1820–21 United States House of Representatives elections explained

Election Name:	1820–21 United States House of Representatives elections
Country:	United States
Flag Year:	1820
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1818–19 United States House of Representatives elections
Next Election:	1822–23 United States House of Representatives elections
Majority Seats:	94
Election Date:	July 3, 1820 – August 10, 1821
Party1:	Democratic-Republican Party
Image1:	PPBarbour.jpg
Last Election1:	160 seats
Seats1:	155
Seat Change1:	5
Party2:	Federalist Party
Last Election2:	26 seats
Seats2:	32
Seat Change2:	6

Before Party:	Democratic-Republican Party
After Party:	Democratic-Republican Party

The 1820–21 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between July 3, 1820, and August 10, 1821. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 17th United States Congress convened on December 3, 1821. They coincided with President James Monroe winning reelection unopposed.

In March 1820, seven House seats transferred from Massachusetts to Maine after the latter seceded from the former to become a separate state. The size of the House then increased to 187 seats after Missouri achieved statehood in 1821.

The virtually nonpartisan Era of Good Feelings, a period of national political dominance by the Democratic-Republican Party, continued. Despite small gains, the Federalist Party remained relegated to limited state and local influence.

Election summaries

One seat was added during this Congress for the new State of Missouri

State	Type	↑ Date	Total seats	Federalist
State	Type	↑ Date	Total seats	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Louisiana	At-large	July 3–5, 1820	1	1		0
Illinois	At-large	August 7, 1820	1	1		0
Indiana	At-large	August 7, 1820	1	1		0
Kentucky	Districts	August 7, 1820	10	10		0
Mississippi	At-large	August 7–8, 1820	1	1		0
New Hampshire	At-large	August 18, 1820	6	6		0
Missouri	At-large	August 28, 1820	1	1	1	0
Rhode Island	At-large	August 29, 1820	2	2		0
Vermont	District	September 5, 1820	6	6		0
Georgia	At-large	October 2, 1820	6	6		0
Maryland	Districts	October 2, 1820	9	6		3
Delaware	At-large	October 3, 1820	2	1		1
South Carolina	Districts	October 9–10, 1820	9	9		0
Ohio	Districts	October 10, 1820	6	6	1	0	1
Pennsylvania	Districts	October 10, 1820	23	15	4	8	4
Massachusetts	Districts	November 6, 1820	13	6	1	7	1
Maine	Districts	November 7, 1820	7	5	1	2	1
New Jersey	At-large	November 7, 1820	6	6		0
Late elections (after the March 4, 1821, beginning of the term)
Virginia	Districts	April 1821	23	21	1	2	1
Connecticut	At-large	April 2, 1821	7	7		0
New York	Districts	April 24–26, 1821	27	19	2	8	2
Alabama	At-large	August 5–6, 1821	1	1		0
North Carolina	Districts	August 9, 1821	13	12	2	1	2
Tennessee	Districts	August 9–10, 1821	6	5	1	0
Total			187	155	5	32	6

Special elections

There were special elections in 1820 and 1821 to the 16th United States Congress and 17th United States Congress.

Special elections are sorted by date then district.

16th Congress

|-! | James Pleasants| | Democratic-Republican| 1817| | Incumbent resigned December 14, 1819, when elected U.S. Senator.
New member elected January 3, 1820.^[1]
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor seated January 18, 1820.
Successor later re-elected in the April 1821 election to the next term; see below.| nowrap |

|-! | John Condit| | Democratic-Republican| 1818| | Incumbent resigned November 4, 1819, to become assistant collector of the Port of New York.^[2]
New member elected February 2, 1820.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor seated February 16, 1820.^[2]
Successor was not a candidate in the November 7, 1820, election for the next term; see below.| nowrap |

|-! | George F. Strother| | Democratic-Republican| 1817| | Incumbent resigned February 10, 1820, to become as Receiver of Public Monies in St. Louis, Missouri.
New member elected in August 1820.^[3]
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor seated November 13, 1820.^[2]
Successor later re-elected in the April 1821 election to the next term; see below.| nowrap |

|-! | James Pindall| | Federalist| 1817| | Incumbent resigned July 6, 1820.
New member elected sometime in 1820.^[4]
Democratic-Republican gain.
Successor seated November 13, 1820.^[2]
Successor later re-elected in the April 1821 election to the next term; see below.| nowrap |

