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2 unusual facts about Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution


United States Senate elections, 1838

As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

United States Senate elections, 1876

As this election took place prior to the ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.


Indirect election

the United States Senate was indirectly elected by state legislatures until, after a number of attempts over the previous century, the 17th amendment to the constitution was ratified in 1913.

In the United States, most members of the Senate were elected by the legislatures of the states until 1913, when the Seventeenth Amendment instituted direct elections for those office-holders.

J. Edward Addicks

His struggle with Henry A. du Pont for control of the state government led to Delaware having both of its Senate seats vacant for a time and was one of the factors which led to election reform and the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913.

Newell Sanders

Sanders was sworn in during April, 1912 and served until January, 1913 when the Tennessee General Assembly elected educator William R. Webb, a Democrat, to succeed him, the process called for in the United States Constitution until the Seventeeh Amendment was ratified later in the decade.


see also