| Election Name: | 1839 Iowa Council election |
| Country: | Iowa |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Iowa (variant).svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1838 Iowa Council election |
| Previous Year: | 1838 |
| Next Election: | 1840 Iowa Council election |
| Next Year: | 1840 |
| Seats For Election: | All 13 seats in the Iowa Territory Council |
| Majority Seats: | 7 |
| Election Date: | 1839 |
| Leader1: | Stephen Hempstead |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Leaders Seat1: | 8th-Dubuque County |
| Last Election1: | 7 |
| Seats After1: | 7 |
| Leader2: | Jesse B. Browne |
| Party2: | Whig Party (US) |
| Leaders Seat2: | 2nd-Lee County |
| Last Election2: | 6 |
| Seats After2: | 6 |
| President of the Iowa Territory Council | |
| Before Election: | Jesse B. Browne |
| Before Party: | Whig Party (US) |
| After Election: | Stephen Hempstead |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
In the 1839 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the second Iowa Territory Council.[1] All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected. Councilors served one-year terms.
The Iowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the Union as a state. At the time, the Iowa Territory had a Legislative Assembly consisting of an upper chamber (i.e., the Territory Council) and a lower chamber (i.e., the Territory House of Representatives).[2]
Following the organization of the first Territory Council in 1838, Democrats held a majority with seven seats to Whigs' six seats.[3]
To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net one seat from the Democrats.
The Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Council following the 1839 general election with the balance of power remaining unchanged with the Democrats holding seven seats and the Whigs having six seats.[4] Democratic Councilor Stephen P. Hempstead was chosen as the President of the second Territory Council to succeed Whig Councilor Jesse B. Browne in that leadership position.
| Iowa Territory Council District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Councilor | Party | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | George Hepner | Dem | George Hepner | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Arthur Inghram | Dem | Arthur Inghram | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| Robert Ralston | Dem | Robert Ralston | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| 2nd | Jesse B. Browne | Whig | Jesse B. Browne | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 3rd | Lawson B. Hughes | Whig | Lawson B. Hughes | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| Jesse D. Payne | Whig | Jesse D. Payne | Whig | Whig Hold | |||
| 4th | E. A. M. Swazy | Dem | E. A. M. Swazy | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Isham Keith | Whig | Isham Keith | Whig | Whig Hold | |||
| 5th | James M. Clark | Whig | James M. Clark | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 6th | Charles Whittlesey | Whig | Charles Whittlesey | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 7th | Jonathan W. Parker | Dem | Jonathan W. Parker | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 8th | Stephen Hempstead | Dem | Stephen Hempstead | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Warner Lewis | Dem | Warner Lewis | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
Source:[5]
District boundaries for the Iowa Territory Council in 1839: