# 1802–03 United States Senate elections

The 1802–03 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 1802 and 1803, 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 1.
The Democratic-Republican Party maintained and greatly expanded their majority of seats to over two-thirds of the Senate.

## Change in composition
### Before the elections

Accounting for the 1802 special elections in New York, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
| DR$_6$ | DR$_5$ | DR$_4$ | DR$_3$ | DR$_2$ S.C. (sp) Hold | DR$_1$ N.Y. (sp) Hold |
| DR$_7$ | DR$_8$ | DR$_9$ | DR$_{10}$ | DR$_{11}$ | DR$_{12}$ | DR$_{13}$ | DR$_{14}$ | DR$_{15}$ | DR$_{16}$ Va. (reg) Ran |
| Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | DR$_{17}$ Tenn. Unknown |
| F$_7$ Conn. Ran | F$_8$ Del. Ran | F$_9$ Md. Ran | F$_{10}$ N.J. (reg) Ran | F$_{11}$ N.Y. (reg) Ran | DR$_{17}$ Tenn. Unknown | F$_{12}$ Vt. Ran | F$_{13}$ R.I. Retired | F$_{14}$ Pa. Retired | F$_{15}$ Mass. Retired |
| F$_6$ | F$_5$ | F$_4$ | F$_3$ | F$_2$ | F$_1$ R.I. (sp) Hold |

### Result of the regular elections

| DR$_6$ | DR$_5$ | DR$_4$ | DR$_3$ | DR$_2$ | DR$_1$ |
| DR$_7$ | DR$_8$ | DR$_9$ | DR$_{10}$ | DR$_{11}$ | DR$_{12}$ | DR$_{13}$ | DR$_{14}$ | DR$_{15}$ | DR$_{16}$ Md. Re-elected |
| Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | DR$_{17}$ N.Y. (reg) Gain |
| F$_7$ Conn. Re-elected | F$_8$ Del. Re-elected | F$_9$ Mass. Hold | V$_1$ N.J. (reg) Fed loss | V$_2$ Tenn. DR loss | DR$_{17}$ N.Y. (reg) Gain | DR$_{21}$ Va. (reg) Gain | DR$_{20}$ Vt. Gain | DR$_{19}$ R.I. Gain | DR$_{18}$ Pa. Gain |
| F$_6$ | F$_5$ | F$_4$ | F$_3$ | F$_2$ | F$_1$ |

### Beginning of the first session, October 17, 1803

| DR$_7$ | DR$_6$ | DR$_5$ | DR$_4$ | DR$_3$ | DR$_2$ | DR$_1$ |
| DR$_8$ | DR$_9$ | DR$_{10}$ | DR$_{11}$ | DR$_{12}$ | DR$_{13}$ | DR$_{14}$ | DR$_{15}$ | DR$_{16}$ | DR$_{17}$ |
| Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | Majority → | DR$_{18}$ |
| F$_8$ | F$_9$ | DR$_{25}$ Ohio New state | DR$_{24}$ Ohio New state | DR$_{23}$ N.J. (reg) Appointee elected | DR$_{22}$ Tenn. Re-elected | DR$_{18}$ | DR$_{21}$ | DR$_{20}$ | DR$_{19}$ |
| F$_7$ | F$_6$ | F$_5$ | F$_4$ | F$_3$ | F$_2$ | F$_1$ |
| Key: | DR$_#$ Democratic-Republican F$_#$ Federalist V$_#$ Vacant |

## Race summaries

Unless noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.

