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1834–35 United States Senate elections

← 1832 & 1833 Dates vary by state 1836 & 1837 →
16 of the 48 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 25 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party National Republican Jacksonian Nullifier Last election 23 seats 21 seats 2 seats Seats before 26 20 2 Seats won 6 8 1 Seats after 24 22 2 Seat change 2 2 Seats up 8 7 1
Results:      Jacksonian Hold      Jacksonian Gain      Anti-Jacksonian Hold      Anti-Jacksonian Gain      Nullifier Hold      Legislature Failed To Elect
Majority Party before election Anti-Jacksonian Elected Majority Party Anti-Jacksonian

The 1834–35 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 1834 and 1835, 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 Anti-Jackson coalition maintained control of the Senate. However, during the 24th Congress, the Jacksonian coalition gained control of the Senate.

Results summary

Senate party division, 24th Congress (1835–1837)

• Majority party: Jacksonian (21–31)
• Minority party: Anti-Jackson (24–19)
• Other parties: Nullifier (2)
• Total seats: 48–52

Change in composition

Before the elections

Result of the regular elections

Race summaries

Special elections during the 23rd Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1834 or before March 4, 1835; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 24th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1835; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Special election during the 24th Congress

In this special election, the winner was seated in 1835 after March 4; ordered by election date.

Early elections during the 24th Congress

In these elections, the winners were not seated until 1837.

Alabama

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Connecticut (special)

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Delaware

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Georgia

Georgia had two elections this cycle: a regular election for the class 2 seat and a special election for the class 3 seat.

Georgia (regular)

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In the class 2 seat, incumbent Jacksonian John Pendleton King, who had served since winning an 1833 special election, was re-elected sometime in 1834.

Georgia (special)

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In the class 3 seat, incumbent Jacksonian John Forsyth, who had served since winning an 1829 special election, resigned June 27, 1834, to become U.S. Minister to Spain.

Jacksonian Alfred Cuthbert was elected January 12, 1835.

Illinois

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Kentucky

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Louisiana

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Maine

Maine had two elections this cycle, both for the class 2 seat.

Incumbent Anti-Jacksonian Peleg Sprague, who was elected in 1829, resigned January 1, 1835.

Jacksonian John Ruggles won both elections.

Maine (regular)

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Jacksonian John Ruggles was elected January 19, 1835, to the next term. He was then elected to finish the current term, see below.

Maine (special)

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Jacksonian John Ruggles was elected January 20, 1835, to finish the term that would end March 3, 1835.

Maryland (special)

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Ezekiel F. Chambers won election over non-voters by a margin of 63.10%, or 53 votes, for the Class 3 seat.

Massachusetts

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Michigan

The new state of Michigan elected its new senators in 1835, both Jacksonians: Lucius Lyon (Class 1) and John Norvell (Class 2). They were not seated until January 26, 1837, due to a territorial dispute with Ohio.

Mississippi

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New Hampshire

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New Jersey

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North Carolina

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Pennsylvania (special)

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Rhode Island

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South Carolina

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Tennessee

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Virginia

Virginia had two elections this cycle, both for the class 2 seat.

Incumbent Jacksonian William Rives, who had just won the 1832 special election, resigned February 22, 1834.

Anti-Jacksonian Benjamin W. Leigh won both elections.

Virginia (regular)

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Anti-Jacksonian Benjamin W. Leigh was re-elected sometime in 1835 to the next term.

Virginia (special)

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Anti-Jacksonian Benjamin W. Leigh was elected February 26, 1834, to finish the term that would end March 3, 1835. He was then elected to the next term, see above.

See also

• 1834 United States elections
  • 1834–35 United States House of Representatives elections
• 23rd United States Congress
• 24th United States Congress

Notes

1. Winner was elected but resigned without having been seated.

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. "U.S. Senate Election - 6 December 1834" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
3. "Our Campaigns - ME US Senate Race - Jan 19, 1835". www.ourcampaigns.com.
4. J. Fred Parker, Secretary of State (1914). Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1914. State of Rhode Island manual. Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman Company, State Printers. p. 149.
5. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 07, 1835". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.

Sources

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

• 1834 United States Senate elections
• 1835 United States Senate elections
• William R. King