In the 1856 Iowa State Senate elections, Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the sixth Iowa General Assembly. Following the expansion of the Iowa Senate from 31 to 36 seats in 1856, elections were held for 21 of the state senate's 36 seats. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.
The general election took place in 1856.
Following the previous election in 1854, Democrats had control of the Iowa Senate with 17 seats to Whigs' 14 seats. However, three changes occurred during the fifth general assembly. In the first district, Democratic Senator James M. Love resigned on July 1, 1856, causing a vacancy in his seat that was filled by special election. Democrat David Trowbridge Brigham succeeded Senator Love, holding the seat for the Democrats. In the twentieth district, Democratic Senator Theophilus Bryan was originally declared the winner. However, the members of the Iowa Senate voted on January 7, 1855, to remove Senator Bryan and replace him with his Whig opponent, Senator James Cunningham Jordan, thereby flipping the seat to Whig control. In the twenty-fourth district, Democratic Senator John G. Shields died on June 25, 1856, causing a vacancy in his seat. Therefore, by election day in 1856, the Democrats held 15 seats, the Whigs held 15 seats, and one seat was vacant (the seat that had been held by Democratic Senator John Shields).
Prior to the 1856 election, nearly all Whigs switched political party affiliation to become Republicans.
To claim control of the chamber from Democrats, the Republicans needed to garner 19 Senate seats.
Republicans claimed control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1856 general election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 23 seats, Democrats having 12 seats, and a lone seat for the Know Nothing Party (a net gain of 23 seats for Republicans and 1 seat for Know Nothings). This was the first time Democrats lost control of the chamber. Republican Senator William W. Hamilton was chosen as the President of the Iowa Senate for the sixth General Assembly, succeeding Democratic Senator Maturin L. Fisher in that leadership position.
The 1856 general election was the first in which the Iowa Senate's districts expanded to cover all the land area currently recognized as Iowa.
Summary of Results Note: The holdover Senators not up for re-election are not listed on this table.
Senate DistrictIncumbent PartyElected Senator PartyOutcome2nd Milton D. Browning Whig David Trowbridge Brigham DemDem Gain William F. Coolbaugh DemObsolete subdistrict4th William Greyer Coop Dem William F. Coolbaugh Dem Dem Hold John Park Whig Lyman Cook RepRep Gain 5th Alvin Saunders Whig Henry Hoffman Trimble DemDem Gain 6th James C. Ramsey Dem William M. Reed RepRep Gain 7th Daniel A. Anderson Whig Alvin Saunders RepRep Gain 8th Samuel Goslee McAchran Whig James C. Ramsey DemDem Gain 9th Nathan Udell Dem Daniel A. Anderson RepRep Gain 10th James D. Test Dem John Wesley Warner Dem Dem Hold 11th George Washington Lucas Dem Samuel Dale Dem Dem Hold 12th Hiram Thomas Cleaver Dem James D. Test Dem Dem Hold 13th James Latimer Hogin Whig Hiram Thomas Cleaver RepRep Gain 14th John R. Needham Whig Charles Foster RepRep Gain 15th Jefferson David Hillis Whig James Latimer Hogin RepRep Gain 16th Ambrose Cowperthwaite Fulton Whig William A. Loughridge RepRep Gain 17th George W. Wilkinson Whig Jairus Edward Neal DemDem Gain 18th Julius J. Matthews Whig Marquis Lafayette McPherson RepRep Gain 19th Samuel Workman Dem George W. Wilkinson Know NothingKnow Nothing Gain20th Theophilus Bryan DemSamuel Jordan KirkwoodRepRep Gain James Cunningham Jordan Whig 21st Elisha F. Clark Dem Nicholas John Rusch RepRep Gain 22nd Joseph Birge Dem Jonathan Wright Cattell RepRep Gain 23rd Isaac Mosher Preston Dem Julius J. Matthews RepRep Gain 24th Maturin L. Fisher DemWilliam George ThompsonRepRep Gain John G. Shields Dem William W. Hamilton Whig 25thNewly created district George McCoy RepRep Gain 26thNewly created district Josiah Bushnell Grinnell RepRep Gain 27thNewly created district James Cunningham Jordan RepRep Gain 28thNewly created district Jeremiah W. Jenkins RepRep Gain 29thNewly created district Joseph Birge DemDem Gain 30thNewly created district William G. Stewart DemDem Gain 31stNewly created district William W. Hamilton RepRep Gain 32ndNewly created district Henry B. Carter RepRep Gain 33rdNewly created district Aaron Brown RepRep Gain 34thNewly created district Jeremiah T. Atkins RepRep Gain
Source:
Detailed Results NOTE: The Iowa General Assembly does not provide detailed vote totals for Iowa State Senate elections in 1856.
See also Elections in Iowa
External links District boundaries were redrawn before the 1856 general election for the Iowa Senate: Iowa Senate Districts 1852-1855 map Iowa Senate Districts 1856-1859 map
References