1840–41 United States Senate elections

Various dates

18 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections)
27 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Whig Democratic
Last election 20 seats 28 seats
Seats before 21 29
Seats won 11 6
Seats after 27 22
Seat change Increase 6 Decrease 7
Seats up 5 13

Results:
     Democratic hold
     Whig gain      Whig hold
     Legislature failed to elect

Majority Party before election


Democratic

Elected Majority Party


Whig

The 1840–41 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 1840 and 1841, 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 2.

Corresponding with their party's success in the 1840 presidential election, the Whig Party took control of the Senate.

Results summary

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

Before the elections

After the November 25, 1840 special 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

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

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:
D# Democratic
W# Whig
V# Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 26th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected during 1840 or in 1841 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party Electoral history
Pennsylvania
(Class 1)
Vacant since 1839. Democratic incumbent Samuel McKean's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect.
New senator elected January 14, 1840.
Democratic gain.
Michigan
(Class 1)
Vacant since 1839. Democratic incumbent Lucius Lyon had retired, his term expired, and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect.
New senator elected January 20, 1840.
Whig gain.
New York
(Class 1)
Vacant since 1839. Democratic incumbent Nathaniel P. Tallmadge's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect.
Incumbent re-elected January 27, 1840 to his former position in a different party.
Whig gain.
Tennessee
(Class 2)
Hugh Lawson White Whig 1825 (special)
1829
1835
Incumbent resigned January 13, 1840, after refusing to vote for the Subtreasury Bill as demanded by the Tennessee legislature[2]
New senator elected February 26, 1840.
Democratic gain.
Successor would not be elected to the next term, see below.
Connecticut
(Class 1)
Thaddeus Betts Whig 1838 or 1839 Incumbent died April 7, 1840.
New senator elected May 4, 1840.
Whig hold.
North Carolina
(Class 2)
Bedford Brown Democratic 1829 (special)
1835
Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly.
New senator elected November 25, 1840.
Whig gain.
Successor would also be elected to the next term, see below.
North Carolina
(Class 3)
Robert Strange Democratic 1836 (special)
1836
Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly.
New senator elected November 25, 1840.
Whig gain.
Maryland
(Class 3)
John S. Spence Whig 1836 (special)
1837
Incumbent died October 24, 1840.
New senator elected January 5, 1841.
Whig hold.
Delaware
(Class 1)
Richard H. Bayard Whig 1836 (special)
1838 or 1839
Incumbent resigned September 19, 1839, to become Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.
New senator elected January 12, 1841 to his former position.
Whig hold.
Massachusetts
(Class 2)
John Davis Whig 1835 Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts.
New senator elected January 13, 1841.
Whig hold.
Successor also elected to the next term, see below.
Virginia
(Class 1)
Vacant since 1839. Democratic incumbent William C. Rives's term had expired and no successor was elected due to the legislature's failure to elect.
Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1841 to his former position in a different party.
Whig gain.
Massachusetts
(Class 1)
Daniel Webster Whig 1827
1833
1839
Incumbent resigned February 22, 1841, to become U.S. Secretary of State.
New senator elected February 23, 1841.
Whig hold.

Races leading to the 27th Congress

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
Senator Party Electoral
history
Alabama William R. King Democratic 1819
1822
1828
1834
Incumbent re-elected December 14, 1840.
Arkansas William S. Fulton Democratic 1836 Incumbent re-elected in 1840.
Delaware Thomas Clayton Whig 1837 (special) Incumbent re-elected in 1841.
Georgia Wilson Lumpkin Democratic 1837 (special) Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1840.
Whig gain.
Illinois John M. Robinson Democratic 1830 (special)
1835
Incumbent retired.
Successor elected in 1840 or 1841.
Democratic hold.
Kentucky John J. Crittenden Whig 1835 Incumbent retired.
New senator elected in 1841.
Whig hold.
Louisiana Robert C. Nicholas Democratic 1836 (special) Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1840.
Whig gain.
Maine John Ruggles Democratic 1835 (special)
1835
Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1840.
Whig gain.
Massachusetts John Davis Whig 1835 Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts.
New senator elected January 13, 1841.
Whig hold.
Successor also elected to finish the current term, see above.
Michigan John Norvell Democratic 1835 Incumbent retired.
New senator elected in 1841.
Whig gain.
Mississippi Robert J. Walker Democratic 1835 Incumbent re-elected in 1841.
New Hampshire Henry Hubbard Democratic 1835 Incumbent retired to run for New Hampshire Governor.
New senator elected in 1841.
Democratic hold.
New Jersey Garret D. Wall Democratic 1835 Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected February 19, 1841.
Whig gain.
North Carolina Willie Mangum Whig 1840 (special) Incumbent re-elected in 1841.
Rhode Island Nehemiah R. Knight Whig 1821 (special)
1823
1829
1835
Incumbent retired.
New senator elected October 29, 1840.
Whig hold.
South Carolina John C. Calhoun Democratic 1832 (special)
1834
Incumbent re-elected in 1840.
Tennessee Alexander O. Anderson Democratic 1840 (special) Incumbent retired.
Legislature failed to elect.
Democratic loss.
Seat would not be filled until 1843.
None.
Virginia William H. Roane Democratic 1837 Incumbent lost re-election.
New senator elected in 1840.
Whig gain.

