1840–41 United States Senate elections

1840–41 United States Senate elections
18 of the 52 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections); 27 seats needed for a majority
	Results:; Democratic hold; Whig gain Whig hold; Legislature failed to elect
Majority Party before election; ; Democratic	Elected Majority Party ; ; Whig

The 1840–41 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 1840 and 1841, 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.

Corresponding with their party's success in the 1840 presidential election, the Whig Party took control of the Senate.

Results summary

Senate party division, 27th Congress (1841–1843)

Majority party: Whig (29)
Minority party: Democratic (22–20)
Other parties: (0)
Vacant: (1–3)
Total seats: 52

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the November 25, 1840 special elections in North Carolina.

				D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆
D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉	D₈	D₇
D₁₇ Ran	D₁₈ Ran	D₁₉ Ran	D₂₀ Ran	D₂₁ Ran	D₂₂ Unknown	D₂₃ Unknown	D₂₄ Retired	D₂₅ Retired	D₂₆ Retired
Majority →									D₂₇ Retired
W₁₇ Ran	W₁₈ Mass. (sp 1) Resigned	W₁₉ Mass. (sp 2) Mass. (reg) Resigned	W₂₀ Retired	W₂₁ N.C. (reg) Ran	V₂	V₁	D₂₉ Ran	D₂₈ Ran	D₂₇ Retired
W₁₆ Retired	W₁₅	W₁₄	W₁₃	W₁₂	W₁₁	W₁₀	W₉	W₈	W₇
				W₁	W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆

After the elections

				D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆
D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉	D₈	D₇
D₁₇ Re-elected	D₁₈ Re-elected	D₁₉ Re-elected	D₂₀ Hold	D₂₁ Hold	D₂₂ Re-elected	V₃ D Loss	V₂	V₁	W₂₇ Gain
Majority →									W₂₇ Gain
W₁₇ Re-elected	W₁₈ Mass. (sp 1) Hold	W₁₉ Mass. (reg) Mass. (sp 2) Hold	W₂₀ Hold	W₂₁ N.C. (reg) Re-elected	W₂₂ Gain	W₂₃ Gain	W₂₄ Gain	W₂₅ Gain	W₂₆ Gain
W₁₆ Hold	W₁₅	W₁₄	W₁₃	W₁₂	W₁₁	W₁₀	W₉	W₈	W₇
				W₁	W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆

Beginning of the next Congress

				D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆
D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉	D₈	D₇
D₁₇	D₁₈	D₁₉	D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	V₂	W₂₉ Gain	W₂₈ Gain	W₂₇
Majority →									W₂₇
W₁₇	W₁₈	W₁₉	W₂₀	W₂₁	W₂₂	W₂₃	W₂₄	W₂₅	W₂₆
W₁₆	W₁₅	W₁₄	W₁₃	W₁₂	W₁₁	W₁₀	W₉	W₈	W₇
				W₁	W₂	W₃	W₄	W₅	W₆

Key:

D_#	Democratic
W_#	Whig
V_#	Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 26th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected during 1840 or in 1841 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Pennsylvania (Class 1)	Vacant since 1839.			Incumbent Samuel McKean's (D) term expired and the legislature failed to elect a successor. New senator elected January 14, 1840. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Daniel Sturgeon (Democratic) [data missing]
Michigan (Class 1)	Vacant since 1839.			Incumbent Lucius Lyon (D) retired, his term expired, and the legislature failed to elect a successor. New senator elected January 20, 1840. Whig gain.	▌ Y Augustus S. Porter (Whig) [data missing]
New York (Class 1)	Vacant since 1839.			Incumbent Nathaniel P. Tallmadge's (D) term expired and the legislature failed to elect a successor. Incumbent re-elected January 27, 1840 to his former position as a Whig. Whig gain.	▌ Y Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (Whig) [data missing]
Tennessee (Class 2)	Hugh Lawson White	Whig	1825 (special) 1829 1835	Incumbent resigned January 13, 1840, after refusing to vote for the Subtreasury Bill as demanded by the Tennessee legislature.^[2] New senator elected February 26, 1840. Democratic gain. Winner was not elected to the next term; see below.	▌ Y Alexander O. Anderson (Democratic) [data missing]
Connecticut (Class 1)	Thaddeus Betts	Whig	1838 or 1839	Incumbent died April 7, 1840. New senator elected May 4, 1840. Whig hold.	▌ Y Jabez W. Huntington (Whig) [data missing]
North Carolina (Class 2)	Bedford Brown	Democratic	1829 (special) 1835	Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly. New senator elected November 25, 1840. Whig gain. Winner was also be elected to the next term; see below.	▌ Y Willie P. Mangum (Whig) [data missing]
North Carolina (Class 3)	Robert Strange	Democratic	1836 (special) 1836	Incumbent resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly. New senator elected November 25, 1840. Whig gain.	▌ Y William A. Graham (Whig) [data missing]
Maryland (Class 3)	John S. Spence	Whig	1836 (special) 1837	Incumbent died October 24, 1840. New senator elected January 5, 1841. Whig hold.	▌ Y John L. Kerr (Whig) [data missing]
Delaware (Class 1)	Richard H. Bayard	Whig	1836 (special) 1838 or 1839	Incumbent resigned September 19, 1839, to become Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. New senator elected January 12, 1841 to his former position. Whig hold.	▌ Y Richard H. Bayard (Whig) [data missing]
Massachusetts (Class 2)	John Davis	Whig	1835	Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts. New senator elected January 13, 1841. Whig hold. Winner also elected to the next term; see below.	▌ Y Isaac C. Bates (Whig) [data missing]
Virginia (Class 1)	Vacant since 1839.			Incumbent William C. Rives's (D) term expired and the legislature failed to elect a successor. Incumbent re-elected January 18, 1841 to his former position as a Whig. Whig gain.	▌ Y William C. Rives (Whig) [data missing]
Massachusetts (Class 1)	Daniel Webster	Whig	1827 1833 1839	Incumbent resigned February 22, 1841, to become U.S. Secretary of State. New senator elected February 23, 1841. Whig hold.	▌ Y Rufus Choate (Whig) [data missing]

