1848–49 United States Senate elections explained

Election Name:	1848–49 United States Senate elections
Country:	United States
Flag Year:	1848
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1846–47 United States Senate elections
Next Election:	1850–51 United States Senate elections
Seats For Election:	19 of the 60 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections)
Majority Seats:	31
Election Date:	Various dates
1Blank:	Seats up
Party1:	Democratic Party (US)
Last Election1:	35 seats
Seats Before1:	38
Seats1:	9
Seats After1:	33
Seat Change1:	5
1Data1:	14
Party2:	Whig Party (US)
Last Election2:	19 seats
Seats Before2:	21
Seats2:	9
Seats After2:	25
Seat Change2:	4
1Data2:	5
Party4:	Independent Democratic
Last Election4:	1 seat
Seats Before4:	0
Seats4:	0
Seats After4:	1
1Data4:	0
Party5:	Free Soil Party
Seats Before5:	New party
Seats5:	1
Seats After5:	1
Seat Change5:	1
Majority Party
Before Party:	Democratic Party (US)
After Party:	Democratic Party (US)
Map Size:	380px

The 1848–49 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 1848 and 1849, 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 3.

The Democratic Party lost seats but maintained control of the Senate.

Results

Senate party division, 31st Congress (1849–1851)

Majority party: Democratic (33–36)
Minority party: Whig Party (25–24)
Other parties: Free Soil (2)
Total seats: 60–62

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

width=50px	D₁	width=50px	D₂	width=50px	D₃	width=50px	D₄	width=50px	D₅	width=50px	D₆	width=50px	D₇	width=50px	D₈	width=50px	D₉	width=50px	D₁₀
	D₂₀		D₁₉		D₁₈		D₁₇		D₁₆		D₁₅		D₁₄		D₁₃		D₁₂		D₁₁
	D₂₁		D₂₂		D₂₃		D₂₄		D₂₅ Ran		D₂₆ Ran		D₂₇ Ran		D₂₈ Ran		D₂₉ Ran		D₃₀ Ran
Majority →	D₃₁ Ran
	W₂₁ Unknown		ID₁		D₃₈ Retired		D₃₇ Retired		D₃₆ Retired		D₃₅ Retired		D₃₄ Unknown		D₃₃ Ran		D₃₂ Ran
	W₂₀ Ran		W₁₉ Ran		W₁₈ Ran		W₁₇ Ran		W₁₆		W₁₅		W₁₄		W₁₃		W₁₂		W₁₁
	W₁		W₂		W₃		W₄		W₅		W₆		W₇		W₈		W₉		W₁₀

As a result of the elections

width=50px	D₁	width=50px	D₂	width=50px	D₃	width=50px	D₄	width=50px	D₅	width=50px	D₆	width=50px	D₇	width=50px	D₈	width=50px	D₉	width=50px	D₁₀
	D₂₀		D₁₉		D₁₈		D₁₇		D₁₆		D₁₅		D₁₄		D₁₃		D₁₂		D₁₁
	D₂₁		D₂₂		D₂₃		D₂₄		D₂₅ Re-elected		D₂₆ Re-elected		D₂₇ Re-elected		D₂₈ Re-elected		D₂₉ Re-elected		D₃₀ Hold
Majority →	D₃₁ Hold
	W₂₁ Gain		W₂₂ Gain		W₂₃ Gain		W₂₄ Gain		W₂₅ Gain		ID₁		FS₁ Gain		D₃₃ Gain		D₃₂ Hold
	W₂₀ Hold		W₁₉ Re-elected		W₁₈ Re-elected		W₁₇ Re-elected		W₁₆		W₁₅		W₁₄		W₁₃		W₁₂		W₁₁
	W₁		W₂		W₃		W₄		W₅		W₆		W₇		W₈		W₉		W₁₀

Note: "Re-elected" includes incumbent appointee elected to the next term.

