1836 and 1837 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 25th Congress were held at various dates in different states from July 1836 to November 1837.
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All 242 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives 122 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Though Democrat Martin Van Buren was elected President in November 1836, Democrats lost seats. The newly organizing Whigs benefited from regional candidacies and issues and voter fatigue with outgoing two-term President Andrew Jackson. Jackson, a flamboyant public personality with a record of high-profile leadership and historic military success, often clashed with Congress and the Supreme Court. By comparison, Van Buren, a brilliant partisan organizer and political operative, was less charismatic in looks and demeanor. Voter support for the minor Anti-Masonic and Nullifier parties ebbed, but remained significant. One Independent, John Pope, was elected from Kentucky.[1][2][3]
Election summaries
State | Type | ↑ Date | Total seats |
Anti-Masonic | Democratic [lower-alpha 4] |
Independent | Nullifier | Whig [lower-alpha 5] | |||||
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Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | ||||
Louisiana | Districts | August 1, 1836 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Illinois | Districts | August 1, 1836 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Missouri | At-large | August 1, 1836 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Vermont | Districts | September 6, 1836 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||||
Maine | Districts | September 12, 1836 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Georgia | At-large | October 3, 1836 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
South Carolina | Districts | October 10–11, 1836 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |||||
Ohio | Districts | October 11, 1836 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |||||
Pennsylvania | Districts | October 11, 1836 | 28 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||
Delaware | At-large | November 8, 1836 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
New York | Districts | November 7–9, 1836 | 40 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |||||
Massachusetts | Districts | November 14, 1836 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |||||
New Jersey | At-large | November 16, 1836 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
Late elections (after the March 4, 1837 beginning of the term) | |||||||||||||
New Hampshire | At-large | March 14, 1837 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Connecticut | Districts | April 3, 1837 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Virginia | Districts | April 27, 1837 | 21 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
Maryland | Districts | July 26, 1837 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||||
Tennessee | Districts | August 3, 1837 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |||||
Indiana | Districts | August 7, 1837 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
Kentucky | Districts | August 7, 1837 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 6] | 0 | 11 | |||||
Alabama | Districts | August 8, 1837 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
North Carolina | Districts | August 10, 1837 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
Michigan | At-large | August 22, 1837 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Rhode Island | At-large | August 29, 1837 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Later elections (after the September 4, 1837 beginning of special session) | |||||||||||||
Arkansas | At-large | October 2, 1837 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Mississippi | At-large | November 6–7, 1837[lower-alpha 7] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Total[lower-alpha 8] | 242 | 7 2.9% |
128 52.9% |
1 0.4% |
6 2.5% |
100 41.3% |
Special elections
There were special elections in 1836 and 1837 to the 24th United States Congress and 25th United States Congress.
Special elections are sorted by date then district.
24th Congress
Note: In some sources, parties are listed as "Democrats" and "Whigs." However, they are listed here as "Jacksonian" and "Anti-Jacksonian" (respectively) to conform to the party names as they were regarded during the 24th United States Congress.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Connecticut at-large | Zalmon Wildman | Jacksonian | 1835 | Incumbent died December 10, 1835. New member elected in early 1836. Jacksonian hold. Successor seated April 29, 1836.[5] Successor also later elected to the next term, see below. |
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Connecticut at-large | Andrew T. Judson | Jacksonian | 1835 | Incumbent resigned July 4, 1836 to become judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. New member elected in mid-to-late 1836. Jacksonian hold. Successor seated December 5, 1836.[5] Successor also later elected to the next term, see below. |
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North Carolina 12 | James Graham | Jacksonian | 1833 | Seat declared vacant March 29, 1836. Incumbent re-elected August 4, 1836.[7] Anti-Jacksonian gain. Incumbent seated December 5, 1836.[5] Incumbent also later elected to the next term, see below. |
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South Carolina 4 | James H. Hammond | Nullifier | 1834 | Incumbent resigned February 26, 1836 because of ill-health. New member elected October 10, 1836.[8] Nullifier hold. Successor seated December 19, 1836.[5] Successor also elected the same day to the next term, see below. |
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Pennsylvania 24 | John Banks | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Incumbent resigned March 31, 1836. New member elected October 11, 1836.[9] Anti-Jacksonian gain. Successor seated December 5, 1836.[5] Successor was not a candidate the same day for the next term, see below. |
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South Carolina 8 | Richard I. Manning | Jacksonian | 1834 (Special) | Incumbent died May 1, 1836. New member elected October 11, 1836.[11] Jacksonian hold. Successor seated December 19, 1836.[5] Successor elected the same day for the next term, see below. |
