1858 and 1859 United States Senate elections

The United States Senate elections of 1858 and 1859 were elections which had the Republican Party gain five additional seats in the United States Senate, but the Democrats retained their majority. That majority would erode in 1860 with the secession of the southern states leading up to the Civil War. In Illinois, incumbent Stephen A. Douglas (D) and challenger Abraham Lincoln (R) held a series of seven debates, known as the "Lincoln–Douglas debates."

For related races, see 1858 United States elections.
1858 and 1859 United States Senate elections
Various dates
22 of the 66 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections)
34 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Last election 34 seats 15 seats
Seats before 42 20
Seats won 13 8
Seats after 38 25
Seat change 4 5
Seats up 17 3
  Third party Fourth party
 
Party Know Nothing Other
Last election 2 seats 4 seats
Seats before 4 0
Seats won 0 0
Seats after 2 0
Seat change 2
Seats up 2 0
Majority Party before election


Democratic

 Elected Majority Party


Democratic

U.S. Postage, 1958 issue, commemorating the Lincoln and Douglas debates.

As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 36th Congress (1859-1861)

  • Majority Party: Democratic (38–25)
  • Minority Party: Republican (25–26)
  • Other Parties: American (2)
  • Total Seats: 66–68

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections
D3 D2 D1
D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13
D23 D22 D21 D20 D19 D18 D17 D16 D15 D14
D24 D25 D26
Ran		 D27
Ran		 D28
Ran		 D29
Ran		 D30
Ran		 D31
Ran		 D32
Ran		 D33
Ran
Majority → D34
Ran
KN4
Unknown		 D42
Retired		 D41
Retired		 D40
Retired		 D39
Retired		 D38
Retired		 D37
Ran		 D36
Ran		 D35
Ran
KN3
Unknown		 KN2 KN1 R20
Ran		 R19
Ran		 R18
Ran		 R17 R16 R15 R14
R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13
R3 R2 R1

As a result of the elections
D3 D2 D1
D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13
D23 D22 D21 D20 D19 D18 D17 D16 D15 D14
D24 D25 D26
Re-elected		 D27
Re-elected		 D28
Re-elected		 D29
Re-elected		 D30
Re-elected		 D31
Re-elected		 D32
Re-elected		 D33
Hold
Majority → D34
Hold
R24
Gain		 R25
Gain		 KN1 KN2 V1
D Loss		 D38
Gain		 D37
Gain		 D36
Hold		 D35
Hold
R23
Gain		 R22
Gain		 R21
Gain		 R20
Re-elected		 R19
Re-elected		 R18
Re-elected		 R17 R16 R15 R14
R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13
R3 R2 R1
Key:
D# Democratic
KN# Know Nothing
R# Republican
V# Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 35th Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1858 or in 1859 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party Electoral history
Minnesota
(Class 1)		 New state Minnesota's first senators were elected May 11, 1858.
Democratic gain.		 Y Henry M. Rice (Democratic)
[data unknown/missing]
Minnesota
(Class 2)		 New state Minnesota's first senators were elected May 11, 1858.
Democratic gain.
  • Y James Shields (Democratic)
  • [data unknown/missing]
Oregon
(Class 2)		 New state Oregon's first senators were elected in 1858 in advance of statehood.[1]
Democratic gain.
Oregon
(Class 3)		 New state Oregon's first senators were elected in 1858 in advance of statehood.[1]
Democratic gain.
North Carolina
(Class 3)		 Thomas Clingman Democratic 1858 (Appointed) Interim appointee elected November 23, 1858 to finish the term.[2][3]
  • Y Thomas Clingman (Democratic)
  • [data unknown/missing]
South Carolina
(Class 2)		 Arthur P. Hayne Democratic 1858 (Appointed) Interim appointee retired when successor elected.
Winner elected December 3, 1858.
Democratic hold.
Winner was also elected to the next term, see below.

