1834–35 United States Senate elections

1834–35 United States Senate elections
16 of the 48 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections); 25 seats needed for a majority
	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.^[1] 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

						NR₁	NR₂	NR₃	NR₄
NR₁₄	NR₁₃	NR₁₂	NR₁₁	NR₁₀	NR₉	NR₈	NR₇	NR₆	NR₅
NR₁₅	NR₁₆	NR₁₇	NR₁₈	NR₁₉ Del. Ran	NR₂₀ Miss. Ran	NR₂₁ R.I. Ran	NR₂₂ Va. Ran	NR₂₃ La. Unknown	NR₂₄ N.J. Unknown
Majority →									NR₂₅ Mass. Retired
J₁₅ Ga. Ran	J₁₆ Ill. Ran	J₁₇ N.C. Ran	J₁₈ Tenn. Ran	J₁₉ Ky. Unknown	N₁	N₂ S.C. Ran	NR₂₇ Maine Resigned	NR₂₆ N.H. Retired	NR₂₅ Mass. Retired
J₁₄ Ala. Ran	J₁₃	J₁₂	J₁₁	J₁₀	J₉	J₈	J₇	J₆	J₅
						J₁	J₂	J₃	J₄

Result of the regular elections

						NR₁	NR₂	NR₃	NR₄
NR₁₄	NR₁₃	NR₁₂	NR₁₁	NR₁₀	NR₉	NR₈	NR₇	NR₆	NR₅
NR₁₅	NR₁₆	NR₁₇	NR₁₈	NR₁₉ Del. Re-elected	NR₂₀ R.I. Re-elected	NR₂₁ Va. Re-elected	NR₂₂ Mass. Hold	NR₂₃ Ky. Gain	NR₂₄ Tenn. Re-elected to different party
Plurality →									NR₂₄ Tenn. Re-elected to different party
J₁₅ Ga. Re-elected	J₁₆ Ill. Re-elected	J₁₇ N.C. Re-elected	J₁₈ Maine Gain	J₁₉ Miss. Gain	J₂₀ N.H. Gain	J₂₁ N.J. Gain	N₁	N₂ S.C. Re-elected	V₁ La. NR Loss^[a]
J₁₄ Ala. Re-elected	J₁₃	J₁₂	J₁₁	J₁₀	J₉	J₈	J₇	J₆	J₅
						J₁	J₂	J₃	J₄

Key:

NR_#	= National Republican
J_#	= Jacksonian
N_#	= Nullfier
V_#	= Vacant

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.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Virginia (Class 2)	William Rives	Jacksonian	1832 (special)	Incumbent resigned February 22, 1834. Successor elected February 26, 1834. Winner was also elected to the next term; see below. National Republican gain.	▌Y Benjamin W. Leigh (National Republican) [data missing]
Pennsylvania (Class 3)	William Wilkins	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent resigned June 30, 1834, to become U.S. Minister to Russia. New senator elected December 6, 1834. Jacksonian hold.	▌Y James Buchanan (Jacksonian) 66 (49.62%)^[2] ▌Amos Ellmaker (National Republican) 31 (23.31%) ▌James Clarke (Jacksonian) 26 (19.55%) ▌Joseph Lawrence (National Republican) 6 (4.51%) ▌Joel Sutherland (Jacksonian) 1 (0.75%) ▌Not voting 3 (2.26%)
Georgia (Class 3)	John Forsyth	Jacksonian	1818 (special) 1819 (resigned) 1829 (special) 1830 or 1831	Incumbent resigned June 27, 1834, to become U.S. Minister to Spain. New senator elected January 12, 1835. Jacksonian hold.	▌Y Alfred Cuthbert (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Maryland (Class 3)	Ezekiel F. Chambers	National Republican	1826 (special) 1831	Incumbent resigned December 20, 1834, to become judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. New senator elected January 13, 1835. National Republican hold.	▌Y Robert Henry Goldsborough (National Republican) [data missing]
Maine (Class 2)	Peleg Sprague	National Republican	1829	Incumbent resigned January 1, 1835. New senator elected January 20, 1835. Successor was also elected to the next term, see below. Jacksonian gain.	▌Y John Ruggles (Jacksonian) [data missing]

