United States Senate elections, 1814 and 1815

United States Senate elections, 1814 and 1815

Dates vary by state
12 of the 36 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 19 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Last election 28 seats (77.8%) 8 (22.2%) Seats before 26 (72.2%) 10 (27.8%) Seats won 22 (61.1%) 11 (30.6%) Seat change 1 1 Seats up 8 4
Majority party before election Democratic-Republican Elected Majority party Democratic-Republican

The United States Senate elections of 1814 and 1815 were elections that had the Democratic-Republican Party lose a seat but still retain an overwhelming majority in the United States Senate. Unlike in recent elections, the minority Federalists had gone into the elections with a change of regaining their long-lost majority had they swept almost all the seats. However, only one seat switched parties. Two seats held by Democratic-Republicans were left unfilled until long after the next Congress began.

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

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

Composition after June 1814 election in New Hampshire.

DR8	DR7	DR6	DR5	DR4	DR3	DR2	DR1
DR9	DR10	DR11	DR12	DR13	DR14	DR15	DR16	DR17	DR18
Majority →									DR19
F9	F10	DR25	DR25	DR24	DR23	DR22	DR21	DR20
F8	F7	F6	F5	F4	F3	F2	F1

Beginning of the next Congress

DR8 DR7 DR6 DR5 DR4 DR3 DR2 DR1 DR9 DR10 DR11 DR12 DR13 DR14 DR15 DR16 DR17 DR18 Re-elected Majority → DR19 Hold F9 Re-elected F10 Re-elected F11 Gain V1* V2* V3* DR22 Hold DR21 Hold DR20 Hold F8 Re-elected F7 Re-elected F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1

Note: V1 (Maryland, seat): Legislature failed to elect. A Democratic-Republican was later elected, until long after this Congress began. V2 (Tennessee seat): Incumbent Democratic-Republican retired. Seat was unfilled until a Democratic-Republican was later elected, long after this Congress began. V3 (Virginia class 2 seat): Incumbent Democratic-Republican (who was not up for election) resigned at the end of the previous Congress. A Democratic-Republican was later elected, long after this Congress began.

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

Race summaries

Bold states link to specific election articles.

