1850–51 United States House of Representatives elections

August 5, 1850 – November 4, 1851
All 233 seats in the United States House of Representatives 117 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Linn Boyd Edward Stanly Party Democratic Whig Leader's seat Kentucky 1st North Carolina 8th Last election 113 seats 106 seats Seats won 120 82 Seat change 7 24 Popular vote 1,142,783 1,105,286 Percentage 43.31% 41.89% Swing 0.85% 2.95%   Third party Fourth party   Party Unionist Southern Rights Last election Pre-creation Pre-creation Seats won 15[lower-alpha 1] 8[lower-alpha 2] Seat change 15 8 Popular vote 123,727 109,060 Percentage 4.69% 4.13% Swing New Party New Party   Fifth party Sixth party   Party Free Soil Independent Last election 8 seats 3 seats Seats won 4 4[lower-alpha 3] Seat change 4 1 Popular vote 82,221 70,262 Percentage 3.12% 2.79% Swing 5.54% 1.03%
Speaker before election Howell Cobb Democratic Elected Speaker Linn Boyd Democratic

The 1850–51 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between August 5, 1850, and November 4, 1851. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 32nd United States Congress convened on December 1, 1851. Elections were held for all 233 seats, representing 31 states.

The Democrats gained 17 seats, increasing their majority relative to the rival Whigs, who lost 22 seats. Incumbent Whig President Millard Fillmore, who succeeded to the Presidency in July 1850 after the death of more charismatic General Zachary Taylor, lacked a strong political base. The Compromise of 1850, which admitted California alone as a free state in exchange for concessions to slave state interests, began integration of the Mexican Cession. It appeared in the short term that Congress had politically feasible options to contain sectionalism and to reduce tensions over expanding slavery in the West. This optimism soon would prove unfounded.

The Unionist Party, formed in support of the Compromise of 1850, gained 10 seats in the South, as did the States' Rights Party. The Free Soil Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery into the Western territories, lost five seats and was reduced to four Representatives, all in New England.

Election summaries

State	Type	Date	Total seats	Democratic		Free Soil		Southern Rights		Unionist		Whig
				Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Iowa	District	August 5, 1850	2	2		0		0		0		0
Missouri	District	August 5, 1850	5	2	3	0		0		0		3	3
Vermont	District	September 3, 1850	4	1		0		0		0		3
Maine	District	September 9, 1850	7	5		0		0		0		2
Florida	At-large	October 7, 1850	1	0		0		0		0		1
Ohio	District	October 8, 1850	21	11[lower-alpha 6]		1	1	0		0		9	1
Pennsylvania	District	October 8, 1850	24[lower-alpha 7]	15	6	0	1	0		0		9	4
South Carolina	District	October 14–15, 1850	7	7		0		0		0		0
Illinois	District	November 5, 1850 (Election Day)[lower-alpha 8]	7	6		0		0		0		1
Michigan	District		3	1	1	0		0		0		2	1
New Jersey	District		5	4	3	0		0		0		1	3
New York	District		34	17	16	0	1	0		0		17	15
Wisconsin	District		3	2[lower-alpha 6]	1	1		0		0		0	1
Massachusetts	District	November 11, 1850	10[lower-alpha 9]	1	1	2	1	0		0		7	1
Delaware	At-large	November 12, 1850	1	1	1	0		0		0		0	1
Late elections (after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term)
New Hampshire	District	March 11, 1851	4	2		0	1	0		0		2	1
Rhode Island	District	April 2, 1851	2	1	1	0		0		0		1	1
Connecticut	District	April 7, 1851	4	3	1	0	1	0		0		1
Alabama	District	August 4, 1851	7	4	1	0		0		1	1	2
Arkansas	At-large	August 4, 1851	1	1		0		0		0		0
Indiana	District	August 4, 1851	10	8		0	1	0		0		2	1
Kentucky	District	August 4, 1851	10	5	1	0		0		0		5	1
Texas	District	August 4, 1851	2	2		0		0		0		0
North Carolina	District	August 7, 1851	9	3		0		0		0		6
Tennessee	District	August 7, 1851	11	7[lower-alpha 6]		0		0		0		4
California	At-large	September 3, 1851	2[lower-alpha 10]	2	1	0		0		0		0
Maryland	District	October 1, 1851	6	2	1	0		0		0		4[lower-alpha 11]	1
Georgia	District	October 6, 1851	8	0	4	0		2	2	6	6	0	4
Virginia	District	October 23, 1851	15	13		0		0		0		2
Mississippi	District	November 3–4, 1851	4	0	4	0		1	1	3	3	0
Louisiana	District	November 4, 1851	4	2	1	0		0		0		2	1
Total			233	130[lower-alpha 12] 55.8%	17	4 1.7%	5	3 1.3%	3	10 4.3%	10	86[lower-alpha 11] 36.9%	22

One district in Massachusetts had been vacant in the 31st Congress. No new seats were added.

