1855 Kansas Territory elections

none January 2025 The 1855 Kansas Territory elections were a series of pivotal moments in the "Bleeding Kansas" conflict between pro-slavery individuals and "Free-Staters" in Kansas Territory. The initial elections for territorial legislature, held on March 30, 1855, were marred by widespread voter fraud, intimidation, and violence, as pro-slavery forces from neighboring Missouri crossed the border to cast ballots and suppress anti-slavery voters. In response, Kansas Territorial governor, Andrew H. Reeder, ordered new elections to be held on May 22 in certain districts. But even after the corrective elections, pro-slavery candidates still managed to win a majority of seats in the territorial legislature. When the legislature convened in July, it promptly ejected all the Free-State candidates who had won seats in the May elections. This act led to many Kansans lambasting the body as the "Bogus Legislature." In October 1855, elections were held for a Congressional delegate to represent Kansas Territory in the House of Representatives. Pro-slavers held their elections on October 1 and choose John Wilkins Whitfield, whereas Free-Staters held theirs on October 8 and selected Reeder. Whitfield was initially seated as the lawful delegate, but after Reeder petitioned the House, the seat was vacated on August 1, 1856 and a new election was ordered. Territorial legislature election results Territorial Council results 1855 Council elections in Kansas Territory Kansas Territory legislative no 1857 All 13 seats to the Kansas Territory Council March 30, 1855May 22, 1855 Pro-slavery 3333FF 10 Free-State E81B23 3note1 Martin F. Conway (a Free-State councilman who was elected in March 1855), never took his seat. In July 1855, Jesse D. Wood and John A. Wakefield (who had been elected in the corrective May election) were unseated by the pro-slavery majority and their positions were filled by Andrew McDonald and Hiram J. Strickler.Andreas (1883), pp. 102103. + Summary of the 1855 Kansas Territory Council election resultsFile:Kansas_Territory_1855_Elections_Council.svg Faction March 30 elections May 22 elections Total seats Pro-slavery 10 0 10 Free-State 1 2 3note1 Source: Andreas, Alfred T. History of the State of Kansas A. T. Andreas Chicago 1883 95–101 March 30 election results + Council District 1Andreas (1883), p. 96.Howard et al. (1856), p. 31.FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery Thomas JohnsonEdward Chapman 900note6 While this number is present in Andreas (1883), it is not explicitly given in the House's report. It can be derived by adding the total votes for Johnson/Chapman from the first (780 votes), fourth (78 votes), and seventeenth (42 votes) election districts. 79.08 Free-State Joel K. GoodwinSamuel Newitt Wood 273 23.08 "Scattering" votes 10 0.84 Total votes cast 1,183 Illegally cast 827 69.91 Pro-slavery gain + Council District 2FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery A. McDonald 318 96.36 Free-State J. A. Wakefield 12 3.64 Total votes cast 330 Illegally cast 316 95.76 Results abrogated; new election orderedAndreas (1883), pp. 9798. + Council District 3FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery H. S. Strickler 598 92.71 Free-State William F. Johnson 23 3.56 Free-State Rice 17 2.64 Free-State A. McDonald 4 0.62 "Scattering" votes 3 0.46 Total votes cast 645note7 This is the total number of votes cast in the third (374 votes), seventh (234 votes), and eighth (37 votes) election districts. Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 645 whereas the total is miscalculated as 642 in the House's report. Illegally cast 547 84.81 Results abrogated; new election ordered + Council District 4FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery A. M. CoffeeDavid Lykins 680 79.53 Free-State M. G. MorrisJames P. Fox 158 18.47 "Scattering" votes 17 1.99 Total votes cast 855 Illegally cast 630 73.68 Pro-slavery gain + Council District 5FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery William Barbee 343 100 Total votes cast 343 Illegally cast 243 70.84 Pro-slavery gain + Council District 6FactionCandidateVotes% Free-State Martin F. Conway 139note3 66.51 Pro-slavery John Donaldson 68note3 According to initial returns, Donaldson received 395 and Conway received 142. However, Gov. Reeder later disqualified all the results from the 11th Election District because the vote there had been held viva voce instead of by ballot (as required by law). The rejection of these results cost Donaldson 328 votes and Conway 3, swinging the election in Conway's favor.Andreas (1883), pp. 9698. 