List of United States representatives-elect who never took their seats

Some people who were elected to the United States House of Representatives died before taking their seats. In other cases, they failed to qualify; were rejected by the House; their credentials were successfully challenged; or they were somehow otherwise unable to become members.

This list only includes people who never served in the House. Re-elected incumbents are not included.

List

Member-electPartyDistrictElection dateCongressReason for non-seatingPro-AdministrationDeclined to serve.Died on May 24, 1790.Declined to serve.Resigned (elected to the U.S. Senate).Declined to serve.Democratic-RepublicanDied on July 10, 1795.Resigned on August 10, 1801 (appointed Secretary of State of New York).Declined to serve.FederalistNever qualified or attended due to illness.Democratic-RepublicanDied on January 22, 1813.FederalistDied on February 22, 1813.Died on February 18, 1813.Never qualified or attended due to illness.Resigned (to be Judge of Probate for Essex County).Democratic-RepublicanDied on September 16, 1816.Resigned (to be judge of the court of common pleas).FederalistDied on November 13, 1817.Democratic-RepublicanResigned.Jacksonian RepublicanResigned on May 2, 1827.DemocraticDied on March 18, 1837.IA-ALWilliam W. Chapman's term was extended to October 1840, invalidating Gehon's election.On the last day of the 25th Congress, Chapman's term, which began in September 1838, was extended past its expected expiration on March 4, 1839. The next term was to commence after Chapman's and expire at the end of the 26th Congress, with terms lasting for the regular term of a Congress thereafter.WhigResigned.The Macon Telegraph and RegisterDemocraticResigned (elected to the U.S. Senate).WhigNever qualified or attended due to illness.Independent Arkansas seceded from the Union on May 6, 1861.DemocraticFlorida seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861.South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860.UnionistNot entitled to the seat.RepublicanResigned on January 27, 1869 (elected to the U.S. Senate).RepublicanNot seated due to a contested election.ConservativeDied on October 17, 1870.DemocraticDied on December 21, 1872.RepublicanDied on October 1, 1873.Democratic Died on November 9, 1874.Died on January 14, 1875.Died on January 22, 1875.RepublicanDied on November 5, 1878.DemocraticDied on November 27, 1882.RepublicanAssassinated on January 29, 1889.Died on December 6, 1894.DemocraticDied on November 17, 1896.RepublicanDied on January 2, 1897.DemocraticCongress refused to seat him because he was a bigamist.DemocraticDeclined to serve (appointed Adjutant General of Tennessee).RepublicanDied on January 31, 1915.Died on November 20, 1920.DemocraticDied on November 30, 1922.Died on May 26, 1931.RepublicanDied on December 27, 1982.Died on December 29, 2020.

See also Unseated members of the United States Congress

References