United States House of Representatives elections, 1842

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United States House of Representatives elections, 1842
← 1840 August 1, 1842 - February 14, 1844 1844 →
All 223 seats to the United States House of Representatives
122 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
  JohnWinstonJones.jpg John White.jpg
Leader John Jones John White
Party Democratic Whig
Leader's seat Virginia-6th Kentucky-6th
Last election 99 seats 142 seats
Seats won 148[Note 1] 73[Note 2]
Seat change Increase 49 Decrease 69
  Third party
 
Party Law and Order (R.I.)
Leader's seat Rhode Island-1st
Last election 0 seats
Seats won 2
Seat change Increase 2
Speaker before election

John White
Whig

 Elected Speaker

John Jones
Democratic

Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 28th Congress were held at various dates in different states between August 1, 1842 (Missouri) and February 14, 1844 (Maryland).

Just one election cycle after the Whig Party gained control of Congress, they lost their majority. Whig president William Henry Harrison died within a month of taking office and his successor, John Tyler, was disliked by members of both parties. Tyler's widespread unpopularity lead to an enormous defeat for his party, and the Whigs lost almost 70 seats, winning just 73 seats (including William Wright who was elected to New Jersey's 5th District as an "Independent Whig"[1]). This gave the Democrats, who won 148 seats (including Henry Nes who was elected to Pennsylvania's 15th District as an "Independent Democrat"[2][Note 3]) a majority. With the economy rebounding, rural voters also chose the Democratic ticket in a turn away from the Whig policies of economic nationalism. The Law and Order Party, formed in response to the Dorr Rebellion in Rhode Island, also won two seats.

Election summaries

Apportionment in these elections was based on the Census of 1840 and was the first, and only (with the exception of the minor adjustment after the 1960 census) in which the total number of seats in the House was decreased, being reduced from 242 to 223. 15 States lost between 1 and 6 Representatives each, 3 States had no change in representation, and 8 States gained between 1 and 4 seats. The apportionment bill of 1840 mandated that all Representatives be elected from single-Representative contiguous districts, abolishing plural districts and at-large districts in states with 2 or more Representatives.[3] Four states with multi-member at-large districts delayed districting.

↓
148 2 73
Democratic LO Whig
State Type Date Total
seats		 Democratic Whig Law and Order
Seats Change Seats Change Seats Change Seats Change
Arkansas At-large October 3, 1842 1 Steady 1 Steady 0 Steady 0 Steady
Delaware At-large November 8, 1842 1 Steady 0 Steady 1 Steady 0 Steady
Georgia At-large October 3, 1842 8 Decrease1 8 Increase8 0 Decrease9 0 Steady
Illinois District August 7, 1842 7 Increase4 6 Increase4 1 Steady 0 Steady
Massachusetts District November 14, 1842 10 Decrease2 2 Increase1 8 Decrease3 0 Steady
Missouri At-large August 1, 1842 5 Increase3 5 Increase3 0 Steady 0 Steady
New Jersey District[Note 4] October 8, 1842 5 Decrease1 4 Increase4 1[Note 2] Decrease5 0 Steady
New York District November 8, 1842 34 Decrease6 24 Increase4 10 Decrease10 0 Steady
Tennessee District August 3, 1842 11 Decrease2 6 Increase1 5 Decrease3 0 Steady
1843 elections
Alabama District August 7, 1843 7 Increase2 6 Increase1 1 Increase1 0 Steady
Connecticut District April 5, 1843 4 Decrease2 4 Increase4 0 Decrease6 0 Steady
Indiana District August 7, 1843 10 Increase3 8 Increase7 2 Decrease4 0 Steady
Kentucky District August 7, 1843 10 Decrease3 5 Increase3 5 Decrease6 0 Steady
Louisiana District July 3–5, 1843 4 Increase1 4 Increase3 0 Decrease2 0 Steady
Maine District September 11, 1843 7 Decrease1 5 Increase1 2 Decrease2 0 Steady
Michigan District[Note 4] November 8, 1843 3 Increase2 3 Increase3 0 Decrease1 0 Steady
Mississippi At-large November 6–7, 1843 4 Increase2 4 Increase2 0 Steady 0 Steady
New Hampshire At-large March 3, 1843 4 Decrease1 4 Decrease1 0 Steady 0 Steady
North Carolina District August 3, 1843 9 Decrease4 5 Steady 4 Decrease4 0 Steady
Ohio District October 10, 1843 21 Increase2 12 Increase5 9 Decrease3 0 Steady
Pennsylvania District October 10, 1843 24 Decrease4 12[Note 1] Decrease3 12 Decrease1 0 Steady
Rhode Island District[Note 4] August 29, 1843 2 Steady 0 Steady 0 Decrease2 2 Increase2
South Carolina District February 20–21, 1843 7 Decrease2 7 Decrease1 0 Decrease1 0 Steady
Vermont District September 5, 1843 4 Decrease1 1 Increase1 3 Decrease2 0 Steady
Virginia District April 27, 1843 15 Decrease6 12 Increase2 3 Decrease8 0 Steady
1844 elections
Maryland District February 14, 1844 6 Decrease2 0 Decrease2 6 Steady 0 Steady
Total 223 Decrease19 148[Note 1]
66.4%		 Increase50 73[Note 2]
32.7%		 Decrease71 2
0.9%		 Increase2
House seats
Democratic
  
 66.37%
Whig
  
 32.74%
Others
  
 0.90%

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Includes 1 Independent Democrat: Henry Nes who was elected to PA-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Includes 1 Independent Whig: William Wright who was elected to NJ-05.
  3. ↑ Note that Dubin, p. 135, lists Nes as an "Independent" rather than as an Independent Democrat.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Changed from at-large

References

  1. ↑ Martis, p. 97; Dubin, p. 134.
  2. ↑ Martis, p. 97.
  3. ↑ 5 Stat. 491

Bibliography

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External links

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