32.54 "Scattering" votes 2 0.96 Total votes cast (Election Districts 9-12) 540note8 This is the total number of votes cast in the ninth (75 votes), tenth (92 votes), eleventh (331 votes), and twelfth (42 votes) election districts. Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 540, whereas the total is miscalculated as 538 in the House's report. Total votes cast (Election Districts 9-10, 12) 209note9 This is the total number of votes cast in the ninth (75 votes), tenth (92 votes), and twelfth (42 votes) election districts. Illegally cast (Election Districts 9-12) 345note10 This is the total number of illegal votes cast in the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth election districts. 63.89 Illegally cast (Election Districts 9-10, 12) 21note11 This is the total number of illegal votes cast in only the ninth, tenth, and twelfth election districts. 10.04 Free-State gain + Council District 7FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery John W. Foreman 478 100 Total votes cast 478 Illegally cast 207 43.30 Pro-slavery gain + Council District 8FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery W. P. Richardson 234 77.48 Free-State John W. Whitehead 68 22.52 Total votes cast 302 Illegally cast 166 55.00 Pro-slavery gain + Council District 9FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery D. A. M. Grover 411 99.76 "Scattering" votes 1 0.24 Total votes cast 412 Illegally cast 332 80.58 Pro-slavery gain + Council District 10FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery R. R. ReesJ. J. Eastin 1,129 94.48 Free-State B. H. TwomblyA. J. Whitney 66note12 This is the total number of votes cast in the thirteenth (6 votes) and sixteenth (60 votes) election districts for both Twombly and Whitney. Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 66 whereas the total is miscalculated as 166 in the House's report. 5.52 Total votes cast 1,195note31 This is the total number of votes cast for Rees/Eastin in the thirteenth (233 votes) and sixteenth (896 votes) election districts, combined with the total number of votes cast for Twombly/Whitney in the thirteenth (6 votes) and sixteenth (60 votes) election districts. Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 1,195, whereas the total is miscalculated as 1,206 in the House's report. Illegally cast 1,044note14 This is the total number of illegal votes cast in the thirteenth (230 votes) and sixteenth (814) election districts.Howard et al. (1856), pp. 3031. Andreas (1883) erroneously gives the total as 1,033. 86.57 Pro-slavery gain May 22 election results + Council District 2Andreas (1883), p. 101.FactionCandidateVotes% Free-State J. A. Wakefield 127 100 Total votes cast 127 Free-State gain + Council District 3FactionCandidateVotes% Free-State Jesse D. Wood 214 86.64 Free-State C. H. Washington 33 13.36 "Scattering" votes 14 0.84 Total votes cast 247 Free-State gain Territorial House results 1855 House of Representatives elections in Kansas Territory Kansas Territory legislative no 1857 All 26 seats to the Kansas Territory House of Representatives March 30, 1855May 22, 1855 Pro-slavery 3333FF 18 Free-State E81B23 8note15 In July 1855, John Hutchison, Erastus. D. Ladd, Philip P. Fowler, Augustus Wattles, William Jessee, and Cyrus K. Holliday (Free-Staters who had been elected in the corrective May election), as well as A. J. Baker (a Free-Stater who had been elected in the March elections by a technicality) were unseated by the pro-slavery majority and their positions were filled by James Whitlock, John M. Banks, A. B. Wade, G. W. Ward, O. H. Brown, D. L. Croysdale, and M. W. McGee (all of whom were pro-slavery in alignment). The remaining Free-State representative, S. D. Houston, would resign in protest on July 23.Andreas (1883), pp. 102103. + Summary of the 1855 Kansas Territory House of Representatives election resultsFile:Kansas Territory 1855 Elections House.svg Faction March 30 elections May 22 elections Total seats Pro-slavery 15 3 18 Free-State 2 6 8note15 Source: Andreas, Alfred T. History of the State of Kansas A. T. Andreas Chicago 1883 95–101 March 30 election results + House District 1FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery A. S. Johnson 120 84.51 Free-State A. F. Powell 19 13.38 "Scattering" votes 3 2.11 Total votes cast 142note18 This is the total number of votes for Johnson (120 votes), Powell (19 votes), and any scattering votes (3). Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 142, whereas the total is miscalculated as 139 in the House's report. Illegally cast 65note26 Andreas (1883) has the number as 68. 