### Special elections during the 7th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated before March 4, 1803; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Candidates |
| State | Senator | Party | Electoral history | Results | Candidates |
| New York (Class 3) | John Armstrong Jr. | Democratic- Republican | 1800 (special) | Incumbent resigned February 5, 1802. Winner elected February 11, 1802. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y DeWitt Clinton (Democratic-Republican) 82 ▌Matthew Clarkson (Federalist) 45 |
| New Hampshire (Class 3) | James Sheafe | Federalist | 1800 | Incumbent resigned June 14, 1802. Winner elected June 17, 1802. Federalist hold. | ▌Y William Plumer (Federalist) 86 ▌Nicholas Gilman (Democratic-Republican) 70 ▌Nahum Parker (Democratic-Republican) 2 |
| South Carolina (Class 3) | John E. Colhoun | Democratic- Republican | 1800 | Incumbent died October 26, 1802. Winner elected November 4, 1802. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y Pierce Butler (Democratic-Republican) 103 ▌Thomas Edwards (Unknown) 3 ▌R. Anderson (Unknown) 1 ▌John Douglass (Unknown) 1 ▌E. More (Unknown) 1 ▌[FNU] Pickens (Unknown) 1 ▌A. B. Stark (Unknown) 1 ▌[FNU] Tucker (Unknown) 1 ▌B. Waring (Unknown) 1 Nothing 1 Blank 11 |

### Races leading to the 8th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was seated on March 4, 1803; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Candidates |
| State | Senator | Party | Electoral history | Results | Candidates |
| Connecticut | James Hillhouse | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent re-elected October 27, 1802. | ▌Y James Hillhouse (Federalist) 117 ▌Ephraim Kirby (Democratic-Republican) 53 ▌Oliver Ellsworth (Federalist) 2 ▌Nathaniel Smith (Federalist) 1 |
| Delaware | Samuel White | Federalist | 1801 (appointed) | Incumbent re-elected January 11, 1803. | ▌Y Samuel White (Federalist) 20 ▌George Read (Democratic-Republican) 9 |
| Maryland | John E. Howard | Federalist | 1796 (special) 1796 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected November 17, 1802. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Samuel Smith (Democratic-Republican) 46 ▌John Eager Howard (Federalist) 30 |
| Massachusetts | Jonathan Mason | Federalist | 1800 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected February 7, 1803, on the fourth ballot. Federalist hold. | ▌Y John Quincy Adams (Federalist) 105 ▌Thompson J. Skinner (Democratic-Republican) 70 ▌Nicholas Tillinghast (Federalist) 9 ▌Timothy Pickering (Federalist) 6 |
| New Jersey | Aaron Ogden | Federalist | 1801 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Federalist loss. | ▌Joseph Bloomfield (Democratic-Republican) 26 ▌Aaron Ogden (Federalist) 26 |
| New York | Gouverneur Morris | Federalist | 1800 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected February 1, 1803, on the 2nd ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Theodorus Bailey (Democratic-Republican) 59 ▌John Woodworth (Democratic-Republican) 57 ▌Gouverneur Morris (Federalist) eliminated on 1st ballot |
| Pennsylvania | James Ross | Federalist | 1794 (special) 1797 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected December 14, 1802. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Samuel Maclay (Democratic-Republican) 59.46% ▌Isaac Weaver Jr. (Democratic-Republican) 25.23% ▌William Maclay (Democratic-Republican) 9.91% Not voting 5.41% |
| Rhode Island | Theodore Foster | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1802. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Samuel J. Potter (Democratic-Republican) Unopposed |
| Tennessee | Joseph Anderson | Democratic- Republican | 1799 (special) | Legislature did not elect until September 22, 1803, after the term began; see below. Democratic-Republican loss. | None. |
| Vermont | Nathaniel Chipman | Federalist | 1797 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1802. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Israel Smith (Democratic-Republican), 111 ▌Abel Spencer (Federalist), 79 Scattering 6 |
| Virginia | Stevens Mason | Democratic- Republican | 1794 (special) 1796 | Incumbent re-elected in 1803. | ▌Y Stevens Mason (Democratic-Republican) [data missing] |

### Special elections during the 8th Congress

In this special election, the winner was seated in 1803 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Candidates |
| State | Senator | Party | Electoral history | Results | Candidates |
| Ohio (Class 1) | None (new state) | None (new state) | None (new state) | Ohio joined the Union in 1803. Winner elected April 1, 1803. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y John Smith (Democratic-Republican) |
| Ohio (Class 3) | None (new state) | None (new state) | None (new state) | Ohio joined the Union in 1803. Winner elected April 1, 1803. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Thomas Worthington (Democratic-Republican) |
| Tennessee (Class 1) | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. Predecessor re-elected late September 22, 1803 on the 4th ballot. Democratic-Republican gain. | ▌Y Joseph Anderson (Democratic-Republican) 19 ▌Daniel Smith (Democratic-Republican) 17 |
| New Jersey (Class 1) | John Condit | Democratic- Republican | 1803 (appointed) | Legislature failed to elect. Condit was appointed September 1, 1803, to continue the term. He was then elected November 3, 1803. | ▌Y John Condit (Democratic-Republican) Unanimous |
| Virginia (Class 1) | John Taylor | Democratic- Republican | 1792 (special) 1793 | Predecessor Stevens T. Mason (DR) had died May 10, 1803, having just begun the new term. Interim appointee served from June 4, 1803, and did not seek election to finish the term. Winner elected December 7, 1803. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y Abraham B. Venable (Democratic-Republican) Unanimous |

### Early race leading to the Congress-after-next

In this regular election, the winner was seated on March 4, 1805; ordered by state.
This election involved a Class 2 seat.
| State | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | Results | Candidates |
| State | Senator | Party | Electoral history | Results | Candidates |
| Tennessee | William Cocke | Democratic- Republican | 1799 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected early September 23, 1803. Democratic-Republican hold. | ▌Y Daniel Smith (Democratic-Republican) 35 ▌Jenkin Whiteside (Democratic-Republican) 1 |

## Connecticut

Federalist incumbent James Hillhouse (originally elected in 1796) was re-elected.

## Maryland

Samuel Smith won election over John Eager Howard by a margin of 21.05%, or 16 votes, for the Class 1 seat.

## New Jersey

There were two elections to the class 1 seat.

### New Jersey (regular)

The New Jersey legislature failed to elect by the March 4, 1803, beginning of the term.

### New Jersey (special)

The governor appointed Democratic-Republican John Condit September 1, 1803, to continue the term. Condit was then unanimously elected November 3, 1803, to finish the term. No vote totals were recorded.

## New York
### New York (special)

Democratic-Republican John Armstrong Jr., who had held the class 3 seat since 1801, resigned February 5, 1802, and Democratic-Republican DeWitt Clinton was elected February 23, 1802, to finish the term. Clinton, however, resigned November 4, 1803, and Armstrong was appointed December 8, 1803, to his old seat.

### New York (regular)

Federalist Gouverneur Morris lost re-election to the class 1 seat to Democratic-Republican Theodorus Bailey in 1803.

## Ohio

Ohio joined the Union in 1803. New Democratic-Republican senators were elected April 1, 1803. Official records indicate that John Smith and Thomas Worthington were elected, and that Smith received the "long" term, while Worthington received the "short" one. They do not indicate if there were other candidates, or what the vote totals were.

## Vermont

Federalist Senator Nathaniel Chipman lost re-election to Democratic-Republican Israel Smith. Smith received 102 votes in the Vermont House of Representatives and 9 from the Governor and Council. Spencer received 75 votes from the House and 4 from the Governor and Council.

## Virginia

There were two elections to the same seat as the newly-re-elected senator died at the beginning of the next term.

### Virginia (regular)

Two-term Democratic-Republican Stevens Mason was re-elected in 1803.

### Virginia (special)

Mason died May 10, 1803, having just begun the new term. Democratic-Republican John Taylor was appointed but chose not to run to finish the term. Democratic-Republican Abraham B. Venable was elected December 7, 1803, as the unanimous choice of the Virginia General Assembly. No vote totals were recorded.