1798–99 United States Senate elections

The 1798–99 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 1798 and 1799, 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.

1798–99 United States Senate elections
Dates vary by state
11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections)
17 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Federalist Democratic-Republican
Seats before 22 10
Seats after 23 9
Seat change Steady Steady
Seats up 5 6
Races won 5 6

     Federalist hold      Democratic-Republican hold
Majority Party before election


Federalist

 Elected Majority Party


Federalist

They occurred in the middle of President John Adams's administration, and had no net change in political control of the Senate.

Results summary

Senate party division, 6th Congress (1799–1801)

  • Majority party: Federalist (22)
  • Minority party: Democratic-Republican (9)
  • Other parties: 0
  • Total seats: 31

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the January 19, 1798, election in Delaware.

DR6
Ky.
Ran		 DR5
Ga.
Unknown		 DR4 DR3 DR2 DR1
DR7
N.C.
Ran		 DR8
S.C.
Ran		 DR9
Tenn.
Retired		 DR10
Va.
Ran		 F22
R.I.
Ran		 F21
N.J.
Retired		 F20
N.H.
Ran		 F19
Mass.
Retired		 F18
Del.
Died		 F17
Majority →
F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 F13 F14 F15 F16
F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1

Results of the elections
DR6
Ky.
Re-elected		 DR5
Ga.
Hold		 DR4 DR3 DR2 DR1
DR7
N.C.
Hold		 DR8
S.C.
Re-elected		 DR9
Tenn.
Hold		 DR10
Va.
Re-elected		 F22
N.J.
Hold		 F21
Mass.
Hold		 F20
Del.
Hold		 F19
R.I.
Re-elected		 F18
N.H.
Re-elected		 F17
Majority →
F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 F13 F14 F15 F16
F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1

Beginning of the next Congress
DR6 DR5 DR4 DR3 DR2 DR1

DR7
Re-elected		 DR8 DR9 V1
Va.
Died		 F22 F21 F20 F19 F18 F17
Majority →
F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 F13 F14 F15 F16
F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1
Key
DR# Democratic-Republican
F# Federalist
V# Vacant

Race summaries

Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.

Special elections during the 5th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1799; ordered by election date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party First elected
New York
(Class 1)		 Philip Schuyler Federalist 1789[lower-alpha 1] Incumbent resigned January 3, 1798, due to ill health.
New senator elected January 11, 1798.
Federalist hold.
Winner later resigned, see below.
Delaware
(Class 2)		 John Vining Federalist 1792 Incumbent resigned January 19, 1798.
New senator elected January 19, 1798.
Federalist hold.
Winner died August 11, 1798, see below.
New York
(Class 1)		 William North Federalist May 1798 (Appointed) Interim appointee served until winner qualified.
New senator elected August 24, 1798.
Federalist hold.
South Carolina
(Class 2)		 John Hunter Democratic-Republican 1796 (special) Incumbent resigned November 26, 1798.
New senator elected December 6, 1798.
Democratic-Republican hold.
New senator also elected to next term, see below.
Tennessee
(Class 1)		 Daniel Smith Democratic-Republican October 1798 (Appointed) Interim appointee retired when successor qualified.
New senator elected December 12, 1798.
Winner qualified upon retirement from other Senate seat on March 3, 1799.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Delaware
(Class 2)		 Joshua Clayton Federalist 1798 Died August 11, 1798.
New senator elected January 17, 1799.
Federalist hold.
Winner also elected to next term, see below.
New Jersey
(Class 1)		 Franklin Davenport Federalist 1798 (Appointed) Interim appointee served until winner qualified.
New senator elected February 21, 1799 on the third ballot.
Federalist hold.

