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1882–83 United States Senate elections

← 1880 & 1881 Dates vary by state 1884 & 1885 →
26 of the 76 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 39 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Henry B. Anthony (retired) George H. Pendleton Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1863 March 4, 1881 Leader's seat Rhode Island Ohio Seats before 37 37 Seats won 11 13 Seats after 37 36 Seat change 1 Seats up 11 14   Third party Fourth party   Leader William Mahone Party Readjuster Independent Leader since March 4, 1881 Leader's seat Virginia Seats before 1 1 Seats won 1 0 Seats after 2 0 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 0 1
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Readjuster gain      Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

The 1882–83 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 1882 and 1883, 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 Republicans retained a narrow majority — 39 (and later 40) out of 76 seats — with the Readjusters in their caucus.

Results summary

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties						Total
		Democratic	Independent	Readjuster	Republican
Before these elections		37	1	1	37	76
Not up		23	0	1	26	50
	Class 1 (1880/81 → 1886/87)	9	0	1	15	25
	Class 3 (1878/79 → 1884/85)	14	0	0	11	25
Up		15	1	0	13	29
	Regular: Class 2	14	1	0	11	26
	Special: Class 1	0	0	0	0	0
	Special: Class 2	1	0	0	2	3
	Special: Class 3	0	0	0	0	0
Regular election
Incumbent retired		3	1	0	3	7
	Held by same party	2	0	—	2	4
	Replaced by other party	1 Independent replaced by 1 Republican 1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican				3
	Result	3	0	0	4	7
Incumbent ran		11	0	0	8	19
	Won re-election	10	0	0	4	14
	Lost re-election and gained by other party	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Readjuster				1
	Lost re-election without an elected successor	1 Republican lost and legislature failed to elect				1
	Lost renomination but held by same party	0	0	0	3	3
	Result	10	0	1	7	18
Total elected		13	0	1	11	25
Net change		1	1	1		3
Result		36	0	2	37	75

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

After the November 15, 1882 special election in Georgia.

After the elections

Race summaries

Special elections during the 47th Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1882 or in 1883 before March 4; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 48th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1883; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Elections during the 48th Congress

In this election, the winner was elected in 1883 after March 4.

Iowa

On January 25, 1882, the Iowa General Assembly elected James W. McDill (Republican) to finish the term over Moses M. Ham and Daniel Campbell. James F. Wilson (Republican) was elected to the full six-year term on January 25, 1882, over La Vega G. Kinne and Daniel P. Stubbs.

West Virginia

1883 United States Senate election in West Virginia

← 1877 January 23, 1883 1889 →
Needed to win: Majority of votes cast in each House of the Legislature 62 votes cast in the House, 32 needed 26 votes cast in the Senate, 14 needed
Candidate John E. Kenna George Loomis Party Democratic Republican House vote 37 votes 59.7% 22 votes 35.5% Senate vote 17 votes 65.4% 7 votes 26.9%
U.S. senator before election Henry G. Davis Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John E. Kenna Democratic

On January 23, 1883, each House of the West Virginia Legislature chose a senator to replace retiring incumbent, Henry G. Davis. In both chambers, the ballot was a three-way race between John E. Kenna, a Democratic congressman, George Loomis, a state judge and former state senator, and Berkeley County resident John Tabb Janney. In the House, the final count was 37 votes for Kenna, 22 votes for Loomis, and 3 votes for Janney. In the Senate, the final count was 17 votes for Kenna, 7 votes for Loomis, and 2 votes for Janney. Kenna, having received the majority of votes in both chambers, was declared duly elected as senator.

See also

• 1882 United States elections
  • 1882 United States House of Representatives elections
• 47th United States Congress
• 48th United States Congress

Notes

1. And other dates for special elections
2. as Republican Conference Chair
3. as Democratic Caucus Chair
4. as the leader of Readjuster Party

References

1. ^ The Readjusters caucused with the Republicans.
2. "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
3. ^ Clark, p. 199
4. ^ Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. ... Kansas: Standard Publishing Company. p. 757. ISBN 9780722249055.
5. ^ Jones Salmon, Emily. "Harrison H. Riddleberger (1843–1890)". Encyclopedia Virginia/Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
6. "A Long Dead-Lock Broken: Austin F. Pike Elected Senator from New-Hampshire". New York Times. August 3, 1883. p. 1. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
7. Atkinson, George Wesley (1890). Prominent Men of West Virginia. W.L. Callin. p. 381.
8. Journal of the House of Delegates of the State of West Virginia. West Virginia Legislature. January 24, 1883. p. 100.

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Clark, Dan Elbert (1912). History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa. Iowa City, Iowa: State Historical Society of Iowa.

• 1882 United States Senate elections
• 1883 United States Senate elections