1840–41 United States Senate elections
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18 of the 52 seats in theUnited States Senate(with special elections) 27 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results: Democratic hold Whig gainWhig hold Legislature failed to elect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1840–41 United States Senate electionswere held on various dates in various states. As theseU.S. Senateelections were prior to the ratification of theSeventeenth Amendmentin 1913, senators were chosen bystate 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 tolegislative deadlock.[1]In these elections, terms were up for the senators inClass 2.
Corresponding with their party'ssuccess in the 1840 presidential election,theWhig Partytook control of the Senate.
Results summary
[edit]Senate party division,27th Congress(1841–1843)
- Majority party: Whig (29)
- Minority party: Democratic (22–20)
- Other parties: (0)
- Vacant: (1–3)
- Total seats: 52
Change in composition
[edit]Before the elections
[edit]After the November 25, 1840special elections in North Carolina.
D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | ||||
D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 | D7 |
D17 Ran |
D18 Ran |
D19 Ran |
D20 Ran |
D21 Ran |
D22 Unknown |
D23 Unknown |
D24 Retired |
D25 Retired |
D26 Retired |
Majority → | D27 Retired | ||||||||
W17 Ran |
W18 Mass.(sp 1) Resigned |
W19 Mass.(sp 2) Mass.(reg) Resigned |
W20 Retired |
W21 N.C.(reg) Ran |
V2 | V1 | D29 Ran |
D28 Ran | |
W16 Retired |
W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 | W8 | W7 |
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 |
After the elections
[edit]D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | ||||
D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 | D7 |
D17 Re-elected |
D18 Re-elected |
D19 Re-elected |
D20 Hold |
D21 Hold |
D22 Re-elected |
V3 D Loss |
V2 | V1 | W27 Gain |
Majority → | |||||||||
W17 Re-elected |
W18 Mass.(sp 1) Hold |
W19 Mass.(reg) Mass.(sp 2) Hold |
W20 Hold |
W21 N.C.(reg) Re-elected |
W22 Gain |
W23 Gain |
W24 Gain |
W25 Gain |
W26 Gain |
W16 Hold |
W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 | W8 | W7 |
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 |
Beginning of the next Congress
[edit]D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | ||||
D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 | D7 |
D17 | D18 | D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | V2 | W29 Gain |
W28 Gain |
W27 |
Majority → | |||||||||
W17 | W18 | W19 | W20 | W21 | W22 | W23 | W24 | W25 | W26 |
W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 | W8 | W7 |
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 |
Key: |
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Race summaries
[edit]Special elections during the 26th Congress
[edit]In these elections, the winners were elected during 1840 or in 1841 before March 4; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Pennsylvania (Class 1) |
Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbentSamuel McKean's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. New senatorelectedJanuary 14, 1840. Democratic gain. |
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Michigan (Class 1) |
Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbentLucius Lyonhad retired, his term expired, and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. New senator electedJanuary 20, 1840. Whig gain. |
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New York (Class 1) |
Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbentNathaniel P. Tallmadge's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. Incumbentre-electedJanuary 27, 1840to his former position in a different party. Whig gain. |
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Tennessee (Class 2) |
Hugh Lawson White | Whig | 1825(special) 1829 1835 |
Incumbent resigned January 13, 1840, after refusing to vote for theSubtreasury Billas demanded by theTennessee legislature[2] New senator electedFebruary 26, 1840. Democratic gain. Successor would not be elected to the next term, see below. |
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Connecticut (Class 1) |
Thaddeus Betts | Whig | 1838 or 1839 | Incumbent died April 7, 1840. New senator electedMay 4, 1840. Whig hold. |
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North Carolina (Class 2) |
Bedford Brown | Democratic | 1829(special) 1835 |
Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of theNorth Carolina General Assembly. New senator electedNovember 25, 1840. Whig gain. Successor would also be elected to the next term, see below. |
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North Carolina (Class 3) |
Robert Strange | Democratic | 1836(special) 1836 |
Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of theNorth Carolina General Assembly. New senator electedNovember 25, 1840. Whig gain. |
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Maryland (Class 3) |
John S. Spence | Whig | 1836(special) 1837 |
Incumbent died October 24, 1840. New senator electedJanuary 5, 1841. Whig hold. |
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Delaware (Class 1) |
Richard H. Bayard | Whig | 1836(special) 1838 or 1839 |
Incumbent resigned September 19, 1839, to become Chief Justice of theDelaware Supreme Court. New senator electedJanuary 12, 1841to his former position. Whig hold. |
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Massachusetts (Class 2) |
John Davis | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being electedGovernor of Massachusetts. New senator electedJanuary 13, 1841. Whig hold. Successor also elected to the next term, see below. |
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Virginia (Class 1) |
Vacant since 1839. | Democratic incumbentWilliam C. Rives's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect. Incumbent re-electedJanuary 18, 1841to his former position in a different party. Whig gain. |