Races leading to the 6th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1799; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party First elected
Delaware Joshua Clayton Federalist 1798 Died August 11, 1798.
New senator elected January 17, 1799.
Federalist hold.
Winner was also elected to finish the current term, see above.
Georgia Josiah Tattnall Democratic-Republican 1796 [data missing]
New senator elected January 18, 1799.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Kentucky John Brown Democratic-Republican 1792 Incumbent re-elected November 30, 1798.
Massachusetts Theodore Sedgwick Federalist 1796 Incumbent retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
New senator elected June 14, 1798.
Federalist hold.
New Hampshire Samuel Livermore Federalist 1792 Incumbent re-elected December 21, 1798.
New Jersey Richard Stockton Federalist 1796 Incumbent retired.
New senator elected November 1, 1798.
Federalist hold.
North Carolina Alexander Martin Democratic-Republican 1792 Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected December 12, 1798, on the ninth ballot.[16]
Democratic-Republican hold.
Rhode Island Ray Greene Federalist 1797 (special) Incumbent re-elected November 1, 1798.
South Carolina Charles Pinckney Democratic-Republican 1798 Incumbent re-elected December 6, 1798.
Tennessee Joseph Anderson Democratic-Republican 1797 (special) Incumbent retired when elected to the Class 1 seat (see above).
New senator elected December 12, 1798.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Virginia Henry Tazewell Democratic-Republican 1794 (special) Incumbent re-elected in 1798.
Incumbent died January 24, 1799, before the term began.

Special elections during the 6th Congress

In this special election, the winner was seated after March 4, 1799, the beginning of the next Congress.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party First elected
Virginia
(Class 2)		 Vacant Incumbent Henry Tazewell (DR) had been re-elected in 1798 but died January 24, 1799, before the term began.
New senator elected December 5, 1799 on the second ballot.
Democratic-Republican gain.

See also

Notes
  1. Incumbent lost in 1791 Senate election, but he was able to run again in 1797 and won.

References
  1. "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
  2. May be "James Cocliran"
  3. "New York 1798 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Connecticut Gazette (New London, CT). January 24, 1798.
  4. "Delaware 1798 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Journal of the Delaware House of Representatives, 1798. 36.
  5. "New York 1798 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Connecticut Gazette (New London, CT). August 29, 1798.
  6. Elected instead to other seat.
  7. "Tennessee 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 31, 2018., citing White, Robert Hiram. Messages of the Governors of Tennessee, 1796-1821. Vol. 1. Nashville: The Tennessee Historical Commission, 1952.
  8. "Delaware 1799 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Journal of the Delaware House of Representatives, 1799.
  9. "New Jersey 1799 U.S. Senate, Ballot 3". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing The Genius of Liberty (Morristown, NJ). February 21, 1799.
  10. "Delaware 1799 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Journal of the Delaware House of Representatives, 1799.
  11. "Georgia 1799 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing The True American and Commercial Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). February 5, 1799.
  12. "Kentucky 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing The Palladium: A Literary and Political Weekly Repository (Frankfort, KY). December 4, 1798.
  13. "Massachusetts 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Connecticut Gazette (New London, CT). June 20, 1798.
  14. "New Hampshire 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Journal of the New Hampshire Senate, 1799. 38-45, 50-51. Journal of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, 1799. 42-45.
  15. "New Jersey 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing The Centinel of Freedom (Newark, NJ). November 6, 1798. The Genius of Liberty (Morristown, NJ). November 8, 1798.
  16. "Our Campaigns - NC US Senate Race - Dec 12, 1798". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  17. "North Carolina 1798 U.S. Senate, Ballot 9". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Legislative Papers for 1798. Box 157. State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh.
  18. "Rhode Island 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing The Newport Mercury (Newport, RI). November 6, 1798.
  19. "Virginia 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Samuel Shield to Henry Tazewell. December 13, 1798.
  20. "Virginia 1799 U.S. Senate, Special, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing The Aurora. General Advertiser (Philadelphia, PA). December 13, 1799. Raleigh Register, and North-Carolina Weekly Advertiser (Raleigh, NC). December 17, 1799.
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