United States Senate elections, 1796 and 1797

United States Senate elections, 1796 and 1797

Dates vary by state
11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 16 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Federalist Democratic-Republican Last election 20 seats (66.7%) 10 seats (33.3%) Seats before 21 (65.6%) 11 (34.4%) Seats won 21 (67.7%) 10 (32.3%) Seat change 1 Seats up 8 3
Majority party before election Federalist Elected Majority party Federalist

The United States Senate elections of 1796 and 1797 were elections for the United States Senate which, coinciding with John Adams's election as President, had the ruling Federalist Party gain one seat.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

5th Congress (1797–1799):

• Majority Party: Federalist (21)
• Minority Party: Democratic-Republican (10)
• Vacant: 1 (later filled by Democratic-Republican)
• Total Seats: 32

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

DR6	DR5	DR4	DR3	DR2	DR1
DR7	DR8	DR9	DR10	DR11	F21	F20	F19	F18	F17
Majority →
F7	F8	F9	F10	F11	F12	F13	F14	F15	F16
F6	F5	F4	F3	F2	F1

Results of the elections

DR6	DR5	DR4	DR3	DR2	DR1
DR7 Re-elected	DR8 Hold	DR9 Hold	DR10 Gain	V1 Gain	F21 Gain	F20 Hold	F19 Hold	F18 Hold	F17 Hold
Majority →
F7 Re-elected	F8 Re-elected	F9 Re-elected	F10 Re-elected	F11 Re-elected	F12 Hold	F13 Hold	F14 Hold	F15 Hold	F16 Hold
F6	F5	F4	F3	F2	F1

Beginning of the 5th Congress

DR6	DR5	DR4	DR3	DR2	DR1
DR7	DR8	DR9 Hold	D10	V1	F21	F20	F19	F18	F17 Hold
Majority →
F7	F8	F9	F10	F11	F12	F13	F14 Hold	F15 Hold	F16
F6	F5	F4	F3	F2	F1

Key:	DR# Democratic-Republican F# Federalist V# Vacant	√ Party hold: Incumbent re-elected O Party hold: New senator elected from same party + Party gain: New senator elected from different party No tag Seat not up for election this time

Race summaries

Special elections during the 4th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1797; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Georgia (Special: Class 3)	George Walton	Federalist	1795 (Appointed)	Appointee retired when successor elected. Winner elected February 20, 1796. Democratic-Republican gain	√ Josiah Tattnall (Democratic-Republican)
Connecticut (Special: Class 1)	Oliver Ellsworth	Federalist	1788 1791	Incumbent resigned to become Chief Justice of the United States. Winner elected May 12, 1796. Federalist hold	√ James Hillhouse (Federalist)
Massachusetts (Special: Class 1)	George Cabot	Federalist	1790	Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. Winner elected June 11, 1796. Federalist hold	√ Benjamin Goodhue (Federalist)
Massachusetts (Special: Class 2)	Caleb Strong	Federalist	1789 1793	Incumbent resigned June 1, 1796. Winner elected June 11, 1796. Federalist hold	√ Theodore Sedgwick (Federalist)
Connecticut (Special: Class 3)	Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.	Federalist	1794	Incumbent resigned June 10, 1796 to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. Winner elected October 13, 1796. Federalist hold	√ Uriah Tracy (Federalist)
Vermont (Special: Class 1)	Moses Robinson	Federalist	1791 (New state)	Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. Winner elected October 18, 1796. Federalist hold	√ Isaac Tichenor (Federalist)
New York (Special: Class 3)	Rufus King	Federalist	1789 1795	Incumbent resigned May 23, 1796 to become U.S. Minister to Great Britain. Winner elected November 9, 1796. Federalist hold	√ John Laurance (Federalist)
Maryland (Special: Class 1)	Richard Potts	Federalist	1793 (Special)	Incumbent resigned October 24, 1796. Winner elected November 30, 1796. Federalist hold	√ John Eager Howard (Federalist)
South Carolina (Special: Class 2)	Pierce Butler	Democratic- Republican	1789 1793	Incumbent resigned October 25, 1796. Winner elected December 8, 1796. Democratic-Republican hold	√ John Hunter (Democratic-Republican)

Races leading to the 5th Congress

In these general elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1797; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Connecticut	James Hillhouse	Federalist	1796 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ James Hillhouse (Federalist)
Delaware	Henry Latimer	Federalist	1795 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Henry Latimer (Federalist)
Maryland	Richard Potts	Federalist	1793 (Special)	Incumbent resigned October 24, 1796. Winner elected November 30, 1796 to finish the term, as well as to the next term.	√ John Eager Howard (Federalist)
Massachusetts	George Cabot	Federalist	1790	Incumbent resigned June 9, 1796. Winner elected June 11, 1796 to finish the term, as well as to the next term.	√ Benjamin Goodhue (Federalist)
New Jersey	John Rutherfurd	Federalist	1790 1796	Incumbent re-elected.	√ John Rutherfurd (Federalist)
New York	Aaron Burr	Democratic- Republican	1791	Incumbent lost re-election January 24, 1797. Federalist gain	√ Philip Schuyler (Federalist)
Pennsylvania	James Ross	Federalist	1794 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ James Ross (Federalist)
Rhode Island	Theodore Foster	Federalist	1790 1791	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Theodore Foster (Federalist)
Tennessee	William Cocke	Democratic- Republican	1796	Legislature failed to elect. Term began with a vacancy. Incumbent later appointed (April 22, 1797) to continue term.	None
Vermont	Moses Robinson	Federalist	1791 (New state)	Incumbent resigned October 15, 1796. Winner elected October 18, 1796 to the next term	√ Isaac Tichenor (Federalist)
Virginia	Stevens Mason	Democratic- Republican	1794 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Stevens Mason (Democratic-Republican)

Special elections during the 5th Congress

In this special election, the winner was seated after March 4, 1797, the beginning of the next Congress.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Tennessee (Special: Class 2)	William Blount	Democratic- Republican	1796	Incumbent expelled July 8, 1797. Winner elected July 8, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Joseph Anderson (Democratic-Republican)
Tennessee (Special: Class 1)	William Cocke	Democratic- Republican	1796 1797 (Appointed)	Appointee did not stand for election. Winner elected September 26, 1797. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Andrew Jackson (Democratic-Republican)
Vermont (Special: Class 1)	Isaac Tichenor	Federalist	1796 (Special)	Incumbent resigned October 17, 1797 to become Governor of Vermont. Winner elected October 17, 1797. Federalist hold.	√ Nathaniel Chipman (Federalist)
Rhode Island (Special: Class 2)	William Bradford	Federalist	1793	Incumbent resigned in October 1797. Winner elected November 13, 1797. Federalist hold.	√ Ray Greene (Federalist)
Maryland (Special: Class 3)	John Henry	Federalist	1789 1795	Incumbent resigned July 10, 1797 to become Governor of Maryland. Winner elected December 8, 1797. Federalist hold.	√ James Lloyd (Federalist)

See also

• United States presidential election, 1796
• United States House of Representatives elections, 1796
• 5th United States Congress

References

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