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.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	William R. King	Jacksonian	1819 1822 1828	Incumbent re-elected in 1834.	▌Y William R. King (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Delaware	John M. Clayton	National Republican	1827 (special) 1829	Incumbent re-elected in 1835.	▌Y John M. Clayton (National Republican) [data missing]
Georgia	John Pendleton King	Jacksonian	1833 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1834.	▌Y John Pendleton King (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Illinois	John M. Robinson	Jacksonian	1830 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1835.	▌Y John M. Robinson (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Kentucky	George M. Bibb	Jacksonian	1829	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1835. National Republican gain.	▌Y John J. Crittenden (National Republican) [data missing]
Louisiana	George A. Waggaman	National Republican	1831 (special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1835, but resigned due to ill health before being seated. National Republican loss.	▌Y Charles Gayarré (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Maine	Peleg Sprague	National Republican	1829	Incumbent resigned December 20, 1834, to become judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. New senator elected January 19, 1835. Jacksonian gain. Successor was also elected to finish the term; see above.	▌Y John Ruggles (Jacksonian) 73.91% ▌George Evans (National Republican) 26.09%^[3]
Massachusetts	Nathaniel Silsbee	National Republican	1826 (special) 1828	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1835. National Republican hold.	▌Y John Davis (National Republican) [data missing]
Mississippi	George Poindexter	National Republican	1830 (appointed) 1830 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1835. Jacksonian gain.	▌Y Robert J. Walker (Jacksonian) [data missing]
New Hampshire	Samuel Bell	National Republican	1823	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1835. Jacksonian gain.	▌Y Henry Hubbard (Jacksonian) [data missing]
New Jersey	Theodore Frelinghuysen	National Republican	1829	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election. New senator elected in 1835. Jacksonian gain.	▌Y Garret D. Wall (Jacksonian) [data missing]
North Carolina	Bedford Brown	Jacksonian	1829 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1835.	▌Y Bedford Brown (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Rhode Island	Nehemiah R. Knight	National Republican	1821 (special) 1823 1829	Incumbent re-elected May 13, 1835.	▌Y Nehemiah R. Knight (National Republican) 41 votes ▌Elisha Reynolds Potter (Unknown) 38 votes^[4]
South Carolina	John C. Calhoun	Nullifier	1832 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1834.	▌Y John C. Calhoun (Nullifier) [data missing]
Tennessee	Hugh Lawson White	Jacksonian	1825 (special) 1829	Incumbent re-elected in 1835 as National Republican. National Republican gain.	▌Y Hugh Lawson White (National Republican) [data missing]
Virginia	Benjamin W. Leigh	National Republican	1834 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1835.	▌Y Benjamin W. Leigh (National Republican) [data missing]

Special election during the 24th Congress

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

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Connecticut (Class 1)	Nathan Smith	National Republican	1832	Incumbent died December 6, 1835. New senator elected December 21, 1835. Jacksonian gain.	▌Y John M. Niles (Jacksonian) [data missing]

Early elections during the 24th Congress

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

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Michigan (Class 1)	None (new state)			New state. New senator was elected in November 1835 but not seated until January 6, 1837, due to a territorial dispute with Ohio. Jacksonian gain.	▌Y Lucius Lyon (Jacksonian) [data missing]
Michigan (Class 2)	None (new state)			New state. New senator was elected in November 1835 but not seated until January 6, 1837, due to a territorial dispute with Ohio. Jacksonian gain.	▌Y John Norvell (Jacksonian) [data missing]

Alabama

Connecticut (special)

Delaware

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)

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)

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

Kentucky

Louisiana

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)

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)

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

Maryland (special)

Ezekiel F. Chambers won election over non-voters by a margin of 63.10%, or 53 votes, for the Class 3 seat.^[5]

Massachusetts

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

New Hampshire

New Jersey

North Carolina

Pennsylvania (special)

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

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)

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

Virginia (special)

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.

Notes

^ Winner was elected but resigned without having been seated.

References

^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
^ "U.S. Senate Election - 6 December 1834" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
^ "Our Campaigns - ME US Senate Race - Jan 19, 1835". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ 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.
^ "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

[2] Winner was elected but resigned without having been seated.

[1] "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.

[results-3] "U.S. Senate Election - 6 December 1834" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.

[4] "Our Campaigns - ME US Senate Race - Jan 19, 1835". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[5] 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.

[6] "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 07, 1835". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.

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