United States Senate elections, 1850 and 1851

United States Senate elections, 1850 and 1851
21 of the 62 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections); 32 seats needed for a majority
Majority Party before election; Democratic;	Elected Majority Party; Democratic;

Last updated April 01, 2019

The United States Senate elections of 1850 and 1851 were elections which had the Democratic Party lose seats, but retain a majority in the United States Senate.

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.

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.

Results summary
Change in Senate composition
Before the elections
As a result of the elections
At the beginning of the first session, December 1, 1851
Race summaries
Elections during the 31st Congress
Races leading to the 32nd Congress
Elections during the 32nd Congress
Complete list of races
Massachusetts
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
See also
References

As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established the popular election of United States Senators by the people of the states. The amendment supersedes Article I, §3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held.

A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 25 states, the legislature is simply called the Legislature, or the State Legislature, while in 19 states, the legislature is called the General Assembly. In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the legislature is called the General Court, while North Dakota and Oregon designate the legislature the Legislative Assembly.

Results summary

Senate Party Division, 32nd Congress (1851–1853)

Majority Party: Democratic (34–35)
Minority Party: Whig Party (21–23)
Other Parties: Free Soiler (2–3)
Total Seats: 62

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

D₁
D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂
D₂₂	D₂₃ Ran	D₂₄ Ran	D₂₅ Ran	D₂₆ Ran	D₂₇ Ran	D₂₈ Ran	D₂₉ Ran	D₃₀ Ran	D₃₁ Ran
Majority →									D₃₂ Ran
W₂₂ Unknown	W₂₃ Unknown	W₂₄ Retired	FS₁	FS₂	D₃₆ Retired	D₃₅ Unknown	D₃₄ Unknown	D₃₃ Ran	D₃₂ Ran
W₂₁ Ran	W₂₀ Ran	W₁₉ Ran	W₁₈ Ran	W₁₇	W₁₆	W₁₅	W₁₄	W₁₃	W₁₂
W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉	W₁₀	W₁₁
W₁

As a result of the elections

D₁
D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂
D₂₂	D₂₃ Re-elected	D₂₄ Re-elected	D₂₅ Re-elected	D₂₆ Re-elected	D₂₇ Re-elected	D₂₈ Re-elected	D₂₉ Re-elected	D₃₀ Hold	D₃₁ Hold
Majority →									D₃₂ Gain
V₁ W Loss	V₂ W Loss	FS₁	FS₂	V₃ D Loss	V₄ D Loss	V₅ D Loss	D₃₄ Gain	D₃₃ Gain	D₃₂ Gain
W₂₁ Gain	W₂₀ Gain	W₁₉ Hold	W₁₈ Re-elected	W₁₇	W₁₆	W₁₅	W₁₄	W₁₃	W₁₂
W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉	W₁₀	W₁₁
W₁

At the beginning of the first session, December 1, 1851

D₁
D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂
D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈	D₂₉	D₃₀	D₃₁
Majority →									D₃₂
W₂₂ Gain	W₂₃ Gain	FS₁	FS₂	FS₃ Gain	V₁	V₂	D₃₄ Hold	D₃₃	D₃₂
W₂₁	W₂₀	W₁₉	W₁₈	W₁₇	W₁₆	W₁₅	W₁₄	W₁₃	W₁₂
W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆	W₇	W₈	W₉	W₁₀	W₁₁
W₁

Key:

D_#	Democratic
FS_#	Free Soil
W_#	Whig
V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Elections during the 31st Congress

In these elections, the winners were seated during 1850 or in 1851 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Maryland (Class 1)	David Stewart	Whig	1849 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Winner elected January 12, 1850. Whig hold. Winner was elected to the next term, see below.	√ Thomas Pratt (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
Massachusetts (Class 1)	Robert C. Winthrop	Whig	1850 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election to finish the term. Winner elected February 1, 1851. Democratic gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below.	√ Robert Rantoul, Jr. (Democratic) Robert C. Winthrop (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]

