| Election Name: | 1881 Iowa Senate election |
| Country: | Iowa |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Iowa (variant).svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1879 Iowa Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 1879 |
| Next Election: | 1883 Iowa Senate election |
| Next Year: | 1883 |
| Seats For Election: | 25 out of 50 seats in the Iowa State Senate |
| Majority Seats: | 26 |
| Election Date: | October 11, 1881 |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Last Election1: | 41 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Seats After1: | 45 |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Last Election2: | 7 |
| Seat Change2: | 5 |
| Seats After2: | 2 |
| Party3: | Greenback Party |
| Last Election3: | 2 |
| Seats After3: | 2 |
| Party4: | Independent (politician) |
| Last Election4: | 0 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| Seats After4: | 1 |
In the 1881 Iowa State Senate elections Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the nineteenth Iowa General Assembly. Elections were held in 25 of the state senate's 50 districts. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.
The general election took place on October 11, 1881.[1]
Following the previous election, Republicans had control of the Iowa Senate with 41 seats to Democrats' seven seats and two Greenbackers.
To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 19 Senate seats.
Republicans maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1881 general election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 45 seats, Democrats having two seats, two Greenbackers, and one Independent (a net gain of 4 seats for Republicans and 1 Independent seat).
| Senate District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | Outcome | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | James Madison Shelley | Dem | Henry W. Rothert | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 2nd | Henry Clay Traverse | Rep | Alexander Brown | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 7th | Philip W. Lewellen | Rep | Talton Embrey Clark | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 9th | John Patterson | Rep | Benton J. Hall | Dem | Dem Gain | |||
| 10th | John Simpson Woolson | Rep | Lot Abraham | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 12th | Sanford S. Harned | Dem | Cassius M. Brown | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 13th | Gregg A. Madison | Dem | Joseph G. Hutchison | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 18th | Lafayette Young | Rep | Cephas B. Hunt | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 20th | Thomas Hanna | Rep | Pliny Nichols | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 21st | William A. Foster | Rep | John Carver Bills | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 22nd | Nathaniel Anson Merrell | Dem | Wickliffe A. Cotton | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 26th | Christian Hedges | Rep | William Aitken Patrick | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 27th | John Wimberly Henderson | Dem | John Wimberly Henderson | Ind | Ind. Gain | |||
| 29th | John Meyer | Rep | Egbert C. Sudlow | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 30th | Robert C. Webb | Rep | Hiram Ypsilanti Smith | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 34th | Augustin W. Ford | Rep | Thomas M. C. Logan | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 35th | Moses M. Ham | Dem | Julius Kingman Graves | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 37th | Daniel Darrow Chase | Rep | John L. Kamrar | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 38th | Herman C. Hemenway | Rep | Herman C. Hemenway | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 42nd | Martin Nelson Johnson | Rep | Henry A. Baker | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 44th | Aaron Kimball | Rep | Chapman A. Marshall | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 45th | Robert M. Haines | Rep | Alfred Nelson Poyneer | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 46th | Wilberforce P. Gaylord | Rep | Alvin Manley Whaley | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 47th | Frank M. Goodykoontz | Rep | Horace G. Parker | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 48th | John J. Russell | Rep | John J. Russell | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 50th | Albert Henry Lawrence | Rep | Gifford Simeon Robinson | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
Source:[2]