The 1816–17 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

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 1816 and 1817, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2. The

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

gained a net of two seats from the admission of a new state.

Results summary

Senate party division, 15th Congress (1817–1819) * Majority party: Democratic-Republican (25–28) * Minority party:

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

(13–12) * Total seats: 38–42

Change in composition

Results of the January 1816 special elections

Before the general elections

Results of the general elections

Results of the 1817 special elections

Race summaries

Elections during the preceding Congress

In these special and general elections, the winners were seated during 1816 or before March 4, 1817; ordered by election date.

Races leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were seated March 4, 1817; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Elections during the next Congress

In three special elections and two general elections, the winners were elected in 1817 after March 4; ordered by election date.

Delaware

Georgia

Georgia (regular)

Georgia (special)

Indiana

The new state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans, James Noble and Waller Taylor. The election was held November 8, 1816 in advance of Indiana's December 11, 1816 admission as a state. In the election legislators cast a single ballot and the first and second place candidates were deemed elected.

Kentucky

Kentucky (regular)

Kentucky (special)

Louisiana

Maryland (special)

Maryland (special, January 1816)

Robert Goodloe Harper Robert Goodloe Harper (January 1765January 14, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He was a member of the United States Senate from Maryland, serving from January 1816 until his resignation in December of the same year. He also served ...

won election over

John Thomson Mason John Thomson Mason (15 March 1765 – 10 December 1824) was an American lawyer and Attorney General of Maryland in 1806. Early life Mason was born on 15 March 1765 at Chopawamsic (plantation), Chopawamsic in Stafford County, Virginia. He wa ...

by a margin of 1.12%, or 1 vote, for the Class 1 seat.

Maryland (special, December 1816)

Alexander Contee Hanson Alexander Contee Hanson (February 27, 1786April 23, 1819) was an American lawyer, publisher, and statesman. He represented the third district of Maryland in the U.S. House, and the state of Maryland in the U.S. Senate. The town of Hanson, Massach ...

won election over William Winder by a margin of 8.24%, or 7 votes, for the Class 1 seat.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts (regular)

Massachusetts (special)

Mississippi

The new state of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

elected its first two senators, both Democratic-Republicans,

Walter Leake Walter Daniel Leake (May 20, 1762November 17, 1825) was a judge, U.S. senator, and governor of Mississippi. He served as a United States Senator from Mississippi (1817–1820), as a justice in 1821, and as third Governor of Mississippi (1822� ...

and Thomas H. Williams. Two separate elections were held in which each senator was elected. First Senator (Class 1)
(5th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown) Second Senator (Class 2)
(4th ballot, date and previous ballots unknown)

New Hampshire

New Hampshire (regular)

New Hampshire (special)

New Jersey

North Carolina

North Carolina (regular)

North Carolina (special)

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Carolina (regular)

South Carolina (special)

Tennessee

Tennessee (regular)

Tennessee (special)

Vermont (special)

Virginia

Virginia (regular)

Virginia (special)

Notes

References

Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present
via Senate.gov * {{DEFAULTSORT:1816-17 United States Senate elections