1861 United States Senate election in California

none March 2026 September 2023 1860–61 United States Senate elections#California (regular) 1861 United States Senate election in California presidential no First Bear Flag of California (1846).svgborder 1857 United States Senate special election in California 1857 (special) 1865 United States Senate election in California 1865 March 9–20, 1861 (1st–22nd)April 2, 1861 (23rd) 113 members of the California State Legislature57 votes needed to win 1st ballot 23rd ballot Hon. James A. McDougall, Ill - NARA - 527723 3x4.jpg James A. McDougall Douglas Democratic(Anti-Lecompton) 3333ff 27 (23.9%) 57 (54.8%) John Nugent (journalist).jpg John Nugent Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) 9 (8.0%) 39 (37.5%) File:John B. Weller Destiny Road Alt Crop.jpg John B. Weller Breckinridge Democratic 27 (23.9%) 4 (3.8%) File:Timothy Guy Phelps Portrait.jpg Timothy G. Phelps Republican Party (United States) 23 (20.4%) — File:GenJohnWDenver (1).jpg James W. Denver Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) 16 (14.3%) — Senator William M. Gwin Democratic Party (United States) James A. McDougall Democratic Party (United States) The 1861 United States Senate election in California was held on April 2, 1861, by the California State Legislature to elect a U.S. senator (Class 3) to represent the State of California in the United States Senate. The legislature had previously attempted to elect a senator from March 9–20, culminating with McDougall's apparent victory on the 22nd ballot; however, it was subsequently found that McDougall had not received the requisite majority, and his election was rescinded.Hittell 1898 278–79 In a special joint session, Anti-Lecompton Democratic former U.S. representative James A. McDougall was elected over Lecompton Democratic newspaper editor John Nugent.Buchanan Russell James A. McDougall: A Forgotten Senator California Historical Society Quarterly September 1936 15 3 205 https://www.jstor.org/stable/25160648 3 April 1861 News of the morning https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU18610403.2.4&srpos=10&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-mcdougall+senate+assembly----1861--- Sacramento Daily Union Sacramento 2 November 2024 McDougall was elected with Republican support. 6 April 1861 The Senatorial vote https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SRP18610406.2.4&srpos=3&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-mcdougall+senate+assembly----1861--- San Joaquin Republican Stockton 2 November 2024 General election Two-term Democrat William M. Gwin was re-elected in 1857 following the failure of the California State Legislature to elect a senator in 1855. He was not a candidate for re-election.Gwin, William McKendree 1805 – 1885 (Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/G000540 United States Congress The California Democratic Party was divided between proslavery Chivalry or Lecompton Democrats, and free soil Anti-Lecompton Democrats. The 1860 U.S. presidential election multiplied these divisions, producing splits between supporters of the presidential candidacies of Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckinridge, and between Lecompton and Anti-Lecompton Douglas Democrats. The Constitutional Union Party, composed of conservative former Whigs, was of minimal importance. California Republicans were able to capitalize on the bitterness between the Democratic factions to carry the state in the national election with less than one third of the votes cast.Buchanan 1936 205 Hittell 1898 272–73 Gwin's term ended on March 3, 1861, without the legislature having chosen his successor.Hittell 1898 278 On March 9, the Senate and the House of Representatives met in joint session to hold an election for the next term.California 1861 333 Anti-Lecompton Douglas Democrat James A. McDougall, Breckinridge Democrat John B. Weller, Republican Timothy G. Phelps, and Lecompton Douglas Democrats James W. Denver and John Nugent were the major candidates.Buchanan 1936 205 Several coalitions of various factions were attempted during the balloting. Lacking the votes to elect their own candidate, the Republicans threw their support to McDougall in order to forestall a coalition of the Breckinridge and Lecompton Douglas Democrats.Buchanan 1936 205–6 After multiple rounds of voting spread out over several days, McDougall was apparently elected on March 20 with 56 votes on the 22nd ballot.Hittell 1898 279 Subsequently, it was discovered that McDougall's total fell one vote short of the requisite majority for a legal election. The joint session reconvened on April 2, when McDougall received the necessary 57 votes on the first (23rd overall) ballot.Buchanan 1936 206 Ballots 1–5 (March 9) + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 333–47 Party Candidate 1stballot 2ndballot 3rdballot 4thballot 5thballot Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 27 26 26 25 25 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 27 23 24 17 19 Republican Timothy G. Phelps 23 23 23 23 21 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) James W. Denver 16 17 15 16 15 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 9 11 13 14 16 Breckinridge Democratic N. E. Whitesides 5 6 colspan=3 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) Joseph P. Hoge 2 2 2 2 2 Constitutional Union George W. Bowie 1 1 1 1 1 Charles M. Creanor 1 1 5 12 7 E. H. Heacock 1 1 1 1 1 Total votes 112 111 110 111 107 Votes needed to win 57 56 56 56 54 Ballots 6–10 (March 11) + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 355–69 Party Candidate 6thballot 7thballot 8thballot 9thballot 10thballot Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 