1859 Iowa Senate election

1859 Iowa Senate election

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27 out of 43 seats in the Iowa State Senate 22 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 22 14 Seats after 22 [lower-alpha 1] 21 [lower-alpha 1] Seat change 7
President of the Iowa Senate [lower-alpha 2] before election Oran Faville [lower-alpha 3] Republican Elected President of the Iowa Senate [lower-alpha 2] Nicholas J. Rusch [lower-alpha 4] Republican

In the 1859 Iowa State Senate elections, Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the eighth Iowa General Assembly. Following the expansion of the Iowa Senate from 36 to 43 seats in 1859, elections were held for 27 of the state senate's 43 seats. ^{[lower-alpha 5]} State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.

The general election took place in 1859. ^[7]

Following the previous election in 1857, Republicans had control of the Iowa Senate with 22 seats to Democrats' 14 seats.

To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net eight Senate seats.

Republicans maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 22 seats and Democrats having 21 seats (a net gain of 7 seats for Democrats). ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Summary of Results

• Note: The holdover Senators not up for re-election are not listed on this table.

Senate District	Incumbent	Party		Elected Senator	Party		Outcome
1st [lower-alpha 6]	John R. Allen		Dem	Valentine Buechel		Dem	Dem Hold
2nd [lower-alpha 7]	David Trowbridge Brigham		Dem	Gideon Smith Bailey [lower-alpha 8]		Dem	Dem Hold
3rd [lower-alpha 9]	Gideon Smith Bailey [lower-alpha 8]		Dem	Cyrus Bussey		Dem	Dem Hold
4th [lower-alpha 10]	Lyman Cook		Rep	Nathan Udell		Dem	Dem Gain
	William Findlay Coolbaugh [lower-alpha 11]		Dem	Obsolete subdistrict
5th [lower-alpha 12]	Henry Hoffman Trimble		Dem	William E. Taylor		Dem	Dem Hold
6th [lower-alpha 13]	William M. Reed		Rep	James Conrad Hagans		Rep	Rep Hold
7th [lower-alpha 14]	Alvin Saunders [lower-alpha 15]		Rep	Harvey W. English		Dem	Dem Gain
8th [lower-alpha 16]	John A. Johnson [lower-alpha 17]		Dem	William Findlay Coolbaugh [lower-alpha 11]		Dem	Dem Hold
9th [lower-alpha 18]	Daniel A. Anderson [lower-alpha 19]		Rep	Alvin Saunders [lower-alpha 15]		Rep	Rep Hold
10th [lower-alpha 20]	John Wesley Warner		Dem	James Falconer Wilson [lower-alpha 21]		Rep	Rep Gain
11th [lower-alpha 22]	Samuel Dale		Dem	John A. Johnson [lower-alpha 17]		Dem	Dem Hold
12th [lower-alpha 23]	William H. M. Pusey [lower-alpha 24]		Dem	Daniel A. Anderson [lower-alpha 19]		Rep	Rep Gain
14th [lower-alpha 25]	Charles Foster		Rep	Andrew Oliphant Patterson [lower-alpha 26]		Dem	Dem Gain
15th [lower-alpha 27]	Oliver P. Sherraden [lower-alpha 28]		Rep	William B. Lewis		Dem	Dem Gain
16th [lower-alpha 29]	William A. Loughridge		Rep	Oliver P. Sherraden [lower-alpha 28]		Rep	Rep Hold
17th [lower-alpha 30]	Jairus Edward Neal [lower-alpha 31]		Dem	Henry H. Williams		Dem	Dem Hold
18th [lower-alpha 32]	Marquis Lafayette McPherson [lower-alpha 33]		Rep	Jairus Edward Neal [lower-alpha 31]		Dem	Dem Gain
19th [lower-alpha 34]	Andrew Oliphant Patterson [lower-alpha 26]		Dem	John W. Thompson		Rep	Rep Gain
20th [lower-alpha 35]	Samuel Jordan Kirkwood		Rep	George M. Davis [lower-alpha 36]		Rep	Rep Hold
21st [lower-alpha 37]	Nicholas John Rusch		Rep	John M. Kent		Rep	Rep Hold
22nd [lower-alpha 38]	Jonathan Wright Cattell		Rep	Jesse Bowen		Rep	Rep Hold
23rd [lower-alpha 39]	George M. Davis [lower-alpha 36]		Rep	William P. Davis [lower-alpha 40]		Rep	Rep Hold
24th [lower-alpha 41]	William George Thompson		Rep	George F. Green		Dem	Dem Gain
25th [lower-alpha 42]	George McCoy		Rep	Joseph Mann [lower-alpha 43]		Dem	Dem Gain
26th [lower-alpha 44]	Josiah Bushnell Grinnell		Rep	H. Gates Angle		Rep	Rep Hold
27th [lower-alpha 45]	William P. Davis [lower-alpha 40]		Rep	David S. Wilson [lower-alpha 46]		Dem	Dem Gain
	Newly created subdistrict			George W. Trumbull		Dem	Dem Gain
28th [lower-alpha 47]	Jeremiah W. Jenkins		Rep	David Hammer		Dem	Dem Gain
29th [lower-alpha 48]	Joseph Mann [lower-alpha 43]		Dem	Paris Perrin Henderson		Rep	Rep Gain
30th [lower-alpha 49]	William G. Stewart		Dem	Marquis Lafayette McPherson [lower-alpha 33]		Rep	Rep Gain
31st [lower-alpha 50]	David S. Wilson [lower-alpha 46]		Dem	William H.M. Pusey [lower-alpha 24]		Dem	Dem Hold
32nd [lower-alpha 51]	Henry B. Carter		Rep	John F. Duncombe		Dem	Dem Gain
33rd [lower-alpha 52]	Aaron Brown		Rep	Joseph J. Watson		Rep	Rep Hold
34th [lower-alpha 53]	Jeremiah T. Atkins		Rep	Andrew Mateer Pattison		Rep	Rep Hold
35th [lower-alpha 54]	Newly created district			Thomas Drummond [lower-alpha 55]		Rep	Rep Gain
36th [lower-alpha 56]	Newly created district			Alfred Francis Brown		Rep	Rep Gain
37th [lower-alpha 57]	Newly created district			David C. Hastings		Rep	Rep Gain
38th [lower-alpha 58]	Newly created district			Lucien Lester Ainsworth		Dem	Dem Gain
39th [lower-alpha 59]	Newly created district			George W. Gray		Dem	Dem Gain
40th [lower-alpha 60]	Newly created district			Julius Henry Powers		Rep	Rep Gain
41st [lower-alpha 61]	Newly created district			John Scott		Rep	Rep Gain

