tennessee (special)

Vermont (special)

Virginia

Virginia (regular)

Virginia (special)

Notes

References

Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
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, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160632563.

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