United States Senate elections, 1798 and 1799

United States Senate elections, 1798 and 1799

Dates vary by state
11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 17 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Federalist Democratic-Republican Last election 21 seats (67.7%) 10 seats (32.3%) Seats before 22 (68.7%) 10 (31.3%) Seats won 23 (71.9%) 9 (28.1%) Seat change 1 1 Seats up 5 6
Majority party before election Federalist Elected Majority party Federalist

The elections of members of the United States Senate in 1798 and 1799 occurred during the middle of President John Adams's administration and had no net change in political control of the Senate.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.

Results

6th Congress (1799–1801):

• Majority Party: Federalist (22)
• Minority Party: Democratic-Republican (9)
• Other Parties: 0
• Total Seats: 31

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

DR6 Resigned	DR5 Ran	DR4	DR3	DR2	DR1
DR7 Ran	DR8 Ran	DR9 Ran	DR10 Unknown	F22 Retired	F21 Retired	F20 Ran	F19 Ran	F18 Ran	F17
Majority →
F7	F8	F9	F10	F11	F12	F13	F14	F15	F16
F6	F5	F4	F3	F2	F1

Results of the elections

DR6 Re-elected	DR5 Re-elected	DR4	DR3	DR2	DR1
DR7 Hold	DR8 Hold	DR9 Hold	V1 DR loss	F22 Hold	F21 Hold	F20 Re-elected	F19 Re-elected	F18 Re-elected	F17
Majority →
F7	F8	F9	F10	F11	F12	F13	F14	F15	F16
F6	F5	F4	F3	F2	F1

Key:	DR# Democratic-Republican F# Federalist V# Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 5th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1799; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
New York (Class 1)	Philip Schuyler	Federalist	1789 1797	Incumbent resigned January 3, 1798. Winner elected January 11, 1798. (Winner later resigned, see below.) Federalist hold.	√ John Sloss Hobart (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Delaware (Class 2)	John Vining	Federalist	1792	Incumbent resigned January 19, 1798. Winner elected January 19, 1798. (Winner died August 11, 1798, see below.) Federalist hold.	√ Joshua Clayton (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New York (Class 1)	William North	Federalist	May 1798 (Appointed)	Predecessor resigned to become Judge of the U.S. District Court of New York. Interim appointee served until winner qualified. Winner elected August 17, 1798. Federalist hold.	√ James Watson (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
South Carolina (Class 2)	John Hunter	Democratic- Republican	1796 (Special)	Incumbent resigned November 26, 1798. Winner elected December 6, 1798. (Winner also elected to next term, see below.) Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Charles Pinckney (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Tennessee (Class 1)	Daniel Smith	Democratic- Republican	October 1798 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired when successor qualified. Winner elected December 12, 1798. Winner qualified upon resignation from other Senate seat on March 4, 1799. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Joseph Anderson (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Delaware (Class 2)	Joshua Clayton	Federalist	January 1798	Died August 11, 1798. Winner elected January 17, 1799. (Winner also elected to next term, see below.) Federalist hold.	√ William H. Wells (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Races leading to the 6th Congress

In these general elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1799; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Delaware	William H. Wells	Federalist	January 1799 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ William H. Wells (F)
Georgia	Josiah Tattnall	Democratic- Republican	1796	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!] Winner elected in 1799. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Abraham Baldwin (DR)
Kentucky	John Brown	Democratic- Republican	1792 (New seat) 1792	Incumbent re-elected in 1799.	√ John Brown (DR)
Massachusetts	Theodore Sedgwick	Federalist	1796	Incumbent retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Winner elected in 1799. Federalist hold.	√ Samuel Dexter (F)
New Hampshire	Samuel Livermore	Federalist	1792	Incumbent re-elected in 1798.	√ Samuel Livermore (F)
New Jersey	Richard Stockton	Federalist	1796	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1799. Federalist hold.	√ Jonathan Dayton (F)
North Carolina	Alexander Martin	Democratic- Republican	1792	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected December 12, 1798. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Jesse Franklin (DR) Alexander Martin (DR)
Rhode Island	Ray Greene	Federalist	1797 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1799.	√ Ray Greene (F)
South Carolina	Charles Pinckney	Democratic- Republican	1798	Incumbent re-elected December 6, 1798.	√ Charles Pinckney (DR)
Tennessee	Joseph Anderson	Democratic- Republican	1797 (Special)	Incumbent resigned March 4, 1799 when elected to the Class 1 seat (see below). Winner elected in 1799. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ William Cocke (DR)
Virginia	Henry Tazewell	Democratic- Republican	1794 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1798, but died January 24, 1799 before the term began. (Seat remained vacant until nine months into the next term, see below.) Democratic-Republican loss.	√ Henry Tazewell (DR)

Special elections during the 6th Congress

In this special election, the winner was seated after March 4, 1799, the beginning of the next Congress.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Virginia	Vacant	Vacant	Vacant	Incumbent Henry Tazewell (DR) had been re-elected in 1798 but died January 24, 1799 before the term began. Winner elected December 5, 1799. Democratic-Republican gain.	√ Wilson C. Nicholas (DR)

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1798
• 6th United States Congress

References

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