United States Senate elections, 1866

United States Senate elections, 1866

November 1866
? seats in the United States Senate
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 39 seats 11 seats Seats won 57 9 Seat change 18 2
Majority Party before election Republican Party Elected Majority Party Republican Party

The United States Senate election of 1866 was the election that saw the Republican Party gain eighteen seats in the United States Senate as several of the Southern States were readmitted during Reconstruction, enlarging their already overwhelming majority. This was the single largest gain by any party in the history of the U.S. Senate.

As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

40th Congress (1867–1869)

• Majority Party: Republican (57)
• Minority Party: Democratic (9)
• Other Parties: (0)
• Vacant: (6)
• Total Seats: 72

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections V V V V V V V D D D D D D D D V V D U U U Ü Ü Ü R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R V V V V V V V V V

In the next Congress V V V V V V V D D D D D D V V V V D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R V V V V V V V V V V

Key:	D = Democratic R = Republican U = Unionist Ü = Unconditional Unionist V = Vacant	Majority divider

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1866
• 40th United States Congress

References

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