Contents

1794–95 United States Senate elections

1794–95 United States Senate elections

← 1792 & 1793 Dates vary by state 1796 & 1797 →
10 of the 30 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 16 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Federalist Democratic-Republican Seats before 16 (as Pro-Administration) 13 (as Anti-Administration) Seats after 19 10 Seat change 3 3 Seats up 5 (as Pro-Administration) 5 (as Anti-Administration) Races won 8 2
Federalist hold      Federalist gain      Democratic-Republican hold
Majority Faction before election Pro-Administration Elected Majority Faction Federalist

The 1794–95 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 1794 and 1795, 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 3.

This was the first election cycle with organized political parties in the United States, with the Federalist Party emerging from the Pro Administration coalition, and the Democratic-Republican Party emerging from the Anti-Administration coalition.

Results summary[edit]

Senate party division, 4th Congress (1795–1797)

• Majority party: Federalist (20)
• Minority party: Democratic-Republican (10)
• Other parties: 0
• Total seats: 30

Change in composition[edit]

Before the elections[edit]

Note: There were no political parties in the 3rd Congress. Members are informally grouped here into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.^[2]

After the March 31, 1794 special election in Pennsylvania.

Results of the elections[edit]

Beginning of the next Congress[edit]

Seven senators who were considered "Anti-Administration" became Democratic-Republicans and eleven "Pro-Administration" became Federalists.

Race summaries[edit]

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

Special elections during the 3rd Congress[edit]

In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1795; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 4th Congress[edit]

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1795; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

Elections during the 4th Congress[edit]

There were no elections in 1795 after March 4.

Connecticut[edit]

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

Delaware (special)[edit]

Delaware special election

← 1790 February 7, 1795 1797 →

Class 1 Senator →

Nominee Henry Latimer John Dickinson Party Federalist Democratic-Republican Popular vote 15 14 Percentage 51.72% 48.28%

U.S. senator before election George Read Federalist Elected U.S. Senator Henry Latimer Federalist

The Delaware special election was held February 7, 1795. Incumbent Senator George Read had resigned to take the position of Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. Henry Latimer defeated the former Governor of Delaware, Governor of Pennsylvania and Continental Congressmen from Delaware and Pennsylvania by one vote.

Georgia[edit]

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

Kentucky[edit]

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

Maryland[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022)

John Henry won election over James Lloyd by an unknown number of votes for the Class 3 seat.^[11]

New Hampshire[edit]

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

New York[edit]

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

North Carolina[edit]

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

Pennsylvania[edit]

Pennsylvania (special)[edit]

Pennsylvania (regular)[edit]

Incumbent Federalist Robert Morris, who was elected in 1788, was not a candidate for re-election to another term. The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on February 26, 1795, to elect a senator for the term beginning March 4, 1795.

South Carolina[edit]

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

Vermont[edit]

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

Virginia[edit]

Even though neither of Virginia's incumbent's terms were up, both resigned in 1794, leading to two special elections.

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

Future-president James Monroe resigned March 27, 1794 to become U.S. Minister to France.

Stevens Thomson Mason was elected November 18, 1794 and would become a Democratic-Republican in the next Congress.

Virginia (special, class 2)[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2020)

Incumbent John Taylor of Caroline resigned May 11, 1794.

Henry Tazewell was elected November 18, 1794 and would become a Democratic-Republican in the next Congress.

See also[edit]

• 1794 United States elections
  • 1794–95 United States House of Representatives elections
• 3rd United States Congress
• 4th United States Congress

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present" – via Senate.gov.