United States Senate elections, 1870 and 1871

Dates vary by state
(And other dates for special elections)

25 of the 74 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections)
37 seats needed for a majority

	Majority party	Minority party

Party	Republican	Democratic
Last election	57 seats	9 seats
Seats before	63	11
Seats won	17	7
Seats after	58	14
Seat change	4	3
Seats up	21	4

Majority Party before election

Republican Party

Elected Majority Party

Republican Party

In the United States Senate elections of 1870 and 1871, the Republican Party lost five seats in the United States Senate, though it still retained an overwhelming majority. In advance of these elections, the last four seceded states were readmitted to the Senate.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

That election marked the first time that, with Mississippian Hiram Rhodes Revels, an African American was elected as a US senator and became a member of Congress.

In Georgia, Foster Blodgett was elected and presented his credentials as Senator-elect, but the Senate declared him not elected.

In Virginia, Republican John F. Lewis and Democrat John W. Johnston were elected on January 26, 1870 to fill seats that had been vacant since 1864 and 1865.

Senate Party Division, 42nd Congress (1871–1873)

After the readmission of Virginia, Texas, and Mississippi, and the special elections in Iowa and Maine.

Including the February 1871 readmission of Georgia.

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1870 or in 1871 before March 4; ordered by election date.

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1871; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

In this election, the winner was elected in 1871 after March 4.

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Wikipedia