Races leading to the 32nd Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1851; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Connecticut	Roger Sherman Baldwin	Whig	1847 (Appointed) 1848 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election or retired. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss Seat would not be filled until 1852.	[Data unknown/missing.]
California	John C. Frémont	Democratic	1850	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would not be filled until 1852.	John C. Frémont (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Delaware	John Wales	Whig	1849 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Democratic gain.	√ James A. Bayard, Jr. (Democratic) John Wales (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
Florida	David Levy Yulee	Democratic	1845	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Democratic hold.	√ Stephen Mallory (Democratic) David Levy Yulee (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Indiana	Jesse D. Bright	Democratic	1844	Incumbent re-elected in 1850.	√ Jesse D. Bright (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Maine	Hannibal Hamlin	Democratic	1848 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1851.	√ Hannibal Hamlin (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Maryland	Thomas Pratt	Whig	1850 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1851.	√ Thomas Pratt (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
Massachusetts	Robert Rantoul, Jr.	Democratic	1851 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent ran for re-election or retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would later be filled on April 24, 1851, see below.	Charles Sumner (Free Soil) [Data unknown/missing.]
Michigan	Lewis Cass	Democratic	1844 or 1845 1848 (Resigned) 1849 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1850 or 1851.	√ Lewis Cass (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Mississippi	Jefferson Davis	Democratic	1847 (Appointed) 1848 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1850.	√ Jefferson Davis (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Missouri	Thomas H. Benton	Democratic	1821 1827 1833 1839 1845	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Whig gain.	√ Henry S. Geyer (Whig) Thomas H. Benton (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
New Jersey	William L. Dayton	Whig	1848 (Democratic) ? (Special) 1845	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Democratic gain.	√ Robert F. Stockton (Democratic) William L. Dayton (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
New York	Daniel S. Dickinson	Democratic	1844 (Appointed) 1845	Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would later be filled on March 19, 1851, see below.	Daniel S. Dickinson (Democratic) Many, see below
Ohio	Thomas Ewing	Whig	1850 (Appointed)	Incumbent lost election to the next term. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss. Seat would later be filled on March 15, 1851, see below.	Thomas Ewing (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
Pennsylvania	Daniel Sturgeon	Democratic	1840 1845	Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 14, 1851. Democratic hold.	√ Richard Brodhead (Democratic) Many, see below
Rhode Island	Albert C. Greene	Whig	1844 or 1845	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1850 or 1851. Democratic gain.	√ Charles T. James (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Tennessee	Hopkins L. Turney	Democratic	1844	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Whig gain.	√ James C. Jones (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
Texas	Thomas J. Rusk	Democratic	1846	Incumbent re-elected in 1851.	√ Thomas J. Rusk (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Vermont	Samuel S. Phelps	Whig	1839 1845	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1850. Whig hold.	√ Solomon Foot (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
Virginia	James M. Mason	Democratic	1847 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1850.	√ James M. Mason (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Wisconsin	Henry Dodge	Democratic	1848	Incumbent re-elected in 1851.	√ Henry Dodge (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]

Elections during the 32nd Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1851 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Ohio (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. Winner elected late March 15, 1851 on the 37th ballot.^[1] Whig gain.	√ Benjamin Wade (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.]
New York (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. Winner elected late March 19, 1851. Whig gain.	√ Hamilton Fish (Whig) Many, see below
Massachusetts (Class 1)	Vacant			Legislature had failed to elect. Winner elected April 24, 1851. Free Soil gain.	√ Charles Sumner (Free Soil) [Data unknown/missing.]

Complete list of races

Massachusetts

In 1851, Democrats gained control of the legislature in coalition with the Free Soilers. However, the legislature deadlocked on this Senate race, as Democrats refused to vote for Charles Sumner (the Free Soilers' choice).

