1788–89 United States Senate elections

Note: There were no political parties in this Congress. Members are informally grouped into factions of similar interest, based on an analysis of their voting record.[2]

Except if/when noted, the number following candidates is the whole number vote(s), not a percentage.

1788 United States Senate election in Maryland

December 10, 1788
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate Charles Carroll Uriah Forrest Party Federalist Federalist Legislative vote 42 39 Percentage 51.85% 48.15%

1788 United States Senate election in Maryland

December 10, 1788
80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Candidate John Henry George Gale Party Federalist Federalist Legislative vote 42 40 Percentage 51.22% 48.78%

The Maryland General Assembly convened on December 10, 1788, in order to vote for the inaugural holders of Maryland's seats. There were two candidates for each seat, and all four were of the Federalist Party.

Charles Carroll won election over Uriah Forrest by a margin of 3.70%, or 3 votes, for one of the seats.[26]

John Henry won election over George Gale by a margin of 2.44%, or 2 votes, for the other seat.[27]

In May 1789, the lot draw performed by the 1st U.S. Senate assigned Carroll's seat to Class 1, whose term would expire March 4, 1791, and Henry's seat to Class 3, whose term would expire on March 3, 1795.[3][4]

The election was held in July 1789.[28] It was the first such election, and before the actual election the New York State Legislature had to establish rules for proceeding.[28] They decided to ballot separately, and then pass a joint resolution once they had concurred in the election of two candidates.[28]

On July 15, Schuyler was nominated first, and members of each chamber attempted to substitute the names of other candidates, including Ezra L'Hommedieu and Rufus King.[28] These motions failed, and Schuyler was elected by a vote of 37 to 19 in the Assembly, and 13 to 6 in the Senate.[28]

King's election came after individual legislators and the two chambers failed to agree on the election of James Duane, Ezra L'Hommedieu, or Lewis Morris.[28] King was then elected unanimously by the Assembly, and by a vote of 11 to 8 in the Senate.[28] On July 16, Schuyler and King were appointed to the U.S. Senate by a joint resolution of the State Legislature.[28]

King took his seat on July 25, and drew the lot for Class 3, his term expiring on March 3, 1795.[29] Schuyler took his seat on July 27, and drew the lot for Class 1, his term expiring on March 3, 1791.[29] The 1st United States Congress convened at New York City, as did the regular session of the New York State Legislature in January 1790. Schuyler retained his seat in the State Senate while serving concurrently in the U.S. Senate.[30] Schuyler was also elected on January 15 a member of the State's Council of Appointments which consisted of the Governor of New York, and four State Senators elected annually by the State Assembly. On January 27, the New York State Legislature resolved that it was "incompatible with the U.S. Constitution for any person holding an office under the United States government at the same time to have a seat in the Legislature of this State", and that if a member of the State Legislature was elected or appointed to a federal office, the seat should be declared vacant upon acceptance. Thus U.S. Senator Schuyler, Federal Judge James Duane and Congressmen John Hathorn and John Laurance vacated their seats in the State Senate. On April 3, John Cantine, a member of the Council of Appointments, raised the question if Schuyler, after vacating his State Senate seat, was still a member of the Council. Philip Livingston, another member, held that once elected a member could not be expelled in any case. On April 5, Governor Clinton asked the State Assembly for a decision, but the latter refused to do so, arguing that it was a question of law, which could be pursued in the courts. Schuyler thus kept his seat in the Council of Appointments until the end of the term.[31]

North Carolina was the 12th state to ratify the new United States Constitution, doing so in November 1789, months after the First Congress had first convened.[32] A few days after that ratification, on November 26, 1789, the two houses of the state legislature jointly elected incumbent Governor Samuel Johnston (who was considered pro-Administration) as North Carolina's first United States Senator.[33][34] The minutes of the state Senate indicate that the two houses had actually voted for both U.S. Senate seats, but that no candidate received a majority for the second seat.[35]

Days later, the state Senate sent messages to the state House of Commons nominating candidates for the state's other Senate seat. These included William Lenoir, William Blount, Benjamin Hawkins, and Timothy Bloodworth. Hawkins (who was also pro-Administration at the time) was elected jointly by the two houses on December 8, 1789.[33]

The election was held on September 30, 1788. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, elected Pennsylvania's first two United States senators, William Maclay and Robert Morris.[36] Anti-Federalist William Maclay was elected to the two-year staggered term of the Class 1 seat, while Federalist and founding father Robert Morris was elected to the full six-year term of the Class 3 seat.

While no official results of the votes were recorded, the State House recorded minutes of its election:

Agreeably to the order of the day, the House proceeded to the election of Senators to represent this state in the Congress of the United States, agreeably to the constitution adopted for the government of the said states; and the ballots being taken, it appeared that the Honorable William Maclay and Robert Morris, Esquires, were duly elected.[36]

• 1788–89 United States elections
  • 1788–89 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1st United States Congress

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov
• The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 113 for State Senators 1788-89; pg. 114 for State Senators 1789-90; page 164 for Members of Assembly 1788-89; pg. 165 for Members of Assembly 1789-90)
• The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections, 1788-1790. University of Wisconsin Press. 1976. ISBN 9780299066901.:
  • DenBoer, Gordon, ed. (1984). Volume 2: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia. ISBN 9780299095109.
  • DenBoer, Gordon, ed. (1984). Volume 3: New Jersey, New York. ISBN 9780299106508.
  • DenBoer, Gordon, ed. (1989). Volume 4: President and Vice President, North Carolina, Rhode Island. ISBN 9780299106508.
• History of Political Parties in the State of New-York by Jabez Delano Hammond (pages 43f)

• Jensen, Merrill; Becker, Robert, eds. (1976). The First Federal Elections 1788-1790: Congress, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire. Vol. 1. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0299066908.