1848–49 United States Senate elections

The 1848–49 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. 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 1848 and 1849, 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 3.

The Democratic Party lost seats but maintained control of the Senate.

Results 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 D25Ran D26Ran D27Ran D28Ran D29Ran D30Ran Majority → D31Ran W21Unknown ID1 D38Retired D37Retired D36Retired D35Retired D34Unknown D33Ran D32Ran W20Ran W19Ran W18Ran W17Ran 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 D25Re-elected D26Re-elected D27Re-elected D28Re-elected D29Re-elected D30Hold Majority → D31Hold W21Gain W22Gain W23Gain W24Gain W25Gain ID1 FS1Gain D33Gain D32Hold W20Hold W19Re-elected W18Re-elected W17Re-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: D# Democratic ID# Independent Democratic FS# Free Soil W# Whig V# Vacant

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 Interim appointee elected January 11, 1848. Connecticut(Class 1) Roger S. Baldwin Whig 1847 Interim appointee elected in May 1848. Maine(Class 1) Wyman Bradbury Seavey Moor Democratic 1848 Interim appointee retired. New senator elected.Democratic hold. First ballot Wisconsin(Class 1) None (new state) Wisconsin admitted to the Union May 29, 1848.Senator elected June 8, 1848.Democratic gain. Wisconsin(Class 3) Wisconsin admitted to the Union May 29, 1848.Senator elected June 8, 1848.Democratic gain. Alabama(Class 3) Arthur P. Bagby Democratic 1841 (special)1842 Incumbent resigned June 16, 1848 to become U.S. Minister to Russia.New senator elected July 1, 1848.Democratic hold. Arkansas(Class 2) William K. Sebastian Democratic 1848 Interim appointee elected November 17, 1848. Iowa(Class 2) None (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 30 votes.Senator elected December 7, 1848.Democratic gain. Iowa(Class 3) 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 30 votes.Senator elected December 7, 1848.Democratic gain. Kentucky(Class 3) Thomas Metcalfe Whig 1848 Interim appointee elected January 3, 1849. Michigan(Class 1) Thomas Fitzgerald Democratic 1848 Interim appointee retired.New senator elected January 20, 1849, but did not take his seat until March 4, 1849.Democratic hold. Delaware(Class 1) John M. Clayton Whig 18291835 Incumbent resigned February 23, 1849 to become U.S. Secretary of State.New senator elected February 23, 1849.Whig hold.

Races leading to the 31st Congress In these regular 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. Arkansas Solon Borland Democratic 1848 Incumbent appointee elected to a full term in November 1848. Connecticut John M. Niles Democratic 1842 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1848 or 1849.Whig gain. Florida James Westcott Democratic 1845 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1848.Whig gain. Georgia Herschel V. Johnson Democratic 1848 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1847.Whig gain. Illinois Sidney Breese Democratic 1843 Incumbent lost renomination.New senator elected January 13, 1849.Democratic hold. Indiana Edward A. Hannegan Democratic 1842 Incumbent lost renomination.New senator elected in 1848.Democratic hold. Kentucky Thomas Metcalfe Whig 1848 ? Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected February 1, 1849.Whig hold. Louisiana Henry Johnson Whig 1844 (special) Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected in 1848.Democratic gain. Maryland James Pearce Whig 1843 Incumbent re-elected in 1849. Missouri David Rice Atchison Democratic 1843 1843 (special) Incumbent re-elected in 1849. New Hampshire Charles G. Atherton Democratic 1843 (special) Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1848 or 1849.Democratic hold. New York John Adams Dix Democratic 1845 (special) Incumbent lost re-election as a Free Soiler.New senator elected February 6, 1849.Whig gain. North Carolina George Badger Whig 1846 (special) Incumbent re-elected in 1849. Ohio William Allen Democratic 18371842 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected in 1849.Free Soil gain. Pennsylvania Simon Cameron Democratic 1845 (special) Incumbent retired.New senator elected January 10, 1849.Whig gain. South Carolina Andrew Butler Democratic 1846 ? Incumbent re-elected in 1848. Vermont William Upham Whig 1843 Incumbent re-elected October 31, 1848. Wisconsin Isaac P. Walker Democratic 1848 Incumbent re-elected on January 17, 1849.

Elections during the 31st Congress In these 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 had not been 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. Alabama(Class 2) Benjamin Fitzpatrick Democratic 1848 Interim appointee retired when successor elected or lost election to finish the term.New senator elected November 30, 1849.Democratic hold. California(Class 1) None (new state) California admitted as a state on September 9, 1850.Senator elected December 20, 1849 and seated upon statehood.Democratic gain. California(Class 3) California admitted as a state on September 9, 1850.Senator elected December 20, 1849 and seated upon statehood.Democratic gain.

Individual elections

Maryland

Reverdy Johnson won election in 1844 but retired to become the United States Attorney General. In order to fill his seat, David Stewart was elected by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 1 seat.

James Pearce won re-election by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.

New York

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

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 William Allen. On the fourth ballot, Salmon P. Chase was elected with a majority of the votes cast, as follows:

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

The Pennsylvania election was held January 10, 1849. James Cooper was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

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:

See also 1848 United States elections 1848 United States presidential election 1848–49 United States House of Representatives elections 30th United States Congress 31st United States Congress

Notes

References

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

1848–49 United States Senate elections

Bron en licentie