United States Senate elections, 1790 and 1791

United States Senate elections, 1790 and 1791

Dates vary by state legislatures
9 of the 26 seats in the United States Senate, plus special elections 14 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Pro-Administration Anti-Administration Last election 19 (73.1%) 7 (26.9%) Seats before 18 (75.0%) 6 (25.0%) Seats won 17 (68.0%) 8 (32.0%) Seat change 2 1 Seats up 7 2
Majority faction before election Pro-Administration Elected Majority faction Pro-Administration

The United States Senate elections of 1790 and 1791 were the second series of elections of Senators in the United States. In these elections, terms were up for the nine Senators in Class 1. As of these elections, formal organized political parties had yet to form in the United States, but two political factions were present: The coalition of Senators who supported President George Washington's administration were known as the Pro-Administration Party, and the Senators against him as the Anti-Administration Party.

As these elections were prior to the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Change in Senate composition

Note: There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.

Before the elections

A5	A6
A4	A3	A2	A1	P18	P17	P16	P15	P14	P13
Majority →
P3	P4	P5	P6	P7	P8	P9	P10	P11	P12
P2	P1

Results of the elections

A7	A8	A9
A6	A5	A4	A3	A2	A1	V1	P16	P15	P14
Majority →
P4	P5	P6	P7	P8	P9	P10	P11	P12	P13
P3	P2	P1

Beginning of the next Congress

A6	A7	A8
A5	A4	A3	A2	A1	V1	P17	P16	P15	P14
Majority →
P4	P5	P6	P7	P8	P9	P10	P11	P12	P13
P3	P2	P1

Key:	A# Anti-Administration P# Pro-Administration V# Vacant

Race summaries

General and special elections during the 1st Congress

In these elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1791; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Rhode Island (Class 1)	New seat			Rhode Island ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790. Winner elected June 7, 1790 Pro-Administration gain	√ Theodore Foster (Pro-Administration)
Rhode Island (Class 2)	New seat			Rhode Island ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790. Winner elected June 7, 1790 Anti-Administration gain	√ Joseph Stanton, Jr. (Anti-Administration)
Virginia (Special: Class 1)	John Walker	Pro-Administration	1790 (Appointed)	William Grayson (A) had died March 12, 1790. Interim appointee served from March 31, 1790, but retired when successor elected. Winner elected November 9, 1790 Anti-Administration gain	√ James Monroe (Anti-Administration)
New Jersey (Special: Class 2)	William Paterson	Pro-Administration	1788	Incumbent resigned November 13, 1790 to become Governor of New Jersey. Winner elected November 13, 1790 Pro-Administration hold	√ Philemon Dickinson (Pro-Administration)

Races leading to the 2nd Congress

In these general elections, the winner was seated March 4, 1791; ordered by state.

All of these elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Connecticut	Oliver Ellsworth	Pro-Administration	1788	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Oliver Ellsworth (Pro-Administration)
Delaware	George Read	Pro-Administration	1788	Incumbent re-elected in 1791.	√ George Read (Pro-Administration)
Maryland	Charles Carroll	Pro-Administration	1789	Incumbent re-elected in 1791.	√ Charles Carroll (Pro-Administration)
Massachusetts	Tristram Dalton	Pro-Administration	1789	Incumbent lost re-election. elected in 1790. Pro-Administration hold	√ George Cabot (Pro-Administration) Tristram Dalton (Pro-Administration)
New Jersey	Jonathan Elmer	Pro-Administration	1788	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!] Pro-Administration hold	√ John Rutherfurd (Pro-Administration)
New York	Philip Schuyler	Pro-Administration	1789	Incumbent lost re-election. elected January 19, 1791. Anti-Administration gain	√ Aaron Burr (Anti-Administration) Philip Schuyler (Pro-Administration)
Pennsylvania	William Maclay	Anti-Administration	1788	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect a successor, leaving the seat vacant. Anti-Administration loss	None.
Rhode Island	Theodore Foster	Pro-Administration	1790	Incumbent re-elected in 1791.	√ Theodore Foster (Pro-Administration)
Virginia	James Monroe	Anti-Administration	1790 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1791.	√ James Monroe (Anti-Administration)

Special and general elections in 1791 during the 2nd Congress

In these elections, the winner was seated after March 4, 1791, the beginning of the next Congress.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Connecticut (Class 3)	William S. Johnson	Pro-Administration	1788	Resigned March 4, 1791. Winner elected June 13, 1791. Pro-Administration hold.	√ Roger Sherman (Pro-Administration)
Vermont (Class 1)	New seat			Vermont was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791. Winner elected November 4, 1791. Anti-Administration gain	√ Stephen R. Bradley (Anti-Administration)
Vermont (Class 3)	New seat			Vermont was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791. Winner elected November 4, 1791. Anti-Administration gain	√ Moses Robinson (Anti-Administration)

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1790

External links

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