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Massachusetts (Class 1) |
Daniel Webster | Whig | 1827 1833 1839 |
Incumbent resigned February 22, 1841, to becomeU.S. Secretary of State. New senator electedFebruary 23, 1841. Whig hold. |
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Races leading to the 27th Congress
[edit]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 | ||
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Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Alabama | William R. King | Democratic | 1819 1822 1828 1834 |
Incumbent re-elected December 14, 1840. |
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Arkansas | William S. Fulton | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected in 1840. |
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Delaware | Thomas Clayton | Whig | 1837(special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1841. |
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Georgia | Wilson Lumpkin | Democratic | 1837(special) | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. |
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Illinois | John M. Robinson | Democratic | 1830(special) 1835 |
Incumbent retired. Successor elected in 1840 or 1841. Democratic hold. |
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Kentucky | John J. Crittenden | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1841. Whig hold. |
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Louisiana | Robert C. Nicholas | Democratic | 1836(special) | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. |
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Maine | John Ruggles | Democratic | 1835(special) 1835 |
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. |
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Massachusetts | John Davis | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being electedGovernor of Massachusetts. New senator elected January 13, 1841. Whig hold. Successor also elected to finish the current term, see above. |
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Michigan | John Norvell | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1841. Whig gain. |
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Mississippi | Robert J. Walker | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected in 1841. |
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New Hampshire | Henry Hubbard | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent retired torun for New Hampshire Governor. New senator elected in 1841. Democratic hold. |
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New Jersey | Garret D. Wall | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected February 19, 1841. Whig gain. |
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North Carolina | Willie Mangum | Whig | 1840(special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1841. |
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Rhode Island | Nehemiah R. Knight | Whig | 1821(special) 1823 1829 1835 |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected October 29, 1840. Whig hold. |
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South Carolina | John C. Calhoun | Democratic | 1832(special) 1834 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1840. |
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Tennessee | Alexander O. Anderson | Democratic | 1840(special) | Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would not be filleduntil 1843. |
None. |
Virginia | William H. Roane | Democratic | 1837 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain. |
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Special elections during the 27th Congress
[edit]In this special election, the winner was elected in 1841 after March 4; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
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Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Alabama (Class 3) |
Clement Comer Clay | Democratic | 1837(Appointed) | Incumbent resigned November 15, 1841. New senator electedNovember 24, 1841. Democratic hold. |
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Alabama
[edit]Alabama (regular)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Alabama (special)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Arkansas
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Connecticut (special)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Delaware
[edit]Delaware (special)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Delaware (regular)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Georgia
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Illinois
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Kentucky
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Louisiana
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Maine
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Maryland (special)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(November 2022) |
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80 members of theMaryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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John Leeds Kerrwon election to a full term an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.[7]
Massachusetts
[edit]There were three elections due to the February 22, 1841, resignation of WhigDaniel Websterto becomeU.S. Secretary of Stateand the January 5, 1841, resignation of WhigJohn Davisto becomeGovernor of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts (special, class 2)
[edit]WhigIsaac C. Bateswas elected January 13, 1841, to finish Davis's term.
Massachusetts (regular)
[edit]Bates was also elected January 13, 1841, to the next term.
Bates would only serve, however, until his March 16, 1845, death, and Davis wasagain electedto the seat.
