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22 of the 66 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 34 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United States Senate elections of 1858 and 1859 were elections which had the Republican Party gain five additional seats in the United States Senate, but the Democrats retained their majority. That majority would erode in 1860 with the secession of the southern states leading up to the Civil War. In Illinois, incumbent Stephen A. Douglas (D) and challenger Abraham Lincoln (R) held a series of seven debates, known as the "Lincoln–Douglas debates."
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic 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.
The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history. Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.
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.
Senate Party Division, 36th Congress (1859-1861)
The Native American Party, renamed the American Party in 1855 and commonly known as the Know Nothing movement, was an American nativist political party that operated nationally in the mid-1850s. It was primarily anti-Catholic, xenophobic, and hostile to immigration, starting originally as a secret society. The movement briefly emerged as a major political party in the form of the American Party. Adherents to the movement were to reply "I know nothing" when asked about its specifics by outsiders, thus providing the group with its common name.
D3 | D2 | D1 | |||||||
D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 |
D23 | D22 | D21 | D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 |
D24 | D25 | D26 Ran | D27 Ran | D28 Ran | D29 Ran | D30 Ran | D31 Ran | D32 Ran | D33 Ran |
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Majority → | D34 Ran | ||||||||
KN4 Unknown | D42 Retired | D41 Retired | D40 Retired | D39 Retired | D38 Retired | D37 Ran | D36 Ran | D35 Ran | |
KN3 Unknown | KN2 | KN1 | R20 Ran | R19 Ran | R18 Ran | R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 |
R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 |
R3 | R2 | R1 |
D3 | D2 | D1 | |||||||
D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 | D12 | D13 |
D23 | D22 | D21 | D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 |
D24 | D25 | D26 Re-elected | D27 Re-elected | D28 Re-elected | D29 Re-elected | D30 Re-elected | D31 Re-elected | D32 Re-elected | D33 Hold |
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Majority → | D34 Hold | ||||||||
R24 Gain | R25 Gain | KN1 | KN2 | V1 D Loss | D38 Gain | D37 Gain | D36 Hold | D35 Hold | |
R23 Gain | R22 Gain | R21 Gain | R20 Re-elected | R19 Re-elected | R18 Re-elected | R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 |
R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 |
R3 | R2 | R1 |
Key: |
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In these elections, the winners were seated during 1858 or in 1859 before March 4; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Minnesota (Class 1) | New state | Minnesota's first Senators were elected May 11, 1858. Democratic gain. | √ Henry M. Rice (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] | ||
Minnesota (Class 2) | New state | Minnesota's first Senators were elected May 11, 1858. Democratic gain. | √ James Shields (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] | ||
North Carolina (Class 3) | Thomas Clingman | Democratic | 1858 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected November 23, 1858 to finish the term. [1] | √ Thomas Clingman (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
South Carolina (Class 2) | Arthur P. Hayne | Democratic | 1858 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired when successor elected. Winner elected December 3, 1858. Democratic hold. Winner was also elected to the next term, see below. | √ James Chesnut, Jr. (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Oregon (Class 2) | New state | Oregon's first Senators were elected February 14, 1859. Democratic gain. | √ Delazon Smith (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] | ||
Oregon (Class 3) | New state | Oregon's first Senators were elected February 14, 1859. Democratic gain. | √ Joseph Lane (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1859; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Alabama | Clement Claiborne Clay | Democratic | 1853 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1858. | √ Clement Claiborne Clay (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Arkansas | William K. Sebastian | Democratic | 1848 (Appointed) 1848 (Special) 1853 | Incumbent re-elected in 1859. | √ William K. Sebastian (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Delaware | Martin W. Bates | Democratic | 1857 (Special) | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1858. Democratic hold. | √ Willard Saulsbury, Sr. (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Georgia | Robert Toombs | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected in 1858. | √ Robert Toombs (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Illinois | Stephen A. Douglas | Democratic | 1846 1852 | Incumbent re-elected in 1858. | √ Stephen A. Douglas (Democratic) Abraham Lincoln (Republican) |
Iowa | George Wallace Jones | Democratic | 1848 1852 | Incumbent lost renomination. Winner elected January 26, 1858. [2] Republican gain. | √ James W. Grimes (Republican) Benjamin M. Samuels (Democratic) |
