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29 of the 88 seats in theUnited States Senate (as well as special elections) 45 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results of the elections: Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican gain Republican hold Populist gain Independent gain Legislature failed to elect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1890–91 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As theseU.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of theSeventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen bystate legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1890 and 1891, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due tolegislative deadlock.[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators inClass 3.
TheRepublican Party lost four seats, though still retaining a slim majority. That majority was increased, however, upon the admission of two more states with Republican senators.
Senate party division,52nd Congress (1891–1893)
After the admission of Montana's new senators in January 1890.
| D1 | D2 | ||||||||
| D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 | D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 |
| D13 | D14 | D15 | D16 | D17 | D18 | D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 |
| D32 Ran | D31 Ran | D30 Ran | D29 Ran | D28 Ran | D27 Ran | D26 Ran | D25 | D24 | D23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D33 Ran | D34 Ran | D35 Ran | D36 Retired | D37 Retired | R47 Retired | R46 Ran | R45 Ran | R44 Ran | R43 Ran |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| R33 Ran | R34 Ran | R35 Ran | R36 Ran | R37 Ran | R38 Ran | R39 Ran | R40 Ran | R41 Ran | R42 Ran |
| R32 Ran | R31 | R30 | R29 | R28 | R27 | R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 |
| R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 | R18 | R19 | R20 | R21 | R22 |
| R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 | R8 | R7 | R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 |
| R1 | R2 | ||||||||
| D1 | D2 | ||||||||
| D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 | D7 | D6 | D5 | D4 | D3 |
| D13 | D14 | D15 | D16 | D17 | D18 | D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 |
| D32 Re-elected | D31 Re-elected | D30 Re-elected | D29 Re-elected | D28 Re-elected | D27 Re-elected | D26 Re-elected | D25 | D24 | D23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D33 Hold | D34 Hold | D35 Hold | D36 Hold | D37 Gain | D38 Gain | D39 Gain | V1 D Loss | I1 Gain | P1 Gain |
| Majority → | R43 New seat | ||||||||
| R33 Re-elected | R34 Re-elected | R35 Re-elected | R36 Re-elected | R37 Re-elected | R38 Re-elected | R39 Re-elected | R40 Re-elected | R41 Hold | R42 Hold |
| R32 Re-elected | R31 | R30 | R29 | R28 | R27 | R26 | R25 | R24 | R23 |
| R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 | R18 | R19 | R20 | R21 | R22 |
| R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 | R8 | R7 | R6 | R5 | R4 | R3 |
| R1 | R2 | ||||||||
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | ||||||
| D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 | D7 | D6 | D5 |
| D15 | D16 | D17 | D18 | D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 |
| D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 | D30 | D29 | D28 | D27 | D26 | D25 |
| D35 | D36 | V1 D seated late | V2 D elected late | V3 D died Later D | I1 Later P | P1 | V3 D died Later R | R46 New seat | R45 New seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority → | |||||||||
| R35 | R36 | R37 | R38 | R39 | R40 | R41 | R42 | R43 | R44 New seat |
| R34 | R33 | R32 | R31 | R30 | R29 | R28 | R27 | R26 | R25 |
| R15 | R16 | R17 | R18 | R19 | R20 | R21 | R22 | R23 | R24 |
| R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 | R8 | R7 | R6 | R5 |
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | ||||||
| Key: |
|
|---|
In these elections, the winners were seated during 1890 or in 1891 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Montana (Class 1) | None (new state) | Montana admitted to the Union November 8, 1889. First senatorelected January 1, 1890.[2] Sanders's election was challenged based on the legitimacy of the nascent state legislature. The Senate resolved the dispute in his favor April 16, 1890, and he was seated that day.[3] Republican gain. |
| ||
| Montana (Class 2) | Montana admitted to the Union November 8, 1889. Second senatorelected January 2, 1890.[2] Power's election was challenged based on the legitimacy of the nascent state legislature. The Senate resolved the dispute in his favor April 16, 1890, and he was seated that day.[3] Republican gain. |
| |||
