Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in Pennsylvania on October 14, 1828, for the 21st Congress. Members of three different parties were elected to the 21st Congress, the first time in US history that a third party won seats. The new Anti-Masonic Party won a total of 5 seats, 1 of which was in Pennsylvania.
Background In the previous election, 20 Jacksonians and 5 Anti-Jacksonians had been elected with one vacancy, which was filled in a special election by an Anti-Jacksonian, for a total of 20 Jacksonians and 6 Anti-Jacksonians.
Congressional districts Pennsylvania was divided into 18 districts, 6 of which were plural districts The consisted of southern Philadelphia County The consisted of the City of Philadelphia The consisted of northern Philadelphia County The (3 seats) consisted of Chester, Delaware and Lancaster Counties The consisted of Montgomery County The consisted of Dauphin and Lebanon Counties The (2 seats) consisted of Berks, Lehigh, and Schuylkill Counties The (2 seats) consisted of Bucks, Northampton, Pike, and Wayne Counties The (3 seats) consisted of Bradford, Columbia, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKeane, Northumberland, Potter, Susquehanna, and Tioga Counties The consisted of York County The (2 seats) consisted of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and Perry Counties The consisted of Centre, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Union Counties The consisted of Bedford, Cambria, and Somerset Counties The consisted of Fayette and Greene Counties The consisted of Washington County The (2 seats) consisted of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, and Butler Counties The consisted of Indiana, Jefferson, and Westmoreland Counties The consisted of Crawford, Erie, Mercer, Venango, and Warren Counties
Note: Several of these counties covered larger areas than today, having since been divided into smaller counties
Election results 20 incumbents (15 Jacksonians and 5 Anti-Jacksonians) ran for re-election, of whom 12 (all Jacksonians) were re-elected. The incumbents Charles Miner (AJ) of the , George Kremer (J), Espy Van Horne (J), and Samuel McKean (J) of the , John Mitchell (J) of the and Robert Orr, Jr. (J) of the did not run for re-election.
A total of 8 seats changed parties. One seat changed from Jacksonian control to Anti-Masonic control, one changed from Jacksonian to Anti-Jacksonian, and six changed from Anti-Jacksonian to Jacksonian, for a net change of five seats lost by the Anti-Jacksonians, four gained by the Jacksonians, and one gained by the Anti-Masonics.
+1828 United States House election results District Jacksonian Anti-Jacksonian Other Joel B. Sutherland (I) 3,072 74.7% Peter A. Browne 1,038 25.3% Joseph Hemphill 3,569 54.2% John Sergeant (I) 3,012 45.8% Daniel H. Miller (I) 4,497 68.3% Samuel Harvey 2,090 31.7% 3 seats James Buchanan (I) 10,004 17.6% Samuel Anderson (I) 9,023 15.9% Joshua Evans, Jr. 9,932 17.5% Townsend Haines 9,006 15.9% George G. Leiper 9,538 17.4% William Hiester 8,957 15.8% John B. Sterigere (I) 3,275 56.9% Joseph Royer 2,484 43.1% Innis Green (I) 3,129 72.0% Valentine Hummel 1,214 28.0% 2 seats Joseph Fry, Jr. (I) 4,750 31.1% Henry King 3,118 20.4% Henry A. P. Muhlenberg 4,391 28.8% William AddamsChanged parties (I) 2,994 19.6% 2 seats George Wolf (I) 6,736 30.6% James M. Porter 4,387 20.0% Samuel D. Ingham 6,591 30.0% Thomas G. Kennedy 4,273 19.4% 3 seats Philander Stephens 9,331 26.9% John Murray 2,944 8.5% James Ford 9,244 26.6% Chauncey Alford 2,583 7.4% Alem Marr 8,999 25.9% George M. Hollenback 1,632 4.7% Adam King (I) 2,514 63.2% William McIlvine 1,463 36.8% Thomas H. Crawford 6,792 29.9% James Wilson (I) 4,657 20.5% William Ramsey (I) 6,667 29.3% George Chambers 4,635 20.4% John Scott 3,203 44.3% William P. Maclay 2,265 31.3% David H. Huling 1,768 24.4% Chauncey Forward (I) 2,934 51.9% William Piper 2,722 48.1% Thomas Irwin 3,247 56.3% Andrew Stewart (I) 2,523 43.7% William McCreery 2,689 64.8% Joseph Lawrence (I) 1,461 35.2% 2 seats John Gilmore 6,172 29.6% Robert Moore 3,813 18.3% William WilkinsAnti-Masonic 5,133 24.7% James S. Stevenson (I) 4,947 23.8% William AyersParty affiliation unknown 752 3.6% Richard Coulter (I) 4,770 100% Stephen Barlow (I) 3,128 45.7% Thomas H. Sill 3,718 54.3%
Special elections Two special elections were held in 1829 for the 21st Congress. The first was held on October 13, 1829 in the to fill two vacancies caused by the resignations of Samuel D. Ingham (J) and George Wolf (J) before the first meeting of the 21st Congress. Wolf's resignation was due to his having been elected Governor of Pennsylvania. The second was held on December 15, 1829 in the , to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of William Wilkins (AM) on November 9, 1829, before the first session of the 21st Congress began.
+1828 Special elections results District Jacksonian Anti-Masonic 2 seats Peter Ihrie, Jr. 5,602 27.2% Samuel A. Smith 5,168 25.1% Nathaniel B. Eldred 4,993 24.3% George Harrison 4,822 23.4% James S. Stevenson 3,090 42.3% Harmar Denny 4,208 57.7%
No seat changed parties after these special elections.
References 1828 Wilkes University Election Statistics Project