The 1900–01 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with President William McKinley's re-election as well as the 1900 House of Representatives elections. As these U.S. Senate 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 1900 and 1901, 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.
Both the Republicans and the Democrats gained two seats at the expense of various third parties and vacancies. Special elections were held to fill vacant seats in Pennsylvania, Utah, and Montana (of which the Republicans won the two former and Democrats the latter) as well as to replace appointees in Minnesota, Nebraska, and Vermont (all of which were carried by the Republicans). Republicans flipped Democratic-held seats in Minnesota, as well as a Populist seat in Nebraska and a Silver Republican held seat in South Dakota. The Silver Republican Party kept itself to net neutral gain by flipping a Republican held seat in Idaho. The Democratic party, meanwhile, flipped Republican held seats in Montana and Colorado as well as a Populist held seat in North Carolina.
In Nebraska and Montana's special election, senators were elected shortly after the beginning of the 57th Congress on March 4. In Delaware, the legislature again failed to elect a candidate, leaving both senate seats vacant– the only time a state has gone without representation in the Senate since the first Congress.
Results summary Senate party division, 57th Congress (1901–1903)
Majority party: Republican (55) Minority party: Democratic (29) Other parties: Populist (2); Silver Republican 2; Vacant 2 Total seats: 90
Change in Senate composition
Before the elections
At the beginning of 1900.
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D SR SR S S P P P P P D SR R R R R R R R R V Majority → V R R R R R R R R V 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
Result of the general elections
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D SR S S P P P P D D D SR SR R R R R R R V V Majority → V V R R R R R R R V 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
Beginning of the next Congress
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R SR SR P P P D D D R R R R R R R R V V Majority → R R R R R R R R V V 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
Key: D Democratic P Populist R Republican S Silver SR Silver Republican V Vacant
Race summaries
Elections to the 56th Congress In these elections, the winner was seated in the current (56th) Congress during 1900 or in 1901 before March 4; ordered by election date.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Mississippi(Class 2) William V. Sullivan Democratic 1898 Interim appointee elected January 16, 1900.Winner was not a candidate in the election for the next term; see below. California(Class 1) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.New senator elected February 7, 1900.Republican gain. Vermont(Class 3) Jonathan Ross Republican 1899 Interim appointee retired.New senator elected October 18, 1900.Republican hold. Pennsylvania(Class 1) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.Predecessor appointed, but declared not entitled to the seat.Predecessor re-elected January 16, 1901.Republican gain. Minnesota(Class 1) Charles A. Towne Democratic 1900 Interim appointee lost election.New senator elected January 23, 1901.Republican gain. Utah(Class 1) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.New senator elected January 23, 1901.Republican gain. Delaware(Class 1) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect to begin the term.Legislature again failed to elect to finish the term.
Elections to the 57th Congress In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1901; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoralhistory Alabama John T. Morgan Democratic 1876188218881894 Incumbent re-elected November 27, 1900. Arkansas James H. Berry Democratic 1885 18891895 Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901. Colorado Edward O. Wolcott Republican 18891895 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 15, 1901.Democratic gain. Delaware Richard R. Kenney Democratic 1897 Legislature failed to elect.Democratic loss. Georgia Augustus O. Bacon Democratic 1894 Incumbent re-elected November 6, 1900. Idaho George L. Shoup Republican 18901895 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 16, 1901.Silver Republican gain.New senator changed party to Democratic. Illinois Shelby M. Cullom Republican 188218881894 Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901. Iowa John H. Gear Republican 1894 Incumbent re-elected January 17, 1900.Incumbent died July 14, 1900.A new senator was appointed to finish the term and to the next term. Kansas Lucien Baker Republican 1895 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 22, 1901.Republican hold. Kentucky William Lindsay Democratic 1893 1894 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 16, 1900, after an election on January 9, 1900.Democratic hold. Louisiana Donelson Caffery Democratic 1894 1894 1894 Incumbent retired.New senator elected May 22, 1900.Democratic hold. Maine William P. Frye Republican 1881 188318891895 Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901. Massachusetts George F. Hoar Republican 