Elections to the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

were held during 1788 to elect 40 State Senators. Candidates were elected at the county level, with some counties electing multiple Senators. For election, a candidate needed the support of a majority of those voting. If a seat remained vacant because no candidate received such majority, the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from th ...

was empowered to fill it by a majority vote of its members.

Apportionment

The apportionment of seats by population was as follows: * Barnstable County: 1 * Berkshire County: 2 * Bristol County: 3 * Cumberland County: 1 * Dukes and Nantucket Counties: 1 * Essex County: 6 * Hampshire County: 4 * Lincoln County: 1 * Middlesex County: 5 * Plymouth County: 3 * Suffolk County: 6 * Worcester County: 5 * York County: 2

Results

Barnstable

Exact totals for Smith, the incumbent Senator, are unknown.

Berkshire

William Williams, Ebenezer Pierce, John Bacon, and William Walker also received votes, though exact totals are unknown. Dwight was subsequently elected by the General Court.

Bristol

Thomas Durfee, Walter Spooner, and Elisha May also received votes, but their exact totals are unknown.

Cumberland

Dukes and Nantucket

Essex

Exact totals for the Anti-Federalist ticket were not listed. Unaffiliated candidates Peter Coffin and John Choate also received votes, but their exact totals are unknown. Jonathan Greenleaf was subsequently be elected by the General Court.

Hampshire

Incumbent Senator David Smead was not re-elected, and his exact vote total is unknown. Many other candidates received votes throughout the county, but their exact totals are unknown: Bliss and Sexton were subsequently elected by the General Court.

Lincoln

Waterman Thomas, Daniel Cony, and

Henry Dearborn Henry Dearborn (February 23, 1751 – June 6, 1829) was an American military officer and politician. In the Revolutionary War, he served under Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, of which his journal provides an important record ...

also received votes, but their exact totals are unknown. Since no candidate received a majority of votes cast, the General Court elected Dummer Sewall to the seat.

Middlesex

Exact totals for Anti-Federalist ticket are not listed.

Nathaniel Gorham Nathaniel Gorham (May 27, 1738 – June 11, 1796; sometimes spelled ''Nathanial'') was an American Founding Father, merchant, and politician from Massachusetts. He was a delegate from the Bay Colony to the Continental Congress and for six months ...

, William Hunt, John Brooks (Federalist),

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed as Governor of Michigan Territory (1805–13), gaining large land cessions from several Am ...

, Joseph Curtis,

James Winthrop James Winthrop (March 28, 1752, Cambridge, Massachusetts – September 26, 1821, Cambridge) was an American librarian and jurist. Winthrop was the son of John Winthrop (educator), physicist John Winthrop. He was wounded at the Battle of Bunker ...

and Elbridge Gerry also received votes, though their exact totals are unknown.

Plymouth

Isaac Winslow Isaac Winslow ( – December 14, 1738) was an American politician and military officer who lived in Marshfield, Massachusetts. A member of the prominent Winslow family of the Plymouth Colony, he served as a civil and military official in a per ...

, Hugh Orr, Joseph Bryant, James Briggs, and Ebenezer White also received votes.

Suffolk

Many other candidates received votes throughout the county, but their exact totals are unknown:

Worcester