United States Senate elections, 1902 and 1903

United States Senate elections, 1902 and 1903

January 15, 1902 – February 21, 1903
30 of the 90 seats in the U.S. Senate (as well as special elections) 46 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader William B. Allison James K. Jones Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Iowa Arkansas Seats before 55 29 Seats won 18 11 Seats after 55 32 Seat change 3 Seats up 18 8   Third party Fourth party   Party Silver Republican Populist Seats before 2 2 Seats won 0 0 Seats after 0 0 Seat change 2 2 Seats up 2 2
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

The United States Senate elections of 1902 and 1903 were elections which had the Democratic Party gain three seats in the United States Senate, but the Republicans kept their strong majority.

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

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 58th Congress (1903–1905)

• Majority Party: Republican (57)
• Minority Party: Democratic (33)
• Vacant (0)
• Total Seats: 90

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

After the January 29, 1902, special election in New Jersey.

Result of the general elections

Beginning of the next Congress

Race summaries

Elections during the 57th Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1902 or in 1903 before March 4; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 58th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1903; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

Election during the 58th Congress

In this election, the winner was elected in 1903 after March 4.

Complete list of races

New York

The election in New York was held on January 20, 1903 by the New York State Legislature.

Republican Thomas C. Platt had previously been re-elected to this seat in 1897, and his term would expire on March 3, 1903.

At the State election in November 1902, 28 Republicans and 22 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1903-1904) in the State Senate; and 89 Republicans and 61 Democrats were elected for the session of 1903 to the Assembly. State Senator Patrick F. Trainor who had been re-elected, died on December 25, 1902, and his successor Peter J. Dooling was elected only after the senatorial election, on January 27.^[26] The 126th New York State Legislature met from January 6 to April 23, 1903, at Albany, New York.

The Republican caucus met on January 19. 25 State senators and 84 assemblymen attended, and State Senator William W. Armstrong presided. The caucus re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Thomas C. Platt almost unanimously. A single vote was cast for U.S. Secretary of War Elihu Root by Assemblyman William A. Denison, of Jefferson County. Besides Denison voting against Platt, a small number of anti-Platt men did not attend the caucus. Boss Platt had forced the nomination of Attorney General John C. Davies to the New York Supreme Court in the 5th District, against the local Republican organization's wishes who accused Davies of incompetence. Davies was defeated in a landslide by Democrat Watson M. Rogers although the 5th District was heavily Republican. Thus boss Platt's power began to wane.

The Democratic caucus met also on January 19. All 62 State legislators attended, and Assemblyman Charles W. Hinson, of Erie County, presided. They nominated John B. Stanchfield unanimously. Stanchfield had been Mayor of Elmira, and was defeated when running for Governor of New York in 1900 by Republican Benjamin B. Odell, Jr.

Thomas C. Platt was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected. Three Republican anti-Platt men, State Senators Edgar T. Brackett (28th D.), Elon R. Brown and Nathaniel A. Elsberg (15th D.), voted for Elihu Root.

Note: The votes were cast on January 20, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 21 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Pennsylvania

The election in Pennsylvania was held on January 20, 1903. Boies Penrose was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly^[27]

The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 20, 1903. Incumbent Republican Boies Penrose, who was elected in 1897, was a successful candidate for re-election to another term. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

See also

• United States elections, 1902
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1902
• 57th United States Congress
• 58th United States Congress

Notes

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy, ed. "The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992". United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 
• Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa City, Iowa. 
• Cox, Harold (January 31, 2007). "Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006". The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University. 
• "PLATT IS RENOMINATED, ONE VOTE AGAINST HIM; ...Devery Protest Against an Utterance of Mr. Stanchfield in Democratic Caucus". The New York Times. January 20, 1903. 
• "MR. PLATT ELECTED AFTER DENUNCIATION". The New York Times. January 21, 1903.