The 1852–53 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with the 1852 presidential election. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1852 and 1853, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2.

The Democratic Party gained two seats in the Senate. Only six of the twenty senators up for election were re-elected.

Results summary Senate party division, 33rd Congress (1853–1855)

Majority party: Democratic (35–38) Minority party: Whig Party (19–17) Other parties: Free Soiler (2–5); American (1) Vacant: 5–1 Total seats: 62

Change in composition Before the elections

D   D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D Majority → D FS FS FS V V D D D D W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W  

As a result of the elections D   D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D Majority → D V V A D D D D D D V FS FS W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W   Key: D Democratic FS Free Soil A American W Whig V Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 32nd Congress In these elections, the winners were seated during 1852 or in 1853 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history California(Class 1) Vacant Legislature had previously failed to elect in 1850–1851.New senator elected January 30, 1852 on the eighth ballot.Democratic gain. Mississippi(Class 2) Henry S. Foote Democratic 1846 or 1847 Incumbent resigned January 8, 1852, to become Governor of Mississippi.New senator elected February 18, 1852.Whig gain.Winner then retired at the end of the term; see below. Walker Brooke (Whig) Mississippi(Class 1) John J. McRae Democratic 1851 Interim appointee replaced by an elected successor.New senator elected March 17, 1852.Democratic hold. Stephen Adams (Democratic) Connecticut(Class 1) Vacant Legislature failed to elect.New senator elected May 12, 1852.Democratic gain. Isaac Toucey (Democratic) South Carolina(Class 2) William F. De Saussure Democratic 1852 Interim appointee elected November 29, 1852.Winner was not elected to the next term; see below. William F. De Saussure (Democratic) Indiana(Class 3) Charles W. Cathcart Democratic 1852 Incumbent retired when elected successor qualified.New senator elected January 18, 1853.Democratic hold. John Pettit (Democratic)

Elections leading to the 33rd Congress In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1853; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoralhistory Alabama Jeremiah Clemens Democratic 1849 Incumbent retired.Legislature failed to elect.Democratic loss.Seat would remain vacant until November 29, 1853; see below. Arkansas William K. Sebastian Democratic 1848 1848 Incumbent re-elected in 1853. William K. Sebastian (Democratic) Delaware Presley Spruance Whig 1846 or 1847 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1853.Whig hold. Georgia Robert M. Charlton Democratic 1852 Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1852.Democratic hold. Robert Toombs (Democratic) Illinois Stephen A. Douglas Democratic 1846 Incumbent re-elected in 1852. Iowa George W. Jones Democratic 1848 Incumbent re-elected in 1852. Kentucky Joseph R. Underwood Whig 1846 or 1847 Incumbent retired.New senator had already been elected early in 1851.Know Nothing gain. Louisiana Solomon W. Downs Democratic 1847 Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1852.Whig gain. Judah P. Benjamin (Whig) Maine James W. Bradbury Democratic 1846 Incumbent retired.Legislature failed to elect.Democratic loss.Seat would remain vacant until 1854. Massachusetts John Davis Whig 18351841 1845 1847 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1853.Whig hold. Edward Everett (Whig) Michigan Alpheus Felch Democratic 1847 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1853.Democratic hold. Mississippi Walker Brooke Whig 1852 Incumbent retired.Legislature failed to elect.Whig loss.Seat would remain vacant until 1854. New Hampshire John P. Hale Free Soil 1846 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected in 1852.Democratic gain. New Jersey Jacob W. Miller Whig 18411846 Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1852 or 1853.Democratic gain. North Carolina Willie Mangum Whig 18301836 1840 1841 Incumbent lost re-election.Leglislature failed to elect.Whig loss.Seat would remain vacant until 1854. Willie Mangum (Whig) Rhode Island John Hopkins Clarke Whig 1846 or 1847 Incumbent retired or lost re-election.Leglislature failed to elect.Whig loss.Seat would remain vacant until July 20, 1853; see below. South Carolina William F. De Saussure Democratic 1852 1852 Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1852 or 1853.Democratic hold. Josiah J. Evans (Democratic) Tennessee John Bell Whig 1847 Incumbent re-elected in 1853. Texas Sam Houston Democratic 18461847 Incumbent re-elected in 1853. Virginia Robert M. T. Hunter Democratic 1846 Incumbent re-elected in 1852.

Elections during the 33rd Congress In these elections, the winners were elected in 1853 on or after March 4; ordered by date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history New Jersey(Class 1) Robert F. Stockton Democratic 1851 Incumbent resigned January 10, 1853, to become president of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company.New senator elected March 4, 1853.Democratic hold. Rhode Island(Class 2) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.New senator elected July 20, 1853.Democratic gain. Philip Allen (Democratic) Alabama(Class 2) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.New senator elected November 29, 1853.Democratic gain. Louisiana(Class 3) Pierre Soulé Democratic 1847 1847 1848 Incumbent resigned to become U.S. Minister to Spain.New senator elected December 5, 1853.Democratic hold. Alabama(Class 3) Benjamin Fitzpatrick Democratic 1848 1849 1853 Interim appointee elected December 12, 1853.