| Kentucky (Class 2) | James B. Beck | Democratic | 1876 1881 1888 | Incumbent died May 3, 1890. New senatorelected May 17, 1890. Democratic hold. |
|
| Wyoming (Class 2) | None (new state) | Wyoming admitted to the Union July 10, 1890. First senatorselected November 15, 1890. Republican gain. |
| ||
| Wyoming (Class 1) | Wyoming admitted to the Union July 10, 1890. First senatorselected November 18, 1890. Republican gain. |
| |||
| Idaho (Class 2) | None (new state) | Idaho admitted to the Union July 3, 1890. First senatorselected December 18, 1890. Republican gain. | ▌ [data missing] | ||
| Idaho (Class 3) | Idaho admitted to the Union July 3, 1890. First senatorselected December 18, 1890. Republican gain. | ▌ [data missing] | |||
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1891; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Alabama | James L. Pugh | Democratic | 1880(special) 1884 | Incumbentre-elected in 1890. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Arkansas | James K. Jones | Democratic | 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| California | Leland Stanford | Republican | 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Colorado | Henry M. Teller | Republican | 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Connecticut | Orville H. Platt | Republican | 1879 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Florida | Wilkinson Call | Democratic | 1879 1885 | Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. | None. |
| Georgia | Joseph E. Brown | Democratic | 1880(special) 1885 | Incumbent retired due to illness. Democratic hold. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Idaho | William J. McConnell | Republican | 1890(special) | McConnell was elected only to finish the term (see above) and thereafter retired. New senatorelected December 18, 1890. Republican hold. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Illinois | Charles B. Farwell | Republican | 1887 | Incumbent lost renomination.[5] New senatorelected on March 11, 1891, after 154 ballots.[6] Democratic gain. |
|
| Indiana | Daniel W. Voorhees | Democratic | 1877(appointed) 1879(special) 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Iowa | William B. Allison | Republican | 1872 1878 1884 | Incumbentre-elected March 5, 1890.[7] |
|
| Kansas | John J. Ingalls | Republican | 1873 1879 1885 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senatorelected in 1891. Populist gain. |
|
| Kentucky | J. C. S. Blackburn | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbentre-elected January 7, 1890. |
|
| Louisiana | James B. Eustis | Democratic | 1890–91 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senatorelected in 1891. Democratic hold. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Maryland | Ephraim Wilson | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbentre-elected in 1890, but died February 24, 1891, before the beginning of the next term. Seat remained vacant until November 19, 1891. Democratic loss. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Missouri | George G. Vest | Democratic | 1879 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Nevada | John P. Jones | Republican | 1879 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| New Hampshire | Henry W. Blair | Republican | 1879 1885(appointed) 1885(special) | Incumbent lost renomination. New senatorelected in 1891. Republican hold. | ▌ [data missing] |
| New York | William M. Evarts | Republican | 1885 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senatorelected January 21, 1891. Democratic gain. |
|
| North Carolina | Zebulon Vance | Democratic | 1879 1884 | Incumbentre-elected in 1890. | ▌ |
| North Dakota | Gilbert A. Pierce | Republican | 1889 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senatorelected in 1891. Republican hold. |
|
| Ohio | Henry B. Payne | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent retired. New senatorelected January 15, 1890[9] Democratic hold. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Oregon | John H. Mitchell | Republican | 1885 | Incumbentre-elected in 1890. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Pennsylvania | J. Donald Cameron | Republican | 1877(special) 1879 1885 | Incumbentre-elected January 20, 1891. |
|
| South Carolina | Wade Hampton III | Democratic | 1884 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senatorelected in 1890. Democratic hold. |
|
| South Dakota | Gideon C. Moody | Republican | 1889 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senatorelected February 16, 1891.[10] Independent gain. Winner later became a Populist. |
|
