The 1842–43 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 1842 and 1843, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 3.
The Whigs lost seats but maintained control of the Senate. Although they lost three seats in the regular elections, they gained two of them back by the start of the first session in special elections.
Results summary Senate party division, 28th Congress (1843–1845)
Majority party: Whig (27) Minority party: Democratic (22–23) Other parties: (0–1) Total seats: 52–54
Change in Senate composition Before the elections
After July 1842 appointment in New Jersey.
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D16Ran D15Ran D14Ran D13Ran D12Ran D11Ran D10 D9 D8 D7 D17Unknown D18Unknown D19Retired D20Retired V2 V1 W30Resigned W29Retired W28Unknown W27Unknown Majority → W26Ran W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24Ran W25Ran W16 W15 W14 W13 W12 W11 W10 W9 W8 W7 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6
Result of the elections
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D16Re-elected D15Re-elected D14Re-elected D13Re-elected D12Re-elected D11Re-elected D10 D9 D8 D7 D17Re-elected D18Hold D19Hold D20Hold D21Hold D22Gain D23Gain V2 V1 W27Hold Majority → W26Hold W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24Re-elected W25Re-elected W16 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 V3D Loss V2 V1 W27 Majority → W26 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24 W25 W16 W15 W14 W13 W12 W11 W10 W9 W8 W7 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6
Beginning of the first session of the next Congress (December 4, 1843)
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D16 D15 D14 D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D8 D7 D17 D18 D19 D20 D21Hold D22Hold D23Gain W29Gain W28Gain W27 Majority → W26 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24 W25 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 Bold states link to specific election articles.
Special elections during the 27th Congress In these elections, the winners were elected during 1842 or in 1843 before March 4; ordered by election date.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Rhode Island(Class 1) Nathan F. Dixon Whig 1838 Incumbent died January 29, 1842.New senator elected February 5, 1842 on the third ballot.Whig hold. Kentucky(Class 3) Henry Clay Whig 1806 1807 1810 1811 1831 1836 Incumbent resigned March 31, 1842.New senator elected February 25, 1842.Whig hold.Winner later re-elected to the next term; see below. Louisiana(Class 3) Alexandre Mouton Democratic 1837 1837 Incumbent resigned March 1, 1842.New senator elected March 10, 1842.Whig gain.Winner later lost re-election to the next term; see below. New Hampshire(Class 3) Leonard Wilcox Democratic 1842 Interim appointee elected June 8, 1842.Winner later lost re-election to the next term; see below. Vermont(Class 3) Samuel C. Crafts Whig 1842 Interim appointee elected October 26, 1842.Winner had not been elected to the next term; see below. New Jersey(Class 1) William L. Dayton Whig 1842 Interim appointee elected October 28, 1842. South Carolina(Class 3) William C. Preston Whig 1833 1837 Incumbent resigned November 29, 1842.New senator elected December 2, 1842.Democratic gain.Winner also elected the same day to the next term; see below. South Carolina(Class 2) John C. Calhoun Democratic 1832 18341840 Incumbent resigned March 3, 1843.New senator elected December 15, 1842 on the third ballot.Democratic hold. Maine(Class 1) Reuel Williams Democratic 1837 1839 Incumbent resigned February 15, 1843.New senator elected March 3, 1843.Democratic hold.