Beginning of the next Congress

width=50px	D₁	width=50px	D₂	width=50px	D₃	width=50px	D₄	width=50px	D₅	width=50px	D₆	width=50px	D₇	width=50px	D₈	width=50px	D₉	width=50px	D₁₀
	D₂₀		D₁₉		D₁₈		D₁₇		D₁₆		D₁₅		D₁₄		D₁₃		D₁₂		D₁₁
	D₂₁		D₂₂		D₂₃		D₂₄		D₂₅		D₂₆		D₂₇		D₂₈		D₂₉		D₃₀
Majority →	D₃₁
	W₂₁		W₂₂		W₂₃		W₂₄		W₂₅		FS₂		FS₁		D₃₃		D₃₂
	W₂₀		W₁₉		W₁₈		W₁₇		W₁₆		W₁₅		W₁₄		W₁₃		W₁₂		W₁₁
	W₁		W₂		W₃		W₄		W₅		W₆		W₇		W₈		W₉		W₁₀

Key:

align=center width=35px	D_#	Democratic
align=center width=35px	ID_#	Independent Democratic
align=center width=35px	FS_#	Free Soil
align=center width=35px	W_#	Whig
align=center width=35px	V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 30th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1848 or in 1849 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Mississippi (Class 1)	Jefferson Davis		Democratic	nowrap	1847	Interim appointee elected January 11, 1848.	nowrap
Connecticut (Class 1)	Roger S. Baldwin		Whig	nowrap	1847	Interim appointee elected May 1848.	nowrap
Maine (Class 1)	Wyman B. S. Moor		Democratic	nowrap	1848		Interim appointee retired when successor elected June 7, 1848. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Wisconsin (Class 1)	New state		Wisconsin admitted to the Union May 29, 1848. First senators elected June 8, 1848. Democratic gain.	nowrap
Wisconsin (Class 3)		Wisconsin admitted to the Union May 29, 1848. First senators elected June 8, 1848. Democratic gain.	nowrap
Alabama (Class 3)	Arthur P. Bagby		Democratic	nowrap	1841 (special) 1842		Incumbent resigned June 16, 1848 to become U.S. Minister to Russia. Successor elected July 1, 1848. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Arkansas (Class 2)	William K. Sebastian		Democratic	nowrap	1848	Interim appointee elected November 17, 1848.	nowrap
Iowa (Class 2)	New state		Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature had failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes. First senators elected December 7, 1848. Democratic gain.	nowrap
Iowa (Class 3)		Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature had failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes. First senators elected December 7, 1848. Democratic gain.	nowrap
Kentucky (Class 3)	Thomas Metcalfe		Whig	nowrap	1848	Interim appointee elected January 3, 1849.	nowrap
Michigan (Class 1)	Thomas Fitzgerald		Democratic	nowrap	1848		Interim appointee retired. Successor elected January 20, 1849, but did not take his seat until March 4, 1849. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Delaware (Class 1)	John M. Clayton		Whig	nowrap	1829 1835		Incumbent resigned February 23, 1849 to become U.S. Secretary of State. Successor elected February 23, 1849. Whig hold.	nowrap

Races leading to the 31st Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1849; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	William R. King		Democratic	nowrap	1848 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1848 or 1849.	nowrap
Arkansas	Solon Borland		Democratic	nowrap	1848	Incumbent appointee elected to a full term in November 1848.^[2]	nowrap
Connecticut	John M. Niles		Democratic	nowrap	1842		Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1848 or 1849. Whig gain.	nowrap
Florida	James Westcott		Democratic	nowrap	1845		Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1848. Whig gain.	nowrap
Georgia	Herschel Vespasian Johnson		Democratic	nowrap	1848		Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1847.^[3] Whig gain.	nowrap
Illinois	Sidney Breese		Democratic	nowrap	1843		Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected January 13, 1849. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Indiana	Edward A. Hannegan		Democratic	nowrap	1842		Incumbent lost renomination. Winner elected in 1848. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Kentucky	Thomas Metcalfe		Whig	nowrap	1848 ?		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected February 1, 1849. Whig hold.	nowrap
Louisiana	Henry Johnson		Whig	nowrap	1844 (special)		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1848. Democratic gain.	nowrap
Maryland	James Pearce		Whig	nowrap	1843	Incumbent re-elected in 1849.	nowrap
Missouri	David Rice Atchison		Democratic	nowrap	1843 1843 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1849.	nowrap
New Hampshire	Charles G. Atherton		Democratic	nowrap	1843 (special)		Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1848 or 1849. Democratic hold.	nowrap
New York	John Adams Dix		Democratic	nowrap	1845 (special)		Incumbent lost re-election as a Free Soiler. Winner elected February 6, 1849. Whig gain.	nowrap
North Carolina	George Badger		Whig	nowrap	1846 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1849.	nowrap
Ohio	William Allen		Democratic	nowrap	1837 1842		Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1849. Free Soil gain.	nowrap
Pennsylvania	Simon Cameron		Democratic	nowrap	1845 (special)		Incumbent retired. Winner elected January 10, 1849. Whig gain.	nowrap
South Carolina	Andrew Butler		Democratic	nowrap	1846 ?	Incumbent re-elected in 1848.	nowrap
Vermont	William Upham		Whig	nowrap	1843	Incumbent re-elected in 1848.	nowrap
Wisconsin	Isaac P. Walker		Democratic	nowrap	1848	Incumbent re-elected in 1849.	nowrap

Elections during the 31st Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1849 after March 4.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Illinois (Class 3)	James Shields		Democratic	1848 or 1849		Senate voided election March 15, 1849 as incumbent was not to a U.S. citizen long enough as required by the U.S. Constitution. Incumbent was re-elected October 27, 1849, having by then qualified. Democratic hold.	nowrap
Alabama (Class 2)	Benjamin Fitzpatrick		Democratic	nowrap	1848		Unknown if interim appointee retired when successor elected or lost election to finish the term. Winner elected November 30, 1849. Democratic hold.	nowrap
California (Class 1)	New state		California admitted as a new state on September 9, 1850. New senator elected December 20, 1849 and later seated upon statehood. Democratic gain.	nowrap
California (Class 3)		California admitted as a new state on September 9, 1850. New senator elected December 20, 1849 and later seated upon statehood. Democratic gain.	nowrap

Individual elections

Maryland

Election Name:	1849 United States Senate election in Maryland
Popular Vote1:	-
Colour1:	B0CEFF
Percentage1:	-%
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Candidate1:	David Stewart
Image1:	David Stewart (Maryland).jpg
Next Year:	1850
Next Election:	1850 United States Senate special election in Maryland
Previous Year:	1844
Previous Election:	1844 United States Senate election in Maryland
Votes For Election:	80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Vote Type:	Legislative
Election Date:	December 1849
Type:	presidential

Election Name:	1849 United States Senate election in Maryland
Popular Vote1:	-
Colour1:	F0C862
Percentage1:	-%
Party1:	Whig Party (United States)
Candidate1:	James Pearce
Image1:	James Alfred Pearce, standing.jpg
Next Year:	1855
Next Election:	1855 United States Senate election in Maryland
Previous Year:	1843
Previous Election:	1843 United States Senate election in Maryland
Votes For Election:	80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
Vote Type:	Legislative
Election Date:	January 1849
Type:	presidential

Reverdy Johnson won election in 1844 but retired to become the United States Attorney General. In order to fill his seat, David Stewart was elected by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 1 seat.^[4]

James Pearce won re-election by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.^[5]

New York

See main article: United States Senate election in New York, 1849.

The New York election was held February 6, 1849. Barnburner John Adams Dix had been elected in 1845 to this seat after the resignation of Silas Wright, and Dix's term would expire on March 3, 1849. In November 1848, Dix was the Barnburners/Free-Soilers candidate for Governor of New York, but was defeated by Whig Hamilton Fish.

At this time New York Democratic Party was split in two fiercely opposing factions: the Barnburners" and the "Hunkers". The Barnburners organized the Free Soil Party in 1848 and nominated Martin Van Buren for U.S. President. Due to the split, the Whig Party won most of the elective offices by pluralities.

At the State election in November 1847, 24 Whigs and 8 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1848–1849) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1848, 106 Whigs, 15 Free Soilers and 7 Hunkers were elected to the Assembly for the session of 1849. The 72nd New York State Legislature met from January 2 to April 11, 1849, at Albany, New York.

Ex-Governor of New York William H. Seward was nominated by a caucus of Whig State legislators on February 1, 1849. The vote was 88 for Seward, 12 for John A. Collier, 18 scattering and 4 blanks. The incumbent U.S. Senator John Adams Dix ran for re-election supported by the Free Soilers. Ex-Chancellor Reuben H. Walworth was the candidate of the Hunkers. Walworth had been third place in the last gubernatorial election, behind Fish and Dix. Ex-Congressman Daniel D. Barnard (Whig) received 2 scattering votes in the Senate. William H. Seward was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.