Massachusetts (special, class 1)
[edit]WhigRufus Choatewas elected February 23, 1841, to finish Webster's term which would continue until 1845.
Michigan
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Mississippi
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
New Hampshire
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
New Jersey
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
New York (special)
[edit]Nathaniel P. Tallmadgehad been elected as aJacksonian Democratin 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. The63rd New York State Legislaturemet from January 7 to May 14, 1840, atAlbany, New York.The strength of the parties in the Assembly, as shown by the vote forSpeaker,was: 68 for WhigGeorge Washington Pattersonand 56 for DemocratLevi 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) |
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Nathaniel P. Tallmadge | Whig | 19 | |
Samuel Beardsley | Democratic | 2 | |
Levi Beardsley | Democratic | 1 | |
William C. Bouck | Democratic | 1 | |
Benjamin F. Butler | Democratic | 1 | |
Churchill C. Cambreleng | Democratic | 1 | |
Hiram Denio | Democratic | 1 | |
John A. Dix | Democratic | 1 | |
Azariah C. Flagg | Democratic | 1 | |
John Savage | Democratic | 1 | |
John Tracy | Democratic | 1 |
Tallmadge re-took his seat on January 27, 1840,[8]and remained in office until June 17, 1844, when he resigned to be appointedGovernor of Wisconsin Territory.Daniel S. Dickinsonwas appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily, and subsequently elected by the State Legislature to succeed Tallmadge.
North Carolina
[edit]There were three elections due to the November 16, 1840, resignations of DemocratsBedford BrownandRobert Strange.
North Carolina (special, class 2)
[edit]WhigWillie Mangumwas elected November 25, 1840, to finish Brown's term that would end in March 1841.
This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
North Carolina (regular)
[edit]Mangum was later re-elected in 1841 to the next term.
This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
North Carolina (special, class 3)
[edit]WhigWilliam Alexander Grahamwas elected November 25, 1840, to finish Strange's term that would end in 1843.
This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Pennsylvania
[edit]The election was held on January 14, 1840, after the regularly scheduled election in December 1838 was postponed due to theBuckshot War.Daniel Sturgeonwas elected by thePennsylvania General Assemblyto theUnited States Senate.[9][10]
DemocratSamuel McKeanwas elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of theHouse of Representativesand theSenate,in the1832–1833 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 inHarrisburg,the state capital, over disputed election returns during theBuckshot 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.[9]
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:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Daniel Sturgeon | 87 | 65.41% | |
Whig | Charles Ogle | 26 | 19.55% | |
Anti-Masonic | Richard Biddle | 17 | 12.78% | |
N/A | Not voting | 3 | 2.26% | |
Total votes | 133 | 100.00% |
Rhode Island
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
South Carolina
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Tennessee
[edit]Tennessee (special)
[edit]Tennessee (regular)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Virginia
[edit]Virginia (regular)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
Virginia (special)
[edit]This sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(March 2020) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)".National Archives and Records Administration.February 8, 2022.
- ^Rothrock, Mary (1972).The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee.Knoxville, Tennessee: East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 501–02.
- ^"Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840".ourcampaigns.RetrievedOctober 31,2019."Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840".ourcampaigns.RetrievedOctober 31,2019.,citing Democratic Standard (newspaper) December 15, 1840
- ^Journal of the Proceedings of the Legislative-Council of the State of New-Jersey.1841. p. 33 – viaGoogle books.
- ^J. Fred Parker, Secretary of State (1914).Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1914.State of Rhode Island manual. Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman Company, State Printers. p. 149.
- ^"U.S. Senator in Rhode Island".Alexandria Gazette.Alexandria, D.C. November 3, 1840. p. 3.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
- ^"Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1841".ourcampaigns.RetrievedNovember 5,2022.
- ^Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856: Dec. 16, 1839 – March 3, 1841(page 50)
- ^ab"U.S. Senate Election – 1838–1839 – No election"(PDF).Wilkes University.RetrievedDecember 22,2012.
- ^ab"U.S. Senate Election – 14 January 1840"(PDF).Wilkes University.RetrievedDecember 22,2012.