United States Senate elections, 1874 and 1875

United States Senate elections, 1874 and 1875

Dates vary by state (And other dates for special elections)
25 of the 74 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 38 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Seats before 52 19 Seats won 10 14 Seats after 42 28 Seat change 10 9 Seats up 20 5   Third party Fourth party   Party Liberal Republican Anti-Monopoly Seats before 2 0 Seats won 0 1 Seats after 2 1 Seat change 1 Seats up 0 0
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

The United States Senate elections of 1874 and 1875 had the Democratic Party gain nine seats in the United States Senate from the Republican Party (the party of incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant). Republicans remained in the majority, however.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results summary

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties						Total
		Democratic	Republican	Liberal Republican	Anti- Monopoly
Before these elections		19	52	2	0	73
Not up		14	32	2	—	48
	Class 2 (1870/71)	9	15	1	—	25
	Class 3 (1872/73)	5	17	1	—	31
Up		5	22	1	—	36
	General: Class 1	5	20	—	—	25
	Special: Class 1	0	1	1	—	2
	Special: Class 2	0	1	—	—	1
Incumbent retired		2	11	—	—	13
	Held by same party	1	4	—	—	5
	Replaced by other party	7 Republicans replaced by 7 Democrats 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Anti-Monopolist				8
	Result	8	4	—	1	13
Incumbent's intent unknown		1	4	—	—	5
	Held by same party	1	2	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats				2
	Result	3	2	—	—	5
Incumbent ran		2	5	—	—	7
	Won re-election	2	2	—	—	4
	Lost re-election	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat				1
	Lost renomination but held by same party	—	2	—	—	2
	Result	3	4	—	—	7
Total elected		14	10	—	1	25
Net change		9	10	—	1	9
Result		28	42	2	1	73

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

After the April 17, 1874 special election in Massachusetts.

Result of the elections

Beginning of the next Congress

Race summaries

Elections during the 43rd Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1874 or in 1875 before March 4; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 44th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1875; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

Elections during the 44th Congress

There were no special elections in 1875 to the 44th Congress.

Complete list of races

New York

The New York election was held on January 19 and 20, 1875, by the New York State Legislature.

Republican Reuben E. Fenton had been elected in January 1869 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1875.

At the state election in November 1873, a Republican majority was elected for a two-year term (1874-1875) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1874, Democrat Samuel J. Tilden was elected Governor, 75 Democrats and 53 Republicans were elected for the session of 1875 to the Assembly, and Democrat Albert P. Laning was elected in the 31st District to fill a vacancy in the State Senate. The 98th New York State Legislature met from January 5 to May 19, 1875, at Albany, New York.

The caucus of Democratic State legislators met on January 15, State Senator Albert P. Laning, of Buffalo, presided. All but one of the legislators were present, only Assemblyman John M. Roscoe, of Schoharie County, was sick. The caucus nominated Francis Kernan for the U.S. Senate. Kernan had been the Democratic/Liberal Republican candidate for Governor in November 1872 but had been defeated by John Adams Dix. Now Kernan was the choice of Tammany boss John Kelly who had succeeded the corrupt William M. Tweed. Kelly was opposed by John C. Jacobs, who proposed Ex-State Senator Henry C. Murphy, Jacobs's predecessor from the 3rd District, and the Democratic candidate who had lost the U.S. Senate elections in 1867 and 1869 when the Democrats were the minority. Kelly stood firm in his intention to dominate the Democratic Party, and had the caucus nomination made by viva voce vote instead of the more traditional secret ballot. Jacobs and Murphy had expected to get votes from many legislators who would not dare to cross Kelly openly, but had to abandon their hopes when the secret ballot was voted down 74 to 13.

The caucus of the Republican State legislators nominated Ex-U.S. Senator from New York Edwin D. Morgan.

On January 19, the Democratic majority of the Assembly nominated Francis Kernan, and the Republican majority of the State Senate nominated Ex-U.S. Senator Edwin D. Morgan. On January 20, both Houses met in joint session to compare nominations, and finding that they disagreed, proceeded to a joint ballot. Francis Kernan was elected, the first Democratic U.S. Senator from New York since 1851 when Daniel S. Dickinson left office.

Note: The vote for Ex-Governor of New York Hoffman was cast by Reuben E. Fenton's brother-in-law Samuel Scudder, a Democratic Assemblyman from Cattaraugus County.

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania election was held on January 19, 1875. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, elected William A. Wallace.^[1]

See also

• United States elections, 1874
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1874
• 43rd United States Congress
• 44th United States Congress

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Members of the 44th United States Congress, via GPO.gov
• NEW-YORK ELECTIONS.; Results of the Official Canvass for the Various Officers in NYT on November 19, 1874
• THE SENATORSHIP.; FRANCIS KERNAN'S SWEEPING VICTORY in NYT on January 16, 1875
• ALBANY.; ELECTION OF KERNAN TO THE SENATE in NYT on January 21, 1875
• Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project