The 1928 United States Senate elections were elections that coincided with the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
of
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
. The strong economy helped the Republicans to gain seven seats from the
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
s.
Senate Majority leader, Republican
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was an American attorney and Republican politician from Kansas who served as the 31st vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 under Herbert Hoover. He had served as the Sena ...
of Kansas, was not up for election this cycle, but he was
elected U.S. Vice President. He resigned March 3, 1929, so his seat was vacant at the beginning of the next Congress (March 4, 1929) until April 1, 1929, when a Republican was appointed to continue the term.
Gains and losses
Republicans gained five seats by defeating five Democratic incumbents:
#
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
: Democratic incumbent
Thomas F. Bayard Jr. lost re-election to Republican challenger
John G. Townsend Jr.
#
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
: Democratic incumbent
William Cabell Bruce
William Cabell Bruce (March 12, 1860May 9, 1946) was an American politician and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who represented the State of Maryland in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1929.
Background
Bruce was born in Charlotte County, ...
lost re-election to Republican challenger
Phillips Lee Goldsborough
Phillips Lee Goldsborough I (August 6, 1865October 22, 1946), was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician and member of the United States Senate representing Maryland, State of Maryland from 1929 to 1935. He was also ...
.
#
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
: Democratic incumbent
Edward I. Edwards
Edward Irving Edwards (December 1, 1863 – January 26, 1931) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 37th governor of New Jersey from 1920 to 1923 and in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1929.
Life and career
Edwards ...
lost re-election to Republican challenger
Hamilton Fish Kean.
#
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
: Democratic incumbent
Peter G. Gerry lost re-election to Republican challenger
Felix Hebert
Felix Hebert (December 11, 1874December 14, 1969) was a United States senator from Rhode Island. Born near St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, he came to the United States when his parents, Edouard and Catherine (Vandale) Hebert, returned in 1880 and ...
.
#
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
: Democratic incumbent
Matthew M. Neely lost re-election to Republican challenger
Henry D. Hatfield.
Republicans gained one seat from a Democratic incumbent appointee who had lost nomination:
#
Ohio : Democratic incumbent appointee
Cyrus Locher
Cyrus Locher (March 8, 1878August 17, 1929) was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate.
He graduated from high school at Pandora, Ohio, and from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1903, when he gave the commencement oration. ...
lost nomination to
Graham P. Hunt to finish the term. Hunt then lost the general election to Republican
Theodore E. Burton.
Republicans gained one seat from a retiring Democratic incumbent:
#
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
: Democratic incumbent
James A. Reed retired and was replaced by Republican
Roscoe C. Patterson
Roscoe Conkling Patterson (September 15, 1876October 22, 1954) was an American lawyer from Missouri. He was most notable for his service as a United States representative (1921–1923) and a U.S. Senator (1929–1935).
Early life
Patterson was b ...
.
Republicans gained one seat from a vacancy:
#
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockford, as we ...
: The Senate refused to seat Republican incumbent
Frank L. Smith
Frank Leslie Smith (November 24, 1867 – August 30, 1950) was an Illinois politician.
Biography
Smith was born in Dwight, Illinois, in Livingston County He served as a United States Congressman from 1919 to 1921.
Career
Smith first ran f ...
after
his 1926 election. He resigned February 9, 1928, leaving the seat vacant. Republican
Otis F. Glenn
Otis Ferguson Glenn (August 27, 1879March 11, 1959) was a Republican United States Senator from the State of Illinois.
He was born in Mattoon, Illinois on August 27, 1879. After graduating from law school in 1900 from the University of Illinois ...
won a special election to finish the term ending March 3, 1933.
Republicans held two seats from retiring Republican incumbents:
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Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
: Republican incumbent
George P. McLean
George Payne McLean (October 7, 1857 – June 6, 1932) was the 59th Governor of Connecticut, and a United States senator from Connecticut.
Biography
McLean was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, one of five children of Dudley B. McLean and Mary ( ...
retired and was replaced by Republican
Frederic C. Walcott.