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Georgia at-large | John E. Coffee | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent died September 25, 1836. New member elected October 30, 1836.[12] Nullifier gain. Successor seated December 26, 1836.[5] Successor had already been elected to the next term, see below. |
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Pennsylvania 13 | Jesse Miller | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent resigned October 30, 1836. New member elected November 4, 1836.[13] Jacksonian hold. Successor seated December 5, 1836.[5] Successor had not been a candidate for the next term, see below. |
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Mississippi at-large | David Dickson | Jacksonian | 1835 | Incumbent died July 31, 1836. New member elected November 7, 1836.[14] Jacksonian hold. Successor seated January 7, 1837.[5] Successor was not later elected to the next term, see below. |
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New York 17 | Samuel Beardsley | Jacksonian | 1830 | Incumbent resigned March 29, 1836. New member elected November 7–9, 1836.[15] Jacksonian hold. Successor seated December 5, 1836.[5] Successor was not a candidate the same day for the next term, see below. |
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New York 30 | Philo C. Fuller | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent resigned September 2, 1836. New member elected November 9, 1836.[16] Anti-Jacksonian gain. Successor seated December 6, 1836.[5] Successor was not a candidate the same day for the next term, see below. |
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New Jersey at-large | Philemon Dickerson | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent resigned November 3, 1836 to become Governor of New Jersey. New member elected November 15–16, 1836.[17] Anti-Jacksonian gain. Successor seated December 5, 1836.[5] Successor was not a candidate the same day for the next term, see below. |
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Georgia at-large | George W. Towns | Jacksonian | 1834 | Incumbent resigned September 1, 1836. New member elected January 2, 1837.[18] Anti-Jacksonian gain. Successor seated January 31, 1837.[5] Successor had already lost election to the next term, see below. |
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Indiana 6 | George L. Kinnard | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent died November 26, 1836. New member elected January 2, 1837. Anti-Jacksonian gain.[19] Successor seated January 25, 1837.[5] Successor also later elected to the next term, see below. |
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25th Congress
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Pennsylvania 3 | Francis J. Harper | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent died March 18, 1837, having just been seated as a new member. New member elected June 29, 1837. Whig gain. Successor seated September 4, 1837.[20] |
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Mississippi at-large | John F. H. Claiborne | Democratic | 1835 | Mississippi elected its members in November of odd numbered years (after the beginning of the congressional term). As Congress had been called to meet in September, the governor issued writs for a special election to fill vacancies until the regular election. Incumbents re-elected July 18, 1837. Democratic hold. Incumbent successors presented their credentials and were seated September 4, 1837.[20] At their request the question of the validity of their election was referred to the Committee on Elections. The House decided October 3, 1837 they had been elected for the full term.[lower-alpha 9] |
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Samuel J. Gholson | Democratic | 1836 (Special) | |||
Tennessee 4 | James I. Standifer | Whig | 1823 1825 (Lost) 1827 (Lost) 1829 |
Incumbent died August 20, 1837. New member elected September 14, 1837.[22] Whig hold. Successor seated October 6, 1837.[20] |
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Ohio 17 | Andrew W. Loomis | Whig | 1836 | Incumbent resigned October 20, 1837. New member elected November 30, 1837.[23] Whig hold. Successor seated December 20, 1837.[20] |
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Alabama
Arkansas
24th Congress
The new state of Arkansas was admitted to the Union on June 15, 1836 and elected its sole at-large member August 1, 1836. He was seated December 5, 1836,[5] to finish the term that would end the following March.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Arkansas at-large | New seat | New member elected.[24] Jacksonian gain. Same member also later elected to the next term, see below. |
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25th Congress
Arkansas elected its member October 2, 1837, this time for a full term.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Arkansas at-large | Archibald Yell | 1836 | Jacksonian | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Connecticut
Connecticut went from six at-large seats to six districts for the first time. Elections were held April 3, 1837, after the new term began but before the Congress convened. All incumbents from the at-large district were re-elected in districts. [data unknown/missing]
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
A special election was held in Mississippi on July 17–18, 1837. Its winners were Democrats John F. H. Claiborne and Samuel J. Gholson. The first session of the 25th Congress was a special session beginning on September 4, 1837, extending to October 16. In November, Mississippi held the regular election. Seargent Smith Prentiss, a Vicksburg lawyer and Whig, unexpectedly launched a vigorous, partisan campaign. He and fellow Whig Thomas J. Word won in an upset. Claiborne and Gholson then argued that the July result entitled them to serve full terms. With the Whig Party newly organizing, the closely divided House, in which Anti-Masons, Nullifiers, and the Independent tended to align more with Whigs and to oppose Democrats, agreed to hear Prentiss. He spoke for nine hours over three days, packing the gallery, drawing Senators, and earning a national reputation for oratory and public admiration from leading Whigs including Senators Clay and Webster. The Elections Committee then required a third election. Scheduled for April 1838, it confirmed the November result. Both Whigs were seated in May late in the second session, also serving for the third session.
