United States Senate elections, 1872

United States Senate elections, 1872

November 1872
? seats in the United States Senate
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party Republican Democratic Liberal Republican Last election 56 seats 17 seats 1 seat Seats won 47 19 7 Seat change 9 2 6
Majority Party before election Republican Party Elected Majority Party Republican Party

The United States Senate election of 1872 was an election which had the Republican Party, while still retaining a commanding majority, lose nine seats in the United States Senate, mostly as defections to the Liberal Republican Party. It also coincided with President Ulysses S. Grant's easy re-election.

As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

Senate Party Division, 43rd Congress (1873–1875)

• Majority Party: Republican (47)
• Minority Party: Democratic (19)
• Other Parties: Liberal Republican (7)
• Vacant: (1)
• Total Seats: 74

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D V V r R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

In the next Congress D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D V V r r r R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Key: D = Democratic R = Republican r = Independent Republican V = Vacant = Majority divider

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1872
• United States presidential election, 1872

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov