Misplaced Pages

1802–03 United States Senate elections

← 1800 & 1801 Dates vary by state 1804 & 1805 →
11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 17 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Seats before 17 15 Seats after 22 9 Seat change 5 6 Seats up 2 9 Races won 7 3
Results:      Dem-Republican hold      Dem-Republican gain      Federalist hold      Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election Democratic-Republican Elected Majority Party Democratic-Republican

The 1802–03 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 1802 and 1803, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.

The Democratic-Republican Party maintained and greatly expanded their majority of seats to over two-thirds of the Senate.

Change in composition

Before the elections

Accounting for the 1802 special elections in New York, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

Result of the regular elections

Beginning of the first session, October 17, 1803

Race summaries

Unless noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.

Special elections during the 7th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1803; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 8th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1803; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

Special elections during the 8th Congress

In this special election, the winner was seated in 1803 after March 4.

Early race leading to the Congress-after-next

In this regular election, the winner was seated on March 4, 1805; ordered by state.

This election involved a Class 2 seat.

Connecticut

Federalist incumbent James Hillhouse (originally elected in 1796) was re-elected.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

Delaware

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

Maryland

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022)

1802 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1796 November 17, 1802 1809 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate Samuel Smith John Eager Howard Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Legislative vote 46 30 Percentage 60.53% 39.47%

Samuel Smith won election over John Eager Howard by a margin of 21.05%, or 16 votes, for the Class 1 seat.

Massachusetts

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

New Hampshire (special)

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

New Jersey

There were two elections to the class 1 seat.

New Jersey (regular)

The New Jersey legislature failed to elect by the March 4, 1803, beginning of the term.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

New Jersey (special)

The governor appointed Democratic-Republican John Condit September 1, 1803, to continue the term. Condit was then unanimously elected November 3, 1803, to finish the term. No vote totals were recorded.

New York

New York (special)

Democratic-Republican John Armstrong Jr., who had held the class 3 seat since 1801, resigned February 5, 1802, and Democratic-Republican DeWitt Clinton was elected February 23, 1802, to finish the term. Clinton, however, resigned November 4, 1803, and Armstrong was appointed December 8, 1803, to his old seat.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

New York (regular)

Federalist Gouverneur Morris lost re-election to the class 1 seat to Democratic-Republican Theodorus Bailey in 1803.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

Ohio

Ohio joined the Union in 1803. New Democratic-Republican senators were elected April 1, 1803. Official records indicate that John Smith and Thomas Worthington were elected, and that Smith received the "long" term, while Worthington received the "short" one. They do not indicate if there were other candidates, or what the vote totals were.

Pennsylvania

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

Rhode Island

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

South Carolina (special)

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

Tennessee

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

Vermont

Federalist Senator Nathaniel Chipman lost re-election to Democratic-Republican Israel Smith. Smith received 102 votes in the Vermont House of Representatives and 9 from the Governor and Council. Spencer received 75 votes from the House and 4 from the Governor and Council.

Virginia

There were two elections to the same seat as the newly-re-elected senator died at the beginning of the next term.

Virginia (regular)

Two-term Democratic-Republican Stevens Mason was re-elected in 1803.

Virginia (special)

Mason died May 10, 1803, having just begun the new term. Democratic-Republican John Taylor was appointed but chose not to run to finish the term. Democratic-Republican Abraham B. Venable was elected December 7, 1803, as the unanimous choice of the Virginia General Assembly. No vote totals were recorded.

See also

• 1802 United States elections
  • 1802–03 United States House of Representatives elections
• 7th United States Congress
• 8th United States Congress

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. "New York 1802 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing The Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, NY). February 16, 1802.
3. "New Hampshire 1802 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Courier of New Hampshire (Concord, NH). June 24, 1802. The Providence Gazette (Providence, RI). July 3, 1802.
4. "South Carolina 1802 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Original Election Returns. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia. The Carolina Gazette (Charleston, SC). December 16, 1802. National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser (Washington, DC). December 22, 1802.
5. "Connecticut 1802 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing American Mercury (Hartford, CT). November 4, 1802.
6. "Delaware 1803 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Journal of the Delaware State Senate, 1803. 13-14.
7. "Maryland 1802 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Votes and Proceedings of the Maryland State Senate, 1802. 10.
8. "Massachusetts 1803 U.S. Senate, Ballot 4". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Columbian Centinel. Massachusetts Federalist (Boston, MA). February 5, 1803. The Independent Chronicle (Boston, MA). February 7, 1803. Columbian Centinel. Massachusetts Federalist (Boston, MA). February 9, 1803. Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA). February 9, 1803. Boston Gazette (Boston, MA). February 10, 1803. Republican Star or Eastern Shore General Advertiser (Easton, MD). March 1, 1803. Frederick-Town Herald (Fredericktown, MD). March 5, 1803.
9. "New Jersey 1802 U.S. Senate, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Middlebury Mercury (Middlebury, VT). December 15, 1802.
10. "New York 1803 U.S. Senate, Ballot 2". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Journal of the New York Assembly, 1803. 39-40.
11. "Rhode Island 1802 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 31, 2018., citing The Providence Phoenix (Providence, RI). November 2, 1802.
12. ^ "Bennington: October 25, 1802". City Gazette. Charleston, South Carolina. November 20, 1802. p. 2 – via GenealogyBank.com.
13. "Tennessee 1803 U.S. Senate, Ballot 4". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 1, 2018., citing Journal of the Tennessee House of Representatives, 1803. 21-22.
14. "New Jersey 1803 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing The Centinel of Freedom (Newark, NJ). November 8, 1803.
15. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - John Condit". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019."Our Campaigns - Candidate - John Condit". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
16. ^ "Richmond: December 10, 1803". Wilmington, North Carolina: Wilmington Gazette. December 27, 1803. p. 4. Mr. Taylor having declined to serve longer, Abraham B. Venable, esq., was on Wednesday last unanimously elected by the General Assembly in the room of Mr. Taylor.
17. "Tennessee 1803 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Journal of the Tennessee House of Representatives, 1803. 27. Gazette of the United States (Philadelphia, PA). October 18, 1803. White, Robert Hiram. Messages of the Governors of Tennessee, 1796-1821. Vol. 1. Nashville: The Tennessee Historical Commission, 1952.
18. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Nov 17, 1802". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
19. New Jersey Legislature (1804). Minutes and Proceedings of the Joint Meeting, November 3, 1803. Trenton, NJ: Sherman, Mershon & Thomas. p. 44.
20. Taylor, William A. (1900). Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901. Columbus, Ohio: Century Publishing Co. p. 96 – via Internet Archive.

Sources

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

• 1802 United States Senate elections
• 1803 United States Senate elections