The 1918 United States Senate elections were held throughout 1918, the midpoint of
Woodrow Wilson's second term as
President of the United States.
Republicans gained a slim 2-seat control after picking up a net 6 seats (4 in general elections and 2 in special elections).
The change in control meant that the Republicans could deny entry of the United States into the
League of Nations. American participation in this new international institution was the centerpiece of Wilson's post-war foreign policy.
It was the first election in which all Class 2 senators were subject to direct or popular election following the enactment of the
Seventeenth Amendment, making them the final class under the old system.
Gains and losses
Republicans gained seven seats:
*
Lawrence C. Phipps
Lawrence Cowle Phipps (August 30, 1862 – March 1, 1958) was a United States Senator representing Colorado from 1919 until 1931.
Biography
Lawrence Cowle Phipps was born on August 30, 1862 in Amity, Pennsylvania, the son of William Henry Phi ...
(CO)
*
L. Heisler Ball
Lewis Heisler Ball (September 21, 1861 – October 18, 1932) was an American physician and politician from Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party and served as U.S. Representative from Delaware a ...
(DE)
*
Joseph M. McCormick
Joseph Medill McCormick (May 16, 1877 – February 25, 1925) was part of the McCormick family of businessmen and politicians in Chicago. After working for some time and becoming part owner of the ''Chicago Tribune,'' which his maternal grandfath ...
(IL)
*
Arthur Capper (KS)
*
Selden P. Spencer
Selden Palmer Spencer (September 16, 1862May 16, 1925) was an American lawyer and politician. A Republican, he was a United States Senator from Missouri.
Early life
Selden Spencer was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Samuel Selden and Eliza Debor ...
(MO)
*
Henry W. Keyes
Henry Wilder Keyes (; May 23, 1863June 19, 1938) was an American Republican politician from Haverhill, New Hampshire. He served as the 56th governor of New Hampshire from 1917 to 1919 and as a United States Senator.
Early life
Keyes was born in ...
(NH)
*
Irvine Lenroot
Irvine Luther Lenroot (January 31, 1869 – January 26, 1949) was a United States representative and United States senator from Wisconsin and an associate judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.
Education and career
...
(WI) — won in a special election
Democrats gained one seat:
*
David I. Walsh
David Ignatius Walsh (November 11, 1872June 11, 1947) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 46th Governor of Massachusetts before serving several terms in the Unite ...
(MA)
Party division
These numbers represent composition at the March 4, 1919 start of the
66th United States Congress
The 66th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919, to Ma ...
. Composition often changes due to deaths, resignations, or party shifting.
* Majority Party: Republican (49 seats)
* Minority Party: Democratic (47 seats)
* Other Parties: 0
* Total Seats: 96
Source
United States Senate Official Website
Change in composition
Before the elections
Elections results
Complete list of races
Special elections during the 65th Congress
In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1918 or before March 4, 1919; ordered by election date.
Elections leading to the 66th Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1919; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
Alabama
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Idaho (regular)
Idaho (special)
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Louisiana (regular)
Louisiana (special)
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri (special)
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada (special)
New Hampshire
New Hampshire (regular)
New Hampshire (special)
New Jersey
New Jersey (regular)
New Jersey (special)
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon
Oregon (Regular)
Oregon (Special)
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Carolina (regular)
South Carolina (special)
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin (Special)
Wyoming
See also
*
1918 United States elections
This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide.
Events
Below, the events ...
**
1918 United States House of Representatives elections
The 1918 United States House of Representatives elections were held November 5, 1918, which occurred in the middle of President Woodrow Wilson's second term.
With the country in World War I (contrary to previous promises by Wilson), and Wilson's ...
*
65th United States Congress
The 65th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917, to ...
*
66th United States Congress
The 66th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919, to Ma ...
Notes
References
{{United States Senate elections
United States home front during World War I