45.77 Pro-slavery gain + House District 2FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery Jatues WhitlockJ. M. BanksA. B. Wade 781 74.81 Free-State John HutchisonE. D. LaddP. P. Fowler 253 24.23 "Scattering" votes 10 0.96 Total votes cast 1,044note19 This is the total number of votes for Whitlock/Banks/Wade (781 votes), Hutchison/Ladd/Fowler (253 votes), and any scattering votes (10). Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 1,044, whereas the total is miscalculated as 1,034 in the House's report.Howard et al. (1856), p. 32. Illegally cast 802note33 Andreas (1883) has the number as 812. 76.82 Results abrogated; new election ordered + House District 3FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery G. W. WardO. H. Brown 318 93.26 Free-State Isaac DavisE. G. Macy 12 3.52 "Scattering" votes 11 3.23 Total votes cast 341 Illegally cast 316 31.09 Results abrogated; new election ordered + House District 4FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery D. L. Croysdale 366 98.65 Free-State Cyrus K. Holliday 4 1.08 "Scattering" votes 1 0.27 Total votes cast 371note20 This is the total number of votes for Croysdale (366 votes), Holliday (4 votes), and any scattering votes (1). Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 371, whereas the total is miscalculated as 370 in the House's report. Illegally cast 338note34 Andreas (1883) has the number as 308. 91.11 Results abrogated; new election ordered + House District 5FactionCandidatesVotes% Free-State A. J. Baker 25note16 64.10 Pro-slavery M. W. McGee 12note16 According to initial returns, McGee received 222 votes (210 of which were from seventh election district), Baker received 26 (1 of which was in the seventh election district), and H. Rice received 23 (all from the seventh election district). However, Gov. Reeder later disqualified all the results from the 7th Election District because the judges overseeing the vote had not been sworn in. The rejection of these results cost McGee 210 votes, Baker 1 vote, and Rice all of his votes. This swung the election in Baker's favor. 30.77 Free-State H. Rice 0note16 0 "Scattering" votes 2 5.13 Total votes cast (Election Districts 78) 273note17 This number is the sum of the votes cast in the seventh (234 votes) and eighth (37 votes) election districts plus two scattering votes reported by Andreas. Total votes cast (Election District 8 only) 39note21 This number is the sum of the votes cast in the eighth (37 votes) election districts plus two scattering votes reported by Andreas. Illegally cast (Election Districts 78) 209note27 Andreas (1883) has the number as 211. 76.56 Free-State gain + House District 6FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery Joseph C. AndersonS. A. Williams 315 90.0 Free-State John HamiltonWilliam Margraves 35 10.0 Total votes cast 350 Illegally cast 250 71.43 Pro-slavery gain + House District 7FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery W. A. HaskallA. WilkinsonH. YoungerSamuel Scott 684 80.19 Free-State John SerpellAdam PoreS. H. HouserWilliam Jennings 152 17.82 "Scattering" votes 17 1.99 Total votes cast 853note22 This is the total number of votes for Haskall et al. (684 votes), Serpell et al. (152 votes), and 17 scattering votes. Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 853, whereas the total is miscalculated as 855 in the House's report. Illegally cast 630note28 Andreas (1883) has the number as 629. Pro-slavery gain + House District 8FactionCandidateVotes% Free-State S. D. Houston 120 71.86 Pro-slavery Russell Garrett 41 24.55 "Scattering" votes 6 3.59 Total votes cast 167 Illegally cast 10note29 Andreas (1883) has the number as 11. 5.99 Free-State gain + House District 9FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery J. Marshall 344 91.98 Free-State H. McCartney 26 6.95 "Scattering" votes 4 1.07 Total votes cast 374note23 This is the total number of votes for Marshall (344 votes), McCartney (26 votes), and 4 scattering votes. Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 374, whereas the total is miscalculated as 370 in the House's report. Illegally cast 321 85.83 Pro-slavery gain + House District 10FactionCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery William H. Tibbs 237 98.75 Free-State C. Hard 3 1.25 Total votes cast 240note24 This is the total number of votes for Tibbs (237 votes) and Hard (3 votes). Andreas (1883) correctly gives the total as 240, whereas the total is miscalculated as 242 in the House's report. Illegally cast 230note30 Andreas (1883) has the number as 228. 