1877188318891895 Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901. Michigan James McMillan Republican 18891895 Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901. Minnesota Knute Nelson Republican 1895 Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901. Mississippi William V. Sullivan Democratic 1898 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 16, 1900.Democratic hold.Winner was not a candidate to finish the term; see above. Montana Thomas H. Carter Republican 1895 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 16, 1901.Democratic gain.The election was later challenged. Nebraska John M. Thurston Republican 1895 Legislature failed to elect.Republican loss. New Hampshire William E. Chandler Republican 1889 1895 Incumbent lost remomination.New senator elected January 15, 1901.Republican hold. New Jersey William J. Sewell Republican 1895 Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901. North Carolina Marion Butler Populist 1894 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 22, 1901.Democratic gain. Oregon George W. McBride Republican 1895 Incumbent lost renomination.New senator elected February 24, 1901.Republican hold. Rhode Island George P. Wetmore Republican 1894 Incumbent re-elected June 12, 1900. South Carolina Benjamin Tillman Democratic 1894 Incumbent re-elected January 15, 1901. South Dakota Richard F. Pettigrew SilverRepublican 18891894 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 22, 1901.Republican gain. Tennessee Thomas B. Turley Democratic 1883 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 16, 1901.Democratic hold. Texas Horace Chilton Democratic 1895 Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 22, 1901.Democratic hold. Virginia Thomas S. Martin Democratic 1893 Incumbent had already been re-elected early December 19, 1899. West Virginia Stephen B. Elkins Republican 1895 Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901. Wyoming Francis E. Warren Republican 18901893 1895 Incumbent re-elected January 22, 1901.
Early election to the 58th Congress In this election, the winner was seated in the 58th Congress, starting March 4, 1903.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Louisiana(Class 3) Samuel D. McEnery Democratic 1896 Incumbent re-elected early May 22, 1900 for the term beginning March 4, 1903.
Elections during the 57th Congress In these elections, the winners was elected in 1901 after March 4 and seated in the 57th Congress.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Montana(Class 1) Vacant William A. Clark resigned May 15, 1900, and was later elected to the state's other seat; see above.New senator elected March 7, 1901.Democratic gain. Nebraska(Class 1) William V. Allen Populist 18931899 1899 Interim appointee lost election as a Fusion candidate."Fusion" here meant Democratic.New senator elected March 28, 1901.Republican gain. Nebraska(Class 2) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect; see above.New senator elected March 28, 1901.Republican gain.
Pennsylvania (special)
The special election in Pennsylvania was held on January 15, 1901, after the regularly scheduled legislative election in January–April 1899 failed to elect a Senator. Former Senator Matthew Quay, who had left the Senate for nearly two years because of the political stalemate, was again elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
Republican Matthew Quay was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the 1893 election. With Sen. Quay's term expiring on March 4, 1899, the General Assembly convened on January 18, 1899, to elect a Senator for the next term. Between January 18 and April 19, 1899, seventy-nine ballots were recorded in an attempt to elect a Senator. Instead, the legislature adjourned sine die without electing a Senator due to a dispute between Sen. Quay's political machine and an anti-Quay faction within the Republican Party, along with Democratic Party opposition.
Sen. Quay's term expired on March 4, 1899. Since a Senator had not been elected for the successive term, the seat was vacated. At the time, Quay was under indictment for misuse of funds. He was acquitted, after which Governor William Stone appointed Quay to the vacated Senate seat (a power the Governor did not legally have until the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1913). The Senate refused to recognize Quay's appointment, and the seat remained vacant until a Senator could be officially elected (which would ultimately be Quay himself, after a nearly two-year hiatus). This incident, among others, would later be cited by supporters of the 17th Amendment, which mandated the direct election of U.S. Senators.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on January 15, 1901, for a special election to elect a Senator to serve out the remainder of the term that began on March 4, 1899. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
|- style="background:#eee; text-align:right" | colspan=3 | Totals | 254 | 100.00%
See also 1900 United States elections 1900 United States presidential election 1900 United States House of Representatives elections 56th United States Congress 57th United States Congress
Notes
References
Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov