The 1798–99 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. 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 1798 and 1799, 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.
Dates vary by state | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 of the 32 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 17 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Federalist hold Democratic-Republican hold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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They occurred in the middle of President John Adams's administration, and had no net change in political control of the Senate.
Results summary
Senate party division, 6th Congress (1799–1801)
- Majority party: Federalist (22)
- Minority party: Democratic-Republican (9)
- Other parties: 0
- Total seats: 31
Change in composition
Before the elections
After the January 19, 1798, election in Delaware.
| DR6 Ky. Ran | DR5 Ga. Unknown | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
| DR7 N.C. Ran | DR8 S.C. Ran | DR9 Tenn. Retired | DR10 Va. Ran | F22 R.I. Ran | F21 N.J. Retired | F20 N.H. Ran | F19 Mass. Retired | F18 Del. Died | F17 |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 | F13 | F14 | F15 | F16 |
| F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 | ||||
Results of the elections
| DR6 Ky. Re-elected | DR5 Ga. Hold | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
| DR7 N.C. Hold | DR8 S.C. Re-elected | DR9 Tenn. Hold | DR10 Va. Re-elected | F22 N.J. Hold | F21 Mass. Hold | F20 Del. Hold | F19 R.I. Re-elected | F18 N.H. Re-elected | F17 |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 | F13 | F14 | F15 | F16 |
| F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 | ||||
Beginning of the next Congress
| DR6 | DR5 | DR4 | DR3 | DR2 | DR1 | ||||
DR7 | DR8 | DR9 | V1 Va. Died | F22 | F21 | F20 | F19 | F18 | F17 |
| Majority → | |||||||||
| F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | F11 | F12 | F13 | F14 | F15 | F16 |
| F6 | F5 | F4 | F3 | F2 | F1 | ||||
| Key |
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Race summaries
Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.
Special elections during the 5th Congress
In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1799; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| New York (Class 1) | Philip Schuyler | Federalist | 1789 | Incumbent resigned January 3, 1798, due to ill health. New senator elected January 11, 1798. Federalist hold. Winner later resigned; see below. |
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| Delaware (Class 2) | John Vining | Federalist | 1792 | Incumbent resigned January 19, 1798. New senator elected January 19, 1798. Federalist hold. Winner died August 11, 1798; see below. |
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| New York (Class 1) | William North | Federalist | 1798 (appointed) | Interim appointee served until winner qualified. New senator elected August 24, 1798. Federalist hold. |
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| South Carolina (Class 2) | John Hunter | Democratic- Republican | 1796 (special) | Incumbent resigned November 26, 1798. New senator elected December 6, 1798. Democratic-Republican hold. New senator also elected to next term; see below. |
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| Tennessee (Class 1) | Daniel Smith | Democratic- Republican | 1798 (appointed) | Interim appointee retired when successor qualified. New senator elected December 12, 1798. Winner qualified upon retirement from other Senate seat on March 3, 1799. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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| Delaware (Class 2) | Joshua Clayton | Federalist | 1798 | Died August 11, 1798. New senator elected January 17, 1799. Federalist hold. Winner also elected to next term; see below. |
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| New Jersey (Class 1) | Franklin Davenport | Federalist | 1798 (appointed) | Interim appointee served until winner qualified. New senator elected February 21, 1799 on the third ballot. Federalist hold. |
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Races leading to the 6th Congress
In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1799; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| Delaware | Joshua Clayton | Federalist | 1798 | Incumbent died August 11, 1798. New senator elected January 17, 1799. Federalist hold. Winner was also elected to finish the current term, see above. |
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| Georgia | Josiah Tattnall | Democratic- Republican | 1796 | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected January 18, 1799. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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| Kentucky | John Brown | Democratic- Republican | 1792 | Incumbent re-elected November 30, 1798. |
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| Massachusetts | Theodore Sedgwick | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. New senator elected June 14, 1798. Federalist hold. |
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| New Hampshire | Samuel Livermore | Federalist | 1792 | Incumbent re-elected December 21, 1798. |
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| New Jersey | Richard Stockton | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected November 1, 1798. Federalist hold. |
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| North Carolina | Alexander Martin | Democratic- Republican | 1792 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected December 12, 1798, on the ninth ballot. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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| Rhode Island | Ray Greene | Federalist | 1797 (special) | Incumbent re-elected November 1, 1798. |
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| South Carolina | Charles Pinckney | Democratic- Republican | 1798 | Incumbent re-elected December 6, 1798. |
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| Tennessee | Joseph Anderson | Democratic- Republican | 1797 (special) | Incumbent retired when elected to the Class 1 seat (see above). New senator elected December 12, 1798. Democratic-Republican hold. |
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| Virginia | Henry Tazewell | Democratic- Republican | 1794 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1798. Incumbent died January 24, 1799, before the term began. |
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Special elections during the 6th Congress
In this special election, the winner was seated after March 4, 1799, the beginning of the next Congress.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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| Senator | Party | First elected | |||
| Virginia (Class 2) | Vacant | Incumbent Henry Tazewell (DR) was re-elected in 1798 but died January 24, 1799, before the term began. New senator elected December 5, 1799 on the second ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. |
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See also
- 1798 United States elections
- 1798–99 United States House of Representatives elections
- 5th United States Congress
- 6th United States Congress
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