1914 United States Senate elections
The 1914 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 1914. These were the first regularly scheduled elections held following the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, which required that all seats up for election be popularly elected, rather than chosen by their state legislatures. Thus, it was the first time that elections were generally scheduled on Election Day to coincide with the U.S. House elections. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections in 1914. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. These elections occurred in the middle of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson's first term.
1914 United States Senate elections
1914 United States Senate elections
1914 United States Senate elections
1914 United States Senate elections
Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held.
The Seventeenth Amendment in the National Archives
James Wilson was the only member of the Constitutional Convention who supported electing the United States Senate by popular vote.
William Jennings Bryan campaigned for the popular election of U.S. senators.