Special elections during the 27th Congress

In this special election, the winner was elected in 1841 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State Incumbent Results Candidates
Senator Party Electoral history
Alabama
(Class 3)
Clement Comer Clay Democratic 1837 (Appointed) Incumbent resigned November 15, 1841.
New senator elected November 24, 1841.
Democratic hold.

Alabama

Alabama (regular)

Alabama (special)

Arkansas

Connecticut (special)

Delaware

Delaware (special)

Delaware (regular)

Georgia

Illinois

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland (special)

1841 United States Senate special election in Maryland
December 1841

80 members of the Maryland General Assembly
 
Candidate John Leeds Kerr
Party Whig
Legislative vote -
Percentage -%  %

John Leeds Kerr won election to a full term an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.[7]

Massachusetts

There were three elections due to the February 22, 1841, resignation of Whig Daniel Webster to become U.S. Secretary of State and the January 5, 1841, resignation of Whig John Davis to become Governor of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts (special, class 2)

Whig Isaac C. Bates was elected January 13, 1841, to finish Davis's term.

Massachusetts (regular)

Bates was also elected January 13, 1841, to the next term.

Bates would only serve, however, until his March 16, 1845, death, and Davis was again elected to the seat.

Massachusetts (special, class 1)

Senator Rufus Choate

Whig Rufus Choate was elected February 23, 1841, to finish Webster's term which would continue until 1845.

Michigan

Mississippi

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York (special)

Nathaniel P. Tallmadge had been elected as a Jacksonian Democrat in 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. The 63rd New York State Legislature met from January 7 to May 14, 1840, at Albany, New York. The strength of the parties in the Assembly, as shown by the vote for Speaker, was: 68 for Whig George Washington Patterson and 56 for Democrat Levi 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)
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 appointed Governor of Wisconsin Territory. Daniel S. Dickinson was appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily, and subsequently elected by the State Legislature to succeed Tallmadge.

North Carolina

There were three elections due to the November 16, 1840, resignations of Democrats Bedford Brown and Robert Strange.

North Carolina (special, class 2)

Whig Willie Mangum was elected November 25, 1840, to finish Brown's term that would end in March 1841.

North Carolina (regular)

Mangum was later re-elected in 1841 to the next term.

North Carolina (special, class 3)

Whig William Alexander Graham was elected November 25, 1840, to finish Strange's term that would end in 1843.

Pennsylvania

The election was held on January 14, 1840, after the regularly scheduled election in December 1838 was postponed due to the Buckshot War. Daniel Sturgeon was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.[9][10]

Democrat Samuel McKean was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the 1832–1833 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 in Harrisburg, the state capital, over disputed election returns during the Buckshot 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:

State Legislature Results[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
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

South Carolina

Tennessee

Tennessee (special)

Tennessee (regular)

Virginia

Virginia (regular)

Virginia (special)

See also

References

  1. "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
  2. Rothrock, Mary (1972). The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee: East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 501–02.
  3. "Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019."Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019., citing Democratic Standard (newspaper) December 15, 1840
  4. Journal of the Proceedings of the Legislative-Council of the State of New-Jersey. 1841. p. 33 via Google books.
  5. 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.
  6. "U.S. Senator in Rhode Island". Alexandria Gazette. Alexandria, D.C. November 3, 1840. p. 3. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  7. "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1841". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  8. Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856: Dec. 16, 1839 – March 3, 1841 (page 50)
  9. 1 2 "U.S. Senate Election – 1838–1839 – No election" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "U.S. Senate Election – 14 January 1840" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
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