United States Senate elections, 1878
Encyclopedia
The United States Senate election of 1878 was an election which had the Democratic Party
retake control of the United States Senate
for the first time since before the Civil War
.
As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment
, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.
(1879–1881)
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
retake control of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
for the first time since before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment
Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures...
, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.
Results
46th Congress46th United States Congress
The Forty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1879 to March 4, 1881, during the last two years of...
(1879–1881)
- Majority Party: Democratic (42)
- Minority Party: Republican (33)
- Other Parties: Independent (1)
- Total Seats: 76
Change in Senate composition
EWLINE
|
EWLINE
|
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||