Races leading to the 27th Congress

In these regular elections, the winner was elected for the term beginning March 4, 1841; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	William R. King	Democratic	1819 1822 1828 1834	Incumbent re-elected December 14, 1840.	▌ Y William R. King (Democratic) 56.69% ▌John Gayle (Whig) 43.31%^[3]
Arkansas	William S. Fulton	Democratic	1836	Incumbent re-elected in 1840.	▌ Y William S. Fulton (Democratic) [data missing]
Delaware	Thomas Clayton	Whig	1837 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1841.	▌ Y Thomas Clayton (Whig) [data missing]
Georgia	Wilson Lumpkin	Democratic	1837 (special)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain.	▌ Y John M. Berrien (Whig) [data missing]
Illinois	John M. Robinson	Democratic	1830 (special) 1835	Incumbent retired. Successor elected in 1840 or 1841. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Samuel McRoberts (Democratic) [data missing]
Kentucky	John J. Crittenden	Whig	1835	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1841. Whig hold.	▌ Y James T. Morehead (Whig) [data missing]
Louisiana	Robert C. Nicholas	Democratic	1836 (special)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain.	▌ Y Alexander Barrow (Whig) [data missing]
Maine	John Ruggles	Democratic	1835 (special) 1835	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain.	▌ Y George Evans (Whig) [data missing]
Massachusetts	John Davis	Whig	1835	Incumbent resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts. New senator elected January 13, 1841. Whig hold. Successor also elected to finish the current term, see above.	▌ Y Isaac C. Bates (Whig) [data missing]
Michigan	John Norvell	Democratic	1835	Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1841. Whig gain.	▌ Y William Woodbridge (Whig) [data missing]
Mississippi	Robert J. Walker	Democratic	1835	Incumbent re-elected in 1841.	▌ Y Robert J. Walker (Democratic) [data missing]
New Hampshire	Henry Hubbard	Democratic	1835	Incumbent retired to run for New Hampshire Governor. New senator elected in 1841. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Levi Woodbury (Democratic) [data missing]
New Jersey	Garret D. Wall	Democratic	1835	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected February 19, 1841. Whig gain.	▌ Y Jacob W. Miller (Whig) 46 ▌Garret D. Wall (Democratic) 16^[4]
North Carolina	Willie Mangum	Whig	1840 (special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1841.	▌ Y Willie Mangum (Whig) [data missing]
Rhode Island	Nehemiah R. Knight	Whig	1821 (special) 1823 1829 1835	Incumbent retired. New senator elected October 29, 1840. Whig hold.	▌ Y James F. Simmons (Whig) 55 votes ▌ Samuel Y. Atwell (Democratic) 24 votes ▌ Tristram Burges (Whig) 2 votes^[5]^[6]
South Carolina	John C. Calhoun	Democratic	1832 (special) 1834	Incumbent re-elected in 1840.	▌ Y John C. Calhoun (Democratic) [data missing]
Tennessee	Alexander O. Anderson	Democratic	1840 (special)	Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would not be filled until 1843.	None.
Virginia	William H. Roane	Democratic	1837	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1840. Whig gain.	▌ Y William S. Archer (Whig) [data missing]

Special elections during the 27th Congress

In this special election, the winner was elected in 1841 after March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama (Class 3)	Clement Comer Clay	Democratic	1837 (Appointed)	Incumbent resigned November 15, 1841. New senator elected November 24, 1841. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Arthur P. Bagby (Democratic) [data missing]

Alabama

Alabama (regular)

Alabama (special)

Arkansas

Connecticut (special)

Delaware

Delaware (special)

Delaware (regular)

Georgia

Illinois

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland (special)

John Leeds Kerr won election to a full term an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.^[7]

Massachusetts

There were three elections due to the February 22, 1841, resignation of Whig Daniel Webster to become U.S. Secretary of State and the January 5, 1841, resignation of Whig John Davis to become Governor of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts (special, class 2)

Senator Isaac C. Bates

Whig Isaac C. Bates was elected January 13, 1841, to finish Davis's term.

Massachusetts (regular)

Bates was also elected January 13, 1841, to the next term.

