Contents

1802–03 United States Senate elections

1802–03 United States Senate elections

← 1800 & 1801 Dates vary by state 1804 & 1805 →
11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 17 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Seats before 17 15 Seats after 22 9 Seat change 5 6 Seats up 2 9 Races won 7 3
Results:      Dem-Republican hold      Dem-Republican gain      Federalist hold      Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election Democratic-Republican Elected Majority Party Democratic-Republican

The 1802–03 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 1802 and 1803, 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 1.

The Democratic-Republican Party maintained and greatly expanded their majority of seats to over two-thirds of the Senate.

Change in composition[edit]

Before the elections[edit]

Accounting for the 1802 special elections in New York, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

Result of the regular elections[edit]

Beginning of the first session, October 17, 1803[edit]

Race summaries[edit]

Unless noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.

Special elections during the 7th Congress[edit]

In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1803; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the 8th Congress[edit]

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1803; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

Special elections during the 8th Congress[edit]

In this special election, the winner was seated in 1803 after March 4.

Early race leading to the Congress-after-next[edit]

In this regular election, the winner was seated on March 4, 1805; ordered by state.

This election involved a Class 2 seat.

Connecticut[edit]

Federalist incumbent James Hillhouse (originally elected in 1796) was re-elected.

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

Delaware[edit]

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

Maryland[edit]

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

1802 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1796 November 17, 1802 1809 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate Samuel Smith John Eager Howard Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Legislative vote 46 30 Percentage 60.53% 39.47%

Samuel Smith won election over John Eager Howard by a margin of 21.05%, or 16 votes, for the Class 1 seat.^[18]

Massachusetts[edit]

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

New Hampshire (special)[edit]

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

New Jersey[edit]

There were two elections to the class 1 seat.

New Jersey (regular)[edit]

The New Jersey legislature failed to elect by the March 4, 1803, beginning of the term.

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

New Jersey (special)[edit]

The governor appointed Democratic-Republican John Condit September 1, 1803, to continue the term. Condit was then unanimously elected November 3, 1803, to finish the term. No vote totals were recorded.^[19]

New York[edit]

New York (special)[edit]

Democratic-Republican John Armstrong Jr., who had held the class 3 seat since 1801, resigned February 5, 1802, and Democratic-Republican DeWitt Clinton was elected February 23, 1802, to finish the term. Clinton, however, resigned November 4, 1803, and Armstrong was appointed December 8, 1803, to his old seat.

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

New York (regular)[edit]

Federalist Gouverneur Morris lost re-election to the class 1 seat to Democratic-Republican Theodorus Bailey in 1803.

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

Ohio[edit]

Ohio joined the Union in 1803. New Democratic-Republican senators were elected April 1, 1803. Official records indicate that John Smith and Thomas Worthington were elected, and that Smith received the "long" term, while Worthington received the "short" one. They do not indicate if there were other candidates, or what the vote totals were.^[20]

Pennsylvania[edit]

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

Rhode Island[edit]

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

South Carolina (special)[edit]

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

Tennessee[edit]

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

Vermont[edit]

Federalist Senator Nathaniel Chipman lost re-election to Democratic-Republican Israel Smith. Smith received 102 votes in the Vermont House of Representatives and 9 from the Governor and Council.^[12] Spencer received 75 votes from the House and 4 from the Governor and Council.^[12]

Virginia[edit]

There were two elections to the same seat as the newly-re-elected senator died at the beginning of the next term.

Virginia (regular)[edit]

Two-term Democratic-Republican Stevens Mason was re-elected in 1803.

Virginia (special)[edit]

Mason died May 10, 1803, having just begun the new term. Democratic-Republican John Taylor was appointed but chose not to run to finish the term. Democratic-Republican Abraham B. Venable was elected December 7, 1803, as the unanimous choice of the Virginia General Assembly. No vote totals were recorded.^[16]

See also[edit]

• 1802 United States elections
  • 1802–03 United States House of Representatives elections
• 7th United States Congress
• 8th United States Congress

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

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