Charles Sumner was an American politician and United States Senator from Massachusetts. As an academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the anti-slavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the U.S. Senate during the American Civil War. He worked hard to destroy the Confederacy, free all the slaves, and keep on good terms with Europe. During Reconstruction, he fought to minimize the power of the ex-Confederates and guarantee equal rights to the freedmen. He fell into a dispute with fellow Republican President Ulysses Grant on the question of taking control of Santo Domingo. Grant's allies stripped Sumner of his power in the Senate in 1871, and he joined the Liberal Republican movement in an effort to defeat Grant's reelection in 1872.

New York

The election in New York was held on February 4 and March 18 and 19, 1851. Daniel S. Dickinson (Democratic) had been elected in 1845 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1851. The Whig Party in New York was split in two opposing factions: the Seward/Weed faction (the majority, opposed to the Compromise of 1850) and the "Silver Grays" (supporters of President Millard Fillmore and his compromise legislation, led by Francis Granger whose silver gray hair originated the faction's nickname). The opposing factions of the Democratic Party in New York, the "Barnburners" and the "Hunkers", had reunited at the State election in November 1850, and managed to have almost their whole State ticket elected, only Horatio Seymour was defeated for Governor by a plurality of 262 votes.

Daniel Stevens Dickinson was a New York politician, most notable as a United States Senator from 1844 to 1851.

William Henry Seward was United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as Governor of New York and United States Senator. A determined opponent of the spread of slavery in the years leading up to the American Civil War, he was a dominant figure in the Republican Party in its formative years, and was praised for his work on behalf of the Union as Secretary of State during the American Civil War.

Thurlow Weed United States political manager and journalist

Thurlow Weed was a New York newspaper publisher and Whig and Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor to the prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was instrumental in the presidential nominations of William Henry Harrison (1840), Zachary Taylor (1848), and John C. Frémont (1856).

At the State election in November 1849, 14 Seward Whigs, 3 Silver Gray Whigs and 15 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1850–1851) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1850, a Whig majority was elected to the Assembly for the session of 1851. The 74th New York State Legislature met from January 7 to April 17, and from June 10 to July 11, 1851, at Albany, New York.

The 74th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to July 11, 1851, during the first year of Washington Hunt's governorship, in Albany.

Albany is the capital of the U.S. state of New York and the seat of Albany County. Albany is located on the west bank of the Hudson River approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of its confluence with the Mohawk River and approximately 135 miles (220 km) north of New York City.

Ex-Governor of New York Hamilton Fish was the candidate of the Whig Party, but was also a close friend of Henry Clay who was one of the leaders of the Fillmore faction in Washington, D.C. He was thus considered the only viable compromise candidate. The Silver Grays asked Fish to pledge his support for the Compromise, but Fish refused to make any comment, saying that he did not seek the office, and that the legislators should vote guided by Fish's known political history. Fish had earlier stated his opposition against the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 but was believed to support most of the remainder of the Compromise. Nevertheless, Silver Gray State Senator James W. Beekman declared that he would not vote for Fish for personal reasons, a dislike stemming from the time when they were fellow students at Columbia University.

The Governor of New York is the chief executive of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces.

Henry Clay Sr. was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, served as 7th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and served as the 9th U.S. secretary of state. He received electoral votes for president in the 1824, 1832, and 1844 presidential elections and helped found both the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. For his role in defusing sectional crises, he earned the appellation of the "Great Compromiser."

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, first President of the United States and Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city is also one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.

The State Legislature met on February 4, the legally prescribed day, to elect a U.S. Senator. In the Assembly, Fish received a majority of 78 to 49. In the State Senate the vote stood 16 for Fish and 16 votes for a variety of candidates, among them Beekman's vote for Francis Granger. After a second ballot with the same result, Beekman moved to adjourn, which was carried by the casting vote of the lieutenant governor, and no nomination was made.

On February 14, Senator George B. Guinnip offered a resolution to declare John Adams Dix elected to the U.S. Senate. On motion of Senator George R. Babcock, the resolution was laid on the table, i.e. consideration was postponed.

On February 15, Guinnip again offered a resolution to declare John Adams Dix elected to the U.S. Senate. Senator Stephen H. Johnson offered an amendment to this resolution, declaring Daniel S. Dickinson elected. On motion of Senator Marius Schoonmaker, the resolution was laid on the table too.

