| Elections in Pennsylvania |
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 Government |
The 1909 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on March 16, 1909. George T. Oliver was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate. [1]
Republican Philander C. Knox was appointed to the United States Senate in June 1904 after the death of Matthew Quay. Knox was subsequently elected to a full term in the Senate by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in January 1905. Knox served in the U.S. Senate until his resignation on March 4, 1909, to become United States Secretary of State in the William Howard Taft administration, leaving the seat vacant until a successor was elected. [2]
Following the resignation of Sen. Philander C. Knox, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 16, 1909, to elect a new Senator to fill the vacancy. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George T. Oliver | 201 | 78.21 | |
| Democratic | Webster Grim | 39 | 15.18 | |
| Unknown | Nathaniel Ewing | 1 | 0.39 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 16 | 6.23 | |
| Totals | 257 | 100.00% | ||
The United States Senate elections of 1908 and 1909 were held to determine the winners of the 31 class 3 Senate seats up for election, as well as various special elections to fill vacancies or confirm appointments. Until the 17th Amendment, which passed in 1913, Senators were elected by state legislatures. However, some states had already begun direct elections during this time. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election. The Republicans lost two seats overall.
The United States Senate elections of 1904 and 1905 were elections that coincided with President Theodore Roosevelt's landslide election to a full term. Party share of seats remained roughly the same, when including vacancies and appointments, and the Republicans retained a significant majority over the Democrats.
The United States Senate elections of 1844 and 1845 were elections which, coinciding with James K. Polk's election, had the Democratic Party retake control of the United States Senate, gaining a net total of eleven seats from the Whigs.
The United States Senate elections of 1840 and 1841 were elections which, corresponding with their Party's success in the 1840 presidential election, had the Whig Party take control of the United States Senate.
The United States Senate elections of 1832 and 1833 were elections that had the Anti-Jacksonian coalition assume control of the United States Senate from the Jacksonian coalition, despite Andrew Jackson's victory in the 1832 presidential election.
The 1793 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on February 28, 1793. Albert Gallatin was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1808 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on December 13, 1808. Michael Leib was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1814 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held February 24, 1814. Jonathan Roberts was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1814 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on December 10, 1814. Incumbent Jonathan Roberts was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1820-1821 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on three separate dates from December 1820 to December 1821. On December 10, 1821, William Findlay was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1831 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on December 13, 1831. George M. Dallas was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1861 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on March 14, 1861. David Wilmot was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1901 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on January 15, 1901, after the regularly scheduled legislative election in January—April 1899 failed to elect a Senator. Former Senator Matthew Quay, who had left the Senate for nearly two years because of the political stalemate, was again elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1905 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 17, 1905. Incumbent Philander C. Knox was elected by the Pennsylvania State Assembly to his first full term in the United States Senate.
The 1801 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on December 17, 1801. George Logan was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1834 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on December 6, 1834. Future President of the United States James Buchanan was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1845 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on March 13, 1845. Simon Cameron was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1877 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on March 20, 1877. J. Donald Cameron was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.
The 1909 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 19, 1909. Boies Penrose was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate. This was the last Class III U.S. Senate election to be decided by the Pennsylvania General Assembly before the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which mandated direct election of U.S. Senators.
| Preceded by 1905 | Pennsylvania U.S. Senate election (Class I) 1909 | Succeeded by 1911 |