| Vermont | Justin S. Morrill | Republican | 1866 1872 1878 1884 | Incumbentre-elected in 1890. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Washington | Watson C. Squire | Republican | 1889 | Incumbentre-elected in 1891. | ▌ [data missing] |
| Wisconsin | John C. Spooner | Republican | 1885 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senatorelected January 28, 1891. Democratic gain. |
|
In these elections, the winners were elected in 1891 after March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| California (Class 1) | George Hearst | Democratic | 1887 | Incumbent died February 28, 1891. New senator elected March 19, 1891. Republican gain. |
|
| Florida (Class 3) | Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect; see above. Predecessor re-elected May 26, 1891.[12] Democratic hold. |
| ||
| Virginia (Class 1) | John W. Daniel | Democratic | 1887 | Incumbent re-elected early December 16, 1891 for the term beginning March 4, 1893.[13] |
|

In July 1890, Idaho became a state. In November,Fred Dubois helped engineer a plan for theIdaho Legislature to effectively elect three people to theU.S. Senate: GovernorGeorge Shoup to the class 2 seat up for election in 1894, state constitutional convention memberWilliam J. McConnell to serve for the remainder of theFifty-first United States Congress, ending in March 1891, and Dubois himself to succeed McConnell and serve a full six-year term in the class 3 seat beginning in March 1891.
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80 members of theMaryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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Ephraim King Wilson II was re-elected by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.[14]

The New York election was held January 20 and 21, 1891, by theNew York State Legislature.
RepublicanWilliam M. Evarts had been elected to this seat in1885, and his term would expire on March 3, 1891.
At theState election in November 1889, 19 Republicans and 13 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1890–1891) in the State Senate. At theState election in November 1890, 68 Democrats and 60 Republicans were elected for the session of 1891 to the Assembly. The114th New York State Legislature met from January 6 to April 30, 1891, atAlbany, New York.
The Democratic caucus met on January 19, 74 State legislators attended, and State SenatorJohn C. Jacobs presided. GovernorDavid B. Hill was nominated by acclamation.
The Republican caucus met immediately after the Democratic caucus ended, AssemblymanJames W. Husted presided. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. SenatorWilliam M. Evarts unanimously.
On January 20, both Houses of the State legislature took ballots separately. The incumbent U.S. Senator Evarts was the choice of the State Senate, Governor Hill the choice of the Assembly. On January 21, both Houses met in joint session, and comparing nominations, found that they disagreed and proceeded to a joint ballot. Governor Hill was elected by a majority of 2, every member of the Legislature being present.
| House | Democratic | Republican | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) | David B. Hill | 13 | 19 | |
| State Assembly (128 members) | 65 | William M. Evarts | 58 | |
| Joint ballot (160 members) | 81 | William M. Evarts | 79 | |
The seat became vacant on March 4, 1891.David B. Hill remained in office as Governor of New York until December 31, 1891, and took his seat only on January 7, 1892, missing actually only one month of session. There were no special sessions during the52nd United States Congress and the regular session began only on December 7, 1891. Hill served a single term, and remained in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1897. In January 1897, Hill was defeated for re-election by RepublicanThomas C. Platt who had been a U.S. Senator briefly in 1881.

The Pennsylvania election was held on January 20, 1891.J. Donald Cameron was re-elected by thePennsylvania General Assembly to theUnited States Senate.[15]
The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of theHouse of Representatives and theSenate, convened on January 20, 1891. IncumbentRepublicanJ. Donald Cameron, who was elected in an1877 special election and re-elected in1879 and1885, was a successful candidate for re-election to another term. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | J. Donald Cameron (Incumbent) | 144 | 56.69 | |
| Democratic | Chauncey F. Black | 94 | 37.01 | |
| Republican | Austin L. Taggart | 7 | 2.76 | |
| Republican | Theodore L. Flood | 3 | 1.18 | |
| Democratic | J. C. Sibley | 1 | 0.39 | |
| Republican | Harry White | 1 | 0.39 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 4 | 1.57 | |
| Totals | 254 | 100% | ||
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