| Election Name: | 1842 Iowa Council election |
| Country: | Iowa |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Iowa (variant).svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1841 Iowa Council election |
| Previous Year: | 1841 |
| Next Election: | 1843 Iowa Council election |
| Next Year: | 1843 |
| Seats For Election: | All 13 seats in the Iowa Territory Council |
| Majority Seats: | 7 |
| Election Date: | 1842 |
| Leader1: | Thomas Cox |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Leaders Seat1: | 10th-Jackson County |
| Last Election1: | 8 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Seats After1: | 7 |
| Leader2: | John D. Elbert |
| Party2: | Whig Party (US) |
| Leaders Seat2: | 2nd-Van Buren County |
| Last Election2: | 5 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Seats After2: | 6 |
| President of the Iowa Territory Council | |
| Before Election: | Jonathan W. Parker |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | John D. Elbert |
| After Party: | Whig Party (US) |
In the 1842 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the fifth Iowa Territory Council. 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).
Following the previous election in 1841, Democrats held a majority with eight seats to Whigs' five seats.
To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net two seats from Democrats.
Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Iowa Territory Council following the 1842 general election with the balance of power shifting to Democrats holding seven seats and Whigs having six seats (a net gain of 1 seat for Whigs). Whig Councilor John D. Elbert was chosen as the President of the fifth Territory Council to succeed Democratic Councilor Jonathan W. Parker in that leadership position.
| Iowa Territory Council District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Councilor | Party | Outcome | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jesse B. Browne | Whig | Robert M. G. Patterson | Whig | Whig Hold | ||||
| Edward Johnstone | Dem | William Patterson | Dem | Dem Hold | |||||
| 2nd | Gideon Smith Bailey | Dem | John D. Elbert | Whig | Whig Gain | ||||
| James Hall | Dem | James H. Jenkins | Dem | Dem Hold | |||||
| 3rd | Shepherd Leffler | Dem | Shepherd Leffler | Dem | Dem Hold | ||||
| 4th | William Henson Wallace | Whig | William Henson Wallace | Whig | Whig Hold | ||||
| 5th | William Greyer Coop | Dem | Joseph B. Teas | Dem | Dem Hold | ||||
| 6th | Francis Springer | Whig | Francis Springer | Whig | Whig Hold | ||||
| 7th | Serranus Clinton Hastings | Dem | Pleasant Harris | Dem | Dem Hold | ||||
| 8th | George Greene | Dem | John Parsons Cook | Whig | Whig Gain | ||||
| 9th | Jonathan W. Parker | Dem | Robert Christie | Whig | Whig Gain | ||||
| 10th | Mortimer Phillips Bainbridge | Whig | Thomas Cox | Dem | Dem Gain | ||||
| Joseph S. Kirkpatrick | Whig | Francis Gehon | Dem | Dem Gain | |||||
Source:[1]
District boundaries for the Iowa Territory Council in 1842: