United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 1861

Last updated April 01, 2019

The 1861 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 8, 1861. Edgar Cowan was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.^[1]

Edgar Cowan was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate during the American Civil War.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly and was unicameral. Since the Constitution of 1776, the legislature has been known as the General Assembly. The General Assembly became a bicameral legislature in 1791.

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.

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Incumbent Democrat William Bigler, who was elected in 1856, was not a candidate for re-election to another term. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 8, 1861, to elect a new Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1861. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

William Bigler was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the 12th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855, and later a U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania from 1856 until 1861.

State Legislature Results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Edgar Cowan	98	73.68
	Democratic	Henry Foster	35	26.32
Totals			133	100.00%

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The United States Senate elections of 1860 and 1861 were elections corresponding with Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency. The nascent Republican Party increased their Senate seats in the general elections, and after southern Democrats withdrew to join the Confederacy, Republicans gained control of the United States Senate. To establish a quorum with fewer members, a lower total seat number was taken into account.

The 1820-1821 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on three separate dates from December 1820 to December 1821. On December 10, 1821, William Findlay was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1840 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania 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.

The 1845 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 14, 1845. Incumbent Daniel Sturgeon was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1857 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 13, 1857. Simon Cameron was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1861 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on March 14, 1861. David Wilmot was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1911 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 17, 1911. Incumbent George T. Oliver was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate. This was the last Class I U.S. Senate election to be decided by the Pennsylvania General Assembly before the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which mandated direct election of U.S. Senators.

The 1812 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on December 8, 1812. Abner Lacock was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1818 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on December 8, 1818. Walter Lowrie was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1843 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 10, 1843. Future President of the United States James Buchanan was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1849 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 10, 1849. James Cooper was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1856 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 14, 1856. William Bigler was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1867 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 15, 1867. Simon Cameron was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1873 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 21, 1873. Simon Cameron was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1879 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 20, 1879. J. Donald Cameron was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1885 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 20, 1885. J. Donald Cameron was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1891 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 20, 1891. J. Donald Cameron was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1897 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 19, 1897. Boies Penrose was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1903 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 20, 1903. Boies Penrose was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.

The 1909 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on January 19, 1909. Boies Penrose was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate. This was the last Class III U.S. Senate election to be decided by the Pennsylvania General Assembly before the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which mandated direct election of U.S. Senators.

References

1 2 "U.S. Senate Election - 8 January 1861" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved 22 December 2013.

External links

Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project

The Wilkes University Election Statistics Project is a free online resource documenting Pennsylvania political election results dating back to 1796.

United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 1861

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