Misplaced Pages

1822–23 United States Senate elections

← 1820 & 1821 Dates vary by state 1824 & 1825 →
16 of the 48 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 25 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Last election 39 seats 4 seats Seats before 44 4 Seats won 14 1 Seats after 44 3 Seat change 1 Seats up 14 2
Results:      Federalist hold      Dem-Republican hold      Legislature Failed To Elect
Majority Party before election Democratic-Republican Elected Majority Party Democratic-Republican

The 1822–23 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were before the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1822 and 1823, 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 2.

The Democratic-Republican Party continued to maintain almost complete control of the Senate.

Factions

At the very end of the next Congress, the 1824 United States presidential election led to a contingency election, decided by the Congress. In that election, Senators split into factions in support of William H. Crawford, Andrew Jackson, or John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. Even though that election wasn't held until more than two years after the Senate elections in this article, those factions are noted below as "Crawford," "Jackson," or "Adams-Clay."

Results summary

Senate party division, 18th Congress (1823–1825)

• Majority party: Democratic-Republican (42–43)
• Minority parties: National Republican & Federalist (4–5)
• Total seats: 48

Change in composition

Before the elections

Composition after the January 24, 1822 Delaware special election.

Result of the regular elections

Race summaries

Bold states links to specific election articles.

Special elections during the preceding Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1822 or before March 4, 1823; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the next Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1823; as ordered by the state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Special elections during the next Congress

In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1823 after March 4; ordered by election date.

Alabama

Alabama (regular)

Incumbent William R. King was first elected in 1819. He was reelected with the votes of over 41% of the legislators, defeating William Crawford, former agent to the Choctaw nation John McKee, and another candidate named William King.

1822 United States Senate election in Alabama

← 1819 December 12, 1822 1828 →

Candidate William R. King William Crawford Party Democratic-Republican Independent Percentage 41.76% 38.46%   Candidate John McKee William King Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Percentage 13.19% 6.59%

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

Alabama (special)

Incumbent John Williams Walker resigned on December 12, 1822, due to failing health. He would die in April of the following year. William Kelly was elected in his place with 56.65% of the votes of state legislators, defeating state representative John McKinley.

1822 United States Senate special election in Alabama

← 1819 December 12, 1822 1824 →

Candidate William Kelly John McKinley Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Percentage 56.65% 49.35%

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

Delaware

Delaware (regular)

The Delaware General Assembly did not elect a candidate to the United States Senate.

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

Delaware (special)

Federalist incumbent Outerbridge Horsey retired in the 1820/1821 Senate elections. The Delaware General Assembly failed to elect a successor. Caesar Augustus Rodney, the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district and a nephew of founding father Caesar Rodney, was elected late.

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

Georgia

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Nicholas Ware was reelected in 1823.

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

Illinois

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Jesse B. Thomas was reelected in 1823.

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

Kentucky

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Richard Mentor Johnson was reelected in 1823.

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

Louisiana

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Henry S. Johnson was reelected in 1823

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

Maine

Incumbent Democratic-Republican John Chandler was reelected in 1823.

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

Maryland (special)

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

1822 United States Senate special election in Maryland

← 1821 December 11, 1822 1827 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate Samuel Smith Party Democratic-Republican Legislative vote - Percentage -%

Incumbent Democratic-Republican William Pinkney died on February 25, 1822. Congressman Samuel Smith, a Democratic-Republican, was elected to the seat on December 17, 1822.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts (regular)

Incumbent Federalist James Lloyd was reelected in 1822 after being first elected in a special election (see below).

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

Massachusetts (special)

Incumbent Senator Harrison Gray Otis resigned on May 30, 1822, to run for Mayor of Boston. Former senator James Lloyd, a Federalist was elected on June 5, 1822.

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

Mississippi

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Thomas Hill Williams was reelected in 1823.

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

New Hampshire

Incumbent Democratic-Republican David L. Morril retired. Governor of New Hampshire Samuel Bell was elected as a Democratic-Republican.

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

New Jersey

New Jersey (regular)

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Mahlon Dickerson was reelected in 1823.

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

New Jersey (special)

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Samuel L. Southard resigned on March 3, 1823, to become the U.S. Secretary of the Navy. Democratic-Republican Joseph McIlvaine was elected to finish his term on November 12, 1823.

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

North Carolina

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Montfort Stokes was defeated for reelection by John Branch, a fellow Democratic-Republican, in 1822.

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

Ohio (special)

Incumbent Jeffersonian Republican William A. Trimble died on December 13, 1821, at the age of 35. Governor of Ohio, Ethan Allen Brown, was elected to finish Trimble's term.

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

Rhode Island

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Nehemiah R. Knight was reelected in 1823.

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

South Carolina

Incumbent Democratic-Republican William Smith lost reelection to Democratic-Republican Robert Y. Hayne.

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

Tennessee

Former senator and general Andrew Jackson defeated incumbent John Williams in the election for Senate. Jackson was put up as the Jacksonian candidate after Williams decided to support William H. Crawford in the 1824 Presidential Election. Williams was endorsed by Davy Crockett. Jackson's return to the senate after nearly 25 years out of office marks the second longest gap in service in U.S. Senate history. Jackson would resign two years later in 1825, and eventually be elected president in 1828.

1823 United States Senate election in Tennessee

← 1816/1817 November 28, 1823 1824/1825 (special) →
60 legislators 31 votes needed to win
Candidate Andrew Jackson John Williams Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Alliance Jacksonian Old Republican Legislative vote 35 25 Percentage 58.33% 41.67%

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

Virginia

Virginia (regular)

After being elected in the special election (see below), incumbent John Taylor was reelected in 1823.

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

Virginia (special)

Incumbent James Pleasants resigned on December 15, 1822, to become Governor of Virginia. Former senator John Taylor, a Democratic-Republican, was elected with 51.8% of the votes of legislators over former congressmen Henry St. George Tucker and John Tyler, both Democratic-Republicans.

1822 United States Senate special election in Virginia

← 1819 (special) December 18, 1822 1823 →

Candidate John Taylor of Caroline Henry St. George Tucker Sr. John Tyler, Jr. Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Percentage 51.8% 37.9% 10.3%

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

See also

• 1822 United States elections
  • 1822–23 United States House of Representatives elections
• 17th United States Congress
• 18th 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. "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate Race - Dec 12, 1822". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019., citing 1822 House Journal, Dec 12.
3. "Virginia 1822 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
4. "Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 12, 1822".
5. "Tennessee 1823 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
6. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race -Dec 11, 1822". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
7. Higgins, Ruth L.; Driver, Leota S. (December 1933). "Fanny Kemble". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 20 (3): 416. doi:10.2307/1886861. ISSN 0161-391X. JSTOR 1886861.
8. "<sc>John R. Finger</sc>. Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition. (A History of the Trans-Appalachian Frontier.) Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 2001. Pp. xxiii, 382. $39.95". The American Historical Review. February 2003. doi:10.1086/ahr/108.1.185-a. ISSN 1937-5239.

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

• 1822 United States Senate elections
• 1823 United States Senate elections
• Richard Mentor Johnson
• William R. King