In the 1845 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the eighth and final Iowa Territory Council before Iowa attained statehood in 1846. All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected, and councilors served until the organization of the Iowa General Assembly in 1846 as the legislative branch of the new state of Iowa.
The Iowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the Union as a state. At that time, the Iowa Territory had a Legislative Assembly consisting of an upper chamber (i.e., the Territory Council) and a lower chamber (i.e., the Territory House of Representatives). Since lowa attained statehood in 1846, the General Assembly has served as the legislative branch of Iowa. The Territory Council was the predecessor to the Iowa State Senate, the upper chamber of the Iowa state legislature.
Following the previous election in 1844, the Democrats held a majority with 11 seats compared to the Whigs' two seats.
To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net five seats from Democrats.
After the 1845 general election, the Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Council, with the balance of power unchanged, with Democrats holding 11 seats and Whigs having two seats. Democratic Councilor Stephen P. Hempstead was elected as the President of the eighth Territory Council to succeed Democratic Councilor Serranus Clinton Hastings in that leadership position.
Summary of results Iowa Territory Council DistrictIncumbent PartyElected Councilor PartyOutcome1st James Brierly Dem James Brierly Dem Dem Hold John Thompson Dem John Thompson Dem Dem Hold2nd Paul Brattain Dem Paul Brattain Dem Dem Hold Henry M. Shelby Dem Henry M. Shelby Dem Dem Hold 3rd Shepherd Leffler Dem Shepherd Leffler Dem Dem Hold 4th John Stephenson Whig John Stephenson Whig Whig Hold 5th William Greyer Coop Dem William Greyer Coop Dem Dem Hold 6th Enoch Ross Whig Enoch Ross Whig Whig Hold 7th Serranus Clinton Hastings Dem Serranus Clinton Hastings Dem Dem Hold 8th William Abbe Dem William Abbe Dem Dem Hold 9th Laurel Summers Dem Laurel Summers Dem Dem Hold10th Philip Burr Bradley Dem Philip Burr Bradley Dem Dem Hold Stephen Hempstead Dem Stephen Hempstead Dem Dem Hold
Source:
Detailed results NOTE: The Iowa General Assembly does not contain detailed vote totals for Territory Council elections in 1845.
See also Elections in Iowa
References
External links District boundaries for the Iowa Territory Council in 1845: Iowa Territory Council Districts 1845-1846 map