Bates would only serve, however, until his March 16, 1845, death, and Davis was again elected to the seat.

Massachusetts (special, class 1)

Senator Rufus Choate

Whig Rufus Choate was elected February 23, 1841, to finish Webster's term which would continue until 1845.

Michigan

Mississippi

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York (special)

Nathaniel P. Tallmadge had been elected as a Jacksonian Democrat in 1833 to this seat, and his term expired March 3, 1839. An election was held February 5, 1839. Although Tallmadge received the most votes, no candidate received a majority and the seat was declared vacant due to the legislature's failure to elect.

At the State election in November 1839, 7 Whigs and 3 Democrats were elected to the State Senate, which gave the Whigs a majority, the first anti-Bucktails/Jacksonian/Democratic majority in 20 years. The 63rd New York State Legislature met from January 7 to May 14, 1840, at Albany, New York. The strength of the parties in the Assembly, as shown by the vote for Speaker, was: 68 for Whig George Washington Patterson and 56 for Democrat Levi S. Chatfield.

On January 14, 1840, Nathaniel P. Tallmadge received a majority in both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.

Candidate	Party	Senate (32 members)
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge	Whig	19
Samuel Beardsley	Democratic	2
Levi Beardsley	Democratic	1
William C. Bouck	Democratic	1
Benjamin F. Butler	Democratic	1
Churchill C. Cambreleng	Democratic	1
Hiram Denio	Democratic	1
John A. Dix	Democratic	1
Azariah C. Flagg	Democratic	1
John Savage	Democratic	1
John Tracy	Democratic	1

Tallmadge re-took his seat on January 27, 1840,^[8] and remained in office until June 17, 1844, when he resigned to be appointed Governor of Wisconsin Territory. Daniel S. Dickinson was appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily, and subsequently elected by the State Legislature to succeed Tallmadge.

North Carolina

There were three elections due to the November 16, 1840, resignations of Democrats Bedford Brown and Robert Strange.

North Carolina (special, class 2)

Whig Willie Mangum was elected November 25, 1840, to finish Brown's term that would end in March 1841.

North Carolina (regular)

Mangum was later re-elected in 1841 to the next term.

North Carolina (special, class 3)

Whig William Alexander Graham was elected November 25, 1840, to finish Strange's term that would end in 1843.

Pennsylvania

The election 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.^[9]^[10]

Democrat Samuel McKean was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the 1832–1833 Senate election. Sen. McKean's term was to expire on March 4, 1839, and an election would have occurred during the winter of 1838–1839 elect a senator for the successive term. The election did not occur, however, due to significant political unrest in Harrisburg, the state capital, over disputed election returns during the Buckshot War. McKean's seat was vacated when his term expired in March 1839 and remained vacant until the General Assembly elected a new senator in 1840.^[9]

The Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on January 14, 1840, to elect a senator to serve out the remainder of the term that began on March 4, 1839. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel Sturgeon	87	65.41%
	Whig	Charles Ogle	26	19.55%
	Anti-Masonic	Richard Biddle	17	12.78%
	N/A	Not voting	3	2.26%
Total votes			133	100.00%

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Tennessee (special)

Tennessee (regular)

Virginia

Virginia (regular)

Virginia (special)

References

^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.
^ Rothrock, Mary (1972). The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee: East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 501–02.
^ "Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019."Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019., citing Democratic Standard (newspaper) December 15, 1840
^ Journal of the Proceedings of the Legislative-Council of the State of New-Jersey. 1841. p. 33 – via Google books.
^ J. Fred Parker, Secretary of State (1914). Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1914. State of Rhode Island manual. Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman Company, State Printers. p. 149.
^ "U.S. Senator in Rhode Island". Alexandria Gazette. Alexandria, D.C. November 3, 1840. p. 3. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
^ "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1841". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
^ Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856: Dec. 16, 1839 – March 3, 1841 (page 50)
^ ^a ^b "U.S. Senate Election – 1838–1839 – No election" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "U.S. Senate Election – 14 January 1840" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

Party Division in the Senate, 1789–Present, via Senate.gov
Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682–2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project

[1] "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)". National Archives and Records Administration. February 8, 2022.

[2] Rothrock, Mary (1972). The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee: East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 501–02.

[3] "Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019."Our Campaigns - AL Senate Race - Dec 14, 1840". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019., citing Democratic Standard (newspaper) December 15, 1840

[4] Journal of the Proceedings of the Legislative-Council of the State of New-Jersey. 1841. p. 33 – via Google books.

[5] J. Fred Parker, Secretary of State (1914). Manual, with Rules and Orders, for the use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1914. State of Rhode Island manual. Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman Company, State Printers. p. 149.

[6] "U.S. Senator in Rhode Island". Alexandria Gazette. Alexandria, D.C. November 3, 1840. p. 3. Retrieved October 14, 2021.

[7] "Our Campaigns - MD US Senate Race - Jan 00, 1841". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.

[8] Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856: Dec. 16, 1839 – March 3, 1841 (page 50)

[buckshot-9] "U.S. Senate Election – 1838–1839 – No election" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

[results-10] "U.S. Senate Election – 14 January 1840" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2012.

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