Contents

1792–93 United States Senate elections

1792–93 United States Senate elections

← 1790 & 1791 Dates vary by state 1794 & 1795 →
10 of the 30 seats in the United States Senate (as well as special elections) 16 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Pro-Administration Anti-Administration Last election 16 seats 9 Seats before 17 10 Seats after 18 11 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 4 6 Races won 5 5
Results:      Pro-Administration hold      Pro-Administration gain      Anti-Administration hold      Anti-Administration gain
Majority Faction before election Pro-Administration Elected Majority Faction Pro-Administration

The 1792–93 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President George Washington's unanimous re-election. 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 1792 and 1793, 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 ten senators in Class 2.

Formal organized political parties had yet to form in the United States, but two political factions were present: The coalition of Senators who supported George Washington's administration were known as the Pro-Administration Party, and the Senators against him as the Anti-Administration Party.

Results summary[edit]

Senate party division, 3rd Congress (1793–1795)

• Majority party: Pro-Administration Party (16)
• Minority party: Anti-Administration Party (13)
• Other parties: 0
• Total seats: 30
• Vacant: 1 (later filled by Pro-Administration)

Change in composition[edit]

Note: There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.^[2]

Virginia's elections are considered a single race here.

Before the elections[edit]

After the June 1792 admission of Kentucky.

Results of the election[edit]

Beginning of the next Congress[edit]

Two Pro-Administration senators (Benjamin HawkinsofNorth Carolina and John LangdonofNew Hampshire) changed to Anti-Administration.

The vacant seat in Pennsylvania was filled February 28, 1793 by an Anti-Administration senator.

Race summaries[edit]

Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.

Elections during the 2nd Congress[edit]

In these elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1793; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 3rd Congress[edit]

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1793; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Election in 1793 during the 3rd Congress[edit]

In this special election, the winner was seated after March 4, 1793, the beginning of the next Congress.

Connecticut (special)[edit]

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Delaware[edit]

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Georgia[edit]

1792/1793 United States Senate election in Georgia

← 1789 1792/1793 1796 (special) →

Majority party Minority party   Candidate James Jackson William Few Party Anti-Federalist Anti-Federalist Legislative vote 35 5 Percentage 85.4% 12.2%

U.S. senator before election William Few Anti-Administration Elected U.S. senator James Jackson Anti-Administration

One-term Anti-Federalist William Few was defeated by fellow Anti-Federalist, James Jackson. Jackson won 24 votes in the Georgia House of Representatives and 11 in the State Senate for a combined total of 35. Few won 3 in the House and 2 in the Senate for a combined total of 5. Jackson took office as a member of the 3rd United States Congress on March 4, 1793. He would later resign in 1795 to run for his state's legislature.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019)

Kentucky[edit]

1792 United States Senate election in Kentucky

← 1792 (special) December 11, 1792 1798 →

Majority party   Candidate John Brown Party Anti-Federalist Legislative vote Unanimous (exact total unknown) Percentage 100%

U.S. senator before election John Brown Anti-Administration Elected U.S. Senator John Brown Anti-Administration

Incumbent John Brown, who had previously been elected in a special election was easily reelected with no opposition and 100% of votes from the legislators.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019)

Maryland (special)[edit]

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1793 United States Senate special election in Maryland

← 1790 December 6, 1792 1796 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate Richard Potts Josh Hoskins Stone Party Federalist Federalist Legislative vote 53 34 Percentage 60.92% 39.08%

Richard Potts won election to fill the seat vacated by Charles Carroll over Josh Hoskins Stone by a margin of 21.84%, or 19 votes, for the Class 1 seat.^[12]

Massachusetts[edit]

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New Hampshire[edit]

1792 United States Senate election in New Hampshire

← 1788 1792 1798 →

Majority party Minority party Third party   Candidate Samuel Livermore Paine Wingate Nathaniel Peabody Party Federalist Anti-Federalist Independent Legislative vote 52 28 8 Percentage 58.4% 31.5% 9%

U.S. senator before election Paine Wingate Anti-Administration Elected U.S. Senator Samuel Livermore Federalist

Incumbent U.S. Senator Paine Wingate was not reelected. The New Hampshire General Court instead elected Federalist Samuel Livermore, a U.S. Representative, to the seat. Livermore, like his fellow senator, John Langdon, would go on to serve as President Pro-Tempore during this term.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019)

New Jersey[edit]

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North Carolina[edit]

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Pro-Administration Samuel Johnston lost re-election to Anti-Administration Alexander Martin for the class 2 seat. The other senator, Benjamin Hawkins, switched his support from Pro- to Anti-Administration.

Pennsylvania (special)[edit]

There was a special election on February 28, 1793, for the Class 1 seat from Pennsylvania. Incumbent William Maclay's term had ended on March 3, 1791, but the legislature failed to elect a successor due to a disagreement on the procedure to be followed in the election.

The seat remained vacant until Albert Gallatin was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the seat during this election.^[13]

Upon agreement between the two houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Senate, regarding the procedure to elect a new Senator, an election was finally held on February 28, 1793. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

On February 28, 1794, the Senate determined that Gallatin did not satisfy the citizenship requirement for service and he was removed from office. He later went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gallatin was replaced in the Senate by a special election in 1794.^[14]

Rhode Island[edit]

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South Carolina[edit]

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Virginia[edit]

Anti-Administration senator Richard Henry Lee resigned October 8, 1792, just before the March 3, 1793 end of term. Anti-administration John Taylor of Caroline was elected October 18, 1792 to finish Lee's term and then re-elected in 1793 to the next term.

Special[edit]

Regular[edit]

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See also[edit]

• 1792 United States elections
  • 1792 United States presidential election
  • 1792–93 United States House of Representatives elections
• 2nd United States Congress
• 3rd United States Congress

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789–present via Senate.gov