United States Senate elections, 1848 and 1849
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19 of the 60 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 31 seats needed for a majority |
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4
The United States Senate elections of 1848 and 1849 were elections which had the Democratic Party lose seats but maintain control of the United States Senate.
As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.
Contents
Senate Party Division, 31st Congress (1849–1851)
- Majority Party: Democratic (33–36)
- Minority Party: Whig Party (25–24)
- Other Parties: Free Soil (2)
- Total Seats: 60–62
Change in Senate composition
Before the elections
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 |
| D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 |
| D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 Ran |
D26 Ran |
D27 Ran |
D28 Ran |
D29 Ran |
D30 Ran |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority → | D31 Ran |
||||||||
| W21 Unknown |
ID1 | D38 Retired |
D37 Retired |
D36 Retired |
D35 Retired |
D34 Unknown |
D33 Ran |
D32 Ran |
|
| W20 Ran |
W19 Ran |
W18 Ran |
W17 Ran |
W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 |
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 |
As a result of the elections
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 |
| D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 |
| D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 Re-elected |
D26 Re-elected |
D27 Re-elected |
D28 Re-elected |
D29 Re-elected |
D30 Hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority → | D31 Hold |
||||||||
| W21 Gain |
W22 Gain |
W23 Gain |
W24 Gain |
W25 Gain |
ID1 | FS1 Gain |
D33 Gain |
D32 Hold |
|
| W20 Hold |
W19 Re-elected |
W18 Re-elected |
W17 Re-elected |
W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 |
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 |
Note: "Re-elected" includes incumbent appointee elected to the next term.
Beginning of the next Congress
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 |
| D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 |
| D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 | D26 | D27 | D28 | D29 | D30 |
| Majority → | D31 | ||||||||
| W21 | W22 | W23 | W24 | W25 | FS2 | FS1 | D33 | D32 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W20 | W19 | W18 | W17 | W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 |
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 |
| Key: |
|
Race summaries
Special elections during the 30th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1848 or in 1849 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Mississippi (Class 1) |
Jefferson Davis | Democratic | 1847 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected January 1848. | √ Jefferson Davis (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Connecticut (Class 1) |
Roger S. Baldwin | Whig | 1847 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected May 1848. | √ Roger S. Baldwin (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Maine (Class 1) |
Wyman B. S. Moor | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired when successor elected June 7, 1848. Democratic hold. |
√ Hannibal Hamlin (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Wisconsin (Class 1) |
New State | Wisconsin admitted to the Union May 29, 1848. First Senator elected June 8, 1848. Democratic gain. |
√ Henry Dodge (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
||
| Wisconsin (Class 3) |
New State | Wisconsin admitted to the Union May 29, 1848. First Senator elected June 8, 1848. Democratic gain. |
√ Isaac P. Walker (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
||
| Alabama (Class 3) |
Arthur P. Bagby | Democratic | 1841 (Special) 1842 |
Incumbent resigned June 16, 1848 to become U.S. Minister to Russia. Successor elected July 1, 1848. Democratic hold. |
√ William R. King (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Arkansas (Class 2) |
William K. Sebastian | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected November 17, 1848.[1] | √ William K. Sebastian (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Iowa (Class 2) |
New State | Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature had failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.[2] First Senator elected December 7, 1848. Democratic gain. |
√ George W. Jones (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
||
| Iowa (Class 3) |
New State | Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature had failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.[2] First Senator elected December 7, 1848. Democratic gain. |
√ Augustus C. Dodge (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
||
| Kentucky (Class 2) |
Thomas Metcalfe | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected January 3, 1849.[3] | √ Thomas Metcalfe (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Michigan (Class 1) |
Thomas Fitzgerald | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired. Successor elected January 20, 1849, but did not take his seat until March 4, 1849. Democratic hold. |
√ Lewis Cass (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Delaware (Class 1) |
John M. Clayton | Whig | 1829 1835 |
Incumbent resigned February 23, 1849 to become U.S. Secretary of State. Successor elected February 23, 1849. Whig hold. |