|-! | James Johnson| | Democratic-Republican| 1813| | Incumbent resigned when appointed as collector of customs in Norfolk.
New member elected sometime in 1820.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor seated November 13, 1820.^[2]
Successor later lost re-election in the April 1821 election to the next term; see below.| nowrap |

|-! | Edward Dowse| | Democratic-Republican| 1818| | Incumbent resigned.
New member elected August 21, 1820.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor later re-elected in the November 6, 1820, election to the next term; see below.
Successor seated November 13, 1820.^[2] | nowrap |

|-! | David Fullerton| | Democratic-Republican| 1818| | Incumbent resigned May 15, 1820.
New member elected October 10, 1820.
Federalist gain.
Successor was not a candidate in the same day's election for the next term; see below.
Successor seated November 13, 1820.^[2] | nowrap |

|-! | Jonathan Mason| | Federalist| 1817 | | Incumbent resigned May 15, 1820, to pursue his law practice.
New member elected on the second ballot November 6, 1820.
Democratic-Republican gain.
Successor also elected the same day to the next term; see below.
Successor seated November 27, 1820.^[2] | nowrap |

|-! | John Holmes| | Democratic-Republican| 1816| | Incumbent's seat moved from but incumbent resigned when elected U.S. Senator.
New member elected November 7, 1820.
Federalist gain.
Successor also elected the same day in the to the next term; see below.
Successor seated December 11, 1820.^[2] | nowrap |

|-! | Joseph Hiester| | Democratic-Republican| 1798
1804
1814| | Incumbent resigned in December 1820 when elected Governor of Pennsylvania.
New member elected December 10, 1820.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor had not been a candidate in the October 10, 1820, election for the next term; see below.
Successor seated January 8, 1821.^[2] | nowrap |

|-! | Jesse Slocumb| | Democratic-Republican| 1817| | Incumbent died December 20, 1820.
New member elected February 7, 1821.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor seated February 7, 1821.^[2]
Successor later re-elected in the August 9, 1821, election to the next term; see below.| nowrap |

17th Congress

Alabama

See main article: 1821 United States House of Representatives election in Alabama.

Alabama elected its member August 5–6, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.

Arkansas Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Connecticut

See main article: 1821 United States House of Representatives election in Connecticut.

Connecticut elected its members April 2, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.

Delaware

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware.

Delaware elected its members October 3, 1820.

Georgia

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Georgia.

Georgia elected its members October 2, 1820.

Illinois

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Illinois.

Illinois elected its member August 7, 1820.

Indiana

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Indiana.

Indiana elected its member August 7, 1820.

Kentucky

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky.

Kentucky elected its members August 7, 1820.

Louisiana

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Louisiana.

Louisiana elected its member July 3–5, 1820.

Maine

See main article: 1820–1821 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine.

See also: 1820 Maine's 1st congressional district special election and List of United States representatives from Maine. This was the first election in Maine since its separation from Massachusetts. In the previous election, Massachusetts had had 20 representatives. Seven seats (representing the -) were reassigned from Massachusetts to Maine. In addition, under the terms of the law which admitted Maine to the union, any vacancies in the 16th Congress by Representatives elected to represent Massachusetts but residing in the new states of Maine would be filled by a resident of Maine.^[2] John Holmes, who had been elected to the House for the former was elected as one of the first two senators for Maine. The vacancy was filled in a special election by Joseph Dane (Federalist). Dane was the only Representative officially considered as representing Maine in the 16th Congress. The Representatives from the 15th-20th districts were still classified as being from Massachusetts for the remainder of the 16th Congress.

Maine elected its members on November 7, 1820. State law required a majority to win an election, necessitating additional ballots if a majority was not received. And, in fact, additional ballots were held on January 22, 1821, and September 10, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.

Maryland

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland.

Maryland elected its members October 2, 1820.

Massachusetts

See main article: 1820–1821 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts.

This was the first election in Massachusetts after the separation of the former District of Maine as the new State of Maine, taking the old – districts with it.

Massachusetts elected its members November 6, 1820. Massachusetts had a majority requirement for election, which was not met in the necessitating two additional elections on January 8, 1821, and April 16, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.

District numbers differed between source used and elsewhere on Wikipedia; district numbers used elsewhere on Wikipedia used here.

Michigan Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Mississippi

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Mississippi.

Mississippi elected its member August 7–8, 1820.

Missouri

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Missouri.

Missouri was admitted to the union on August 10, 1821,^[5] but elections had been held August 28, 1820.