Races leading to the 36th Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1859; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party Electoral
history
Alabama Clement Claiborne Clay Democratic 1853 (Special) Incumbent re-elected in 1858.
Arkansas William K. Sebastian Democratic 1848 (Appointed)
1848 (Special)
1853		 Incumbent re-elected in 1859.
Delaware Martin W. Bates Democratic 1857 (Special) Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1858.
Democratic hold.
Georgia Robert Toombs Democratic 1852 Incumbent re-elected in 1858.
Illinois Stephen A. Douglas Democratic 1846
1852		 Incumbent re-elected January 5, 1859.
Iowa George Wallace Jones Democratic 1848
1852		 Incumbent lost renomination.
New senator elected January 26, 1858.[5]
Republican gain.
Kentucky John B. Thompson Know Nothing 1852 or 1853 Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.
New senator elected in January 1858.
Democratic gain.
Louisiana Judah P. Benjamin Democratic 1852 Incumbent re-elected in 1859.
Maine William P. Fessenden Republican 1854 (Special) Incumbent re-elected in 1859.
Massachusetts Henry Wilson Republican 1855 (Special) Incumbent re-elected in 1859.
Michigan Charles E. Stuart Democratic 1853 Incumbent retired.
New senator elected in 1858.
Republican gain.
Minnesota James Shields Democratic 1849 (Illinois)
1849 (Illinois: Election voided)
1849 (Illinois: Special)
1855 (Illinois: Lost)
1858 (Minnesota)		 Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected December 15, 1859.[6]
Republican gain.
Mississippi Albert G. Brown Democratic 1854 (Special) Incumbent re-elected in 1859.
New Hampshire John P. Hale Republican 1846
1853 (Retired)
1855		 Incumbent re-elected in 1859.
New Jersey William Wright Democratic 1852 or 1853 Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1858.
Republican gain.
North Carolina David Reid Democratic 1854 Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1858 or 1859.
Democratic hold.
Oregon Delazon Smith Democratic 1859 Incumbent lost re-election.
Legislature failed to elect.
Democratic loss.
Seat would remain vacant until 1860.		 Delazon Smith (Democratic)
[data unknown/missing]
Rhode Island Philip Allen Democratic 1853 Incumbent retired.
New senator elected in 1858.
Republican gain.
South Carolina Arthur P. Hayne Democratic 1858 (Appointed) Interim appointee retired.
New senator elected December 3, 1858.
Democratic hold.
Winner was also elected to finish the current term, see above.
Tennessee John Bell Know Nothing 1847
1853		 Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1858.
Democratic gain.
Texas Sam Houston Democratic 1846
1847
1853		 Incumbent retired.
New senator elected in 1859.
Democratic hold.
  • Y John Hemphill (Democratic)
  • [data unknown/missing]
Virginia Robert M. T. Hunter Democratic 1846
1852		 Incumbent re-elected in 1858.

Race leading to the 37th Congress

In this regular election, the winner was elected for the term beginning March 4, 1861.

This election involved a Class 3 seat.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party Electoral
history
Kentucky
(Class 3)		 John J. Crittenden Know Nothing 1817
1819 (Resigned)
1835
1841 (Retired)
1842 (Appointed)
1842 or 1843 (Special)
1843
1848 (Resigned)
1853		 Incumbent retired.
Winner elected December 12, 1859, far in advance of the term.
Winner wasn't seated until term began March 4, 1861.
Democratic gain.		 Y John C. Breckinridge (Democratic)
[data unknown/missing]

Elections during the 36th Congress

In this election, the winner was elected in 1859 on or after March 4; ordered by date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party Electoral history
Texas
(Class 1)		 Matthias Ward Democratic 1858 (Appointed) Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term.
Winner was elected December 5, 1859.
Democratic hold.		 Y Louis Wigfall (Democratic)
[data unknown/missing]

Illinois
1859 United States Senate election in Illinois
January 5, 1859
 
Nominee Stephen Douglas Abraham Lincoln
Party Democratic Republican
Electoral vote 54 46
Popular vote 211,124[7] 244,242[7]
Percentage 46.4% 53.6%
See also: Lincoln–Douglas debate format

The October surprise of the election was the endorsement of the Democrat Douglas by former Whig John J. Crittenden. Non-Republican former Whigs comprised the biggest block of swing voters, and Crittenden's endorsement of Douglas rather than Lincoln, also a former Whig, reduced Lincoln's chances of winning.[8]

On election day, as the districts were drawn to favor Douglas' party, the Democrats won 40 seats in the state house of Representatives, and the Republicans won 35. In the state senate, Republicans held 11 seats, and Democrats held 14. Stephen A. Douglas was reelected by the legislature, 54–46, even though Lincoln's Republicans won the popular vote with a percentage of 50.6%, or by 3,402 votes.[9] However, the widespread media coverage of the debates greatly raised Lincoln's national profile, making him a viable candidate for nomination as the Republican candidate in the upcoming 1860 presidential election. He would go on to secure both the nomination and the presidency, beating Douglas (as the Northern Democratic candidate), among others, in the process.

Lincoln also went on to be in contact with editors looking to publish the debate texts. George Parsons, the Ohio Republican committee chairman, got Lincoln in touch with Ohio's main political publisher, Follett and Foster, of Columbus. They published copies of the text, and titled the book, Political Debates Between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas in the Celebrated Campaign of 1858, in Illinois. Four printings were made, and the fourth sold 16,000 copies.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Two New Senators". timesmachine.nytimes.com.
  2. Byrd, Robert C.; Wolff, Wendy (October 1, 1993). "The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992" (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office., page 150
  3. "Hon. Thomas L. Clingman--The new Senator from North Carolina". timesmachine.nytimes.com.
  4. Journal of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, 1859. Springfield, IL: Bailache & Baker, Printers. 1859.
  5. Clark, Dan Elbert. History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa: A Study in American Politics. p. 119.
  6. "From Minnesota.; ELECTION OF A UNITED STAES SENATOR--THREATENED IMPEACHMENT OF THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR". timesmachine.nytimes.com.
  7. "IL US Senate 1858". OurCampaigns.com. OurCampaigns. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  8. Guelzo, Allen C. (2008). Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates That Defined America. Pages 273–277, 282.
  9. Guelzo, Allen C. (2008). Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. pp. 284–285.
  10. Guelzo, Allen C. (2008). Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. pp. 305–306.
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