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.

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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
See also: List of former districts of the Massachusetts Senate

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]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Thomas Smith 358 68.32%
Scattering All others 166 31.68%
Total votes 524 100.00%

Berkshire
1787 Berkshire Senate election[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Thompson J. Skinner (incumbent) 659 78.45%
Unknown Elijah Dwight 503 59.88%
Total votes 840 100.00%

Both candidates were elected.

Bristol
1787 Bristol Senate election[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Holder Slocum 1,507 74.49%
Unknown Abraham White 1,504 74.35%
Unknown Phanuel Bishop 1,111 54.92%
Total votes 2,023 100.00%

Cumberland
1787 Cumberland Senate election[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Josiah Thacher 286 63.56%
Scattering All others 164 36.44%
Total votes 450 100.00%

Dukes and Nantucket
1787 Dukes and Nantucket Senate election[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Matthew Mayhew 155 43.78%
Unknown Thomas Cooke 137 38.70%
Scattering All others 62 17.51%
Total votes 354 100.00%

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]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Matthew Mayhew 178 90.82%
Total votes 196 100.00%

Essex
1787 Essex Senate election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Federalist Benjamin Goodhue (incumbent) 1,493 63.83%
Unknown Aaron Wood 1,313 56.14%
Unknown Peter Coffin 1,241 53.06%
Unknown Israel Hutchinson 1,124 48.05%
Federalist Tristram Dalton (incumbent) 1,105 47.24%
Unknown Samuel Holton 882 38.70%
Unknown John Manning 858 37.71%
Unknown Jonathan Greenleaf 850 36.34%
Unknown Stephen Choate 808 34.54%
Total votes 2,339 100.00%

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

General Court
1787 General Court election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Federalist Tristram Dalton (incumbent) 207 95.83%
Unknown Stephen Choate 121 56.02%
Unknown Jonathan Greenleaf 121 56.02%
Total votes 216 100.00%

Hampshire
1787 Hampshire Senate election[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Federalist Caleb Strong (incumbent) 696 50.51%
Unknown John Hastings 620 44.99%
Unknown Oliver Phelps 517 37.52%
Unknown William Shepard 477 34.62%
Unknown David Smead 362 26.27%
Unknown David Sexton 339 24.60%
Unknown John Bliss 313 22.71%
Total votes 1,378 100.00%

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

General Court
1787 General Court election[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown John Hastings 218 99.09%
Unknown Oliver Phelps 158 71.82%
Unknown David Smead 145 65.90%
Total votes 220 100.00%

Lincoln
1787 Lincoln Senate election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Samuel Thompson 307 56.43%
Scattering All others 237 43.57%
Total votes 544 100.00%

Middlesex
1787 Middlesex Senate election[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Joseph B. Varnum (incumbent) 2,005 75.95%
Unknown Isaac Stearns 1,892 71.67%
Unknown Ebenezer Bridge 1,403 53.14%
Unknown Walter MacFarland 1,300 49.24%
Unknown Joseph Hosmer 924 35.00%
Unknown Marshal Spring 831 31.48%
Unknown Eleazer Brooks 720 27.27%
Total votes 2,640 100.00%

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]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Joseph Hosmer 127 58.26%
Unknown Walter MacFarland 116 53.21%
Total votes 218 100.00%

Plymouth
1787 Plymouth Senate election[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Nathan Mitchel 890 63.44%
Unknown Noah Fearing 537 38.28%
Unknown Charles Turner 401 28.58%
Unknown Nathan Cushing 369 26.30%
Unknown Abraham Holmes 350 24.95%
Total votes 1,403 100.00%

Turner and Cushing were subsequently elected by the General Court.

General Court
1787 General Court election[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Nathan Cushing 143 64.71%
Unknown Charles Turner 118 53.39%
Total votes 221 100.00%

Suffolk
1787 Suffolk Senate election[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Stephen Metcalf 2,087 65.75%
Federalist Cotton Tufts 1,976 62.26%
Anti-Federalist Samuel Adams 1,704 53.69%
Federalist William Phillips Jr. 1,590 50.09%
Unknown Thomas Dawes 1,137 35.82%
Unknown Benjamin Austin Jr. 1,056 33.27%
Anti-Federalist James Warren 1,031 32.48%
Unknown Elijah Dunbar 994 31.32%
Total votes 3,174 100.00%

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]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Benjamin Austin Jr. 129 61.72%
Total votes 209 100.00%

Worcester
1787 Worcester Senate election[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Jonathan Grout (incumbent) 2,341 67.72%
Unknown Samuel Curtis 2,290 66.24%
Unknown Abel Wilder 1,841 53.25%
Unknown Joseph Stone 1,635 47.30%
Anti-Federalist Amos Singletary 1,133 32.77%
Unknown Seth Washburn 991 28.67%
Unknown Peter Penniman 892 25.80%
Total votes 3,457 100.00%

General Court
1787 General Court election[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Anti-Federalist Amos Singletary 110 52.13%
Unknown Seth Washburn 109 51.66%
Total votes 211 100.00%

York
1787 York Senate election[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown John Frost 271 48.13%
Unknown Tristram Jordan 232 41.21%
Unknown Ichabod Goodwin 149 26.47%
Unknown Edward Cutts 110 19.54%
Total votes 563 100.00%

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

General Court
1787 General Court election[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Unknown Edward Cutts 112 52.13%
Unknown Tristram Jordan 109 51.66%
Total votes 211 100.00%

References
  1. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Barnstable County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  2. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Berkshire County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  3. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Bristol County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  4. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Cumberland County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  5. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Dukes and Nantucket Counties". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  6. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Dukes and Nantucket Counties". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  7. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Essex County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  8. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Essex County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  9. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Hampshire County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  10. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Hampshire County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  11. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Lincoln County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  12. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Middlesex County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  13. Town of Weston: Records of the First Precinct, 1746-1754 and of the Town, 1754-1803. Boston, MA: Alfred Mudge and Son. 1893. p. 389.
  14. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Middlesex County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  15. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Plymouth County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  16. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Plymouth County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  17. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Suffolk County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  18. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Suffolk County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  19. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Worcester County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  20. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Worcester County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  21. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, York County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
  22. "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, York County". Tufts Digital Collections and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved April 6, 2020., citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
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