1822–23 United States Senate elections

The 1822–23 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were before the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1822 and 1823, 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.

1822–23 United States Senate elections

← 1820 & 1821 Dates vary by state 1824 & 1825 →
16 of the 48 seats in the United States Senate (plus special elections) 25 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Last election 39 seats 4 seats Seats before 44 4 Seats won 14 1 Seats after 44 3 Seat change 1 Seats up 14 2
Results:      Federalist hold      Dem-Republican hold      Legislature Failed To Elect
Majority Party before election Democratic-Republican Elected Majority Party Democratic-Republican

The Democratic-Republican Party continued to maintain almost complete control of the Senate.

Factions

At the very end of the next Congress, the 1824 United States presidential election led to a contingency election, decided by the Congress. In that election, Senators split into factions in support of William H. Crawford, Andrew Jackson, or John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. Even though that election wasn't held until more than two years after the Senate elections in this article, those factions are noted below as "Crawford," "Jackson," or "Adams-Clay."

Results summary

Senate party division, 18th Congress (1823–1825)

• Majority party: Democratic-Republican (42–43)
• Minority parties: National Republican & Federalist (4–5)
• Total seats: 48

Change in composition

Before the elections

Composition after the January 24, 1822 Delaware special election.

						DR1 Del. Gain	DR2	DR3	DR4
DR14	DR13	DR12	DR11	DR10	DR9	DR8	DR7	DR6	DR5
DR15	DR16	DR17	DR18	DR19	DR20	DR21	DR22	DR23	DR24
Majority →									DR25
DR34 Ky. Ran	DR33 Ill. Ran	DR32 Ga. Ran	DR31 Ala. Ran	DR30	DR29	DR28	DR27	DR26
DR35 La. Ran	DR36 Me. Ran	DR37 Miss. Ran	DR38 N.J. Ran	DR39 N.C. Ran	DR40 R.I. Ran	DR41 S.C. Ran	DR42 Tenn. Ran	DR43 Va. Ran	DR44 N.H. Retired
						F1	F2	F3 Mass. Ran	F4 Del.

Result of the regular elections

						DR1	DR2	DR3	DR4
DR14	DR13	DR12	DR11	DR10	DR9	DR8	DR7	DR6	DR5
DR15	DR16	DR17	DR18	DR19	DR20	DR21	DR22	DR23	DR24
Majority →									DR25
DR34 Ky. Re-elected	DR33 Ill. Re-elected	DR32 Ga. Re-elected	DR31 Ala. Re-elected	DR30	DR29	DR28	DR27	DR26
DR35 La. Re-elected	DR36 Me. Re-elected	DR37 Miss. Re-elected	DR38 N.J. Re-elected	DR39 R.I. Re-elected	DR40 Va. Re-elected	DR41 N.H. Hold	DR42 N.C. Hold	DR43 S.C. Hold	DR44 Tenn. Hold
						F1	F2	F3 Mass. Re-elected	V1 Del. F Loss

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

Race summaries

Bold states links to specific election articles.

Special elections during the preceding Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1822 or before March 4, 1823; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Delaware (Class 1)	Vacant			Outerbridge Horsey (F) resigned March 3, 1821. New senator elected January 24, 1822. Democratic-Republican gain.	▌Y Caesar A. Rodney (Democratic-Republican) [data missing]
Ohio (Class 3)	William A. Trimble	Democratic- Republican	1819	Incumbent died December 13, 1821. New senator elected January 29, 1822. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y Ethan Allen Brown (Democratic-Republican) [data missing]
Massachusetts (Class 2)	Harrison Gray Otis	Federalist	1816	Incumbent resigned May 30, 1822, to run for Mayor of Boston. New senator elected June 5, 1822. Successor was also elected to the next term; see below. Federalist hold.	▌Y James Lloyd (Federalist) [data missing]
Alabama (Class 3)	John W. Walker	Democratic- Republican	1819	Incumbent resigned December 12, 1822, due to failing health. New senator elected December 12, 1822. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y William Kelly (Democratic-Republican) 56.65% ▌John McKinley (Democratic-Republican) 49.35%[2]
Maryland (Class 1)	William Pinkney	Democratic- Republican	1819 (special) 1821	Incumbent died February 25, 1822. New senator elected December 17, 1822. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y Samuel Smith (Democratic-Republican) [data missing]
Virginia (Class 2)	James Pleasants	Democratic- Republican	1819 (special)	Incumbent resigned December 15, 1822, to become Governor of Virginia. New senator elected December 18, 1822. Winner was later re-elected to the next term; see below. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y John Taylor (Democratic-Republican) 51.8% ▌Henry St. George Tucker Sr. (Democratic-Republican) 37.9% ▌John Tyler (Democratic-Republican) 10.3%[3]