Democrats gained no seats.
Democrats held 1 seat from a retiring Democratic incumbent:
#
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
: Democratic incumbent
Earle Bradford Mayfield
Earle Bradford Mayfield (April 12, 1881June 23, 1964) was a Texas lawyer who, from 1907 to 1913, was a Texas State Senator. In 1922, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. He was the first U.S. Senator to be widely considered by the vo ...
retired and was replaced by Democrat
Tom Connally.
Change in composition
Before the elections
At the beginning of 1928.
Elections result
Race summary
Special elections during the 70th Congress
In these special elections, the winner were seated during 1928; ordered by election date.
Elections leading to the 71st Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1929; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats, unless otherwise indicated.
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Idaho (Special)
Illinois (Special)
Indiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
First-term Democrat
Woodbridge N. Ferris died March 23, 1928.
On March 31, 1928, Governor
Fred W. Green
Fred Warren Green (October 19, 1871November 30, 1936) was an American politician who served as the 31st governor of Michigan from 1927 to 1931, and he was the mayor of Ionia, Michigan, from 1913 to 1916. Active in athletics during his time as ...
appointed 44-year-old Republican
Arthur H. Vandenberg
Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg Sr. (March 22, 1884April 18, 1951) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Michigan from 1928 to 1951. A member of the Republican Party, he participated in the creation of the United Natio ...
to fill the vacancy, pending a special election. Green considered resigning so he could be appointed to the vacancy. He also considered several other candidates, including former governors
Albert Sleeper
Albert Edson Sleeper (December 31, 1862 – May 13, 1934) was an American politician and served as the 29th Governor of Michigan from 1917 to 1921.
Biography
Sleeper was born on December 31, 1862, in Bradford, Vermont and was educated at the B ...
and
Chase Osborn
Chase Salmon Osborn (January 22, 1860 – April 11, 1949) was an American politician, newspaper reporter and publisher, and explorer. He served as the 27th governor of Michigan from 1911 to 1913. The governor spent time at Possum Poke in Georg ...
. In addition, Green considered Representative
Joseph W. Fordney, who would have been a placeholder until the election for the remainder of Ferris' term. Green finally decided upon Vandenberg, who immediately declared his intention to stand for election to both the short, unexpired term and the full six-year term. Both the special and the general elections were held the same day, November 6, 1928.
Michigan (Regular)
Michigan (Special)
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
Two-term Democrat
Andrieus A. Jones died December 20, 1927. Republican
Bronson M. Cutting
Bronson Murray Cutting (June 23, 1888May 6, 1935) was a United States senator from New Mexico. A prominent progressive Republican, he had also been a newspaper publisher and military attaché.
Biography
Bronson Cutting was born in Great River, ...
was appointed December 29, 1927, to continue the term, pending a special election in which he was not a candidate.
New Mexico (Special)
Larrazolo was not a candidate, however, for the next term. After leaving office, Larrazolo died on April 7, 1930.
New Mexico (Regular)
Cutting would be
re-elected in 1934 but died May 6, 1935.
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
There were 2 elections due to the March 30, 1928, death of Republican
Frank B. Willis.
Ohio (Regular)
Ohio (Special)
Democrat
Cyrus Locher
Cyrus Locher (March 8, 1878August 17, 1929) was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate.
He graduated from high school at Pandora, Ohio, and from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1903, when he gave the commencement oration. ...
was appointed April 5, 1928, to continue the term, pending the special election, in which he lost his party's nomination.
Burton, in turn, died October 28, 1929, triggering another interim appointment and
special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
before the 1933 end of the term.
Pennsylvania
, -
, -bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
, colspan="3" align="right" , Totals
, align="right" , 3,026,864
, align="right" , 100.00%
, align="right" ,
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
See also
*
1928 United States elections
**
1928 United States presidential election
**
1928 United States House of Representatives elections
*
70th United States Congress
*
71st United States Congress
The 71st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislature of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1929, to Ma ...
Notes
References
{{United States Senate elections