| Election Name: | 1845 Iowa Council election |
| Country: | Iowa |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Iowa (variant).svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1844 Iowa Council election |
| Previous Year: | 1844 |
| Next Election: | 1846 Iowa Senate election |
| Next Year: | 1846 |
| Seats For Election: | All 13 seats in the Iowa Territory Council |
| Majority Seats: | 7 |
| Election Date: | 1845 |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Last Election1: | 11 |
| Seats After1: | 11 |
| Party2: | Whig Party (US) |
| Last Election2: | 2 |
| Seats After2: | 2 |
| President of the Iowa Territory Council | |
| Before Election: | Serranus Clinton Hastings |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Stephen Hempstead |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
In the 1845 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the eighth and final Iowa Territory Council before Iowa attained statehood in 1846. All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected. Councilors served until the organization of the Iowa General Assembly in 1846 as the legislative branch of the new state of Iowa.
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). Since statehood in 1846, the General Assembly has served as the legislative branch of Iowa. The Territory Council was the predecessor to the Iowa State Senate, the upper chamber of the Iowa state legislature.
Following the previous election in 1844, Democrats held a majority with 11 seats to Whigs' two seats.
To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net five seats from Democrats.
The Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Council following the 1845 general election with the balance of power remaining unchanged with Democrats holding 11 seats and Whigs having two seats. Democratic Councilor Stephen P. Hempstead was chosen as the President of the eighth Territory Council to succeed Democratic Councilor Serranus Clinton Hastings in that leadership position.
| Iowa Territory Council District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Councilor | Party | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | James Brierly | Dem | James Brierly | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| John Thompson | Dem | John Thompson | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| 2nd | Paul Brattain | Dem | Paul Brattain | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Henry M. Shelby | Dem | Henry M. Shelby | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| 3rd | Shepherd Leffler | Dem | Shepherd Leffler | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 4th | John Stephenson | Whig | John Stephenson | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 5th | William Greyer Coop | Dem | William Greyer Coop | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 6th | Enoch Ross | Whig | Enoch Ross | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 7th | Serranus Clinton Hastings | Dem | Serranus Clinton Hastings | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 8th | William Abbe | Dem | William Abbe | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 9th | Laurel Summers | Dem | Laurel Summers | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 10th | Philip Burr Bradley | Dem | Philip Burr Bradley | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Stephen Hempstead | Dem | Stephen Hempstead | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
Source:[1]
District boundaries for the Iowa Territory Council in 1845: