1869 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

1869 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
40 Members of the Massachusetts Senate; 231 Members of the Massachusetts House; Majority vote of each house needed to win
Senator before election; Charles Sumner; Republican	Elected Senator ; Charles Sumner; Republican

The 1869 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on January 19, 1869. Incumbent Charles Sumner was re-elected to a fourth term in office.

At the time, Massachusetts elected United States senators by a majority vote of each separate house of the Massachusetts General Court: the House and the Senate.

Background

In the 1868 state legislative elections, Republicans maintained an overwhelming majority in both houses. Only 20 Democratic Representatives and two Democratic Senators were elected. This ensured Sumner's re-election in the January session, though there was some speculation that Sumner would vacate his seat to accept a Cabinet appointment in the newly elected Grant administration.^[1]

Election

Election in the House

1869 Senate election in the House^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles Sumner (incumbent)	216	93.51%
	Democratic	Josiah G. Abbott	14	6.06%
	Republican	Nathaniel P. Banks	1	0.43%
Total votes			231	100.00%

Election in the Senate

1869 Senate election in the Senate^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles Sumner (incumbent)	37	92.5%
	Democratic	Josiah G. Abbott	2	5%
	None	No vote	1	2.5%
Total votes			40	100.00%

References

^ "THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS AND "THE NATION" OF NEW-YORK". New York Tribune. November 13, 1868. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b "U. S. SENATORS ELECTED. MASSACHUSETTS--CHARLES SUMNER". New York Tribune. January 20, 1869.

[1] "THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS AND "THE NATION" OF NEW-YORK". New York Tribune. November 13, 1868. p. 2.

[NYTr-2] "U. S. SENATORS ELECTED. MASSACHUSETTS--CHARLES SUMNER". New York Tribune. January 20, 1869.

[1]

[2]

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