27 27 27 28 26 Republican Timothy G. Phelps 20 20 19 20 20 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 19 16 13 11 10 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) James W. Denver 18 18 18 18 18 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 17 19 23 21 22 Charles M. Creanor 3 3 3 3 4 Constitutional Union George W. Bowie 1 2 2 2 1 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) Joseph P. Hoge 1 2 1 1 2 Republican Augustus Rhodes 1 1 1 1 1 Douglas Democratic James T. Ryan 1 colspan=2 Breckinridge Democratic B. F. Washington colspan=3 2 2 Breckinridge Democratic A. C. Peachy colspan=4 1 Total votes 108 109 107 107 107 Votes needed to win 55 55 54 54 54 Ballots 11–13 (March 12) + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 377–85 Party Candidate 11thballot 12thballot 13thballot Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 24 25 25 Republican Timothy G. Phelps 22 20 21 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 21 20 20 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) James W. Denver 17 15 15 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 10 11 12 Charles M. Creanor 3 3 Breckinridge Democratic B. F. Washington 2 1 2 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) Joseph P. Hoge 1 1 1 Republican Augustus Rhodes 1 1 1 Douglas Democratic John Bidwell 1 1 Breckinridge Democratic Joseph L. Brent 1 Breckinridge Democratic Zachariah Montgomery 1 Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) Joseph Powell 1 Constitutional Union George W. Bowie colspan=2 1 Breckinridge Democratic Edward J. C. Kewen colspan=2 1 Republican William H. Parks colspan=2 1 Republican Edward Stanly colspan=2 1 Total votes 101 102 102 Votes needed to win 51 53 53 Ballot 14 (March 13) + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 394–96 Party Candidate 14thballot Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 23 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 21 Republican Timothy G. Phelps 19 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) James W. Denver 16 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 8 Breckinridge Democratic B. F. Washington 2 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) Joseph P. Hoge 2 Breckinridge Democratic Edward J. C. Kewen 2 Republican Augustus Rhodes 1 Breckinridge Democratic Zachariah Montgomery 1 Breckinridge Democratic Tod Robinson 1 Total votes 96 Votes needed to win 49 Ballots 15–16 (March 15) + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 410–15 Party Candidate 15thballot 16thballot Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 27 32 Republican Timothy G. Phelps 23 23 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 18 16 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) James W. Denver 15 12 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 9 11 Charles M. Creanor 8 3 Breckinridge Democratic B. F. Washington 2 1 Constitutional Union George W. Bowie 1 1 Republican Augustus Rhodes 1 1 Republican William H. Parks 1 1 Breckinridge Democratic Tod Robinson 1 2 Breckinridge Democratic Jackson Temple 1 7 Total votes 110 110 Votes needed to win 56 56 Ballots 17–18 (March 19) + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 432–38 Party Candidate 17thballot 18thballot Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 26 27 Republican Timothy G. Phelps 23 24 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 19 17 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) James W. Denver 15 11 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 11 11 Breckinridge Democratic Joseph L. Brent 4 4 Charles M. Creanor 4 6 Breckinridge Democratic B. F. Washington 3 3 Constitutional Union George W. Bowie 2 2 Douglas Democratic John Bidwell 1 colspan=1 Douglas Democratic N. Greene Curtis 1 1 William B. Dickinson 1 E. H. Heacock 1 1 Total votes 110 108 Votes needed to win 56 55 Ballots 19–22 (March 20) On the 22nd ballot, the votes for Anderson and Casserly were omitted from the official tally by mistake, and McDougall was erroneously pronounced elected with 56 votes—one short of a majority with the votes for Anderson and Casserly included.California 1861 369 + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 355–69 Party Candidate 19thballot 20thballot 21stballot 22ndballot Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 45 44 44 47 Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 29 30 30 56 Republican Timothy G. Phelps 23 23 22 1 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 6 7 7 6 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) Joseph P. Hoge 2 1 2 Constitutional Union George W. Bowie 1 1 1 Republican Caleb Burbank 1 1 1 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) Eugene Casserly 1 1 1 1 Charles M. Creanor 1 1 colspan=1 1 Republican Samuel W. Inge 1 colspan=3 Major Anderson colspan=3 1 Total votes 111 110 108 113 Abstentions 2 — — — Votes needed to win 56 56 55 57 Ballot 23 (April 2) + 1861 United States Senate election in CaliforniaCalifornia 1861 611–13 Party Candidate 23rdballot Douglas Democratic (Anti-Lecompton) James A. McDougall 57 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) John Nugent 39 Breckinridge Democratic John B. Weller 4 Douglas Democratic (Lecompton) Eugene Casserly 1 Democratic James Shields 1 Total votes 104 Votes needed to win 53 Notes Bibliography California Journal of the House of Assembly of California [...] 1861 none Sacramento https://clerk.assembly.ca.gov/sites/clerk.assembly.ca.gov/files/archive/DailyJournal/1861/Volumes/1861_jnl.PDF Hittell Theodore H. History of California 1898 none San Francisco https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_California/zLw-AAAAYAAJ 1861 California United States Senate