The previous election had 1 Know-Nothing and 1 Independent.

Special elections

Alabama

Elections were held August 4, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Arkansas

The election was held August 4, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

California

California's members were elected late, at-large statewide, September 3, 1851. There were nevertheless seated with the rest of the House at the beginning of the first session.

Connecticut

Elections were held April 7, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Delaware

The election was held November 12, 1850.

Florida

The election was held October 7, 1850.

Georgia

Elections were held October 6, 1851.

Illinois

Elections were held November 5, 1850.

Indiana

Elections were held August 4, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Iowa

Elections were held August 5, 1850.

Kentucky

Elections were held August 4, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Louisiana

Elections were held November 4, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Maine

Elections were held September 9, 1850.

Maryland

Elections were held October 1, 1851 elections were after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the new term, but still before the Congress convened in December 1851.

Massachusetts

Elections were held November 11, 1850, but at least one district's elections went to multiple ballots into 1851.

Michigan

Elections were held November 5, 1850.

Minnesota Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Mississippi

Elections were held November 3–4, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Missouri

Elections were held August 5, 1850.

New Hampshire

Elections were held March 11, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

New Jersey

Elections were held November 5, 1850.

New Mexico Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

New York

Elections were held November 5, 1850.

North Carolina

Elections were held August 7, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Ohio

Elections were held October 8, 1850.

Oregon Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Pennsylvania

Elections were held October 8, 1850.

Rhode Island

Elections were held April 2, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

South Carolina

Elections were held October 14–15, 1850.

Tennessee

Elections were held August 7, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Tennessee 1	Andrew Johnson	Democratic	1842	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Andrew Johnson (Democratic) 57.52% ▌Landon Carter Haynes (Democratic) 42.48%[27]
Tennessee 2	Albert G. Watkins	Whig	1849	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Albert G. Watkins (Whig) 78.65% ▌[FNU] Hurley (Democratic) 17.57% ▌J. D. Dickinson (Whig) 3.78%[28]
Tennessee 3	Josiah M. Anderson	Whig	1849	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y William M. Churchwell (Democratic) 50.06% ▌Josiah M. Anderson (Whig) 49.94%[29]
Tennessee 4	John H. Savage	Democratic	1849	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John H. Savage (Democratic) 57.20% ▌Jefferson D. Goodpasture (Whig) 42.80%[30]
Tennessee 5	George W. Jones	Democratic	1842	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y George W. Jones (Democratic) 100%[31]
Tennessee 6	James H. Thomas	Democratic	1847	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Independent Democratic gain.	▌Y William H. Polk (Independent Democratic) 56.13% ▌James H. Thomas (Democratic) 43.87%[32]
Tennessee 7	Meredith P. Gentry	Whig	1845	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Meredith P. Gentry (Whig) 100%[33]
Tennessee 8	Andrew Ewing	Democratic	1849	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig gain.	▌Y William Cullom (Whig) 55.63% ▌J. J. Southall (Democratic) 44.37%[34]
Tennessee 9	Isham G. Harris	Democratic	1849	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Isham G. Harris (Democratic) 59.47% ▌I. G. Hornberger (Whig) 40.53%[35]
Tennessee 10	Frederick P. Stanton	Democratic	1845	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Frederick P. Stanton (Democratic) 51.81% ▌Walter S. Coleman (Whig) 48.19%[36]
Tennessee 11	Christopher H. Williams	Whig	1849	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Christopher H. Williams (Whig) 100%[37]

Texas

Elections were held August 4, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Utah Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Vermont

Elections were held September 3, 1850.

Virginia

Elections were held October 23, 1851, after the March 4, 1851 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1851.

Wisconsin

Elections were held November 5, 1850.

Non-voting delegates

See also

• 1850 United States elections
  • List of United States House of Representatives elections (1824–1854)
  • 1850–51 United States Senate elections
• 31st United States Congress
• 32nd United States Congress

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
• Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
• "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.

External links

• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)