1850 and 1851 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 32nd Congress were held at various dates in different states from August 1850 to November 1851. The Democrats gained 17 seats, increasing their majority relative to the rival Whigs, who lost 22 seats.
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All 233 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives 117 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Whig President Millard Fillmore, who succeeded to the Presidency in July 1850 after the death of Zachary Taylor, lacked a strong political base. Sectionalism and slavery were increasingly prominent, but not yet politically critical, issues. The Compromise of 1850 was a short-term success in beginning the constructive disposal of the Mexican Cession, but the admission of California as the 31st state augured a future free-soil West. Lingering Southern unhappiness with the results of the Compromise and a sense of foreboding helped motivate later sectional and political conflict over Kansas.
The Unionist Party, formed in support of the Compromise of 1850, gained 10 seats in the South, as did the States' Rights Party. The abolitionist Free Soil Party lost five seats and was reduced to four Representatives, all in New England.
Election summaries
130 | 7 | 10 | 86 |
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Democratic | [lower-alpha 4] | [lower-alpha 5] | Whig |
State | Type | Date | Total seats |
Democratic | Free Soil | States' Rights | Unionist | Whig | |||||
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Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | ||||
Iowa | District | August 5, 1850 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Missouri | District | August 5, 1850 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||
Vermont | District | September 3, 1850 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||
Maine | District | September 9, 1850 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Florida | At-large | October 7, 1850 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Ohio | District | October 8, 1850 | 21 | 11[lower-alpha 6] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||||
Pennsylvania | District | October 8, 1850 | 24[lower-alpha 7] | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||||
South Carolina | District | October 14–15, 1850 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Illinois | District | November 5, 1850 (Election Day)[lower-alpha 8] |
7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Michigan | District | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||
New Jersey | District | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
New York | District | 34 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | ||||||
Wisconsin | District | 3 | 2[lower-alpha 6] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Massachusetts | District | November 11, 1850 | 10[lower-alpha 9] | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
Delaware | At-large | November 12, 1850 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Late elections (after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term) | |||||||||||||
New Hampshire | District | March 11, 1851 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Rhode Island | District | April 2, 1851 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Connecticut | District | April 7, 1851 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Alabama | District | August 4, 1851 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||||
Arkansas | At-large | August 4, 1851 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Indiana | District | August 4, 1851 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Kentucky | District | August 4, 1851 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||||
Texas | District | August 4, 1851 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
North Carolina | District | August 7, 1851 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
Tennessee | District | August 7, 1851 | 11 | 7[lower-alpha 6] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||||
California | At-large | September 3, 1851 | 2[lower-alpha 10] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Maryland | District | October 1, 1851 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 11] | |||||
Georgia | District | October 6, 1851 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |||||
Virginia | District | October 23, 1851 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Mississippi | District | November 3–4, 1851 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |||||
Louisiana | District | November 4, 1851 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||
Total | 233 | 130[lower-alpha 12] 55.8% |
4 1.7% |
3 1.3% |
10 4.3% |
86[lower-alpha 11] 36.9% |
One district in Massachusetts had been vacant in the 31st Congress. No new seats were added. The previous election had 1 Know-Nothing and 1 Independent
Special elections
31st Congress
32nd Congress
Alabama
Arkansas
California
California's members were elected late, at-large statewide, September 3, 1851. There were nevertheless seated with the rest of the House at the beginning of the first session.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
California at-large 2 seats on a general ticket |
George W. Wright | Independent | 1849 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Edward Gilbert | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold. |
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Florida's single at-large member was elected October 7, 1850.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Florida at-large | Edward C. Cabell | Whig | 1846 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Wisconsin
District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates[3] |
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Wisconsin 1 | Charles Durkee | Free Soil | 1848 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 2 | Orsamus Cole | Whig | 1848 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Wisconsin 3 | James Duane Doty | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent won re-election as an independent. Independent Democratic gain. |
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Non-voting delegates
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Delegate | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Minnesota Territory | Henry Hastings Sibley | Democratic | 1848 (Wisconsin Territory: Special) 1849 (Wisconsin Territory: Eliminated) 1849 (Minnesota Territory) |
Incumbent re-elected. |
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New Mexico Territory | New seat | New seat created. New delegate elected. Democratic gain. |
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Oregon Territory | Samuel Thurston | Democratic | 1849 (New seat) | Incumbent died April 9, 1851. New delegate elected June 2, 1851.[4] Democratic hold. |
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Utah Territory | New seat | New seat created. New delegate elected. Independent gain. |
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See also
- 1850 United States elections
- List of United States House of Representatives elections, 1824–54
- 1850 and 1851 United States Senate elections
- 31st United States Congress
- 32nd United States Congress
Notes
- Includes two Unionist Whigs, three Unionist Democrats, and nine Unionists.
- Includes one Secessionist Democrat, one Secessionist Whig, three Southern Rights Democrats, and three Southern Rightists.
- Includes two Independent Democrats, one Benton Democrat and one Independent Whig.
- Free Soil had 4 seats and States' Rights had 3.
- Unionist had 10 seats.
- Includes one Independent Democrat.
- There was 1 Know-Nothing in the 31st Congress.
- In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform date for choosing presidential electors.[1] Congressional elections were unaffected by this law, but the date was gradually adopted by the states for Congressional elections as well.
- One seat, Massachusetts's 4th congressional district, had been vacant during the entire 31st Congress.
- There was 1 Independent in the 31st Congress.
- Includes 1 Independent Whig.
- Includes three Independent Democrats from Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
References
- Statutes at Large, 28th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 721
- https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=115023
- "Wisconsin Congressional election 1850 / Official". Wisconsin Argus. December 17, 1850. p. 2. Retrieved May 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Documents/elections/history-officials.pdf
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)