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1836–37 United States Senate elections

← 1834 & 1835 Dates vary by state 1838 & 1839 →
17 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 27 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party Democratic Whig Nullifier Last election 22 24 2 Seats before 31 19 2 Seats won 12 5 0 Seats after 34 17 1 Seat change 3 2 1 Seats up 9 7 1
Results:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Whig hold
Majority Party before election Jacksonian Elected Majority Party Democratic

The 1836–37 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 1836 and 1837, 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 3.

In this election cycle, the Jacksonian coalition emerged as the Democratic Party, and the Adams, or Anti-Jackson, coalition emerged as the Whig Party.

Results summary

Senate party division, 25th Congress (1837–1839)

• Majority party: Democratic (35)
• Minority party: Whig (17–16)
• Other parties: (0–1)
• Total seats: 52

Change in composition

Before the special elections

As a result of the special elections

Before the regular elections

As a result of the regular elections

"Hold" means the incumbent lost and the winner was from an affiliated new party, either Anti-Jacksonian to Whig or Jacksonian to Democratic.

Beginning of the next Congress

Race summaries

Bold states link to specific election articles.

Elections seated during the 24th Congress

In these elections, senators were elected to finish terms already in progress either as special elections or as elections to a new state. senators were seated during 1836 or before March 4, 1837; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 25th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1837; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

Elections during the 25th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated in 1837 after March 4; ordered by election date.

Alabama

There were two elections in Alabama in this cycle, both for the same seat.

Alabama (regular)

First-term senator Anti-Jacksonian Gabriel Moore lost re-election in November 1836 to Jacksonian John McKinley.

Alabama (special)

Shortly after the new term started, Jacksonian-now-Democrat John McKinley resigned to become Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was replaced by fellow Democrat Clement C. Clay in a June 19, 1837 special election.

Clay would serve only until November 15, 1841, when he, too, resigned.

Arkansas

1836 United States Senate election in Arkansas

September 19, 1836 1837 →
68 members of the Arkansas General Assembly
Candidate Ambrose H. Sevier William S. Fulton Horace F. Walworth Party Jacksonian Jacksonian Legislative vote 60 56 4 Percentage 88.2% 82.3% 5.9%

Arkansas became a new state and elected its two senators in a joint session of the Arkansas General Assembly on September 19, 1836.

Jacksonian former Governor of Arkansas Territory William Fulton was elected to the Class 2 seat, with the term ending March 3, 1841.

Jacksonian former delegate Ambrose Sevier was elected to the Class 3 seat, with the term ending March 3, 1837.

Sevier was also re-elected in 1837 to the next term that would end in 1843.

Connecticut

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Delaware

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Georgia

There were two elections in Georgia in this cycle.

Georgia (regular)

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Georgia (special)

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Illinois

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Indiana

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Kentucky

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Louisiana

There were two elections in Louisiana in this cycle, both for the same seat.

Anti-Jacksonian Alexander Porter resigned January 5, 1837 due to ill health.

Louisiana (special)

Jacksonian Alexandre Mouton was elected January 12, 1837 to finish Porter's term, ending March 3, 1837.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2020)

Louisiana (regular)

Jacksonian Alexandre Mouton was also elected as a Democrat in 1837 (possibly re-elected) to the next term, beginning March 4, 1837.

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Maryland

Maryland (special)

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Anti-Jacksonian Robert Henry Goldsborough died October 5, 1836. Anti-Jacksonian John S. Spence was elected in late 1836 to finish Goldsborough's term, ending March 3, 1837.

Maryland (regular)

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John S. Spence won election to a full term an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.

Missouri

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New Hampshire

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New York

Silas Wright Jr., had been elected in 1833 to this seat after the resignation of William L. Marcy who had been elected Governor of New York. Wright's term would expire on March 3, 1837.

At the State election in November 1836, 94 Democrats and 34 Whigs were elected to the Assembly, and seven of the eight State senators elected were Democrats. The 60th New York State Legislature met from January 3 to May 16, 1837, at Albany. The party strength in the Assembly as shown by the election for Speaker was: 80 for Democrat Edward Livingston and 27 for Whig Luther Bradish.

Wright was re-nominated in a Democratic caucus by a large majority. Silas Wright Jr., was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.

North Carolina

There were two elections in North Carolina in this cycle, both for the same seat.

Anti-Jacksonian Willie P. Mangum resigned November 26, 1836.

North Carolina (special)

Jacksonian Robert Strange was elected in late 1836 to finish Mangum's term, ending March 3, 1837.

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North Carolina (regular)

Jacksonian Robert Strange was also elected as a Democrat in 1836, to the next term, beginning March 4, 1837.

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Ohio

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Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on December 14, 1836, to elect a Senator to serve the term beginning on March 4, 1837. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

South Carolina

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Vermont

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Virginia (special)

There were three special elections in Virginia in this cycle.

Virginia (special, class 1)

Two-term Anti-Jacksonian (and future President) John Tyler resigned February 29, 1836 due to policial differences and conflict with the Virginia House of Delegates, which had come under control of the rival Jacksonians.

Former Jacksonian senator William C. Rives (who had served in the class 2 seat from December 10, 1832, to February 22, 1834) was elected March 4, 1836 to finish Tyler's term that would end March 3, 1839.

Virginia (special, class 2 1836)

Anti-Jacksonian Benjamin W. Leigh, who had served in the seat since an 1834 special election and re-elected in 1835, resigned July 4, 1836 to return to his private legal practice.

Jacksonian Richard E. Parker was elected December 12, 1836, but he would only remain in the seat for four months.

Virginia (special, class 2 1837)

Parker, now a Democrat, was elected to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and so he resigned from the Senate March 13, 1837.

Fellow Democrat William H. Roane was elected March 14, 1837 to finish the term that would end March 3, 1841.

See also

• 1836 United States elections
  • 1836 United States presidential election
  • 1836–37 United States House of Representatives elections
• 24th United States Congress
• 25th United States Congress

Notes

1. ^ As the Jacksonian party
2. ^ As the National Republican party
3. ^ Michigan's senators were elected in 1835, but not seated until early 1837

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. ^ "Senate". The Arkansas advocate. Little Rock, Ark. September 23, 1836. pp. 2–3. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
3. ^ "U.S. Senate Election - 14 December 1836" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
4. "Our Campaigns - GA US Senate - Appointment Race - Nov 01, 1837".
5. Herndon, Dallas T. (1947). Annals of Arkansas. Vol. 1. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: The Historical Record Association. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-56546-450-6. LCCN 48002456. OCLC 3920841.
6. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Feb 00, 1837". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
7. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Feb 00, 1837". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.

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

• 1836 United States Senate elections
• 1837 United States Senate elections