United States Senate elections, 1846 and 1847

United States Senate elections, 1846 and 1847

Various dates
19 of the 58 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 29 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Whig Last election 35 seats 24 seats Seats before 33 23 Seats won 10 7 Seats after 35 19 Seat change 3 4 Seats up 8 10   Third party Fourth party   Party Liberty Independent Democratic Last election [new party] 0 Seats before 1 0 Seats won 0 1 Seats after 0 1 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 1 0
Majority Party before election Democratic Elected Majority Party Democratic

The United States Senate elections of 1846 and 1847 were elections which had the Democratic Party gain four seats in the United States Senate.

As these elections were prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

Senate Party Division, 30th Congress (1847–1849)

• Majority Party: Democratic (34–38)
• Minority Party: Whig (20–21)
• Other Parties: Independent Democratic (1)
• Total Seats: 58–60

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

After the February 1846 elections in Texas.

		D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8
D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10	D9
D19	D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26 Ran	D27 Ran	D28 Ran
Majority →									D29 Ran
W19 Ran	W20 Unknown	W21 Unknown	W22 Unknown	W23 Retired	D33 Retired	D32 Unknown	D31 Unknown	D30 Ran
W18 Ran	W17 Ran	W16 Ran	W15 Ran	W14 Ran	W13 Ran	W12	W11	W10	W9
		W1	W2	W3	W4	W5	W6	W7	W8

As a result of the elections

	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9
D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10
D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26 Re-elected	D27 Re-elected	D28 Re-elected	D29 Re-elected
Majority →									D30 Hold
V1 W Loss	V2 New state	V3 New state	ID1 Gain	D35 Gain	D34 Gain	D33 Gain	D32 Hold	D31 Hold
W19 Hold	W18 Hold	W17 Hold	W16 Re-elected	W15 Re-elected	W14 Re-elected	W13 Re-elected	W12	W11	W10
	W1	W2	W3	W4	W5	W6	W7	W8	W9

At the beginning of the next Congress

	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9
D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10
D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29
Majority →									D30
W20 Gain	V1	V2	V3	ID1	D34	D33	D32	D31
W19	W18	W17	W16	W15	W14	W13	W12	W11	W10
	W1	W2	W3	W4	W5	W6	W7	W8	W9

Key:	D# Democratic ID# Independent Democratic W# Whig V# Vacant

Race summaries

Special elections during the 29th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1846 or in 1847 before March 4; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Texas (Class 1)	New State			Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Winner elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain.	√ Thomas Rusk (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Texas (Class 2)	New State			Texas was admitted to the Union December 29, 1845. Winner elected February 21, 1846. Democratic gain.	√ Sam Houston (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Hampshire (Class 2)	Benning W. Jenness	Democratic	1845 (Appointed)	Appointee lost election to finish the term. Winner elected June 13, 1846. Liberty gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below.	√ Joseph Cilley (Liberty) Benning W. Jenness (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina (Class 3)	William H. Haywood, Jr.	Democratic	1843	Incumbent resigned July 25, 1846 rather than disobey instructions from the N.C. General Assembly. Winner elected November 25, 1846. Whig gain.	√ James M. Mason (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Louisiana (Class 2)	Alexander Barrow	Whig	1840	Incumbent died December 29, 1846. Winner elected January 21, 1847. Democratic gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below.	√ Pierre Soulé (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia (Class 1)	Isaac S. Pennybacker	Democratic	1845 (Special)	Incumbent died January 12, 1847. Winner elected January 21, 1847. Democratic hold.	√ James M. Mason (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Iowa (Class 2)	New State			Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes. Seat vacant until December 7, 1848.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Iowa (Class 3)	New State			Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846. Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes. Seat vacant until December 7, 1848.	[Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Races leading to the 30th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1847; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Dixon Hall Lewis	Democratic	1844 (Appointed)	Incumbent elected to full term in 1847.	√ Dixon Hall Lewis (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Arkansas	Chester Ashley	Democratic	1844 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ Chester Ashley (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Delaware	Thomas Clayton	Whig	1837 (Special) 1841	Unknown in incumbent lost re-election or retired. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold.	√ Thomas Clayton (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Georgia	John M. Berrien	Whig	1825 1829 (Resigned) 1840 1845 (Resigned) 1845 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ John M. Berrien (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Illinois	James Semple	Democratic	1843 (Appointed) ? (Special)	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in 1846. Democratic hold.	√ Stephen A. Douglas (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Louisiana	Pierre Soulé	Democratic	1847 (Special)	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1847. Democratic hold.	√ Solomon W. Downs (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Kentucky	James T. Morehead	Whig	1841	Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold.	√ Joseph R. Underwood (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Maine	George Evans	Whig	1840	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846. Democratic gain.	√ James W. Bradbury (Democratic) George Evans (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Massachusetts	John Davis	Whig	1835 1841 (Resigned) 1845 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1847.	√ John Davis (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Michigan	William Woodbridge	Whig	1841	Incumbent retired. Winner elected in February 1847. Democratic gain.	√ Alpheus Felch (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Mississippi	Joseph W. Chalmers	Democratic	1845 (Appointed) ? (Special)	Unknown if incumbent lost re-election or retired. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Democratic hold.	√ Henry S. Foote (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Hampshire	Joseph Cilley	Liberty	1846	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846. Independent Democratic gain.	√ John P. Hale (Independent Democratic) Joseph Cilley (Liberty) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
New Jersey	Jacob W. Miller	Whig	1840	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ Jacob W. Miller (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
North Carolina	Willie Mangum	Whig	1840 (Special) 1841	Incumbent re-elected in 1847.	√ Willie Mangum (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Rhode Island	James F. Simmons	Whig	1841	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846 or 1847. Whig hold.	√ John Hopkins Clarke (Whig) James F. Simmons (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
South Carolina	John C. Calhoun	Democratic	1832 (Special) 1834 1840 1843 (Resigned) 1845 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected in 1846.	√ John C. Calhoun (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Tennessee	Spencer Jarnagin	Whig	1843 (Special)	Incumbent retired. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss.	Spencer Jarnagin (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Texas	Sam Houston	Democratic	1846	Incumbent re-elected in 1847	√ Sam Houston (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
Virginia	William S. Archer	Whig	1846	Incumbent lost re-election. Winner elected in 1846. Democratic gain.	√ Robert M. T. Hunter (Democratic) William S. Archer (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Special elections during the 30th Congress

In this special election, the winner was elected in 1847 after March 4.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Tennessee (Class 2)	Vacant			Legislature had earlier failed to elect. Winner elected November 22, 1847. Whig gain.	√ John Bell (Whig) [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]

Complete list of races

New Hampshire

John P. Hale was elected June 1846 as an Independent Democrat. He would later become a Free Soiler.

See also

• United States elections, 1846
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1846
• 29th United States Congress
• 30th United States Congress

References

• Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present, via Senate.gov