In the 1854 Iowa State Senate elections, Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the fifth Iowa General Assembly. Elections were held for 19 of the state senate's 31 seats. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.

The general election took place in 1854.

Following the previous election in 1852, Democrats had control of the Iowa Senate with 20 seats to Whigs' 11 seats.

To claim control of the chamber from Democrats, the Whigs needed to net 5 Senate seats.

Democrats maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1854 general election with the balance of power shifting to Democrats holding 17 seats and Whigs having 14 seats (a net gain of 3 seats for Whigs). Democratic Senator Maturin L. Fisher was chosen as the President of the Iowa Senate for the fifth General Assembly, succeeding Democratic Senator William E. Leffingwell in that leadership position.

Summary of Results Note: The holdover Senators not up for re-election are not listed on this table.

Senate DistrictIncumbent PartyElected Senator PartyOutcome1st Salmon Cowles Dem Exum Sumner McCulloch Dem Dem Hold James M. Love DemDavid Trowbridge BrighamDemDem HoldVacancy upon Senator Love's resignation. Calvin J. Price Dem William A. Thurston Dem Dem Hold 2nd George Hepner Dem William Findlay Coolbaugh Dem Dem Hold 3rd John Brice Spees Whig Abner Harrison McCrary Whig Whig Hold 5th Archibald McKinney Whig Alvin Saunders Whig Whig Hold 6th John Wesley Hedrick Whig James C. Ramsey DemDem Gain 7th Henry Benham Hendershott Dem Daniel A. Anderson WhigWhig Gain 9th Amos Harris Dem Nathan Udell Dem Dem Hold 10th Hadley Douglas Johnson Dem James D. Test Dem Dem Hold 12th Norman Everson Whig Hiram Thomas Cleaver DemDem Gain 13th Joseph Lowe Dem James Latimer Hogin WhigWhig Gain 16th Eli Snow Wing Dem Ambrose Cowperthwaite Fulton WhigWhig Gain 17th Jonathan Emerson Fletcher Dem George W. Wilkinson WhigWhig Gain 18th William E. Leffingwell Dem Julius J. Matthews WhigWhig Gain 19th George D. Crosthwait Whig Samuel Workman DemDem Gain20thAndrew Young HullDem Theophilus Bryan Dem Dem Hold James Cunningham Jordan WhigWhig Gain 22nd Nathan G. Sales Dem Joseph Birge Dem Dem Hold 24th John G. Shields DemVacancy after Shields' death on June 25, 1856. Warner Lewis Dem William W. Hamilton WhigWhig Gain

Source:

Detailed Results NOTE: The Iowa General Assembly does not provide detailed vote totals for Iowa State Senate elections in 1854.

See also Elections in Iowa

External links District boundaries for the Iowa Senate in 1854: Iowa Senate Districts 1852-1855 map

References