√ John Wales (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Races leading to the 31st Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1849; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Alabama | William R. King | Democratic | 1848 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1848 or 1849. | √ William R. King (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Arkansas | Solon Borland | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) | Incumbent appointee elected to a full term in November 1848.[4] | √ Solon Borland (Democratic) Ambrose Sevier (Democratic)[4] [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Connecticut | John M. Niles | Democratic | 1842 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1848 or 1849. Whig gain. |
√ Truman Smith (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Florida | James Westcott | Democratic | 1845 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1848. Whig gain. |
√ Jackson Morton (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Georgia | Herschel Vespasian Johnson | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1847.[5] Whig gain. |
√ William Crosby Dawson (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Illinois | Sidney Breese | Democratic | 1843 | Incumbent lost renomination. Winner elected in 1848 or 1849. Democratic hold. |
√ James Shields (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Indiana | Edward A. Hannegan | Democratic | 1842 | Incumbent lost renomination. Winner elected in 1848. Democratic hold. |
√ James Whitcomb (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Kentucky | Thomas Metcalfe | Whig | 1848 (Appointed) ? (Special) |
Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1849. Whig hold. |
√ Henry Clay (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Louisiana | Henry Johnson | Whig | 1844 (Special) | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1848. Democratic gain. |
√ Pierre Soulé (Democratic) Henry Johnson (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Maryland | James Pearce | Whig | 1843 | Incumbent re-elected in 1849. | √ James Pearce (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Missouri | David Rice Atchison | Democratic | 1843 (Appointed) 1843 (Special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1849. | √ David Rice Atchison (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| New Hampshire | Charles G. Atherton | Democratic | 1843 (Special) | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1848 or 1849. Democratic hold. |
√ Moses Norris, Jr. (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| New York | John Adams Dix | Democratic | 1845 (Special) | Incumbent lost re-election as a Free Soiler. Winner elected February 6, 1849. Whig gain. |
√ William H. Seward (Whig) John Adams Dix (Free Soil) Reuben H. Walworth (Democratic) Daniel D. Barnard (Whig) |
| North Carolina | George Badger | Whig | 1846 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1849. | √ George Badger (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Ohio | William Allen | Democratic | 1837 1842 |
Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1849. Free Soil gain. |
√ Salmon P. Chase (Free Soil) Thomas Ewing William Allen (Democratic) Joshua Reed Giddings Reuben Hitchcock Emery D. Potter David T. Disney John C. Vaughn |
| Pennsylvania | Simon Cameron | Democratic | 1845 (Special) | Incumbent retired. Winner elected January 10, 1849. Whig gain. |
√ James Cooper (Whig) 49.62% Richard Brodhead (Democratic) 46.62% Thaddeus Stevens (Free Soil) 2.26% |
| South Carolina | Andrew Butler | Democratic | 1846 (Appointed) ? (Special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1848. | √ Andrew Butler (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Vermont | William Upham | Whig | 1843 | Incumbent re-elected in 1848. | √ William Upham (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Wisconsin | Isaac P. Walker | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent re-elected in 1849. | √ Isaac P. Walker (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Special elections during the 31st Congress
In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1849 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Illinois (Class 3) |
James Shields | Democratic | 1848 or 1849 | Senate voided election March 15, 1849 as incumbent was not to a U.S. citizen long enough as required by the U.S. Constitution. Incumbent was re-elected October 27, 1849, having by then qualified. Democratic hold. |
√ James Shields (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
| Alabama (Class 2) |
Benjamin Fitzpatrick | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) | Unknown if interim appointee retired when successor elected or lost election to finish the term. Winner elected November 30, 1849. Democratic hold. |
√ Jeremiah Clemens (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
Individual elections
New York
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The New York election was held February 6, 1849. Barnburner John Adams Dix had been elected in 1845 to this seat after the resignation of Silas Wright, and Dix's term would expire on March 3, 1849. In November 1848, Dix was the Barnburners/Free-Soilers candidate for Governor of New York, but was defeated by Whig Hamilton Fish.
