1898 United States House of Representatives elections

Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1898 for members of the 56th Congress, and took place in the middle of President William McKinley's first term.

1898 United States House of Representatives elections

November 8, 1898[Note 1]
All 357 seats of the U.S. House of Representatives 179 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader David Henderson James Richardson John Calhoun Bell Party Republican Democratic Populist Leader since March 4, 1899 March 4, 1899 Leader's seat Iowa 3rd Tennessee 5th Colorado 2nd Last election 206 seats 124 seats 22 Seats won 187[1] 161[1] 5[1] Seat change 19 37 17 Popular vote 5,305,230 4,828,592 463,059 Percentage 48.55% 44.18% 4.24% Swing 0.22% 3.19% 2.62%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Party Silver Republican Silver Independent Last election 3 1 1 Seats won 2[1] 1[1] 2[lower-alpha 1] Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 60,805 5,766 96,537 Percentage 0.56% 0.05% 0.88% Swing 0.46% 0.31%
Speaker before election Thomas Reed Republican Elected Speaker David Henderson Republican

As in many midterm elections, the President's Republican Party lost seats, but was able to hold a majority over the Democratic Party. The Populist Party also lost many seats, as their movement began to decline. This was likely because many Populists rallied behind William Jennings Bryan's increasingly powerful branch of the Democratic Party, which built the rural economic issues advocated by Populists into their platform. As a result, the Democrats won a number of Western seats as well many in the Mid-Atlantic.

Special elections

• Ohio 19
• Pennsylvania 23
• Virginia 2
• Virginia 4

Election summaries

↓

187	2	1	6	161
Republican	SR	S	P	Democratic

State	Type	Total seats	Republican		Democratic		Populist		Silver/ Silver Republican
			Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Alabama	District	9	1		8	1	0	1	0
Arkansas	District	6	0		6		0		0
California	District	7	6	3	1	1	0	2	0
Colorado	District	2	0		0		1		1[Note 2]
Connecticut	District	4	4		0		0		0
Delaware	At-large	1	1	1	0	1	0		0
Florida	District	2	0		2		0		0
Georgia	District	11	0		11		0		0
Idaho	At-large	1	0		0		0	1	1[Note 2]	1
Illinois	District	22	14	3	8	3	0		0
Indiana	District	13	9		4		0		0
Iowa	District	11	11		0		0		0
Kansas	District +at-large	8	7	5	0		1	5	0
Kentucky	District	11	2	2	9	2	0		0
Louisiana	District	6	0		6		0		0
Maine[Note 3]	District	4	4		0		0		0
Maryland	District	6	4	2	2	2	0		0
Massachusetts	District	13	10	2	3	2	0		0
Michigan	District	12	12	2	0	2	0		0
Minnesota	District	7	7		0		0		0
Mississippi	District	7	0		7		0		0
Missouri	District	15	3		12		0		0
Montana	At-large	1	0		1	1	0		0	1
Nebraska	District	6	2		1	1	3	1	0
Nevada	At-large	1	0		0		0		1
New Hampshire	District	2	2		0		0		0
New Jersey	District	8	6	2	2	2	0		0
New York	District	34	16	12	18	12	0		0
North Carolina	District	9	3	1	5	4	1[Note 4]	4	0
North Dakota	At-large	1	1		0		0		0
Ohio	District	21	15		6		0		0
Oregon[Note 3]	District	2	2		0		0		0
Pennsylvania	District +2 at-large	30	20	7	10	7	0		0
Rhode Island	District	2	2		0		0		0
South Carolina	District	7	0		7		0		0
South Dakota	At-large	2	2	2	0		0	2	0
Tennessee	District	10	2		8		0		0
Texas	District	13	1		12		0		0
Utah	At-large	1	0		1		0		0
Vermont[Note 3]	District	2	2		0		0		0
Virginia	District	10	0	4	10	4	0		0
Washington	At-large	2	2	2	0	1	0		0	1
West Virginia	District	4	3	1	1	1	0		0
Wisconsin	District	10	10		0		0		0
Wyoming	At-large	1	1	1	0	1	0		0
Total		357	187 52.4%	20	161 45.1%	37	6[Note 4] 1.7%	16	3[Note 5] 0.8%	1

House seats Republican   52.38% Democratic   45.10% Populist   1.68% Silver Republican   0.56% Silver   0.28%

The previous election of 1896 saw the election of 24 Populists, 2 Silver Republicans, and a Silver Party member.

[[File:56 us house membership.png|thumb|left|450px| House seats by party holding plurality in state   80+% Democratic     80+% Republican   60 to 80% Democratic     60 to 80% Republican   Up to 60% Democratic   Up to 60% Populist   Up to 60% Republican ]]

[[File:56 us house changes.png|thumb|left|450px| Net gain in party representation   6+ Democratic gain     6+ Republican gain   3-5 Democratic gain     3-5 Republican gain   1-2 Democratic gain   1-2 Populist gain   1-2 Republican gain   no net change ]]

Early election dates

In 1898, three states, with 8 seats among them, held elections early:

• June 6 Oregon
• September 6 Vermont
• September 12 Maine

California

See also: List of United States Representatives from California

District	Incumbent			This race
	Representative	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
California 1	John All Barham	Republican	1894	Incumbent re-elected.	√ John All Barham (Republican) 61.1% Emmet Seawell (Democratic) 38.9%
California 2	Marion De Vries	Democratic	1896	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Marion De Vries (Democratic) 55.3% Frank D. Ryan (Republican) 44.7%
California 3	Samuel G. Hilborn	Republican	1894	Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Republican hold	√ Victor H. Metcalf (Republican) 57.3% John Aubrey Jones (Democratic) 39.1% Thomas F. Burns (Socialist Labor) 3.6%
California 4	James G. Maguire	Democratic	1892	Incumbent retired to run for California Governor. New member elected. Republican gain.	√ Julius Kahn (Republican) 50% James H. Barry (Democratic) 44.1% W. J. Martin (Socialist Labor) 3.7% Joseph P. Kelly (Independent) (Democratic) 2.2%
California 5	Eugene F. Loud	Republican	1890	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Eugene F. Loud (Republican) 51.8% William Craig (Democratic) 44.3% E. T. Kingsley (Socialist Labor) 3.9%
California 6	Charles A. Barlow	Populist	1900	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	√ Russell J. Waters (Republican) 52.6% Charles A. Barlow (Populist) 44.9% James T. Van Ransselear (Socialist Labor) 2.5%
California 7	Curtis H. Castle	Populist	1896	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	√ James C. Needham (Republican) 50.1% Curtis H. Castle (Populist) 49.9%

Florida

See also: List of United States Representatives from Florida

District	Incumbent			This race
	Representative	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Florida 1	Stephen M. Sparkman	Democratic	1894	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Stephen M. Sparkman (Democratic) 84.2% E. R. Gunby (Republican) 15.8%
Florida 2	Robert Wyche Davis	Democratic	1896	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Robert Wyche Davis (Democratic) 71.8% H. L. Anderson (Republican) 28.2%

South Carolina

See also: List of United States Representatives from South Carolina

District	Incumbent			This race
	Representative	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
South Carolina 1	William Elliott	Democratic	1886 1896	Incumbent re-elected.	√ William Elliott (Democratic) 66.5% George W. Murray (Republican) 33.5%
South Carolina 2	W. Jasper Talbert	Democratic	1892	Incumbent re-elected.	√ W. Jasper Talbert (Democratic) 97.0% B. P. Chatfield (Republican) 2.9% Others 0.1%
South Carolina 3	Asbury Latimer	Democratic	1892	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Asbury Latimer (Democratic) 96.6% John R. Tolbert (Republican) 3.3% Others 0.1%
South Carolina 4	Stanyarne Wilson	Democratic	1894	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Stanyarne Wilson (Democratic) 96.4% P. S. Suber (Republican) 3.6%
South Carolina 5	Thomas J. Strait	Democratic	1892	Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Democratic hold.	√ David E. Finley (Democratic) 100%
South Carolina 6	James Norton	Democratic	1897 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ James Norton (Democratic) 96.9% J. H. Evans (Republican) 3.1%
South Carolina 7	J. William Stokes	Democratic	1894	Incumbent re-elected.	√ J. William Stokes (Democratic) 89.8% James Weston (Republican) 10.2%

South Dakota

See also: List of United States Representatives from South Dakota

District	Incumbent			This race
	Representative	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
South Dakota at-large 2 seats on a general ticket	John Edward Kelley	Populist	1896	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	√ Robert J. Gamble (Republican) 27.4% √ Charles H. Burke (Republican) 25.7% John Edward Kelley (Populist) 22.9% Freeman Knowles (Populist) 22.8% A. Jamison (Prohibition) 0.6% M.D. Alexander (Prohibition) 0.6%[2]
	Freeman Knowles	Populist	1896	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.

Oklahoma Territory

See also: List of United States Representatives from Oklahoma

District	Incumbent			This race
	Representative	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Oklahoma Territory at-large	James Y. Callahan	Free Silver	1896	Incumbent retired. New delegate elected. Republican gain.	Y Dennis T. Flynn (Republican)[3] [data unknown/missing]

See also

• 1898 United States elections
  • 1898 and 1899 United States Senate elections
• 55th United States Congress
• 56th United States Congress

Notes

1. Three states held early elections between June 6 and September 12.
2. Member of the Silver Republican Party faction elected.
3. Elections held early
4. Includes 1 Independent Populist, John W. Atwater, elected to NC-04.
5. Includes 2 members of the Silver Republican faction.

1. One Independent Republican, Thomas Butler from the 6th District of Pennsylvania, and one Independent Populist, John Atwater of the 4th District of North Carolina.

References

1. Martis, pp. 152–153.
2. "Elections in States". The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1900. New York: The Tribune Association. 1900. p. 338 – via Hathi Trust Digital Library.
3. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=299872

Bibliography

• Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
• Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
• "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.

External links

• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)