On March 18, when two Democratic State Senators were absent, having gone to New York City, the Whigs persuaded the Democrats in a 14-hour session to re-open the U.S. Senate election, and in the small hours of March 19 Fish was nominated by a vote of 16 to 12 (Beekman, Johnson (both Whigs), Thomas B. Carroll and William A. Dart (both Democratic) did not vote).

Fish was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.

Candidate	Party	Senate (32 members) February 4 (first ballot)	Senate (32 members) February 4 (second ballot)	Assembly (128 members) February 4	Senate (32 members) March 19	Assembly (128 members) March 19
Hamilton Fish	Whig	16	16	78	16	68
John Adams Dix	Democratic	1	1	29	6	6
James T. Brady	Democratic			7
Horatio Seymour	Democratic	1	1	4	1
Francis Granger	Whig	1	1	2		1
Aaron Ward	Democratic	1	1		1
Daniel S. Dickinson	Democratic	1	1		1
Arphaxed Loomis	Democratic	1	1		1
Amasa J. Parker	Democratic	1	1		1
David Buel Jr.	Democratic	1	1
Augustus C. Hand	Democratic	1	1
John Hunter	Democratic	1	1
John Fine	Democratic	1	1
Levi S. Chatfield	Democratic	1	1
John Tracy	Democratic	1	1
Abraham Bockee	Democratic	1	1
George Rathbun	Democratic	1	1
Timothy Jenkins	Democratic	1	1
William L. Marcy	Democratic			1
Washington Irving				1
John L. Riker				1
Erastus Corning	Democratic			1
Levi S. Chatfield	Democratic			1
George Wood				1
Daniel Lord				1
James S. Wadsworth	Democratic				1
William C. Bouck	Democratic					1

Ohio

Incumbent Senator Thomas Corwin (Whig) resigned July 20, 1850 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Thomas Ewing (Whig) was appointed July 20, 1850 to finish the term. Benjamin Wade (Whig) was elected late on March 15, 1851 on the 37th ballot over Ewing.^[1]

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania election was held January 14, 1851. Richard Brodhead was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.^[2]

State Legislature Results^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Brodhead	76	57.14
	Whig	Andrew W. Loomis	12	9.02
	Whig	Alexander Brown	11	8.27
	Whig	Samuel Purviance	4	3.01
	Whig	Samuel Calvin	4	3.01
	Whig	Thomas M. T. McKennan	4	3.01
	Whig	John Sergeant	4	3.01
	Whig	George Chambers	3	2.26
	Whig	John Dickey	2	1.50
	Whig	James Pollock	2	1.50
	Whig	John Allison	1	0.75
	Whig	William Darlington	1	0.75
	Whig	Townsend Haines	1	0.75
	Whig	Charles Pitman	1	0.75
	Whig	Daniel M. Smyser	1	0.75
	Whig	Thomas White	1	0.75
	Whig	David Wilmot	1	0.75
	N/A	Not voting	3	2.26
Totals			133	100.00%

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 [gives wrong date for election "November 19"]; pg. 137 for State Senators 1851; pg. 240ff for Members of Assembly 1851)
Members of the 32nd United States Congress
Hamilton Fish by Amos Elwood Corning (pages 35ff)
Result Assembly: Journal of the Assembly (74th Session) (1851; Vol. I, pg. 268f and 662)
Result Senate: Journal of the Senate (74th Session) (1851; pg. 136f and 322)
The Papers of Henry Clay (Vol. 10; page 859)
The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party by Michael F. Holt (pages 649f)
Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project

1 2 Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 . State of Ohio. p. 240.
1 2 "U.S. Senate Election - 14 January 1851" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
↑ "PA US Senate 1851". OurCampaigns. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

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[Ohio-1] 1 2 Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 . State of Ohio. p. 240.

[results-2] 1 2 "U.S. Senate Election - 14 January 1851" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

[3] "PA US Senate 1851". OurCampaigns. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

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