95.83 Pro-slavery gain + House District 11note25 Unless otherwise noted, these results are based exclusively on Andreas (1883), due to a typesetting error rendering page 33 of the House's report unworkable.FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery J. H. StringfellowR. L. Kirk 420 87.5 Free-State G. A. CutlerJohn Landis 54 11.25 "Scattering" votes 6 1.25 Total votes cast 480 Illegally cast Pro-slavery gain + House District 12note25FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery J. P. BlairT. W. Watterson 258 99.23 Free-State Joel RyanJohn Fee 2 0.77 Total votes cast 260 Illegally cast Pro-slavery gain + House District 13note25FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery H. B. C. HarrisJ. Weddell 412 100 Total votes cast 412 Illegally cast Pro-slavery gain + House District 14note25FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery H. B. McMeekenArchy PayneW. G. Mathias 897 93.83 Free-State Felix G. BradenSamuel FranceF. Browning 59 6.17 Total votes cast 956 Illegally castnote25 906 94.77 Results abrogated; new election ordered May 22 election results + House District 2FactionCandidatesVotes% Free-State John HutchisonErastus. D. LaddPhilip P. Fowler 288 94.12 "Scattering" votes 18 5.88 Total votes cast 306 Free-State gain + House District 3FactionCandidatesVotes% Free-State Augustus WattlesWilliam Jessee 127 100 Total votes cast 127 Free-State gain + House District 4FactionCandidateVotes% Free-State Cyrus K. Holliday 148 99.33 "Scattering" votes 1 0.67 Total votes cast 149 Free-State gain + House District 14FactionCandidatesVotes% Pro-slavery H. B. McMeekenArchy PayneW. G. Mathias 700 97.90 "Scattering" votes 15 2.10 Total votes cast 715 Pro-slavery gain Outcome thumb|right|After the March 30, 1855 elections were marred by voting fraud, Kansas Territorial governor Andrew Horatio Reeder called for new elections in select districts. Initial returns suggested that voters had chosen 13 pro-slavery councilmen and 25 pro-slavery representatives. Free-state settlers immediately cried foul, citing demonstrable voting irregularities, leading the governor of Kansas Territory, Andrew Horatio Reeder, to scrutinize the results. On April 6, 1855, he declared Martin F. Conway the winner of the sixth district, and he also called for new elections for Council Districts 23 and House Districts 24, and 14. These elections, held on May 22, were all won by Free-Staters with the exception of the House District 14 race. After the governor granted election certificates, the Council was consequently left with 10 pro-slavery and 3 Free-state members, whereas the House was left with 18 pro-slavery and 8 Free-state members.Andreas (1883), pp. 97101. When the territorial legislature met for the first time on July 2, 1855, however, it expelled all the Free-state men who had been elected in May. The remaining Free-State representative, S. D. Houston, would resign in protest on July 23.note32 The Free-State councilman M. F. Conway never took his seat, officially resigning on July 3, 1855.Andreas (1883), 102103. The legislature's decision to eject most of its Free-State members led to many in Kansas denouncing it as the "Bogus Legislature".Roe Jason The Contested Election of 1855 https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/blog/contested-election-1855 November 14, 2023 Civil War on the Western Border On March 19, 1856, the US House of Representatives tasked a special committee, comprising William A. Howard (O-Michigan), John Sherman (O-Ohio), and Mordecai Oliver (O-Missouri),Kansas State Historical Society (1881), pp. 146147. with investigating "the troubles in the Territory of Kansas."Howard et al. (1856), p. 1. Their report, "Report of the Special Committee Appointed to Investigate the Troubles in Kansas", was published later in 1856. In this document, the committee's majority contended that "each election in the Territory, held under the organic or alleged Territorial law, has been carried by organized invasion from the State of Missouri by which the people of the Territory have been prevented from exercising the rights secured to them by the organic law."Howard et al. (1856), p. 67. The majority further argued that "the alleged Territorial legislature was an illegally constituted body, and had no power to pass valid laws, and their enactments are therefore null and void." For these reasons, the committee majority concluded that "in the present condition of the Territory a fair election cannot be held without a new census, a stringent and well-guarded election law, the selection of impartial judges, and the presence of United States troops at every place of election." Congressional delegate election results thumb|right|John Wilkins Whitfield was elected as Kansas Territory's congressional delegate in the October 1, 1855 election. The legality of that election