House	Whig	Free Soil	Dem./Hunker	also ran
State Senate (32 members)		William H. Seward	align=right	19	John Adams Dix	align=right	6	Reuben H. Walworth	align=right	2	Daniel D. Barnard	align=right	2
State Assembly (128 members)		William H. Seward	align=right	102	John Adams Dix	align=right	15	Reuben H. Walworth	align=right	7

Ohio

The two houses of the Ohio General Assembly met in joint session February 22, 1849, with 72 representatives and 35 senators present to elect a Senator (Class 3) to succeed incumbent William Allen. On the fourth ballot, Salmon P. Chase was elected with a majority of the votes cast, as follows:^[6]

Ballot	William Allen	Thomas Ewing	Joshua Reed Giddings	Salmon P. Chase	Reuben Hitchcock	Emery D. Potter	David T. Disney	John C. Vaughn	blank ballots	total votes cast
1	27	41	9	14	1	2	1	0	11	106
2	1	41	8	52	0	0	0	0	4	108
3	0	39	9	53	0	0	0	2	2	105
4	0	39	11	55	0	0	0	1	0	106

The second ballot was declared a nullity by Speaker of the Senate Brewster Randall, because there were one more ballots cast than members present.

Pennsylvania

See main article: United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 1849. The Pennsylvania election was held January 10, 1849. James Cooper was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.^[7]

Incumbent Democrat Simon Cameron, who was elected in 1845, was not a candidate for re-election to another term. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 10, 1849, to elect a new Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1849. Three ballots were recorded. The results of the third and final ballot of both houses combined are as follows:

|-|-bgcolor="#EEEEEE"| colspan="3" align="right" | Totals| align="right" | 133| align="right" | 100.00%|}

References

Web site: Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present. via Senate.gov.
Book: Clark, Dan Elbert . History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa. Iowa City, Iowa. 1913. .
Book: Byrd, Robert C. . Robert Byrd. Wendy . Wolff. The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789–1992. volume 4 Bicentennial. United States Senate Historical Office. Washington, D.C.. U.S. Government Printing Office. October 1, 1993. . 9780160632563 .
The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators; pg. 136 for State Senators 1849; pg. 236ff for Members of Assembly 1849)
Members of the 31st United States Congress
Result State election, 1847: The Whig Almanac and United States Register for 1848
Result Whig caucus: The American Whig Review, Vol. 11 by George Hooker Colton & James Davenport Whelpley (page 638)
Result U.S. Senate election, State Senate: Journal of the Senate (72nd Session) (1849; pg. 167)
Result U.S. Senate election, State Assembly: Journal of the Assembly (72nd Session) (1849; pg. 355f)
Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project

Notes and References

Web site: 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913). National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
Web site: Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
Web site: Stryker's American Register and Magazine. 1849.
Web site: Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Dec 00, 1849. 2022-11-05. www.ourcampaigns.com.
Web site: Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1849. 2022-11-05. www.ourcampaigns.com.
Book: Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 ... . William Alexander . Taylor . Aubrey Clarence . Taylor . 1899 . State of Ohio . 232 .
Web site: U.S. Senate Election - 10 January 1849. Wilkes University. 22 December 2013.

Ballot	William Allen	Thomas Ewing	Joshua Reed Giddings	Salmon P. Chase	Reuben Hitchcock	Emery D. Potter	David T. Disney	John C. Vaughn	blank ballots	total votes cast
1	27	41	9	14	1	2	1	0	11	106
2	1	41	8	52	0	0	0	0	4	108
3	0	39	9	53	0	0	0	2	2	105
4	0	39	11	55	0	0	0	1	0	106

Ballot	William Allen	Thomas Ewing	Joshua Reed Giddings	Salmon P. Chase	Reuben Hitchcock	Emery D. Potter	David T. Disney	John C. Vaughn	blank ballots	total votes cast
1	27	41	9	14	1	2	1	0	11	106
2	1	41	8	52	0	0	0	0	4	108
3	0	39	9	53	0	0	0	2	2	105
4	0	39	11	55	0	0	0	1	0	106