At this time New York Democratic Party was split in two fiercely opposing factions: the Barnburners" and the "Hunkers". The Barnburners organized the Free Soil Party in 1848 and nominated Martin Van Buren for U.S. President. Due to the split, the Whig Party won most of the elective offices by pluralities.
At the State election in November 1847, 24 Whigs and 8 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1848-1849) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1848, 106 Whigs, 15 Free Soilers and 7 Hunkers were elected to the Assembly for the session of 1849. The 72nd New York State Legislature met from January 2 to April 11, 1849, at Albany, New York.
Ex-Governor of New York William H. Seward was nominated by a caucus of Whig State legislators on February 1, 1849. The vote was 88 for Seward, 12 for John A. Collier, 18 scattering and 4 blanks. The incumbent U.S. Senator John Adams Dix ran for re-election supported by the Free Soilers. Ex-Chancellor Reuben H. Walworth was the candidate of the Hunkers. Walworth had been third place in the last gubernatorial election, behind Fish and Dix. Ex-Congressman Daniel D. Barnard (Whig) received 2 scattering votes in the Senate. William H. Seward was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
| House | Whig | Free Soil | Dem./Hunker | also ran | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) | William H. Seward | 19 | John Adams Dix | 6 | Reuben H. Walworth | 2 | Daniel D. Barnard | 2 |
| State Assembly (128 members) | William H. Seward | 102 | John Adams Dix | 15 | Reuben H. Walworth | 7 | ||
Ohio
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The two houses of the Ohio General Assembly met in joint session February 22, 1849, with 72 representatives and 35 senators present to elect a Senator (Class 3) to succeed incumbent Wiliam Allen. On the fourth ballot, Salmon P. Chase was elected with a majority of the votes cast, as follows:[6]
| Ballot | William Allen | Thomas Ewing | Joshua Reed Giddings | Salmon P. Chase | Reuben Hitchcock | Emery D. Potter | David T. Disney | John C. Vaughn | blank ballots | total votes cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 41 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 106 |
| 2 | 1 | 41 | 8 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 108 |
| 3 | 0 | 39 | 9 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 105 |
| 4 | 0 | 39 | 11 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 106 |
The second ballot was declared a nullity by Speaker of the Senate Brewster Randall, because there were one more ballots cast than members present.
Pennsylvania
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The Pennsylvania election was held January 10, 1849. James Cooper was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.[7]
Incumbent Democrat Simon Cameron, who was elected in 1845, was not a candidate for re-election to another term. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 10, 1849, to elect a new Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1849. Three ballots were recorded. The results of the third and final ballot of both houses combined are as follows:
| State Legislature Results[7] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Whig | James Cooper | 66 | 49.62 | |
| Democratic | Richard Brodhead | 62 | 46.62 | |
| Free Soil | Thaddeus Stevens | 3 | 2.26 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 2 | 1.50 | |
| Totals | 133 | 100.00% | ||
See also
References
- ↑ Byrd, page 164
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Byrd, page 112
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=1595
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=p90RAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA427&dq=%22william+c.+dawson%22&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=CsTkR7TALI-kswO9g9ncBA#v=onepage&q=%22william%20c.%20dawson%22&f=false
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators; pg. 136 for State Senators 1849; pg. 236ff for Members of Assembly 1849)
- Members of the 31st United States Congress
- Result State election, 1847: The Whig Almanac and United States Register for 1848
- Result Whig caucus: The American Whig Review, Vol. 11 by George Hooker Colton & James Davenport Whelpley (page 638)
- Result U.S. Senate election, State Senate: Journal of the Senate (72nd Session) (1849; pg. 167)
- Result U.S. Senate election, State Assembly: Journal of the Assembly (72nd Session) (1849; pg. 355f)
- Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project
