In the 1897 Iowa State Senate elections Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the twenty-seventh Iowa General Assembly. Elections were held in 21 of the state senate's 50 districts. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.
A statewide map of the 50 state Senate districts in the 1897 elections is provided by the Iowa General Assembly here.
The 1897 elections occurred before primary elections were established in Iowa by the Primary Election Law in 1907. The general election took place on November 2, 1897.
Following the previous election, Republicans had control of the Iowa Senate with 43 seats to Democrats' 7 seats.
To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 19 Senate seats.
Republicans maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1897 general election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 39 seats and Democrats having 11 seats (a net gain of 4 seats for Democrats).
Summary of Results Note: The holdover Senators not up for re-election are not listed on this table.
Senate DistrictIncumbent PartyElected Senator PartyOutcome 1st John Downey Dem David Arthur Young Dem Dem Hold 7th William Eaton Rep William Eaton Rep Rep Hold 9th Thomas G. Harper Dem William Corse McArthur RepRep Gain 10th David James Palmer Rep David James Palmer Rep Rep Hold 12th John A. Riggen Rep William Robinson Lewis Rep Rep Hold 13th Harrison Lyman Waterman Rep William Anderson McIntire DemDem Gain 18th Julian Phelps Rep Joseph Martin Emmert DemDem Gain 20th Charles Albert Carpenter Rep George Marion Titus Rep Rep Hold 21st Charles G. Hipwell Dem William C. Hayward RepRep Gain 22nd Lyman A. Ellis Rep John Lowry Wilson DemDem Gain 29th Joseph R. Gorrell Rep Joseph R. Gorrell DemDem Gain 30th Thomas Abbott Cheshire Rep Thomas Abbott Cheshire Rep Rep Hold 34th Rudolph C. H. Lehfeldt Rep Lemuel Rose Bolter DemDem Gain 35th Robert Bonson Dem Francis Edward Malloy Dem Dem Hold 37th John English Rowen Rep Joseph Wallace Rep Rep Hold 38th Elbert Marion Sargent Rep Charles W. Mullan Rep Rep Hold 42nd Clark C. Upton Rep Dennis Aloysius Lyons DemDem Gain 44th William Burton Perrin Rep William Burton Perrin Rep Rep Hold 45th Emlen G. Penrose Rep Emlen G. Penrose Rep Rep Hold 48th Warren Garst Rep Warren Garst Rep Rep Hold 50th George W. Henderson Rep Parley Finch Rep Rep Hold
Source:
Detailed Results NOTE: The Iowa Official Register does not contain detailed vote totals for state senate elections in 1897.
See also Elections in Iowa
References