Elections to the Massachusetts Senate were held during 1787 to elect 40 State Senators. Candidates were elected at the county level, with some counties electing multiple Senators.
For election, a candidate needed the support of a majority of those voting. If a seat remained vacant because no candidate received such majority, the Massachusetts General Court was empowered to fill it by a majority vote of its members.
The primary issue in this race was the ongoing ratification of the United States Constitution by a separate ratifying convention; the reaction divided the state (and nation) between Federalists and Anti-Federalists , though the factions did not appear as strictly formal political parties until 1789.
The elections were also held during the midst of Shays' Rebellion , an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts against the national government, formed in opposition to the ongoing debt crisis.
Apportionment
The apportionment of seats by population was as follows:
Barnstable County: 1
Berkshire County: 2
Bristol County: 3
Cumberland County: 1
Dukes and Nantucket Counties: 1
Essex County: 6
Hampshire County: 4
Lincoln County: 1
Middlesex County: 5
Plymouth County: 3
Suffolk County: 6
Worcester County: 5
York County: 2
Results
Barnstable
1787 Barnstable Senate election[1]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Thomas Smith
358
68.32%
Scattering
All others
166
31.68%
Total votes
524
100.00%
Berkshire
1787 Berkshire Senate election[2]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Thompson J. Skinner
659
78.45%
Unknown
Elijah Dwight
503
59.88%
Total votes
840
100.00%
Both candidates were elected.
Bristol
1787 Bristol Senate election[3]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Holder Slocum
1,507
74.49%
Unknown
Abraham White
1,504
74.35%
Unknown
Phanuel Bishop
1,111
54.92%
Total votes
2,023
100.00%
Cumberland
1787 Cumberland Senate election[4]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Josiah Thacher
286
63.56%
Scattering
All others
164
36.44%
Total votes
450
100.00%
Dukes and Nantucket
1787 Dukes and Nantucket Senate election[5]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Matthew Mayhew
155
43.78%
Unknown
Thomas Cooke
137
38.70%
Scattering
All others
62
17.51%
Total votes
354
100.00%
Because Mayhew failed to achieve a majority, the election was put to the General Court, which certified his election with near unanimity.
General Court
1787 General Court election[6]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Matthew Mayhew
178
90.82%
Total votes
196
100.00%
Essex
1787 Essex Senate election[7]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Federalist
Benjamin Goodhue
1,493
63.83%
Unknown
Aaron Wood
1,313
56.14%
Unknown
Peter Coffin
1,241
53.06%
Unknown
Israel Hutchinson
1,124
48.05%
Federalist
Tristram Dalton
1,105
47.24%
Unknown
Samuel Holton
882
38.70%
Unknown
John Manning
858
37.71%
Unknown
Jonathan Greenleaf
850
36.34%
Unknown
Stephen Choate
808
34.54%
Total votes
2,339
100.00%
Dalton, Choate, and Greenleaf would subsequently be elected by the General Court.
General Court
1787 General Court election[8]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Federalist
Tristram Dalton
207
95.83%
Unknown
Stephen Choate
121
56.02%
Unknown
Jonathan Greenleaf
121
56.02%
Total votes
216
100.00%
Hampshire
1787 Hampshire Senate election[9]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Federalist
Caleb Strong
696
50.51%
Unknown
John Hastings
620
44.99%
Unknown
Oliver Phelps
517
37.52%
Unknown
William Shepard
477
34.62%
Unknown
David Smead
362
26.27%
Unknown
David Sexton
339
24.60%
Unknown
John Bliss
313
22.71%
Total votes
1,378
100.00%
Hastings, Smead, and Phelps were subsequently elected by the General Court.
General Court
1787 General Court election[10]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
John Hastings
218
99.09%
Unknown
Oliver Phelps
158
71.82%
Unknown
David Smead
145
65.90%
Total votes
220
100.00%
Lincoln
1787 Lincoln Senate election[11]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Samuel Thompson
307
56.43%
Scattering
All others
237
43.57%
Total votes
544
100.00%
Middlesex
1787 Middlesex Senate election[12]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Joseph B. Varnum
2,005
75.95%
Unknown
Isaac Stearns
1,892
71.67%
Unknown
Ebenezer Bridge
1,403
53.14%
Unknown
Walter MacFarland
1,300
49.24%
Unknown
Joseph Hosmer
924
35.00%
Unknown
Marshal Spring
831
31.48%
Unknown
Eleazer Brooks
720
27.27%
Total votes
2,640
100.00%
Based on returns from Weston , Ezra Sergant, Abraham Fuller, James Prescot, Joseph Curtis, Thomas Fairweather, Joseph Roberts, John Brooks , and Abner Sanderson also received votes, but how many they received county-wide is unknown.[13]
Hosmer and MacFarland were subsequently elected by the General Court.
General Court
1787 General Court election[14]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Joseph Hosmer
127
58.26%
Unknown
Walter MacFarland
116
53.21%
Total votes
218
100.00%
Plymouth
1787 Plymouth Senate election[15]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Nathan Mitchel
890
63.44%
Unknown
Noah Fearing
537
38.28%
Unknown
Charles Turner
401
28.58%
Unknown
Nathan Cushing
369
26.30%
Unknown
Abraham Holmes
350
24.95%
Total votes
1,403
100.00%
Turner and Cushing were subsequently elected by the General Court.
General Court
1787 General Court election[16]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Nathan Cushing
143
64.71%
Unknown
Charles Turner
118
53.39%
Total votes
221
100.00%
Suffolk
Austin and Dunbar were subsequently elected by the General Court. (No result is listed for Dunbar's election.)
General Court
1787 General Court election[18]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Benjamin Austin Jr.
129
61.72%
Total votes
209
100.00%
Worcester
1787 Worcester Senate election[19]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Jonathan Grout
2,341
67.72%
Unknown
Samuel Curtis
2,290
66.24%
Unknown
Abel Wilder
1,841
53.25%
Unknown
Joseph Stone
1,635
47.30%
Anti-Federalist
Amos Singletary
1,133
32.77%
Unknown
Seth Washburn
991
28.67%
Unknown
Peter Penniman
892
25.80%
Total votes
3,457
100.00%
General Court
1787 General Court election[20]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Anti-Federalist
Amos Singletary
110
52.13%
Unknown
Seth Washburn
109
51.66%
Total votes
211
100.00%
York
1787 York Senate election[21]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
John Frost
271
48.13%
Unknown
Tristram Jordan
232
41.21%
Unknown
Ichabod Goodwin
149
26.47%
Unknown
Edward Cutts
110
19.54%
Total votes
563
100.00%
No candidate received a majority. Cutts and Jordan were subsequently elected by the General Court.
General Court
1787 General Court election[22]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Unknown
Edward Cutts
112
52.13%
Unknown
Tristram Jordan
109
51.66%
Total votes
211
100.00%
References
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Barnstable County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Berkshire County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Bristol County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Cumberland County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Dukes and Nantucket Counties" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Dukes and Nantucket Counties" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Essex County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Essex County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Hampshire County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Hampshire County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Lincoln County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Middlesex County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ Town of Weston: Records of the First Precinct, 1746-1754 and of the Town, 1754-1803 . Boston, MA: Alfred Mudge and Son. 1893. p. 389.
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Middlesex County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Plymouth County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Plymouth County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Suffolk County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Suffolk County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Worcester County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, Worcester County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, York County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
^ "Massachusetts 1787 State Senate, York County" . Tufts Digital Collections and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University . Retrieved April 6, 2020 . , citing Governor's Council Records (Boston, MA).
This page was last edited on 24 January 2021, at 03:02