1908–09 United States Senate elections

The 1908–09 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 primarily chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1906 and 1907, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.^[1] However, some states had already begun direct elections during this time. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.

1908–09 United States Senate elections

← 1906 & 1907 January 14, 1908 – July 6, 1909 1910 & 1911 →
31 of the 92 seats in the U.S. Senate 47 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Eugene Hale[a] (retired) Charles Culberson[b] (retired) Party Republican Democratic Leader since March 4, 1907 March 4, 1903 Leader's seat Maine Texas Seats before 61 31 Seats won 16 13 Seats after 60 32 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 18 13
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold
Majority conference chairman before election William B. Allison Republican Elected Majority conference chairman Eugene Hale Republican

The 31 Class 3 seats were up for election, as well as various special elections to fill vacancies or confirm appointments. The Republicans lost two seats overall.

In Illinois and Florida, the legislature failed to elect until after the beginning of the 61st Congress on March 4.

Results summary

Senate party division, 61st Congress (1909–1911)

• Majority party: Republican (60 seats)
• Minority party: Democratic (32 seats)
• Other parties: 0
• Total seats: 92

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the December 10, 1907, elections in Oklahoma and the January 21, 1908, special election in Rhode Island.

				D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6
D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7
D17	D18	D19 Ran	D20 Ran	D21 Ran	D22 Ran	D23 Ran	D24 Ran	D25 Ran	D26 Ran
R57 Ran	R58 Ran	R59 Ran	R60 Retired	R61 Retired	D31 Retired	D30 Retired	D29 Retired	D28 Unknown	D27 Ran
R56 Ran	R55 Ran	R54 Ran	R53 Ran	R52 Ran	R51 Ran	R50 Ran	R49 Ran	R48 Ran	R47 Ran
Majority →
R37	R38	R39	R40	R41	R42	R43	R44 Ran	R45 Ran	R46 Ran
R36	R35	R34	R33	R32	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27
R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26
R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7
				R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6

Result of the general elections

				D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6
D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9	D8	D7
D17	D18	D19 Re-elected	D20 Re-elected	D21 Re-elected	D22 Re-elected	D23 Re-elected	D24 Re-elected	D25 Re-elected	D26 Re-elected
R57 Hold	R58 Hold	R59 Gain	V1 R loss	V2 D loss	D31 Gain	D30 Gain	D29 Hold	D28 Hold	D27 Hold
R56 Hold	R55 Hold	R54 Hold	R53 Re-elected	R52 Re-elected	R51 Re-elected	R50 Re-elected	R49 Re-elected	R48 Re-elected	R47 Re-elected
Majority due to vacancies→									R46 Re-elected
R37	R38	R39	R40	R41	R42	R43	R44 Re-elected	R45 Re-elected
R36	R35	R34	R33	R32	R31	R30	R29	R28	R27
R17	R18	R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26
R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9	R8	R7
				R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6

Key:	D# Democratic R# Republican V# Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 60th Congress

In this election, the winner was seated in 1908 before March 4; ordered by state.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Maryland (Class 3)	William P. Whyte	Democratic	1906 (appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 14, 1908.[2][3]	▌Y William P. Whyte (Democratic) [data missing]
Rhode Island (Class 2)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected January 21, 1908.[2] Republican gain.	▌Y George P. Wetmore (Republican) 68 votes ▌Robert H. I. Goddard (Democratic) 36 votes ▌Samuel P. Colt (Republican) 7 votes[2]
South Carolina (Class 3)	Asbury Latimer	Democratic	1903	Incumbent died February 20, 1908. New senator elected March 6, 1908.[2] Democratic hold. Winner did not run for the next term; see below.	▌Y Frank B. Gary (Democratic) [data missing]
Maryland (Class 3)	William P. Whyte	Democratic	1906 (appointed) 1908	Incumbent died March 17, 1908. New senator elected March 24, 1908,[2][3] having already been elected to the next term; see below. Democratic hold.	▌Y John Walter Smith (Democratic) [data missing]
Vermont (Class 1)	John W. Stewart	Republican	1908 (appointed)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected October 20, 1908.[2] Republican hold.	▌Y Carroll S. Page (Republican) 229 votes ▌Vernon A. Bullard (Democratic) 39 votes[2]
Iowa (Class 3)	William B. Allison	Republican	1872 1878 1884 1890 1896 1902	Incumbent renominated for the next term but died August 4, 1908. New senator elected November 24, 1908. Republican hold. Winner was later elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Albert B. Cummins (Republican) ▌Claude R. Porter (Democratic)