Special elections during the preceding Congress

In these special elections, the winner was elected during 1814 or before March 4, 1815; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Pennsylvania (Class 3)	Michael Leib	Democratic- Republican	1809 (Special) 1808 (Re-elected)	Incumbent resigned to become Postmaster of Philadelphia. Winner elected February 24, 1814, to finish term ending March 4, 1819. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was never seated due to a failure to qualify.	√ Jonathan Roberts (Democratic-Republican) 70.69% Thomas Sergeant (Democratic-Republican) 19.83% Horace Binney (Federalist) 6.90%
New Hampshire (Class 2)	Nicholas Gilman	Democratic- Republican	1804 (Elected) 1810 (Re-elected)	Incumbent died May 4, 1814. Winner elected June 24, 1814, to finish term ending March 4, 1817.	√ Thomas W. Thompson (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Ohio (Class 1)	Thomas Worthington	Democratic- Republican	1803 (Class 3) 1807 Retired 1810 (Special)	Incumbent resigned to become Governor of Ohio. Winner elected December 10, 1814 to finish the term ending March 4, 1815. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Joseph Kerr (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Kentucky (Class 2)	George M. Bibb	Democratic- Republican	1811 (Elected)	Incumbent resigned to return to private practice. Interim Senator was appointed August 30, 1814. Winner elected December 16, 1814 to finish the term ending March 4, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was never seated due to a failure to qualify.	√ William T. Barry (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina (Class 3)	David Stone	Democratic- Republican	1800 (Elected) 1807 Resigned 1812 (Elected again)	Incumbent resigned. Winner elected December 24, 1814 after 11 ballots, to finish term ending March 4, 1819. Democratic-Republican hold. Winner was never seated due to a failure to qualify.	√ [[Francis Locke], Jr.] (Democratic-Republican) 19.92% Thomas Davis (Unknown) 18.01% James W. Clarke (Democratic-Republican) 17.63% Jesse Franklin (Democratic-Republican) 16.48% John Stanly (Federalist) 16.09% James Mebane (Democratic-Republican) 5.94% Israel Pickens (Democratic-Republican) 3.83%
Virginia (Class 1)	Richard Brent	Democratic- Republican	1808 (Elected)	Incumbent died December 30, 1814. Winner elected January 2, 1815, to finish term ending March 4, 1815, having already won election to the next term. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ James Barbour (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Kentucky (Class 3)	Jesse Bledsoe	Democratic- Republican	1813 (Elected)	Incumbent resigned. Winner elected February 2, 1815 to finish term ending March 4, 1819. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Isham Talbot (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Races leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1815; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Connecticut	Samuel Dana	Federalist	1810 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1814.	√ Samuel Dana (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Delaware	Outerbridge Horsey	Federalist	1810 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1814.	√ Outerbridge Horsey (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Maryland	Samuel Smith	Democratic- Republican	1802 (Elected) 1808 (Re-elected)	Legislature failed to elect. A winner would not be elected until 1816. Democratic-Republican loss.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Massachusetts	Christopher Gore	Federalist	1813 (Appointed)	Appointee elected to full term in 1815.	√ Christopher Gore (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Jersey	John Lambert	Democratic- Republican	1809 (Elected)	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!] Winner elected February 1, 1815. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ James Wilson (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New York	Obadiah German	Democratic- Republican	1809 (Elected)	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!] Winner elected February 7, 1815. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Nathan Sanford (Democratic-Republican) 68.5% James Emott (Federalist) 30.8% Philetus Swift (Democratic-Republican) 0.8%
Ohio	Joseph Kerr	Democratic- Republican	1814 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1815. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Benjamin Ruggles (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Pennsylvania	Jonathan Roberts	Democratic- Republican	1814 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected December 13, 1814.	√ Jonathan Roberts (Democratic-Republican) 71.79% Samuel Sitgreaves (Federalist) 27.35% Jared Ingersoll (Federalist) 0.85%
Rhode Island	William Hunter	Federalist	1811 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1814 or 1815.	√ William Hunter (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Tennessee	Joseph Anderson	Democratic- Republican	1799 (Special) 1802 (Re-elected) 1808 (Re-elected)	Incumbent retired. Unknown reason seat was unfilled until after the term began. Democratic-Republican loss.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Vermont	Jonathan Robinson	Democratic- Republican	1807 (Special) 1809 (Re-elected)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1814 or 1815. Federalist gain.	√ Isaac Tichenor (Federalist) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia	Richard Brent	Democratic- Republican	1808 (Elected)	Unknown if incumbent sought re-election, but after the election he died. Winner elected in 1814 or 1815. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ James Barbour (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Special elections during the next Congress

In this special election, the winner was elected in 1815 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Tennessee (Class 1)	Vacant			For unknown reasons, a Senator was not elected until after the term began.[Data unknown/missing. You can help!] Winner elected October 10, 1815 to finish the term ending March 4, 1821. Democratic-Republican gain.	√ George W. Campbell (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Tennessee (Class 2)	Jesse Wharton	Democratic- Republican	1814 (Appointed)	George W. Campbell (DR) had resigned February 11, 1814 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Interim Senator was appointed March 17, 1814, but did not run to finish the term. Winner elected October 10, 1815 to finish the term ending March 4, 1817. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ John Williams (Democratic-Republican) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina (Class 3)	Francis Locke, Jr.	Democratic- Republican	1800 (Elected) 1812 (Re-elected)	Incumbent resigned, having failed to qualify. Winner elected December 5, 1815 after 5 ballots, to finish term ending March 4, 1819. Democratic-Republican hold.	√ Nathaniel Macon (Democratic-Republican) 35.82% John Branch, Jr. (Democratic-Republican) 20.92% Thomas Love (Democratic-Republican) 16.31% James Mebane (Democratic-Republican) 9.57% Jesse Franklin (Democratic-Republican) (7.80%)

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1814
• 13th United States Congress
• 14th United States Congress

References

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