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[lower-alpha 10][26] | |
Pennsylvania 1 | Joel B. Sutherland | Jacksonian | 1826 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic hold. |
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Pennsylvania 2 Plural district with 2 seats |
Joseph R. Ingersoll | Anti-Jacksonian | 1834 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig gain. |
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James Harper | Anti-Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig gain. | ||
Pennsylvania 3 | Michael W. Ash | Jacksonian | 1834 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. Harper died March 18, 1837, leading to a special election, which was won by Naylor. |
|
Pennsylvania 4 Plural district with 3 seats |
William Hiester | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Anti-Masonic hold. |
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Edward Darlington | Anti-Masonic | 1832 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
David Potts Jr. | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
Pennsylvania 5 | Jacob Fry Jr. | Jacksonian | 1834 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. |
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Pennsylvania 6 | Mathias Morris | Anti-Jacksonian | 1834 | Incumbent re-elected as a Whig. |
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Pennsylvania 7 | David D. Wagener | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. |
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Pennsylvania 8 | Edward B. Hubley | Jacksonian | 1834 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. |
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Pennsylvania 9 | Henry A. P. Muhlenberg | Jacksonian | 1828 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. |
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Pennsylvania 10 | William Clark | Anti-Masonic | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 11 | Henry Logan | Jacksonian | 1834 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. |
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Pennsylvania 12 | George Chambers | Anti-Masonic | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 13 | Jesse Miller | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 14 | Joseph Henderson | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 15 | Andrew Beaumont | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 16 | Joseph B. Anthony | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 17 | John Laporte | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 18 | Job Mann | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Anti-Masonic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 19 | John Klingensmith Jr. | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. |
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Pennsylvania 20 | Andrew Buchanan | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. |
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Pennsylvania 21 | Thomas M. T. McKennan | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Pennsylvania 22 | Harmar Denny | Anti-Masonic | 1829 (Special) | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Anti-Masonic hold. |
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Pennsylvania 23 | Samuel S. Harrison | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania 24 | John Banks | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Incumbent resigned April 2, 1836. New member elected. Anti-Masonic hold. |
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Pennsylvania 25 | John Galbraith | Jacksonian | 1832 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Rhode Island
South Carolina
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
South Carolina 1 | |||||
South Carolina 2 | |||||
South Carolina 3 | |||||
South Carolina 4 | James H. Hammond | Nullifier | 1834 | Incumbent resigned February 26, 1836 because of ill-health. New member elected October 10, 1836. Nullifier hold. Successor also elected the same day to finish the current term. |
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South Carolina 5 | |||||
South Carolina 6 | |||||
South Carolina 7 | |||||
South Carolina 8 | |||||
South Carolina 9 |
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
See also
- 1836 United States elections
- List of United States House of Representatives elections, 1824–54
- 1836 United States presidential election
- 1836 and 1837 United States Senate elections
- 24th United States Congress
- 25th United States Congress
Notes
- Not including special elections
- Ran under the Southern Rights label.
- Elected as an Independent: John Pope, member from Kentucky.
- Previously Jacksonian
- Previously Anti-Jacksonian
- John Pope won as an Independent and would run later as a Whig.
- After a disputed result, an April 23–24, 1838 second election confirmed the result of regular election.
- Does not include state results listed above due to special election and Independent Representative.[4]
- The decision was later recinded, leading to a new special election.
- For plural districts, percent is based on assumption that each voter cast as many votes as there are seats.
- Changed parties
- Joint Whig/Anti-Masonic ticket
References
- Dubin, p. 117.
- Martis, p. 94.
- Moore, p. 966.
- "Error Document". history.house.gov.
- "Twenty-Fourth Congress March 4, 1835, to March 3, 1837". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- Guide to U.S. Elections, p. 566
- "NC District 12 - Special Election". December 15, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "SC - District 04 Special Election". November 17, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "PA District 24 - Special Election". June 2, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- Dubin, p. 113.
- "SC - District 09 Special Election". November 19, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "GA At-Large - Special Election". February 15, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "PA District 13 - Special Election". January 10, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "MS - At Large Special Election". February 5, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "NY District 17 - Special Election". April 22, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details". bioguideretro.congress.gov.
- "NJ At-Large - Special Election". February 13, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "GA At-Large - Special Election". February 15, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "IN - District 06 Special Election". January 23, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "Twenty-fifth Congress March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1839". Historian of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- http://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/rep/Congress%201836.pdf
- "TN - District 04 Special Election". February 10, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "OH District 17 - Special Election". May 8, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "AR - At Large - Initial Election". October 28, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "AR At-Large". Retrieved May 18, 2020 – via OurCampaigns.com.
- "Wilkes University Elections Statistics Project" (PDF).
- "SC - District 04". November 17, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via OurCampaigns.com.
Bibliography
- Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
- Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
- "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
External links
- Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)