In this election, the winner was elected three years early, to be seated in the 62nd Congress starting March 4, 1911.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Mississippi (Class 1)	Hernando Money	Democratic	1897 (appointed) 1899 1904	Incumbent retired. New senator elected early January 21, 1908.[2] Democratic hold.	▌Y John Sharp Williams (Democratic) Unopposed[2]

Races leading to the 61st Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1909; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Edmund Pettus	Democratic	1903	Incumbent re-elected early January 22, 1907.[4] Winner died July 27, 1907, and new senator elected early August 6.[4]	January 22, 1907: ▌Y Edmund Pettus (Democratic) Unopposed[4] August 6, 1907: ▌Y Joseph F. Johnston (Democratic) Unopposed[4]
Arkansas	James P. Clarke	Democratic	1903	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[5][6][7]	▌Y James P. Clarke (Democratic) 132 ▌H. H. Myers (Republican) 3[5]
California	George C. Perkins	Republican	1895 (special) 1897 1903	Incumbent re-elected January 12, 1909.[8]	▌Y George C. Perkins (Republican) 88 ▌ John O. Davis 19[8]
Colorado	Henry M. Teller	Democratic	1885 1891 1897 1903	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 19, 1909.[5][6][7] Democratic hold.	▌Y Charles J. Hughes Jr. (Democratic) 73 ▌Joseph Helm (Republican) 17 ▌James W. McCreery (Republican) 7 ▌Robert W. Bonynge (Republican) 2[5]
Connecticut	Frank B. Brandegee	Republican	1905 (special)	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[5][6][7]	▌Y Frank B. Brandegee (Republican) 201 ▌A. Heaton Robertson (Democratic) 52 ▌E. J. Hill (Republican) 14[5]
Florida	William Milton	Democratic	1908 (appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. New senator appointed to start the term, and subsequently elected; see below.	[data missing]
Georgia	Alexander S. Clay	Democratic	1896 1902	Incumbent re-elected July 6, 1909.[5]	▌Y Alexander S. Clay (Democratic) Unopposed[5]
Idaho	Weldon Heyburn	Republican	1903	Incumbent re-elected January 12, 1909.[5]	▌Y Weldon Heyburn (Republican) 55 ▌Charles Stockslager (Democratic) 13 ▌W. W. Woods (Democratic) 6[5]
Illinois	Albert J. Hopkins	Republican	1903	Incumbent renominated but couldn't secure the full support of his party. Legislature failed to elect. Republican loss. Seat remained vacant until May 26, 1909; see below.[9]	▌Albert J. Hopkins (Republican) ▌George E. Foss (Republican) ▌William E. Mason (Republican) ▌Lawrence B. Stringer (Democratic) ▌Edward D. Shurtleff (Republican)
Indiana	James A. Hemenway	Republican	1905 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 20, 1909.[5] Democratic gain.	▌Y Benjamin F. Shively (Democratic) 82 ▌James H. Hemenway[c] (Republican) 67[5]
Iowa	Albert B. Cummins	Republican	1908	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[5]	▌Y Albert B. Cummins (Republican) 112 ▌Claude R. Porter (Democratic) 40[5]
Kansas	Chester I. Long	Republican	1903	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 26, 1909.[5][6][7] Republican hold.	▌Y Joseph L. Bristow (Republican) 115 ▌Hugh P. Farrelly (Democratic) 56[5][7]
Kentucky	James B. McCreary	Democratic	1902	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected February 28, 1908.[2] Republican gain.	▌Y William O. Bradley (Republican) 64 ▌J. C. W. Beckham (Democratic) 60 Scattering 3[2]
Louisiana	Samuel D. McEnery	Democratic	1896 1900 (early)	Incumbent re-elected May 19, 1908.[10][2]	▌Y Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) Unopposed[2]
Maryland	William P. Whyte	Democratic	1906 (appointed)	Interim appointee retired or lost election to the next term. New senator elected January 15, 1908.[2] Democratic hold.	▌Y John Walter Smith (Democratic) [data missing]
Missouri	William J. Stone	Democratic	1903	Incumbent re-elected January 20, 1909.[5]	▌Y William J. Stone (Democratic) 91 votes ▌John C. McKinley (Republican) 84 votes[5]