Races leading to the 28th Congress
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1843; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats. State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Alabama Arthur P. Bagby Democratic 1841 Incumbent re-elected in 1842. Arkansas Ambrose Sevier Democratic 1836 1837 Incumbent re-elected in 1843. Connecticut Perry Smith Democratic 1837 Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1842 but, due to ill health and a credentials challenge, was unable to serve until May 16, 1844; nevertheless, his term began March 4, 1843.Democratic hold. Georgia Alfred Cuthbert Democratic 1835 1837 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1843.Democratic hold. Illinois Richard M. Young Democratic 1837 Incumbent retired.New senator elected in 1843.Democratic hold. Indiana Oliver H. Smith Whig 1836 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected in 1842.Democratic gain. Kentucky John J. Crittenden Whig 18161819 18351841 1842 Incumbent re-elected January 7, 1843. Louisiana Charles M. Conrad Whig 1842 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected January 9, 1843, but, due to ill health, did not take the seat.Whig hold. Maryland John L. Kerr Whig 1841 Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1843.Whig hold. Missouri Lewis F. Linn Democratic 1833 1834 1836 Incumbent re-elected November 23, 1842. New Hampshire Leonard Wilcox Democratic 1842 1842 Incumbent lost re-election.New senator elected November 9, 1842.Democratic hold. New York Silas Wright Jr. Democratic 1833 1837 Incumbent re-elected February 7, 1843. North Carolina William A. Graham Whig 1840 Incumbent retired or lost re-election.New senator elected in 1843.Democratic gain. Ohio William Allen Democratic 1836 Incumbent re-elected in 1842. Pennsylvania James Buchanan Democratic 1834 1836 Incumbent re-elected January 10, 1843. South Carolina Vacant Sen. William C. Preston (W) resigned November 29, 1842.New senator elected December 2, 1842.Democratic gain.Winner also elected the same day to finish the current term; see above. Vermont Samuel C. Crafts Whig 1842 Incumbent retired.New senator elected October 21, 1842.Whig hold.Winner was not elected to finish the current term; see above.
Elections during the 28th Congress In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1843 after March 4; ordered by election date.
State Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Tennessee(Class 1) Alfred O. P. Nicholson Democratic 1840 Incumbent resigned February 7, 1842.New senator elected October 17, 1843.Whig gain. Tennessee(Class 2) Vacant since 1841 Legislature had failed to elect since the 27th Congress.New senator elected October 17, 1843.Whig gain.
Complete list of races Maryland
James Pearce won election by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 3 seat.
New York
The election was held February 7, 1843, by the New York State Legislature. Silas Wright Jr. had been elected in 1833 to this seat after the resignation of William L. Marcy, and had been re-elected in 1837. Wright's term would expire on March 3, 1843. At the State election in November 1842, Democrat William C. Bouck was elected Governor, 92 Democrats and 36 Whigs were elected to the Assembly, and 8 Democrats and 1 Whig were elected to the State Senate. The 66th New York State Legislature met from January 3 to April 18, 1843, at Albany, New York. The incumbent U.S. Senator Silas Wright Jr. was re-nominated unanimously by a Democratic caucus on the eve of the election. Congressman Millard Fillmore was the candidate of the Whig Party. Silas Wright Jr. was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
Candidate Party Senate (32 members) Assembly (128 members)Silas Wright Jr.Democrat 17 77Millard FillmoreWhig 6 16John A. CollierWhig 1 6Willis HallWhig 4George W. PattersonWhig 3George A. SimmonsWhig 2Luther BradishWhig 1Gulian C. VerplanckWhig 1
Wright continued in the U.S. Senate, and remained in office until November 1844 when he resigned after his election as Governor of New York. Henry A. Foster was appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily, but the State Legislature elected John A. Dix for the remainder of Wright's term.
Pennsylvania
The election was held January 10, 1843. Future President of the United States James Buchanan was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate. The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 10, 1843, to elect a new Senator to fill the term beginning on March 4, 1843. Incumbent Democrat James Buchanan, who was elected in 1834 and re-elected in 1836, was a successful candidate for re-election to another term. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
|-bgcolor="#EEEEEE" | colspan="3" align="right" | Totals | align="right" | 132 | align="right" | 100.00%
Tennessee
In 1841, Spencer Jarnagin was nominated for U.S. Senator by the Whig caucus in the Tennessee General Assembly. However, some of the Democrats in the legislature decided that no Senator would be preferable to a Whig. Known as the "Immortal Thirteen" by Tennessee Democrats, they refused to allow a quorum on the issue. By the time Jarnagin was eventually elected to the seat and sworn in, over two and half years, almost half of the term, had elapsed. Jarnagin finally assumed office on October 17, 1843.
See also 1842 United States elections 1842–43 United States House of Representatives elections 27th United States Congress 28th United States Congress
Notes
References
Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators; pg. 134 for State Senators 1843; pg. 227f for Members of Assembly 1843) Members of the 28th United States Congress Political History of the State of New York, from Jan. 1, 1841, to Jan. 1, 1847; Vol. III by Jabez Delano Hammond (State election, 1842: pg. 311f; U.S. Senate election, 1843: pg. 349) Journal of the Assembly (66th Session) (1843; pg. 255f) Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project