United States Senate elections, 1892 and 1893

United States Senate elections, 1892 and 1893

Dates vary by state
29 of the 88 seats in the U.S. Senate (as well as special elections) 45 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 39 47 Seats won 14 9 Seats after 42 38 Seat change 3 9 Seats up 11 18   Third party Fourth party   Party Populist Silver Republican Seats before 2 New Party Seats won 1 1 Seats after 3 1 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 0
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Democratic

The United States Senate elections of 1892 and 1893 were elections which, corresponding with former Democratic President Grover Cleveland's return to power, had the Republican Party lose nine seats in the United States Senate and lose its majority to the Democratic Party. The Democratic majority, however, was minimal and didn't last past the next Congress.

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

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 53rd Congress (1893–1895)

• Majority Party: Democratic (43)
• Minority Party: Republican (38)
• Other Parties: Populist (3); Silver (1)
• Total Seats: 88
• Vacant: 3

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

Result of the elections

Beginning of the next Congress

Race summaries

Elections during the 52nd Congress

In these elections the winners were seated during the 52nd Congress in 1892 or in 1893 before March 4; ordered by election date.

In this election, the winner was seated in the 53rd Congress, starting March 4, 1893.

In this election, the winner was seated in the 54th Congress, starting March 4, 1895.

Races leading to the 53rd Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1893; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

Elections during the 53rd Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1893 after March 4, and seated in the 53rd Congress.

In this election, the winner was seated in the 54th Congress, starting March 4, 1895.

Complete list of races

New York

The New York election was held on January 18, 1893, by the New York State Legislature.

Republican Frank Hiscock had been elected to this seat in 1887, and his term would expire on March 3, 1893.

At the controversial State election in November 1891, 17 Democrats, 14 Republicans and 1 Independent were elected for a two-year term (1892-1893) in the State Senate. This was the only time a Democratic majority was seated in the State Senate between 1874 and 1910. At the State election in November 1892, 74 Democrats and 54 Republicans were elected for the session of 1893 to the Assembly. The 116th New York State Legislature met from January 3 to April 20, 1893, at Albany, New York.

The Democratic caucus met on January 10. 90 State legislators attended, only Assemblyman John Cooney, of Brooklyn, was absent due to illness. State Senator Amasa J. Parker, Jr. presided. Edward Murphy, Jr., a wealthy brewer of Troy, and Chairman of the Democratic State Committee, was nominated by a large majority. The New York Times had suggested earlier to nominate Carl Schurz, a former Republican U.S. Senator from Missouri and U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who lived now in New York City,^[12] but the political machines of upstate boss David B. Hill and Tammany Hall chose a loyal party machine man rather than an Ex-Republican advocate of civil service reform. Even President-elect Grover Cleveland had voiced his disapproval of Murphy, to no avail.^[13]

The Republican caucus met on January 11. State Senator Thomas Hunter presided. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Frank Hiscock by acclamation.

Edward Murphy, Jr., was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected. State Senator James T. Edwards (32nd D.), of Randolph, voted for the defeated Republican vice presidential candidate of 1892, Whitelaw Reid.

Note: The votes were cast on January 17, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 18 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

When Murphy took his seat, for the first time since 1849 New York was represented by two Democrats in the U.S. Senate. Murphy served a single term, remaining in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1899. In January 1899, Murphy was defeated for re-election by Republican Chauncey M. Depew.

Pennsylvania

The election in Pennsylvania was held January 17, 1893. Incumbent Matthew Quay was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.^[14]

See also

• United States elections, 1892
  • United States presidential election, 1892
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1892
• 52nd United States Congress
• 53rd 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. 
• Cox, Harold (January 31, 2007). "Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006". The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University. 
• "Election of United States Senators, 1893". The Tribune Almanac for 1894. New York: The Tribune Association. 1894. pp. 87–91 – via Hathi Trust Digital Library. 
• "STATESMEN OUT OF FASHION.; BREWER MURPHY OF TROY NOMINATED FOR SENATOR". The New York Times. January 11, 1893. 
• "SENATOR HISCOCK'S "EMPTY HONOR"". The New York Times. January 12, 1893. 
• "EDWARD MURPHY ELECTED". The New York Times. January 18, 1893.