Kentucky | John B. Thompson | Know Nothing | 1852 or 1853 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in January 1858. Democratic gain. | √ Lazarus W. Powell (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Louisiana | Judah P. Benjamin | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected in 1859. | √ Judah P. Benjamin (Whig) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Maine | William P. Fessenden | Republican | 1854 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1859. | √ William P. Fessenden (Republican) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Massachusetts | Henry Wilson | Republican | 1855 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1859. | √ Henry Wilson (Republican) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Michigan | Charles E. Stuart | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1858. Republican gain. | √ Kinsley S. Bingham (Republican) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Minnesota | James Shields | Democratic | 1848 or 1849 (Illinois) 1849 (Illinois: Election voided) 1849 (Illinois: Special) 1855 (Illinois: Lost) 1858 (Minnesota) | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1858 or 1859. Republican gain. | √ Morton S. Wilkinson (Republican) James Shields (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Mississippi | Albert G. Brown | Democratic | 1854 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1859. | √ Albert G. Brown (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
New Hampshire | John P. Hale | Republican | 1846 1853 (Retired) 1855 | Incumbent re-elected in 1859. | √ John P. Hale (Republican) [Data unknown/missing.] |
New Jersey | William Wright | Democratic | 1852 or 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1858. Republican gain. | √ John C. Ten Eyck (Republican) [Data unknown/missing.] |
North Carolina | David Reid | Democratic | 1854 | Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1858 or 1859. Democratic hold. | √ Thomas Bragg (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Oregon | Delazon Smith | Democratic | 1859 | Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would remain vacant until 1860. | Delazon Smith (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Rhode Island | Philip Allen | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1858. Republican gain. | √ Henry B. Anthony (Republican) [Data unknown/missing.] |
South Carolina | Arthur P. Hayne | Democratic | 1858 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired. Winner elected December 3, 1858. Democratic hold. Winner was also elected to finish the current term, see above. | √ James Chesnut, Jr. (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Tennessee | John Bell | Know Nothing | 1847 1853 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1858. Democratic gain. | √ Alfred O. P. Nicholson (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Texas | Sam Houston | Democratic | 1846 1847 1853 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1859. Democratic hold. | √ John Hemphill (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
Virginia | Robert M. T. Hunter | Democratic | 1846 1852 | Incumbent re-elected in 1858. | √ Robert M. T. Hunter (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
In this general election, the winner was elected for the term beginning March 4, 1861.
This election involved a Class 3 seat.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Kentucky (Class 3) | John J. Crittenden | Know Nothing | 1817 1819 (Resigned) 1835 1841 (Retired) 1842 (Appointed) 1842 or 1843 (Special) 1843 1848 (Resigned) 1853 | Incumbent retired. Winner elected December 12, 1859, far in advance of the term. Winner wasn't seated until term began March 4, 1861. Democratic gain. | √ John C. Breckinridge (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
In this election, the winner was elected in 1859 on or after March 4; ordered by date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Texas (Class 1) | Matthias Ward | Democratic | 1858 (Appointed) | Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term. Winner was elected December 5, 1859. Democratic hold. | √ Louis Wigfall (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.] |
The Thirty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1859, during the first two years of James Buchanan's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States in 1850. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 37th Congress were held at various dates in different states from August 1860 to October 1861.
The Thirty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859, to March 4, 1861, during the third and fourth years of James Buchanan's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States in 1850. The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House had a Republican plurality.
Although the 17th Amendment was not passed until 1913, some states elected their Senators directly before its passage. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.
The United States Senate elections of 1852 and 1853 were elections which had the Democratic Party gain two seats in the United States Senate, and which coincided with the 1852 presidential election. Only six of the twenty Senators up for election were re-elected.
The United States Senate elections of 1856 and 1857 were elections which had the young Republican Party assume its position as one of the United States's two main political parties. The Whigs and Free Soilers were gone by the time the next Congress began.
In the United States Senate elections of 1870 and 1871, the Republican Party lost five seats in the United States Senate, though it still retained an overwhelming majority. In advance of these elections, the last four seceded states were readmitted to the Senate.
The United States Senate elections of 1872 and 1873 were elections which had the Republican Party, while still retaining a commanding majority, lose two seats in the United States Senate. By the beginning of the Congress, however, they'd lost three more: two as defections to the Liberal Republican Party, and one a resignation of Henry Wilson to become U.S. Vice President. These elections also coincided with President Ulysses S. Grant's easy re-election.
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The United States Senate elections of 1906 and 1907 were elections which had the Republican Party gain three seats in the United States Senate, expanding their majority to more twice that of the opposing Democratic Party.
The United States Senate elections of 1820 and 1821 were elections for the United States Senate that, corresponding with James Monroe's landslide re-election, had the Democratic-Republican Party gain seven seats, assuming almost complete control of the Senate.
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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.
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