Alabama

Alabama (regular)

The legislature had failed to elect a senator for the other seat, previously held by Democrat Jeremiah Clemens. On November 28, 1853, Democrat Clement Claiborne Clay was elected late to the seat.

Alabama (special, class 3)

On December 20, 1852, Democrat William R. King resigned due to poor health. On January 14, 1853, Democrat Benjamin Fitzpatrick was appointed to continue the term, and he was elected November 28, 1853, to finish the term.

Arkansas

Democratic senator William K. Sebastian had been appointed May 12, 1848, to continue the term, to which he was elected later that year to finish.

Sebastian was re-elected to a full term in 1853.

California (special)

The California legislature had failed to elect a successor to Democrat John C. Frémont in time for the 1851 beginning of the class 1 term.

In fact, this time it took eight ballots for Democrat John B. Weller (71 votes, 80.7%) to be elected January 30, 1852, over Whig Pierson B. Reading (17 votes, 19.3%).

Connecticut (special)

The Connecticut legislature had failed to elect a senator for the term beginning in 1851. Democrat Isaac Toucey was elected in May 1852 to finish the term.

Senate (May 11, 1852)Journal of the Senate of the State of Connecticut, May session 1852, pages 41-42. House (May 12, 1852)

Delaware

First-term Whig Presley Spruance retired and Whig former senator John M. Clayton was elected January 12, 1853.

Clayton received 17 votes and there were 13 blank ballots cast.

Georgia

Second-term Whig John M. Berrien resigned May 28, 1852, and Democrat Robert M. Charlton was appointed May 31, 1852, to finish the term.

Democrat Robert Toombs was elected in 1852 and would serve through re-election in 1858 and until he withdrew in 1861.

Illinois

Two-term Democrat Stephen A. Douglas was re-elected January 5, 1853. He would be re-elected in 1859 and serve until his 1861 death.

Indiana (special)

First term Democrat James Whitcomb died December 4, 1852, and Democrat Charles W. Cathcart was appointed December 6, 1852, pending a special election to finish the term that would end in 1855.

Democrat John Pettit won the January 18, 1853, election.

Iowa

First-term Democrat George Wallace Jones was re-elected to a second term.

He received the Democratic nomination on December 20, 1852, by the narrowest of margins: 30 to 29 votes. The general election was held the next day, December 21, in which Jones easily won.

Kentucky

One-term Whig Joseph R. Underwood retired from the class 2 seat and the American Party Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky John Burton Thompson had already been elected early, December 13, 1851, far in advance of the 1853 term.

Louisiana

Louisiana (regular)

Democrat Solomon W. Downs lost re-election to Whig businessman Judah P. Benjamin in January 1852. Some Whig newspapers thought Benjamin too young and inexperienced at forty, despite his undoubted talent, but the Whig legislative caucus selected him on the second ballot, and he was elected by the legislature.

Louisiana (special)

First-term Democrat Pierre Soulé was appointed U.S. Minister to Spain and resigned April 11, 1853.

Former-Democratic congressman and diplomat John Slidell was elected April 28, 1853.

Slidell would be re-elected in 1858 and serve until he withdrew in 1861.

Maine

First-term Democrat James W. Bradbury retired and the Maine legislature failed to elect his replacement until long after the new Congress began. It wasn't until 1854 that a new senator would be elected.

Massachusetts

Long-time senator Whig John Davis retired. Whig U.S. Secretary of State and former Governor of Massachusetts Edward Everett was elected in 1853.

Everett would resign just one year into his term due to his distaste dealing with the politics of slavery and abolition.

Michigan

First-term Democrat Alpheus Felch retired. Fellow Democratic congressman Charles E. Stuart was elected January 11, 1853, over Whig Mayor of Detroit Zachariah Chandler.

Stuart only served one term, retiring in 1859. Chandler, meanwhile, would be elected to the other seat and serve for three terms.

Mississippi

Mississippi (special, class 1)

Incumbent Democrat Jefferson Davis resigned in 1851 to run for Governor of Mississippi. Democrat John J. McRae was appointed December 1, 1851, to continue Davis's term, pending a special election. Democrat Stephen Adams won the March 17, 1852, special election to finish the term that would continue until 1857.

Mississippi (special, class 2)

Incumbent Democrat Henry S. Foote resigned January 8, 1852, to become Governor of Mississippi. Whig Walker Brooke was elected February 18, 1852, to finish the term that would end the following year.

Mississippi (regular)

Brooke was not a candidate to the next term.

The Mississippi legislature failed to elect a replacement for Brooke, and the seat remained vacant until early 1854.

New Hampshire

Free Soil senator John P. Hale ran for U.S. President, coming in third place in the popular vote, but failing to win any states. He lost to the Democratic fellow-New Hampshire senator Franklin Pierce. He then lost re-election to his senate seat when Democrats took over the New Hampshire legislature in 1852 state elections.

Democratic former-senator Charles G. Atherton was returned to the Senate in Hale's place on November 25, 1852.

Atherton died from pulmonary tuberculosis in the first year of his term.

After Republicans retook the New Hampshire legislature in 1854, Hale was re-elected to finish the term.

New Jersey

New Jersey (regular)

Two-term Whig Jacob W. Miller lost re-election to Democratic former-Congressman William Wright.