1876–77 United States Senate elections

1876–77 United States Senate elections

← 1874 & 1875 Dates vary by state (And other dates for special elections) 1878 & 1879 →
26 of the 76 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 39 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Henry B. Anthony[a] John W. Stevenson[b] (retired) Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1863 March 4, 1873 Leader's seat Rhode Island Kentucky Seats before 45 30 Seats won 11 14 Seats after 39 35 Seat change 6 5 Seats up 17 9   Third party Fourth party   Party Anti-Monopoly Independent Seats before 1 0 Seats won 0 1 Seats after 1 1 Seat change 1 Seats up 0 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Independent gain
Majority Party before election Republican Elected Majority Party Republican

The 1876–77 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with Rutherford B. Hayes's narrow election as president. 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 1876 and 1877, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.^[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2.

Although the Republican Party maintained their Senate majority, the Democratic Party gained five seats.

Senate party division, 45th Congress (1877–1879)

• Majority party: Republican (39)
• Minority party: Democratic (35)
• Other parties: Anti-Monopoly (1), Independent (1)
• Total seats: 76

After the November 15, 1876 elections in the new state of Colorado.

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1876 or in 1877 before March 4; ordered by election date.

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1877; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1877 after March 4.

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The special election in Pennsylvania was held March 20, 1877.

Republican Senator Simon Cameron had been elected to the United States Senate by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in 1867 and was re-elected in 1873. Sen. Cameron resigned on March 12, 1877.^[6]

Following the resignation of Simon Cameron, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 20, 1877, to elect a new Senator to fill the vacancy. Former United States Secretary of War J. Donald Cameron, Simon Cameron's son, was elected to complete his father's term, set to expire on March 4, 1879.^[7] The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

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1876 United States Senate election in Texas

← 1870 May 3–5, 1876 1882 →
Needed to win: Majority of votes cast jointly by the Legislature
Candidate Richard Coke John Ireland Party Democratic Democratic First ballot 49 votes 40.2% 39 votes 32.0% Third ballot 68 votes 58.1% 49 votes 41.9%
U.S. senator before election Morgan C. Hamilton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Coke Democratic

Incumbent Republican Morgan C. Hamilton did not run for re-election. Since his initial election in 1870, the Democratic Party had taken control of the Texas Legislature, ensuring that a Democrat would replace him. Incumbent governor Richard Coke defeated former Texas Supreme Court justice John Ireland on the third ballot. U.S. Representative John Hancock and former governor Fletcher Stockdale also ran, but they dropped out after the second round of balloting.^[9]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2021)

1877 United States Senate special election in West Virginia

← 1875 January 23–26, 1877 1881 →
Needed to win: Majority of votes cast jointly by the Legislature
Candidate Frank Hereford Samuel Price Henry S. Walker Party Democratic Democratic Democratic First ballot 21 votes 24.1% 24 votes 27.6% 16 votes 18.4% Fourth ballot 70 votes 81.4% 10 votes 11.6% 4 votes 4.7%
U.S. senator before election Samuel Price Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Frank Hereford Democratic

First-term Democrat Allen T. Caperton died July 26, 1876, in his second year in office. Fellow-Democrat Samuel Price was appointed August 26, 1876 to continue the term, pending a special election in which he was a candidate. Price lost the election to Democratic congressman Frank Hereford January 26, 1877 on the fourth ballot.^[3]

Appointed incumbent Samuel Price and challengers Frank Hereford and Henry S. Walker, three prominent state Democrats, fought for the party's nomination over seven ballots and three sessions, without much movement in any direction. On January 26, with the Democrats unable to make a nomination, legislative Republicans broke the deadlock by throwing their support to Hereford on the floor.^[10]

Hereford resigned from the House January 31, 1877, thereby qualifying for the Senate. He only finished the term and left office in 1881.

1877 United States Senate election in West Virginia

← 1871 January 23–26, 1877 1883 →
Needed to win: Majority of votes cast jointly by the Legislature
Candidate Henry G. Davis Charles J. Faulkner Party Democratic Democratic First ballot 24 votes 27.6% 24 votes 27.6% Third ballot 60 votes 69.0% 19 votes 21.8%
U.S. senator before election Henry G. Davis Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Henry G. Davis Democratic

First-term Democrat Henry G. Davis was re-elected January 26, 1877 on the third ballot.

Davis would retire after this second term, in 1883.

• 1876 United States elections
  • 1876 United States presidential election
  • 1876–77 United States House of Representatives elections
• 44th United States Congress
• 45th United States Congress

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project
• Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900. State of Ohio.