United States House of Representatives elections, 1856
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All 237[Note 2] seats to the United States House of Representatives 118 seats were needed for a majority |
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Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 35th Congress were held in 1856 and 1857. The elections returned a semblance of normality to the Democratic Party, as they retook a House majority and retained the presidency with the election of James Buchanan. However, the party was permanently divided over the slavery issue.
Earlier in the year, the Whig Party disbanded. With the majority of Whigs joining the Republican cause, the Republican Party finished second for their first time. Meanwhile, the short-lived Know-Nothing movement declined and the American Party began to fall apart. The Democrats (including Francis Preston Blair, Jr. who was elected as an Independent Democrat (aka. a "Benton Democrat") to Missouri's 1st District), aided by much support from recent immigrants, took advantage of the situation and became the majority, despite fragmented support within the party.
Contents
Election summaries
Two seats were added for the new state of Minnesota[1] and one seat for the new state of Oregon.[2] Minnesota was unrepresented for part of the 1st session, while Oregon was unrepresented for all but the last few weeks of the 2nd session.
| 133 | 14 | 90 |
| Democratic | AKN | Republican |
| State | Type | Date | Total seats |
Democratic | Republican | Know-Nothing | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | Change | Seats | Change[Note 5] | Seats | Change | ||||
| California | At-large | November 4, 1856 (Election Day)[Note 6] |
2 | 2 |  |
0 | |
0 | |
| Delaware | At-large | 1 | 1 |  1 |
0 | |
0 |  1 |
|
| Illinois | District | 9 | 5 | |
4 | |
0 | |
|
| Massachusetts | District | 11 | 0 | |
11 | 11 |
0 | 11 |
|
| Michigan | District | 4 | 0 | 1 |
4 | 1 |
0 | |
|
| New Jersey | District | 5 | 3 | 2 |
2 | 2 |
0 | |
|
| New York | District | 33 | 12 | 7 |
21 | 4 |
0 | 3 |
|
| Wisconsin | District | 3 | 0 | 1 |
3 | 1 |
0 | |
|
| Arkansas | District | August 4, 1856 | 2 | 2 | |
0 | |
0 | |
| Florida | At-large | October 6, 1856 | 1 | 1 | |
0 | |
0 | |
| Indiana | District | October 14, 1856 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
5 | 4 |
0 | |
| Iowa | District | August 4, 1856 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
2 | 1 |
0 | |
| Maine | District | September 8, 1856 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
6 | 1 |
0 | |
| Missouri | District | August 4, 1856 | 7 | 5[Note 7] | 4 |
0 | 6 |
2 | 2 |
| Ohio | District | October 14, 1856 | 21 | 9 | 9 |
12 | 9 |
0 | |
| Pennsylvania | District | October 14, 1856 | 25 | 15 | 9 |
10 | 8 |
0 | 1 |
| South Carolina | District | October 13–14, 1856 | 6 | 6 | |
0 | |
0 | |
| Vermont | District | September 2, 1856 | 3 | 0 | |
3 | |
0 | |
| 1857 elections | |||||||||
| Alabama | District | August 3, 1857 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
0 | |
0 | 2 |
| Connecticut | District | April 6, 1857 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
2 | 2 |
0 | 4 |
| Georgia | District | October 5, 1857 | 8 | 6 | |
0 | |
2 | |
| Kentucky | District | August 3, 1857 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
0 | |
2 | 4 |
| Louisiana | District | November 3, 1857 | 4 | 3 | |
0 | |
1 | |
| Maryland | District | November 4, 1857 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
0 | |
3 | 1 |
| Minnesota | At-large | October 13, 1857[Note 8] | 2 | 2 | 2 |
0 | |
0 | |
| Mississippi | District | October 5–6, 1857 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
0 | |
0 | 1 |
| New Hampshire | District | March 10, 1857 | 3 | 0 | |
3 | 3 |
0 | 3 |
| North Carolina | District | August 6, 1857 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
0 | |
1 | 2 |
| Rhode Island | District | April 1, 1857 | 2 | 0 | |
2 | 2 |
0 | 2 |
| Tennessee | District | August 6, 1857 | 10 | 7 | 2 |
0 | |
3 | 2 |
| Texas | District | August 3, 1857 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
0 | |
0 | 1 |
| Virginia | District | May 28, 1857 | 13 | 13 | 1 |
0 | |
0 | 1 |
| 1858 elections | |||||||||
| Oregon | At-large | June, 1858[Note 9] | 1 | 1 | 1 |
0 | |
0 | |
| Total[Note 2] | 237 | 133[Note 4] 56.1% |
49 |
90 38.0% |
8[Note 5] |
14 5.9% |
38 |
||
Complete returns
California
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California at-large 2 seats on a general ticket |
James W. Denver | Democratic | 1854 | Retired Democratic hold |
Charles L. Scott (D) 29.9% Joseph C. McKibbin (D) 21% A. B. Dibble (KN) 20.7% Ira P. Rankin (I) 13% J. N. Turner (R) 12.5% |
| Philemon T. Herbert | Democratic | 1854 | Retired[Note 10] Democratic hold |
Florida
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida at-large | Augustus Maxwell | Democratic | 1852 | Retired Democratic hold |
George S. Hawkins (D) 53.1% James McNair Baker (KN) 46.9% |
See also
- United States presidential election, 1856
- United States Senate elections, 1856
- 35th United States Congress
Notes
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External links
- Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)
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