| Election Name: | 1840–41 United States Senate elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1837 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1838–39 United States Senate elections |
| Next Election: | 1842–43 United States Senate elections |
| Seats For Election: | 18 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) |
| Election Date: | Various dates |
| Majority Seats: | 27 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| Party1: | Whig Party (US) |
| Last Election1: | 20 seats |
| Seats Before1: | 21 |
| Seats1: | 11 |
| Seats After1: | 27 |
| Seat Change1: | 6 |
| 1Data1: | 5 |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (US) |
| Last Election2: | 28 seats |
| Seats Before2: | 29 |
| Seats2: | 6 |
| Seats After2: | 22 |
| Seat Change2: | 7 |
| 1Data2: | 13 |
| Majority Party | |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (US) |
| After Party: | Whig Party (US) |
The 1840–41 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1840 and 1841, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2.
Corresponding with their party's success in the 1840 presidential election, the Whig Party took control of the Senate.
Senate party division, 27th Congress (1841–1843)
After the November 25, 1840 special elections in North Carolina.
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In these elections, the winners were elected during 1840 or in 1841 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| Pennsylvania (Class 1) | Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbent Samuel McKean's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. New senator elected January 14, 1840. Democratic gain. | nowrap | ||||||
| Michigan (Class 1) | Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbent Lucius Lyon had retired, his term expired, and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. New senator elected January 20, 1840. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||||
| New York (Class 1) | Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbent Nathaniel P. Tallmadge's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. Incumbent re-elected January 27, 1840 to his former position in a different party. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||||
| Tennessee (Class 2) | Hugh Lawson White | Whig | 1825 1829 1835 | Incumbent resigned January 13, 1840, after refusing to vote for the Subtreasury Bill as demanded by the Tennessee legislature[2] New senator elected February 26, 1840. Democratic gain. Successor would not be elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| Connecticut (Class 1) | Thaddeus Betts | Whig | 1838 or 1839 | Incumbent died April 7, 1840. New senator elected May 4, 1840. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| North Carolina (Class 2) | Bedford Brown | Democratic | 1829 1835 | Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly. New senator elected November 25, 1840. Whig gain. Successor would also be elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| North Carolina (Class 3) | Robert Strange | Democratic | 1836 1836 | Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly. New senator elected November 25, 1840. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Maryland (Class 3) | John S. Spence | Whig | 1836 1837 | Incumbent died October 24, 1840. New senator elected January 5, 1841. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Delaware (Class 1) | Richard H. Bayard | Whig | 1836 1838 or 1839 | Incumbent resigned September 19, 1839, to become Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. New senator elected January 12, 1841 to his former position. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Massachusetts (Class 2) | John Davis | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts. New senator elected January 13, 1841. Whig hold. Successor also elected to the next term, see below. | nowrap | ||||
| Virginia (Class 1) | Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbent William C. Rives's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1841 to his former position in a different party. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||||
| Massachusetts (Class 1) | Daniel Webster | Whig | 1827 1833 1839 | Incumbent resigned February 22, 1841, to become U.S. Secretary of State. New senator elected February 23, 1841. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
In these regular elections, the winner was elected for the term beginning March 4, 1841; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||||||
| Alabama | William R. King | Democratic | 1819 1822 1828 1834 | Incumbent re-elected December 14, 1840. | nowrap | ||||
| Arkansas | William S. Fulton | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected in 1840. | nowrap | ||||
| Delaware | Thomas Clayton | Whig | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected in 1841. | nowrap | ||||
| Georgia | Wilson Lumpkin | Democratic | 1837 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Illinois | John M. Robinson | Democratic | 1830 1835 | Incumbent retired. Successor elected in 1840 or 1841. Democratic hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Kentucky | John J. Crittenden | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1841. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| Louisiana | Robert C. Nicholas | Democratic | 1836 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Maine | John Ruggles | Democratic | 1835 1835 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Massachusetts | John Davis | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts. New senator elected January 13, 1841. Whig hold. Successor also elected to finish the current term, see above. | nowrap | ||||
| Michigan | John Norvell | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1841. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||
| Mississippi | Robert J. Walker | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected in 1841. | nowrap | ||||
| New Hampshire | Henry Hubbard | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent retired to run for New Hampshire Governor. New senator elected in 1841. Democratic hold. | nowrap | ||||
| New Jersey | Garret D. Wall | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected February 19, 1841. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||
| North Carolina | Willie Mangum | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent re-elected in 1841. | nowrap | ||||
| Rhode Island | Nehemiah R. Knight | Whig | 1821 1823 1829 1835 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected October 29, 1840. Whig hold. | nowrap | ||||
| South Carolina | John C. Calhoun | Democratic | 1832 1834 | Incumbent re-elected in 1840. | nowrap | ||||
| Tennessee | Alexander O. Anderson | Democratic | 1840 | Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would not be filled until 1843. | None. | ||||
| Virginia | William H. Roane | Democratic | 1837 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. | nowrap | ||||
In this special election, the winner was elected in 1841 after March 4; ordered by election date.
