# 1787 Massachusetts Senate election

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vte :
Elections to the Massachusetts Senate were held during 1787 to elect 40 State Senators. Candidates were elected at the county level, with some counties electing multiple Senators.
For election, a candidate needed the support of a majority of those voting. If a seat remained vacant because no candidate received such majority, the Massachusetts General Court was empowered to fill it by a majority vote of its members.
The primary issue in this race was the ongoing ratification of the United States Constitution by a separate ratifying convention; the reaction divided the state (and nation) between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, though the factions did not appear as strictly formal political parties until 1789.
The elections were also held during the midst of Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts against the national government, formed in opposition to the ongoing debt crisis.

## Apportionment

The apportionment of seats by population was as follows:
* Barnstable County: 1
* Berkshire County: 2
* Bristol County: 3
* Cumberland County: 1
* Dukes and Nantucket Counties: 1
* Essex County: 6
* Hampshire County: 4
* Lincoln County: 1
* Middlesex County: 5
* Plymouth County: 3
* Suffolk County: 6
* Worcester County: 5
* York County: 2

## Results
### Barnstable

1787 Barnstable Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Thomas Smith | 358 | 68.32% |
| | Scattering | All others | 166 | 31.68% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 524 | 100.00% |

### Berkshire

1787 Berkshire Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Thompson J. Skinner (incumbent) | 659 | 78.45% |
| | Unknown | Elijah Dwight | 503 | 59.88% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 840 | 100.00% |
Both candidates were elected.

### Bristol

1787 Bristol Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Holder Slocum | 1,507 | 74.49% |
| | Unknown | Abraham White | 1,504 | 74.35% |
| | Unknown | Phanuel Bishop | 1,111 | 54.92% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,023 | 100.00% |

### Cumberland

1787 Cumberland Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Josiah Thacher | 286 | 63.56% |
| | Scattering | All others | 164 | 36.44% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 450 | 100.00% |

### Dukes and Nantucket

1787 Dukes and Nantucket Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Matthew Mayhew | 155 | 43.78% |
| | Unknown | Thomas Cooke | 137 | 38.70% |
| | Scattering | All others | 62 | 17.51% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 354 | 100.00% |
Because Mayhew failed to achieve a majority, the election was put to the General Court, which certified his election with near unanimity.

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Matthew Mayhew | 178 | 90.82% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 196 | 100.00% |

### Essex

1787 Essex Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Federalist | Benjamin Goodhue (incumbent) | 1,493 | 63.83% |
| | Unknown | Aaron Wood | 1,313 | 56.14% |
| | Unknown | Peter Coffin | 1,241 | 53.06% |
| | Unknown | Israel Hutchinson | 1,124 | 48.05% |
| | Federalist | Tristram Dalton (incumbent) | 1,105 | 47.24% |
| | Unknown | Samuel Holton | 882 | 38.70% |
| | Unknown | John Manning | 858 | 37.71% |
| | Unknown | Jonathan Greenleaf | 850 | 36.34% |
| | Unknown | Stephen Choate | 808 | 34.54% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,339 | 100.00% |
Dalton, Choate, and Greenleaf would subsequently be elected by the General Court.

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Federalist | Tristram Dalton (incumbent) | 207 | 95.83% |
| | Unknown | Stephen Choate | 121 | 56.02% |
| | Unknown | Jonathan Greenleaf | 121 | 56.02% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 216 | 100.00% |

### Hampshire

1787 Hampshire Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Federalist | Caleb Strong (incumbent) | 696 | 50.51% |
| | Unknown | John Hastings | 620 | 44.99% |
| | Unknown | Oliver Phelps | 517 | 37.52% |
| | Unknown | William Shepard | 477 | 34.62% |
| | Unknown | David Smead | 362 | 26.27% |
| | Unknown | David Sexton | 339 | 24.60% |
| | Unknown | John Bliss | 313 | 22.71% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,378 | 100.00% |
Hastings, Smead, and Phelps were subsequently elected by the General Court.

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | John Hastings | 218 | 99.09% |
| | Unknown | Oliver Phelps | 158 | 71.82% |
| | Unknown | David Smead | 145 | 65.90% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 220 | 100.00% |

### Lincoln

1787 Lincoln Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Samuel Thompson | 307 | 56.43% |
| | Scattering | All others | 237 | 43.57% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 544 | 100.00% |

### Middlesex

1787 Middlesex Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Joseph B. Varnum (incumbent) | 2,005 | 75.95% |
| | Unknown | Isaac Stearns | 1,892 | 71.67% |
| | Unknown | Ebenezer Bridge | 1,403 | 53.14% |
| | Unknown | Walter MacFarland | 1,300 | 49.24% |
| | Unknown | Joseph Hosmer | 924 | 35.00% |
| | Unknown | Marshal Spring | 831 | 31.48% |
| | Unknown | Eleazer Brooks | 720 | 27.27% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,640 | 100.00% |
Based on returns from Weston, Ezra Sergant, Abraham Fuller, James Prescot, Joseph Curtis, Thomas Fairweather, Joseph Roberts, John Brooks, and Abner Sanderson also received votes, but how many they received county-wide is unknown.
Hosmer and MacFarland were subsequently elected by the General Court.

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Joseph Hosmer | 127 | 58.26% |
| | Unknown | Walter MacFarland | 116 | 53.21% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 218 | 100.00% |

### Plymouth

1787 Plymouth Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Nathan Mitchel | 890 | 63.44% |
| | Unknown | Noah Fearing | 537 | 38.28% |
| | Unknown | Charles Turner | 401 | 28.58% |
| | Unknown | Nathan Cushing | 369 | 26.30% |
| | Unknown | Abraham Holmes | 350 | 24.95% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,403 | 100.00% |
Turner and Cushing were subsequently elected by the General Court.

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Nathan Cushing | 143 | 64.71% |
| | Unknown | Charles Turner | 118 | 53.39% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 221 | 100.00% |

### Suffolk

1787 Suffolk Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Stephen Metcalf | 2,087 | 65.75% |
| | Federalist | Cotton Tufts | 1,976 | 62.26% |
| | Anti-Federalist | Samuel Adams | 1,704 | 53.69% |
| | Federalist | William Phillips Jr. | 1,590 | 50.09% |
| | Unknown | Thomas Dawes | 1,137 | 35.82% |
| | Unknown | Benjamin Austin Jr. | 1,056 | 33.27% |
| | Anti-Federalist | James Warren | 1,031 | 32.48% |
| | Unknown | Elijah Dunbar | 994 | 31.32% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,174 | 100.00% |
Austin and Dunbar were subsequently elected by the General Court. (No result is listed for Dunbar's election.)

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Benjamin Austin Jr. | 129 | 61.72% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 209 | 100.00% |

### Worcester

1787 Worcester Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Jonathan Grout (incumbent) | 2,341 | 67.72% |
| | Unknown | Samuel Curtis | 2,290 | 66.24% |
| | Unknown | Abel Wilder | 1,841 | 53.25% |
| | Unknown | Joseph Stone | 1,635 | 47.30% |
| | Anti-Federalist | Amos Singletary | 1,133 | 32.77% |
| | Unknown | Seth Washburn | 991 | 28.67% |
| | Unknown | Peter Penniman | 892 | 25.80% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,457 | 100.00% |

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Anti-Federalist | Amos Singletary | 110 | 52.13% |
| | Unknown | Seth Washburn | 109 | 51.66% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 211 | 100.00% |

### York

1787 York Senate election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | John Frost | 271 | 48.13% |
| | Unknown | Tristram Jordan | 232 | 41.21% |
| | Unknown | Ichabod Goodwin | 149 | 26.47% |
| | Unknown | Edward Cutts | 110 | 19.54% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 563 | 100.00% |
No candidate received a majority. Cutts and Jordan were subsequently elected by the General Court.

#### General Court

1787 General Court election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Unknown | Edward Cutts | 112 | 52.13% |
| | Unknown | Tristram Jordan | 109 | 51.66% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 211 | 100.00% |