would later be questioned by the United States House of Representatives. October 1 (Pro-Slavery) elections + Congressional delegate (October 1, 1855)PartyCandidateVotes% Pro-slavery DemocratSchwab Scott Election Security Shouldn't Hinge on Personalities https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article214019429.html Kansas City Star November 15, 2023 June 28, 2018 John Wilkins Whitfield 2,721 99.38 "Scattering" votes 17 0.62 Total votes cast 2,738 Pro-Slavery Democrat selected as delegate October 9 (Free-State) elections + Congressional delegate (October 9, 1855)Andreas (1883), p. 111.Admire (1891), p. 193.PartyCandidateVotes% Free-State DemocratSocolofsky (2021), p. 34. Andrew H. Reeder 2,849 100 Total votes cast 2,849 Free-State Democrat selected as delegate Outcome Following the two elections, Whitfield (the incumbent who had last been elected in 1854)House of Representatives Historian Historian of the United States House of Representatives Whitfield, John Wilkins: 1818 1879 https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/W000414 November 15, 2023 Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress presented his election credentials to the 34th United States Congress and was subsequently seated as the delegate from Kansas Territory. Following this, Reeder petitioned Congress to eject Whitfield and install himself as the valid delegate. In response to this conflict, the House of Representatives issued the "Report of the Special Committee Appointed to Investigate the Troubles in Kansas", penned by a special committee tasked with analyzing the territory's elections. In the report, the majority agreed that "the election under which the sitting delegate, John Whitfield, holds his seat, was not held in pursuance of any valid law and that it should be regarded only as the expression of the voice of those resident citizens who voted for him." However, the committee majority also argued that "the election, under which the contesting delegate, Andrew H. Reeder, claims his seat, was not held in pursuance of law, and that it should be regarded only as the expression of the resident citizens who voted for him." As a result, the House voted on August 1, 1856 to vacate Whitfield's seat and hold a new election.United States Congress (1950), p. 255.Bartlett (1865), pp. 185203. In the subsequent election, Whitfield would again be elected, and Reeder would again contest the results.KS Territorial Delegate Special Election https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=296760 November 15, 2023 Our Campaigns In 1857, the Committee on Elections once again recommended that Whitfield be declared not entitled to the seat because non-residents had voted and because many Kansans had been disenfranchised in the 1856 election, but the House narrowly decided to table the resolution. Whitfield served provisionally from December 9, 1856, to March 3, 1857.Hinds (1907), pp. 10761078. Notes References Bibliography Admire, W. W. Admire's Political and Legislative Hand-Book for Kansas 1891 George W. Crane & Co. Topeka, KS https://books.google.com/books?id=HXJDAAAAIAAJ November 13, 2023 Google Books Andreas Alfred T. History of the State of Kansas 1 1883 Chicago, IL A. T. Andreas https://books.google.com/books?id=5t09AQAAMAAJ November 13, 2023 Google Books Cases of Contested Elections in Congress, from 1834 to 1865, Inclusive Bartlett, D. W. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 1865 https://books.google.com/books?id=3MgTAAAAYAAJ November 14, 2023 Google Books Hinds Asher L. https://books.google.com/books?id=46tCAQAAMAAJ Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States 1907 Government Printing Office 1 Washington, DC November 15, 2023 Google Books Howard William A. Sherman John Oliver Mordecai Report of the Special Committee Appointed to Investigate the Troubles in Kansas Washington, DC 1856 United States House of Representatives https://www.loc.gov/item/rc01000093/ November 13, 2023 William Alanson Howard John Sherman Mordecai Oliver the Library of Congress Kansas State Historical Society Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society 1881 Kansas Publishing House Topeka 145–156 Governor Andrew H. Reeder Socolofsky Homer E. Kansas Governors 2021 University Press of Kansas 9780700631704 Topeka United States Congress 1950 Government Printing Office Washington, DC Biographical Directory of the American Congress: 1774-1949 https://books.google.com/books?id=JrXYvgrwkM0C November 14, 2023 Google Books Category:1855 in Kansas Territory Category:1855 Kansas Territory elections Category:Bleeding Kansas Category:March 1855 Category:May 1855 Category:October 1855