Nevada	Francis G. Newlands	Democratic	1903	Incumbent re-elected January 26, 1909, ratifying the popular selection made in 1908 state elections.[5]	▌Y Francis G. Newlands (Democratic) Unopposed less 1 vote[5] In state election: ▌Francis G. Newlands (Democratic) 53.34% ▌P. L. Flanigan (Republican) 38.37% ▌T. C. Lutz (Socialist) 8.29%[11]
New Hampshire	Jacob H. Gallinger	Republican	1891 1897 1903	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[6][7][12]	▌Y Jacob H. Gallinger (Republican) 258 ▌Oliver E. Branch (Democratic) 108[6][12][7]
New York	Thomas C. Platt	Republican	1881 1881 (resigned) 1897 1903	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 19, 1909.[13][14] Republican hold.	▌Y Elihu Root (Republican) 125 ▌Lewis S. Chanler (Democratic) 44[13]
North Carolina	Lee S. Overman	Democratic	1903	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[6][7][13]	▌Y Lee S. Overman (Democratic) 126 ▌Spencer B. Adams (Republican) 34[13][7]
North Dakota	Henry C. Hansbrough	Republican	1891 1897 1903	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 19, 1909.[13] Republican hold.	▌Y Martin N. Johnson (Republican) 126 ▌J. L. Cashel (Democratic) 14 ▌William E. Purcell (Democratic) 1[13]
Ohio	Joseph B. Foraker	Republican	1896 1902	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 12, 1909.[13][15] Republican hold.	▌Y Theodore E. Burton (Republican) 89 ▌James E. Campbell (Democratic) 58 ▌Judson Harmon (Democratic) 1[13]
Oklahoma	Thomas Gore	Democratic	1907	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[6][7][13]	▌Y Thomas Gore (Democratic) 96 ▌Dennis T. Flynn (Republican) 49[13]
Oregon	Charles W. Fulton	Republican	1903	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected January 19, 1909, ratifying the popular selection made in 1908 state elections.[6][7][13] Democratic gain.	▌Y George E. Chamberlain (Democratic) 53 ▌Charles W. Fulton (Republican) 19 ▌Henry M. Coke (Republican) 17 ▌Robert S. Bean (Republican) 1[13] In state election: ▌George E. Chamberlain (Democratic) 46.65% ▌Henry M. Coke (Republican) 45.30% ▌J. Cooper (Socialist) 4.68% ▌I. H. Amos (Prohibition) 3.37%[16]
Pennsylvania	Boies Penrose	Republican	1897 1903	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[6][7]	▌Y Boies Penrose (Republican) 198 ▌George M. Dimeling (Democratic) 42 ▌Edwin S. Stuart (Republican) 2 ▌John O. Sheatz (Republican) 1 ▌William Potter (Democratic) 1[13]
South Carolina	Frank B. Gary	Democratic	1908 (special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 26, 1909.[13] Democratic hold.	▌Y Ellison D. Smith (Democratic) Unopposed[13]
South Dakota	Alfred B. Kittredge	Republican	1901 (appointed) 1903 (special) 1903	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 19, 1909. Republican hold.[13]	▌Y Coe I. Crawford (Republican) 134 ▌Andrew E. Lee (Democratic) 17[13]
Utah	Reed Smoot	Republican	1903	Incumbent re-elected January 19, 1909.[6][7][13]	▌Y Reed Smoot (Republican) 61 ▌William H. King (Democratic) 2[13]
Vermont	William P. Dillingham	Republican	1900 (special) 1902	Incumbent re-elected October 20, 1908.[2]	▌Y William P. Dillingham (Republican) 230 ▌Elisha May (Democratic) 38[2]
Washington	Levi Ankeny	Republican	1903	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 19, 1909.[6][7][13] Republican hold.	▌Y Wesley L. Jones (Republican) 128 ▌George F. Cottrill (Democratic) 6 ▌William Goodyear (Democratic) 1[6][13]
Wisconsin	Isaac Stephenson	Republican	1907 (special)	Incumbent re-elected January 27, 1909. Legislature failed to certify the result and ordered a new election. Incumbent was finally re-elected March 4, 1909, after many ballots.[13]	▌Y Isaac Stephenson (Republican) 51.22% ▌Neal Brown (Democratic) 5.69% ▌John J. Esch (Republican) 5.69% ▌Henry A. Cooper (Republican) 4.07% ▌Charles E. Estabrook (Republican) 3.25% ▌Jacob Rummel (Socialist) 3.25% ▌John Strange (Republican) 3.25% others 23.58%

