1842–43 United States Senate elections

none March 2026 January 2016 1842–43 United States Senate elections United States 1837 legislative no 1840–41 United States Senate elections 1840 & 1841 1844–45 United States Senate elections 1844 & 1845 Class 3 1836–37 United States Senate elections 1836 & 1837 1848–49 United States Senate elections 1848 & 1849 17 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) Various dates 100px 27 Seats up Whig Party (US) 29 seats 30 4 27 3 7 Democratic Party (US) 22 seats 20 13 23 3 10 Majority Party Whig Party (US) Whig Party (US) File:1842senatemap.svg Results:#0671B0 Democratic gain #92C5DE Democratic hold #f3d586 Whig hold The 1842–43 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 1842 and 1843, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/17th-amendment 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913) National Archives and Records Administration February 8, 2022 In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 3. The Whigs lost seats but maintained control of the Senate. Although they lost three seats in the regular elections, they gained two of them back by the start of the first session in special elections. Results summary Senate party division, 28th Congress (1843–1845) Majority party: Whig (27) Minority party: Democratic (22–23) Other parties: (0–1) Total seats: 52–54 Change in Senate composition Before the elections After July 1842 appointment in New Jersey. D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D16Ran D15Ran D14Ran D13Ran D12Ran D11Ran D10 D9 D8 D7 D17Unknown D18Unknown D19Retired D20Retired V2 V1 W30Resigned W29Retired W28Unknown W27Unknown Majority → W26Ran W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24Ran W25Ran W16 W15 W14 W13 W12 W11 W10 W9 W8 W7 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 Result of the elections D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D16Re-elected D15Re-elected D14Re-elected D13Re-elected D12Re-elected D11Re-elected D10 D9 D8 D7 D17Re-elected D18Hold D19Hold D20Hold D21Hold D22Gain D23Gain V2 V1 W27Hold Majority → W26Hold W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24Re-elected W25Re-elected W16 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 V3D Loss V2 V1 W27 Majority → W26 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24 W25 W16 W15 W14 W13 W12 W11 W10 W9 W8 W7 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 Beginning of the first session of the next Congress (December 4, 1843) D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D16 D15 D14 D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D8 D7 D17 D18 D19 D20 D21Hold D22Hold D23Gain W29Gain W28Gain W27 Majority → W26 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24 W25 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 Bold states link to specific election articles. Special elections during the 27th Congress In these elections, the winners were elected during 1842 or in 1843 before March 4; ordered by election date. State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Rhode Island(Class 1) Nathan F. Dixon Whig 1838 Incumbent died January 29, 1842.New senator elected February 5, 1842 on the third ballot.Whig hold. Whig Party (US) William Sprague (Whig) 44 Whig Party (US)Lemuel H. Arnold (Whig) 24 Unknown Party[FNU] Potter (Unknown) 9 Whig Party (US)John H. Clarke (Whig) 2 Unknown Party[FNU] Cranston (Unknown) 1J. 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 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924106096948&view=1up&seq=191&skin=2021 Providence, RI E. L. Freeman Company, State Printers 154 Kentucky(Class 3) Henry Clay Whig 1806 (special)1807 (retired)1810 (special)1811 (retired)1831 (late)1836 Incumbent resigned March 31, 1842.New senator elected February 25, 1842.Whig hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. Whig Party (US) John J. Crittenden (Whig) 1201841 Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Begun and Held in the Town of Frankfort, on Friday the Thirty-First Day of December, in the Year of Our Lord, 1841, and of the Commonwealth, the Fiftieth. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/ky_state_journals/23/ Frankfort, KY A.G. Hodges 585–586 Louisiana(Class 3) Alexandre Mouton Democratic 1837 (special)1837 Incumbent resigned March 1, 1842.New senator elected March 10, 1842.Whig gain.Winner later lost re-election to the next term; see below. Whig Party (US) Charles M. Conrad (Whig) 35 Whig Party (US)Alexander Porter (Whig) 9 Whig Party (US)George A. Waggaman (Whig) 4 Unknown Party[FNU] Philips (Unknown) 3 Unknown Party[FNU] Campbell (Unknown) 1 Democratic Party (US)John Randolph Grymes (Democratic) 1 Democratic Party (US)John Slidell (Democratic) 1 Blank 91842 Journal of the House of Representatives. First Session—Sixteenth Legislature. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.096219922&seq=73 New Orleans, LA J.D. de St. Romes 64–65 New Hampshire(Class 3) Leonard Wilcox Democratic 1842 (appointed) Interim appointee elected June 8, 1842.1842 Journal of the Honorable Senate of the State of New Hampshire, at Their Session Holden at the Capitol in Concord, Commencing Wednesday, June 1, 1842. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.095661639&seq=5 Concord, NH Carroll & Baker 52Winner later lost re-election to the next term; see below. Democratic Party (US) Leonard Wilcox (Democratic) July 2026 Vermont(Class 3) Samuel C. Crafts Whig 1842 (appointed) Interim appointee elected October 26, 1842.1843 Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont, October Session, 1842. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3001129&seq=50 Montpelier, VT E.P. Walton and Sons42–43Winner had not been elected to the next term; see below. Whig Party (US) Samuel C. Crafts (Whig) February 2020 New Jersey(Class 1) William L. Dayton Whig 1842 (appointed) Interim appointee elected October 28, 1842.1843 Minutes of the Votes and Proceedings of the Sixty-Seventh General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, at a Session Begun at Trenton, on the Twenty-Fifth Day of October, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-Two. Being the First Sitting. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxk3qc&seq=40 Woodbury, NJ A.S. Barber 30 Whig Party (US) William L. Dayton (Whig) 42 Democratic Party (US)Garret D. Wall (Democratic) 33 South Carolina(Class 3) William C. Preston Whig 1833 (special)1837 Incumbent resigned November 29, 1842.New senator elected December 2, 1842.Democratic gain.Winner also elected the same day to the next term; see below. Democratic Party (US) George McDuffie (Democratic) 1311842 Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of South-Carolina. Being the Annual Session of 1842. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433010014292&seq=61 Columbia, SC A.H. Pemberton57 July 2026 South Carolina(Class 2) John C. Calhoun Democratic 1832 (special)18341840 Incumbent resigned March 3, 1843.New senator elected December 15, 1842 on the third ballot.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) Daniel Elliott Huger (Democratic) 82 Democratic Party (US)Robert B. Rhett (Democratic) 71 Unknown PartyFrederick W. Davie (Unknown) 3 Democratic Party (US)William McWillie (Democratic) 2 Blank 3119 Maine(Class 1) Reuel Williams Democratic 1837 (special)1839 Incumbent resigned February 15, 1843.New senator elected March 3, 1843.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) John Fairfield (Democratic) 90 Whig Party (US)William P. Fessenden (Whig) 40 Unknown PartySeth May (Unknown) 1 Whig Party (US)Freeman H. Morse (Whig) 1 Democratic Party (US)Gorham Parks (Democratic) 1 Unknown Party (US)John Portland (Unknown) 11843 Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Maine: Twenty-Third Legislature, 1843. https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=arc_leg_journals Augusta, ME 526–5271843 Journal of the Senate of the State of Maine, A.D. 1843. https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=arc_leg_journals Augusta, ME 357 Races leading to the 28th Congress In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1843; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats. State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Alabama Arthur P. Bagby Democratic 1841 (special) Incumbent re-elected in 1842. Democratic Party (US) Arthur P. Bagby (Democratic) February 2020 Arkansas Ambrose Sevier Democratic 1836 (new state)1837 Incumbent re-elected in 1843. Democratic Party (US) Ambrose Sevier (Democratic) February 2020 Connecticut Perry Smith Democratic 1837 Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1842 but, due to ill health and a credentials challenge, was unable to serve until May 16, 1844; nevertheless, his term began March 4, 1843.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) John M. Niles (Democratic) February 2020 Georgia Alfred Cuthbert Democratic 1835 (special)1837 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1843.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) Walter T. Colquitt (Democratic) February 2020 Illinois Richard M. Young Democratic 1837 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1843.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) Sidney Breese (Democratic) February 2020 Indiana Oliver H. Smith Whig 1836 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected in 1842.Democratic gain. Democratic Party (US) Edward A. Hannegan (Democratic) February 2020 Kentucky John J. Crittenden Whig 18161819 (resigned)18351841 (retired)1842 (special) Incumbent re-elected January 7, 1843. Whig Party (US) John J. Crittenden (Whig) 88 Democratic Party (US)Richard Mentor Johnson (Democratic) 43 January 25, 1843 Re-Election of Mr. Crittenden to the Senate--More of the Earthquake coming https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84023647/1843-01-25/ed-1/seq-2/ The Middlebury people's press Middlebury, Vt. 2 29 January 2022 Louisiana Charles M. Conrad Whig 1842 (special) Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 9, 1843, but, due to ill health, did not take the seat.Whig hold. Whig Party (US) Alexander Porter (Whig) 45 Whig Party (US)Charles M. Conrad (Whig) 22 Democratic Party (US)John Slidell (Democratic) 5 Blank 21843 Journal of the House of Representatives. First Session—Seventeenth Legislature. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.096219922&seq=73 New Orleans, LA J.D. de St. Romes 16–17 Maryland John L. Kerr Whig 1841 (special) Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1843.Whig hold. Whig Party (US) James Pearce (Whig) February 2020 Missouri Lewis F. Linn Democratic 1833 (appointed)1834 (special)1836 Incumbent re-elected November 23, 1842. Democratic Party (US) Lewis F. Linn (Democratic) 119 Whig Party (US)Edward Bates (Whig) 3 Whig Party (US)Abiel Leonard (Whig) 3 Whig Party (US)Uriel Wright (Whig) 3 Unknown PartySinclair Kirtley (Unknown) 11843 Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Missouri, at the First Session of the Twelfth General Assembly, Begun and Held at the City of Jefferson, on Monday, the Twenty-First Day of November, in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-Two. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.78216767&seq=47 Jefferson, MO W. Lusk and Son 41 New Hampshire Leonard Wilcox Democratic 1842 (appointed)1842 (special) Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected November 9, 1842.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) Charles G. Atherton (Democratic) 152The vote totals are for the New Hampshire House of Representatives only; the New Hampshire Senate journal does not provide a vote breakdown. Unknown PartyDaniel M. Christie (Unknown) 49 Unknown PartyAndrew Pierce (Unknown) 11 Democratic Party (US)John Page (Democratic) 8 Democratic Party (US)Ira A. Eastman (Democratic) 2 Democratic Party (US)John P. Hale (Democratic) 1 Unknown PartyDaniel Hoit (Unknown) 1 Democratic Party (US)Leonard Wilcox (Democratic) 1 Blank 41843 Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of New Hampshire, at Their Session Holden at the Capitol in Concord, Commencing Wednesday, November 2, 1842. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.095661281&seq=235 Concord, NH Carroll & Baker 43 New York Silas Wright Jr. Democratic 1833 (special)1837 Incumbent re-elected February 7, 1843. Democratic Party (US) Silas Wright Jr. (Democratic) 94 Whig Party (US)Millard Fillmore (Whig) 22 Whig Party (US)John A. Collier (Whig) 7 Whig Party (US)Willis Hall (Whig) 4 Whig Party (US)George W. Patterson (Whig) 3 Whig Party (US)George A. Simmons (Whig) 2 Whig Party (US)Luther Bradish (Whig) 1 Whig Party (US)Gulian C. Verplanck (Whig) 1 North Carolina William A. Graham Whig 1840 (special) Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1843.Democratic gain. Democratic Party (US) William H. Haywood Jr. (Democratic) February 2020 Ohio William Allen Democratic 1836 Incumbent re-elected in 1842. Democratic Party (US) William Allen (Democratic) February 2020 Pennsylvania James Buchanan Democratic 1834 (special)1836 Incumbent re-elected January 10, 1843. Democratic Party (US) James Buchanan (Democratic) 74 Whig Party (US)John Banks (Whig) 54 Democratic Party (US)Richard Brodhead (Democratic) 1 UnknownJohn Gibons (Unknown) 1 Not voting 2 South Carolina Vacant Sen. William C. Preston (W) resigned November 29, 1842.New senator elected December 2, 1842.Democratic gain.Winner also elected the same day to finish the current term; see above. Democratic Party (US) George McDuffie (Democratic) 14157 July 2026 Vermont Samuel C. Crafts Whig 1842 (appointed) Incumbent retired.New senator elected October 21, 1842.32Whig hold.Winner was not elected to finish the current term; see above. Whig Party (US) William Upham (Whig) February 2020 Elections during the 28th Congress In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1843 after March 4; ordered by election date. State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Tennessee(Class 1) Alfred O. P. Nicholson Democratic 1840 (appointed) Incumbent resigned February 7, 1842.New senator elected October 17, 1843.Whig gain. Whig Party (US) Ephraim H. Foster (Whig) 54 Democratic Party (US)William Carroll (Democratic) 33 Democratic Party (US)Cave Johnson (Democratic) 7 Democratic Party (US)Alexander O. Anderson (Democratic) 5 Unknown Party[FNU] Fitzgerald (Unknown) 1 Unknown Party[FNU] Waterson (Unknown) 11843 Journal of the Senate of Tennessee, at the Twenty-Fifth General Assembly, Held at Nashville. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433010020828&seq=115 Knoxville, TN E.G. Eastman & L. Gifford109 Tennessee(Class 2) Vacant since 1841 Legislature had failed to elect since the 27th Congress.New senator elected October 17, 1843.Whig gain. Whig Party (US) Spencer Jarnagin (Whig) 54 Democratic Party (US)Alexander O. Anderson (Democratic) 11 Democratic Party (US)John Blair (Democratic) 9 Democratic Party (US)Levin H. Coe (Democratic) 6 Unknown PartyGeorge W. Rowles (Unknown) 6 Democratic Party (US)Cave Johnson (Democratic) 2 Democratic Party (US)William Trousdale (Democratic) 2 Unknown PartyWilliam B. Reese (Unknown) 1 Unknown PartyM.A. Long (Unknown) 1 Democratic Party (US)Hopkins L. Turney (Democratic) 1 Unknown PartyThomas L. Williams (Unknown) 1109–110 Complete list of races Maryland List of United States senators from Maryland November 2022 1843 United States Senate election in Maryland - F0C862 -% Whig Party (United States) James Pearce James Alfred Pearce, standing.jpg % 1849 1849 United States Senate election in Maryland 1841 1841 United States Senate special election in Maryland 80 members of the Maryland General Assembly Legislative December 1843 presidential James Pearce won election by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=122901 Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1843 2022-11-05 www.ourcampaigns.com New York 1843 United States Senate election in New York The election was held February 7, 1843, by the New York State Legislature. Silas Wright Jr. had been elected in 1833 to this seat after the resignation of William L. Marcy, and had been re-elected in 1837. Wright's term would expire on March 3, 1843. At the State election in November 1842, Democrat William C. Bouck was elected Governor, 92 Democrats and 36 Whigs were elected to the Assembly, and 8 Democrats and 1 Whig were elected to the State Senate. The 66th New York State Legislature met from January 3 to April 18, 1843, at Albany, New York. The incumbent U.S. Senator Silas Wright Jr. was re-nominated unanimously by a Democratic caucus on the eve of the election. Congressman Millard Fillmore was the candidate of the Whig Party. Silas Wright Jr. was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected. Candidate Party Senate (32 members) Assembly (128 members)Silas Wright Jr.Democrat 17 77Millard FillmoreWhig 6 16John A. CollierWhig 1 6Willis HallWhig 4George W. PattersonWhig 3George A. SimmonsWhig 2Luther BradishWhig 1Gulian C. VerplanckWhig 1 Wright continued in the U.S. Senate, and remained in office until November 1844 when he resigned after his election as Governor of New York. Henry A. Foster was appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily, but the State Legislature elected John A. Dix for the remainder of Wright's term. Pennsylvania 1843 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania The election was held January 10, 1843. Future President of the United States James Buchanan was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.U.S. Senate Election - 10 January 1843 http://staffweb.wilkes.edu/harold.cox/sen/PaSen1843.pdf Wilkes University 22 December 2013 The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 10, 1843, to elect a new Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1843. Incumbent Democrat James Buchanan, who was elected in 1834 and re-elected in 1836, was a successful candidate for re-election to another term. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows: State Legislature Results Democratic Party (US) James Buchanan (Incumbent) 74 56.06 Whig Party (US) John Banks 54 40.91 Democratic Party (US) Richard Brodhead 1 0.76 Unknown John Gibons 1 0.76 N/A Not voting 2 1.52 |-bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | colspan="3" align="right" | Totals | align="right" | 132 | align="right" | 100.00% |} Tennessee 1843 United States Senate special elections in Tennessee In 1841, Spencer Jarnagin was nominated for U.S. Senator by the Whig caucus in the Tennessee General Assembly. However, some of the Democrats in the legislature decided that no Senator would be preferable to a Whig. Known as the "Immortal Thirteen" by Tennessee Democrats, they refused to allow a quorum on the issue. By the time Jarnagin was eventually elected to the seat and sworn in, over two and half years, almost half of the term, had elapsed. Jarnagin finally assumed office on October 17, 1843. See also 1842 United States elections 1842–43 United States House of Representatives elections 27th United States Congress 28th United States Congress Notes References Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators; pg. 134 for State Senators 1843; pg. 227f for Members of Assembly 1843) Members of the 28th United States Congress Political History of the State of New York, from Jan. 1, 1841, to Jan. 1, 1847; Vol. III by Jabez Delano Hammond (State election, 1842: pg. 311f; U.S. Senate election, 1843: pg. 349) Journal of the Assembly (66th Session) (1843; pg. 255f) Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project