In the 1873 Iowa State Senate elections, Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the fifteenth Iowa General Assembly. Elections were held in 23 of the state senate's 50 districts. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.
The general election took place on October 14, 1873.
Following the previous election, Republicans had control of the Iowa Senate with 42 seats to Democrats' eight seats.
To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 18 Senate seats.
Republicans maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1873 general election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 36 seats, Democrats having 10 seats, and four Anti-Monopoly members (a net gain of 2 seats for Democrats and 4 seats for the Anti-Monopoly Party).
Summary of Results Note: Redistricting occurred before the 1873 general election. Any holdover Senators not up for re-election and whose district numbers did not change are unlisted on this table.
Senate DistrictIncumbent PartyElected Senator PartyOutcome 1st Exum Sumner McCulloch Dem Henry W. Rothert RepRep Gain 2nd Jacob Garretson Vale Rep James Blakeny Pease Anti-MonopolyAnti-Monopoly Gain 5th Martin Read Rep Lloyd Selby DemDem Gain 10th Charles Beardsley Rep John Wilson Williams Rep Rep Hold 11th John Patterson West Rep John Patterson West Rep Rep Hold 13th Joseph Henry Merrill Rep Joseph Henry Merrill Rep Rep Hold 14th James Simpson Hurley Rep Hosea N. Newton Anti-MonopolyAnti-Monopoly Gain 16th Samuel McNutt Rep Henry Thornburgh DemDem Gain 17th Joseph W. Havens Rep Lafayette Young Rep Rep Hold 21st Benjamin Franklin Murray Rep Gilbert H. Wood Anti-MonopolyAnti-Monopoly Gain22nd Hans Reimer Claussen RepJeremiah Henry MurphyDemDem Gain Robert Lowry Rep 23rd Alexander Baird Ireland Rep Nathaniel Anson Merrell DemDem Gain 26th James P. Ketcham Rep John Nicholas William Rumple Rep Rep Hold 27th Joseph Dysart Rep Frank T. Campbell Rep Rep Hold 28th Frank T. Campbell Rep Thomas Mitchell Rep Rep Hold 29th Benjamin Franklin Allen Rep Elias Jessup Rep Rep Hold 31st John McKean Rep George W. Lovell Anti-MonopolyAnti-Monopoly Gain 35th Benjamin Billings Richards Dem Dennis Nelson Cooley RepRep Gain 38th John Hooker Leavitt Rep John Conaway Rep Rep Hold 42nd George R. Willett Rep George R. Willett Rep Rep Hold 44th John E. Burke Rep Edward Gee Miller Rep Rep Hold 48th Charles Atkins Rep Hiram Bailey Rep Rep Hold 50thNewly created district George Douglas Perkins RepRep Gain Source:
Detailed Results NOTE: The Iowa Official Register does not contain detailed vote totals for state senate elections in 1873.
See also Elections in Iowa
External links District boundaries in the Iowa Senate were redrawn before the 1873 general election. Iowa Senate Districts 1872-1873 map Iowa Senate Districts 1874-1877 map
References