Races leading to the next Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1823; as ordered by the state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	William R. King	Democratic- Republican	1819	Incumbent re-elected December 12, 1822.	▌Y William R. King (Jackson D-R) 41.76% ▌William Crawford (Unknown) 38.46% ▌John McKee (Jackson D-R) 13.19% ▌William King (Jackson D-R) 6.59%[4]
Delaware	Nicholas Van Dyke	Federalist	1817	Legislature failed to elect. Federalist loss. Incumbent was later re-elected late in 1824.	[data missing]
Georgia	Nicholas Ware	Democratic- Republican	1821 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1822 or 1823.	▌Y Nicholas Ware (Crawford D-R) [data missing]
Illinois	Jesse B. Thomas	Democratic- Republican	1818	Incumbent re-elected in 1823.	▌Y Jesse B. Thomas (Crawford D-R) [data missing]
Kentucky	Richard M. Johnson	Democratic- Republican	1819 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1823.	▌Y Richard M. Johnson (Jackson D-R) [data missing]
Louisiana	Henry Johnson	Democratic- Republican	1818 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1823.	▌Y Henry Johnson (Adams-Clay D-R) [data missing]
Maine	John Chandler	Democratic- Republican	1820	Incumbent re-elected in 1823.	▌Y John Chandler (Crawford D-R) [data missing]
Massachusetts	James Lloyd	Federalist	1808 (special) 1808 1813 (resigned) 1822 (special)	Incumbent re-elected as an Adams-Clay Federalist in 1822. Winner was also elected to finish the current term; see above.	▌Y James Lloyd (Adams-Clay Federalist) [data missing]
Mississippi	Thomas Hill Williams	Democratic- Republican	1817	Incumbent re-elected in 1823.	▌Y Thomas Hill Williams (Jackson D-R) [data missing]
New Hampshire	David L. Morril	Democratic- Republican	1816	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1823. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y Samuel Bell (Adams-Clay D-R) [data missing]
New Jersey	Mahlon Dickerson	Democratic- Republican	1817	Incumbent re-elected in 1823.	▌Y Mahlon Dickerson (Crawford D-R) [data missing]
North Carolina	Montfort Stokes	Democratic- Republican	1816 (special) 1816	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1822. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y John Branch (Crawford D-R) [data missing]
Rhode Island	Nehemiah R. Knight	Democratic- Republican	1821 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1823.	▌Y Nehemiah R. Knight (Crawford D-R) [data missing]
South Carolina	William Smith	Democratic- Republican	1810 (special) 1816	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1822. Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y Robert Y. Hayne (Jackson D-R) [data missing]
Tennessee	John Williams	Democratic- Republican	1815 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected October 28, 1823.[5] Democratic-Republican hold.	▌Y Andrew Jackson (Jackson D-R) 58.33% ▌John Williams (Crawford D-R) 41.67%
Virginia	John Taylor	Democratic- Republican	1822 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1823. Winner was also elected to finish the current term; see above.	▌Y John Taylor (Democratic-Republican) [data missing]

Special elections during the next Congress

In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1823 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
New Jersey (Class 1)	Samuel L. Southard	Democratic- Republican	1821 (appointed) 1820	Incumbent resigned March 4, 1823, to become U.S. Secretary of the Navy. New senator elected November 12, 1823. Democratic Republican hold.	▌Y Joseph McIlvaine (Adams-Clay D-R) [data missing]

Alabama

See also: List of United States senators from Alabama and 1823 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama

Alabama (regular)

Incumbent William R. King was first elected in 1819. He was reelected with the votes of over 41% of the legislators, defeating William Crawford, former agent to the Choctaw nation John McKee, and another candidate named William King.

1822 United States Senate election in Alabama

← 1819 December 12, 1822 1828 →

Candidate William R. King William Crawford Party Democratic-Republican Independent Percentage 41.76% 38.46%   Candidate John McKee William King Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Percentage 13.19% 6.59%

Alabama (special)

Incumbent John Williams Walker resigned on December 12, 1822, due to failing health. He would die in April of the following year. William Kelly was elected in his place with 56.65% of the votes of state legislators, defeating state representative John McKinley.