New Hampshire

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire elected its members August 18, 1820.

New Jersey

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in New Jersey.

New Jersey elected its members November 7, 1820. There were an unusually large number of candidates, 119 candidates according to one contemporary newspaper.^[6] Some candidates ran under an "Anti-Caucus" ticket. Only 1 of the 6 six incumbents would serve in the next term, as 4 retired and 1 died after re-election.

New York

See main article: 1821 United States House of Representatives elections in New York.

New York elected its members April 24–26, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened. The, previously a plural district with two seats, was divided into two single-member districts for the 17th Congress, the 21st and .

The Democratic-Republican party in New York was divided between "Bucktails" and "Clintonians". The Clintonians ran on a joint ticket with the remaining Federalists. In a few cases, marked as "Clintonian/Federalist" below, it is unclear whether a candidate on the joint ticket was Democratic-Republican or Federalist.

Only five of the twenty-seven incumbents were re-elected to the next term. Sixteen incumbents retired and five lost re-election. Despite this high turnover of membership, there was only a one-seat net gain for the Federalists.

North Carolina

See main article: 1821 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina.

North Carolina elected its members August 9, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.

Ohio

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio.

Ohio elected its members October 10, 1820.

Pennsylvania

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania elected its members October 10, 1820.

|-| David Fullerton| | Democratic-Republican| 1818| | Incumbent resigned May 15, 1820.
New member elected.
Democratic-Republican hold.
Successor was not a candidate in the same day's election to finish the term.
Successor resigned in April 1821, leading to an October 9, 1821 special election.

|-! | Joseph Hiester| | Democratic-Republican| 1798
1804
1814| | Incumbent retired to run for Governor of Pennsylvania.
New member elected.
Federalist gain.
Incumbent then resigned in December 1820 when elected Governor of Pennsylvania and successor lost the December 10, 1820 special election to finish the term.| nowrap |

Rhode Island

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives election in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island elected its members August 29, 1820.

South Carolina

See main article: 1820 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina.

South Carolina elected its members October 9–10, 1820.

Tennessee

See main article: 1821 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee.

Tennessee elected its members August 9–10, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.

| nowrap |

Vermont

See main article: 1820–1821 United States House of Representatives elections in Vermont.

In 1820, Vermont returned to using districts. This would be the only election in which the would be used.

Vermont elected its members September 5, 1820. A majority was required for election, which was not met in the 2nd or 3rd district, requiring additional ballots to achieve a majority. The 2nd district required 7 ballots. The 3rd district required two additional ballots. The additional ballots were held December 11, 1820, and February 19, May 1, July 2, September 4, and October 22, 1821.

Virginia

See main article: 1821 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia.

Virginia elected its members in April 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.

Non-voting delegates

There were four territories that had the right to send a delegate to at least part of the 17th Congress, only three of which actually sent delegates. Missouri Territory's seat remained vacant, as the territory was admitted as the State of Missouri early in the 17th Congress.

Bibliography

Web site: A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825 . Tufts Digital Library, Tufts University . January 17, 2015 . January 29, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150129054451/http://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/tufts:de.uscongress.1789 . dead .
Book: Dubin, Michael J. . United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses . McFarland and Company . March 1, 1998 . 978-0786402830.
Book: Martis, Kenneth C. . The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989 . Macmillan Publishing Company . January 1, 1989 . 978-0029201701.
Web site: Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present . Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives . January 21, 2015.
Web site: Cox . Harold . Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project . . 17th Congress 1821-1823 . January 14, 2007 .

External links

Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)

Notes and References

Web site: Virginia 1820 U.S. House of Representatives, District 17, Special . February 6, 2019 . . Tufts Digital Collations and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825.
Web site: Sixteenth Congress March 4, 1819, to March 3, 1821 . January 23, 2019 . Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives . History.house.gov.
Web site: Virginia 1820 U.S. House of Representatives, District 10, Special . February 6, 2019 . . Tufts Digital Collations and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825.
Web site: Virginia 1820 U.S. House of Representatives, District 1, Special . February 6, 2019 . . Tufts Digital Collations and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825.
Web site: Seventeenth Congress March 4, 1821, to March 3, 1823 . February 4, 2019 . Office of the Historian, United States House of Representatives . History.house.gov.
Web site: New Jersey 1820 U.S. House of Representatives . February 19, 2019 . . Tufts Digital Collations and Archives . A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825.