Source: ^[12]

1. The Iowa Senate expanded from 36 seats to 43 seats following the 1859 general election. ^[1]
2. Article IV, section 18, of the Constitution of Iowa at that time established that the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa shall perform the duties of the President of the Senate. The Lieutenant Governor performed the duties of President of the Senate from January 11, 1858 through January 14, 1991. As of 1991, duties of Iowa's Lieutenant Governor no longer include presiding over the state Senate. ^[2]
3. As Lieutenant Governor, Oran Faville was the eighth President of the Iowa Senate. He served during the seventh Iowa General Assembly, succeeding Republican Senator William W. Hamilton in that leadership position. ^[3]
4. As the next Lieutenant Governor, Nicholas J. Rusch was the ninth President of the Iowa Senate. He served during the eighth Iowa General Assembly, succeeding Republican Oran Faville in that leadership position. ^[5]
5. At the time, the Iowa Senate had several multi-member districts. ^[6]
6. The first was a 2-member district at the time. However, only one of the seats in the district was contested in the election. The other was held by a holdover senator not up for re-election.
7. The second district was a 1-member district at the time.
8. Senator Bailey was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 3 to 2.
9. The third district was a 1-member district at the time.
10. The fourth district transitioned from a 2- to 1-member district.
11. Senator Coolbaugh was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 4 to 8.
12. The fifth district was a 1-member district at the time.
13. The sixth district was a 1-member district at the time.
14. The seventh district was a 1-member district at the time.
15. Senator Saunders was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 7 to 9. During the next term, Senator Saunders resigned on May 14, 1861, causing a vacancy in his seat. ^[8]
16. The eighth district was a 1-member district at the time.
17. Senator Johnson was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 8 to 11.
18. The ninth district was a 1-member district at the time.
19. Senator Anderson was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 9 to 12.
20. The tenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
21. During the next term, Senator Wilson resigned on October 7, 1861, causing a vacancy in his seat. ^[9]
22. The eleventh district was a 1-member district at the time.
23. The twelfth district was a 1-member district at the time.
24. Senator Pusey was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 12 to 31.
25. The fourteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
26. Senator Patterson was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 19 to 14. During the next term, Senator Patterson resigned on May 14, 1861, causing a vacancy in his seat. ^[10]
27. The fifteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
28. Senator Sherraden was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 15 to 16.
29. The sixteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
30. The seventeenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
31. Senator Neal was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 17 to 18.
32. The eighteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
33. Senator McPherson was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 18 to 30.
34. The nineteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
35. The twentieth district was a 1-member district at the time.
36. Senator Davis was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 23 to 20.
37. The twenty-first district was a 1-member district at the time.
38. The twenty-second district was a 1-member district at the time.
39. The twenty-third district was a 1-member district at the time.
40. Senator Davis was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 27 to 23.
41. The twenty-fourth district was a 1-member district at the time.
42. The twenty-fifth district was a 1-member district at the time.
43. Senator Mann was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 29 to 25.
44. The twenty-sixth district was a 1-member district at the time.
45. The twenty-seventh district transitioned from a 1- to 2-member district.
46. Senator Wilson was an incumbent holdover senator not up for re-election. Instead, he was redistricted from district 31 to 27.
47. The twenty-eighth district was a 1-member district at the time.
48. The twenty-ninth district was a 1-member district at the time.
49. The thirtieth district was a 1-member district at the time.
50. The thirty-first district was a 1-member district at the time.
51. The thirty-second district was a 1-member district at the time.
52. The thirty-third district was a 1-member district at the time.
53. The thirty-fourth district was a 1-member district at the time.
54. The thirty-fifth district was a newly created 1-member district at the time.
55. During the next term, Senator Drummond resigned on May 14, 1861, causing a vacancy in his seat. ^[11]
56. The thirty-sixth district was a newly created 1-member district at the time.
57. The thirty-seventh district was a newly created 1-member district at the time.
58. The thirty-eighth district was a newly created 1-member district at the time.
59. The thirty-ninth district was a newly created 1-member district at the time.
60. The fortieth district was a newly created 1-member district at the time.
61. The forty-first district was a newly created 1-member district at the time.

Detailed Results

• NOTE: The Iowa General Assembly does not provide detailed vote totals for Iowa State Senate elections in 1859.

See also

• Elections in Iowa

External links

District boundaries were redrawn before the 1859 general election for the Iowa Senate:

• Iowa Senate Districts 1856-1859 map
• Iowa Senate Districts 1860-1861 map

References

1. "The Iowa General Assembly: Our Legislative Heritage 1846 - 1980" (PDF). Iowa General Assembly . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
2. "Iowa Legislators Past and Present: Senate President". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 21, 2021.
3. "Oran Faville". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
5. "Nicholas Rusch". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
6. "General Assembly: 8 (01/09/1860 - 01/12/1862)". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
7. "General Assembly: 8 (01/09/1860 - 01/12/1862)". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
8. "Senator Alvin Saunders". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
9. "Senator James Falconer Wilson". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
10. "Senator Andrew Oliphant Patterson". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
11. "Senator Thomas Drummond". Iowa Legislature . Retrieved July 22, 2021.
12. "Legislators". Iowa State Senate . Retrieved July 22, 2021.