1822 United States Senate special election in Alabama

← 1819 December 12, 1822 1824 →

Candidate William Kelly John McKinley Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Percentage 56.65% 49.35%

Delaware

See also: List of United States senators from Delaware and 1822 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware

Delaware (regular)

The Delaware General Assembly did not elect a candidate to the United States Senate.

Delaware (special)

Federalist incumbent Outerbridge Horsey retired in the 1820/1821 Senate elections. The Delaware General Assembly failed to elect a successor. Caesar Augustus Rodney, the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district and a nephew of founding father Caesar Rodney, was elected late.

Georgia

See also: List of United States senators from Georgia

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Nicholas Ware was reelected in 1823.

Illinois

See also: List of United States senators from Illinois

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Jesse B. Thomas was reelected in 1823.

Kentucky

See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Richard Mentor Johnson was reelected in 1823.

Louisiana

See also: List of United States senators from Louisiana

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Henry S. Johnson was reelected in 1823

Maine

See also: List of United States senators from Maine

Incumbent Democratic-Republican John Chandler was reelected in 1823.

Maryland (special)

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland

1822 United States Senate special election in Maryland

← 1821 December 11, 1822 1827 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate Samuel Smith Party Democratic-Republican Legislative vote - Percentage -%

Incumbent Democratic-Republican William Pinkney died on February 25, 1822. Congressman Samuel Smith, a Democratic-Republican, was elected to the seat on December 17, 1822.^[6]

Massachusetts

See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts and 1822–1823 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts

Massachusetts (regular)

Incumbent Federalist James Lloyd was reelected in 1822 after being first elected in a special election (see below).

Massachusetts (special)

James Lloyd

Incumbent Senator Harrison Gray Otis resigned on May 30, 1822, to run for Mayor of Boston. Former senator James Lloyd, a Federalist was elected on June 5, 1822.

Mississippi

See also: List of United States senators from Mississippi

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Thomas Hill Williams was reelected in 1823.

New Hampshire

See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire

Incumbent Democratic-Republican David L. Morril retired. Governor of New Hampshire Samuel Bell was elected as a Democratic-Republican.

New Jersey

See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey and 1822 United States House of Representatives election in New Jersey

New Jersey (regular)

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Mahlon Dickerson was reelected in 1823.

New Jersey (special)

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Samuel L. Southard resigned on March 3, 1823, to become the U.S. Secretary of the Navy. Democratic-Republican Joseph McIlvaine was elected to finish his term on November 12, 1823.

North Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Montfort Stokes was defeated for reelection by John Branch, a fellow Democratic-Republican, in 1822.

Ohio (special)

See also: List of United States senators from Ohio

Incumbent Jeffersonian Republican William A. Trimble died on December 13, 1821, at the age of 35. Governor of Ohio, Ethan Allen Brown, was elected to finish Trimble's term.

Rhode Island

See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Nehemiah R. Knight was reelected in 1823.

South Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina

Incumbent Democratic-Republican William Smith lost reelection to Democratic-Republican Robert Y. Hayne.

Tennessee

See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee

Former senator and general Andrew Jackson defeated incumbent John Williams in the election for Senate. Jackson was put up as the Jacksonian candidate after Williams decided to support William H. Crawford in the 1824 Presidential Election.^[7] Williams was endorsed by Davy Crockett.^[8] Jackson's return to the senate after nearly 25 years out of office marks the second longest gap in service in U.S. Senate history. Jackson would resign two years later in 1825, and eventually be elected president in 1828.

1823 United States Senate election in Tennessee

← 1816/1817 November 28, 1823 1824/1825 (special) →
60 legislators 31 votes needed to win
Candidate Andrew Jackson John Williams Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Alliance Jacksonian Old Republican Legislative vote 35 25 Percentage 58.33% 41.67%

Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from Virginia and 1823 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia

Virginia (regular)

After being elected in the special election (see below), incumbent John Taylor was reelected in 1823.

Virginia (special)

Incumbent James Pleasants resigned on December 15, 1822, to become Governor of Virginia. Former senator John Taylor, a Democratic-Republican, was elected with 51.8% of the votes of legislators over former congressmen Henry St. George Tucker and John Tyler, both Democratic-Republicans.

1822 United States Senate special election in Virginia

← 1819 (special) December 18, 1822 1823 →

Candidate John Taylor of Caroline Henry St. George Tucker Sr. John Tyler, Jr. Party Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Percentage 51.8% 37.9% 10.3%

See also

• 1822 United States elections
  • 1822–23 United States House of Representatives elections
• 17th United States Congress
• 18th United States Congress