Elections during the 61st Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1909 after March 4; ordered by date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Pennsylvania (Class 1)	Philander C. Knox	Republican	1904 (appointed) 1905 (special) 1905	Incumbent resigned March 4, 1909, to become U.S. Secretary of State. New senator elected March 16, 1909.[5] Republican hold.	▌Y George T. Oliver (Republican) 201 ▌Webster Grim (Democratic) 39 ▌Nathaniel Ewing (Republican) 1[5]
Florida (Class 3)	Duncan U. Fletcher	Democratic	1909 (appointed)	Interim appointee elected April 20, 1909.	▌Y Duncan U. Fletcher (Democratic) Unopposed[5]
Illinois (Class 3)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect; see above. New senator elected May 26, 1909.[5] Republican gain.	▌Y William Lorimer (Republican) 108 ▌Albert J. Hopkins (Republican) 70 ▌Lawrence B. Stringer (Democratic) 23[5]

Maryland

Maryland (special)

1908 United States Senate special election in Maryland

← 1902 June 8, 1908 1908 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate William Pinkney Whyte Party Democratic Legislative vote - Percentage -%

William Pinkney Whyte was elected by an unknown margin, for the Class 3 seat.^[17]

Maryland (regular)

1908 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1908 November 3, 1908 1914 →
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate John Walter Smith Party Democratic Legislative vote - Percentage -%

William Pinkney Whyte died, and John Walter Smith was elected by an unknown margin, for the Class 3 seat.^[18]

New York

Main article: 1909 United States Senate election in New York

See also: List of United States senators from New York

The election was held on January 19, 1909, by the New York State Legislature. Republican Thomas C. Platt had been re-elected to this seat in 1903, and his term would expire on March 3, 1909. At the State election in November 1908, 35 Republicans and 16 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1909–1910) in the state senate; and 99 Republicans and 51 Democrats were elected for the session of 1909 to the Assembly. The 132nd New York State Legislature met from January 5 to April 30, 1909, at Albany, New York.

The Republican caucus met on January 18. State Senator J. Mayhew Wainwright presided. The caucus nominated U.S. Secretary of State Elihu Root unanimously. Root was the choice of President Theodore Roosevelt. President pro tempore of the State Senate John Raines lauded warmly Root's nomination, eulogized the retiring U.S. Senator Platt, and declared war on Governor Charles Evans Hughes's reforms.^[19] The Democratic caucus met also on January 18. They nominated Ex-Lieutenant Governor Lewis S. Chanler unanimously. Chanler had been elected lieutenant governor in 1906 on the Democratic/Independence League ticket, and had served under Republican governor Hughes. Chanler had just been defeated when running against Hughes for governor in November 1908.^[19]

Elihu Root was the choice of both the Assembly and the state senate, and was declared elected.^[20]

House	Republican		Democratic
State Senate (50 members)	Y Elihu Root	35	Lewis S. Chanler	15
State Assembly (150 members)	Y Elihu Root	90	Lewis S. Chanler	30

Note: The votes were cast on January 19, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 20 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania (regular)

Main article: 1909 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

The regularly scheduled general election in Pennsylvania was held January 19, 1909. Boies Penrose was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. This was the last Class III U.S. Senate election to be decided by the Pennsylvania General Assembly before the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which mandated direct election of U.S. Senators.^[21]

The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 19, 1909, to elect a senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1909. Incumbent Republican Boies Penrose, who was elected in 1897 and re-elected in 1903, was a successful candidate for re-election to another term. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Boies Penrose (Incumbent)	198	77.04%
	Democratic	George M. Dimeling	42	16.34%
	Republican	Edwin S. Stuart	2	0.78%
	Republican	John O. Sheatz	1	0.39%
	Democratic	William Potter	1	0.39%
	N/A	Not voting	13	5.06%
Totals			257	100.00%

Pennsylvania (special)

Main article: 1909 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania

A special election was held March 16, 1909. George T. Oliver was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.^[22]

Republican Philander C. Knox was appointed to the Senate in June 1904 after the death of Matthew Quay. Knox was subsequently elected to a full term in the Senate by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in January 1905. Knox served in the U.S. Senate until his resignation on March 4, 1909, to become United States Secretary of State in the William Howard Taft administration, leaving the seat vacant until a successor was elected.^[23]

Following Knox's resignation, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 16, 1909, to elect a new senator to fill the vacancy. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[22][24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George T. Oliver	201	78.21
	Democratic	Webster Grim	39	15.18
	Republican	Nathaniel Ewing	1	0.39
	N/A	Not voting	16	6.23
Totals			257	100.00%

See also

• 1908 United States elections
  • 1908 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 1908 United States presidential election
• 60th United States Congress
• 61st United States Congress