See also: List of United States senators from Alabama.
See also: List of United States senators from Arkansas.
See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut.
See also: List of United States senators from Delaware.
See also: List of United States senators from Georgia.
See also: List of United States senators from Illinois.
See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky.
See also: List of United States senators from Louisiana.
See also: List of United States senators from Maine.
See also: List of United States senators from Maryland.
| Election Name: | 1841 United States Senate special election in Maryland |
| Popular Vote1: | - |
| Colour1: | F0C862 |
| Percentage1: | -% |
| Party1: | Whig Party (United States) |
| Candidate1: | John Leeds Kerr |
| Image1: | John Leeds Kerr profile.jpg |
| Percentage2: | % |
| Next Year: | 1843 |
| Next Election: | 1843 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Previous Year: | 1837 |
| Previous Election: | 1837 United States Senate election in Maryland |
| Votes For Election: | 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly |
| Vote Type: | Legislative |
| Election Date: | December 1841 |
| Type: | presidential |
John Leeds Kerr won election to a full term an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.[3]
See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts.
There were three elections due to the February 22, 1841, resignation of Whig Daniel Webster to become U.S. Secretary of State and the January 5, 1841, resignation of Whig John Davis to become Governor of Massachusetts.
Whig Isaac C. Bates was elected January 13, 1841, to finish Davis's term.
Bates was also elected January 13, 1841, to the next term.
Bates would only serve, however, until his March 16, 1845, death, and Davis was again elected to the seat.
Whig Rufus Choate was elected February 23, 1841, to finish Webster's term which would continue until 1845.
See also: List of United States senators from Michigan.
See also: List of United States senators from Mississippi.
See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire.
See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey.
See main article: 1839/1840 United States Senate election in New York.
See also: List of United States senators from New York. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge had been elected as a Jacksonian Democrat in 1833 to this seat, and his term expired March 3, 1839. An election was held February 5, 1839. Although Tallmadge received the most votes, no candidate received a majority and the seat was declared vacant due to the legislature's failure to elect.
At the State election in November 1839, 7 Whigs and 3 Democrats were elected to the State Senate, which gave the Whigs a majority, the first anti-Bucktails/Jacksonian/Democratic majority in 20 years. The 63rd New York State Legislature met from January 7 to May 14, 1840, at Albany, New York. The strength of the parties in the Assembly, as shown by the vote for Speaker, was: 68 for Whig George Washington Patterson and 56 for Democrat Levi S. Chatfield.
On January 14, 1840, Nathaniel P. Tallmadge received a majority in both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
| Candidate | Party | Senate (32 members) | Assembly (128 members) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel P. Tallmadge | Whig | align=right | 19 | align=right | ||
| Samuel Beardsley | Democratic | align=right | 2 | align=right | ||
| Levi Beardsley | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| William C. Bouck | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| Benjamin F. Butler | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| Churchill C. Cambreleng | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| Hiram Denio | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| John A. Dix | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| Azariah C. Flagg | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| John Savage | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right | ||
| John Tracy | Democratic | align=right | 1 | align=right |
Tallmadge re-took his seat on January 27, 1840,[4] and remained in office until June 17, 1844, when he resigned to be appointed Governor of Wisconsin Territory. Daniel S. Dickinson was appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily, and subsequently elected by the State Legislature to succeed Tallmadge.
See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina.
There were three elections due to the November 16, 1840, resignations of Democrats Bedford Brown and Robert Strange.
Whig Willie Mangum was elected November 25, 1840, to finish Brown's term that would end in March 1841.
Mangum was later re-elected in 1841 to the next term.
Whig William Alexander Graham was elected November 25, 1840, to finish Strange's term that would end in 1843.
See main article: 1840 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.
See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania and 1840 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania.
The election was held on January 14, 1840, after the regularly scheduled election in December 1838 was postponed due to the Buckshot War. Daniel Sturgeon was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.[5] [6]
Democrat Samuel McKean was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the 1832–1833 Senate election. Sen. McKean's term was to expire on March 4, 1839, and an election would have occurred during the winter of 1838–1839 elect a senator for the successive term. The election did not occur, however, due to significant political unrest in Harrisburg, the state capital, over disputed election returns during the Buckshot War. McKean's seat was vacated when his term expired in March 1839 and remained vacant until the General Assembly elected a new senator in 1840.[5]
The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on January 14, 1840, to elect a senator to serve out the remainder of the term that began on March 4, 1839. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island.
See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina.
See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee.
See also: List of United States senators from Virginia.