1846–47 United States Senate elections
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19 of the 58 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 30 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results: Democratic gain Democratic hold Independent Democratic gain Whig hold Legislature failed to elect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1846–47 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 1846 and 1847, 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.
The Democratic Party gained four seats in the United States Senate.
Results
Senate party division, 30th Congress (1847–1849)
- Majority party: Democratic (34–38)
- Minority party: Whig (20–21)
- Other parties: Independent Democratic (1)
- Total seats: 58–60
Change in composition
Before the elections
After the February 1846 elections in Texas.
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | ||
| D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 |
| D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 Ala. Ran |
D26 Ark. Ran |
D27 S.C. Ran |
D28 Tex. Ran |
| Majority → | D29 N.H. Ran | ||||||||
| W19 Va. Ran |
W20 Del. Unknown |
W21 Ky. Unknown |
W22 Mich. Retired |
W23 Tenn. Retired |
W24 La. Died |
V1 | D31 Ill. Retired |
D30 Miss. Unknown | |
| W18 R.I. Ran |
W17 N.C. Ran |
W16 N.J. Ran |
W15 Mass. Ran |
W14 Maine. Ran |
W13 Ga. Ran |
W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 |
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | ||
As a result of the regular elections
| V3 Iowa New state |
D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | |
| D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 |
| D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 Ala. Appointee elected |
D26 Ark. Re-elected |
D27 S.C. Re-elected |
D28 Tex. Re-elected |
| Majority → | D29 Ill. Hold | ||||||||
| W19 R.I. Hold |
V1 Tenn. W Loss |
V2 | ID1 N.H. Gain |
D34 Va. Gain |
D33 Mich. Gain |
D32 Maine. Hold |
D31 Miss. Hold |
D30 La. Hold | |
| W18 Ky. Hold |
W17 Del. Hold |
W16 N.C. Re-elected |
W15 N.J. Re-elected |
W14 Mass. Re-elected |
W13 Ga. Re-elected |
W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 |
| V4 Iowa New state |
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | |
As a result of the regular elections
| V2 Iowa |
D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | |
| D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 |
| D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 Va. (sp) Hold |
D25 | D26 | D27 | D28 |
| Majority → | D29 | ||||||||
| W19 | W20 Tenn. Gain |
W21 N.C. (sp) Gain |
ID1 | D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 | D30 | |
| W18 | W17 | W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 |
| V3 Iowa |
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | |
| Key: |
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Race summaries
Special elections during the 29th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1846 or in 1847 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Mississippi (Class 2) |
Joseph W. Chalmers | Democratic | 1845 (appointed) | Interim appointee elected January 10, 1846. |
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| Texas (Class 1) |
None (new state) | Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Senator elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain. |
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| Texas (Class 2) |
Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Senator elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain. |
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| New Hampshire (Class 2) |
Benning W. Jenness | Democratic | 1845 (appointed) | Appointee lost election to finish the term. New senator elected June 13, 1846. Liberty gain. Winner was not elected to the next term; see below. |
|
| North Carolina (Class 3) |
William H. Haywood Jr. | Democratic | 1843 | Incumbent resigned July 25, 1846 rather than disobey instructions from the N.C. General Assembly. New senator elected November 25, 1846. Whig gain. |
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| Louisiana (Class 2) |
Alexander Barrow | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent died December 29, 1846. New senator elected January 21, 1847. Democratic gain. Winner was not elected to the next term; see below. |
|
| Virginia (Class 1) |
Isaac S. Pennybacker | Democratic | 1845 (special) | Incumbent died January 12, 1847. New senator elected January 21, 1847. Democratic hold. |
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| Iowa (Class 2) |
None (new state) | Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split preventing any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.[2] Seats remained vacant until December 7, 1848. |
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| Iowa (Class 3) |
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Races leading to the 30th Congress
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1847; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Alabama | Dixon Hall Lewis | Democratic | 1844 (appointed) | Incumbent elected to full term in 1847. |
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| Arkansas | Chester Ashley | Democratic | 1844 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1846. |
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| Delaware | Thomas Clayton | Whig | 1837 (special) 1841 |
Incumbent lost re-election or retired. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold. |
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| Georgia | John M. Berrien | Whig | 1825 1829 (resigned) 1840 1845 (resigned) 1845 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1846. |
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| Illinois | James Semple | Democratic | 1843 (appointed) ? (special) |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1846. Democratic hold. |
|
| Kentucky | James T. Morehead | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold. |
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| Louisiana | Pierre Soulé | Democratic | 1847 (special) | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1847. Democratic hold. |
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| Maine | George Evans | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1846.[3] Democratic gain. |
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| Massachusetts | John Davis | Whig | 1835 1841 (resigned) 1845 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1847. |
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| Michigan | William Woodbridge | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in February 1847. Democratic gain. |
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| Mississippi | Joseph W. Chalmers | Democratic | 1845 (appointed) ? (special) |
Incumbent lost re-election or retired. New senator elected in 1846 or 1847. Democratic hold. |
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| New Hampshire | Joseph Cilley | Liberty | 1846 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1846. Independent Democratic gain. |
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| New Jersey | Jacob W. Miller | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected in 1846. |
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| North Carolina | Willie Mangum | Whig | 1840 (special) 1841 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1847. |
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| Rhode Island | James F. Simmons | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold. |
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| South Carolina | John C. Calhoun | Democratic | 1832 (special) 1834 1840 1843 (resigned) 1845 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1846. |
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| Tennessee | Spencer Jarnagin | Whig | 1843 (special) | Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss. |
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| Texas | Sam Houston | Democratic | 1846 | Incumbent re-elected in 1847 |
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| Virginia | William S. Archer | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1846. Democratic gain. |
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Special elections during the 30th Congress
In this special election, the winner was elected in 1847 after March 4.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Tennessee (Class 2) |
Vacant | Legislature had earlier failed to elect. New senator elected November 22, 1847. Whig gain. |
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Iowa
Iowa became a state in December 1846, but did not elect its senators until December 1848.
Louisiana
Alexander Barrow (W) died December 29, 1846. Pierre Soulé (D) was elected January 21, 1847 just to finish the term. Solomon W. Downs (D) was elected to the next term.
New Hampshire
Democratic appointee Benning W. Jenness lost the June 13, 1846 election to finish the term and the election the same day to the next term. Joseph Cilley (Liberty) was elected to finish the term, but lost the election to the next term. John P. Hale was (Independent Democratic) was elected to the next term and would later become a Free Soiler.
Virginia
William S. Archer (W) lost re-election to Democrat Robert M. T. Hunter.
Virginia (special)
Isaac S. Pennybacker (D), who was not up for election, died January 12, 1847. James Murray Mason (D) was elected January 21, 1847.
See also
References
- ^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
- ^ Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa. pp. 17–46, 72–79.
- ^ "Bio of James W. Bradbury". Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov