United States House of Representatives elections, 1836
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Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 25th Congress were held in 1836 and 1837.
Although Democrat Martin Van Buren was elected president, the Democrats continued to lose seats in the House. The Whigs played off the unpopularity of Jackson's refusal to compromise with Congress or cooperate with the Supreme Court. Despite Whig gains, the Democrats held on to a majority. In addition, the 1836–1837 U.S. House elections saw the continuing decline of the single-issue Anti-Masonic (based on the distrust of Freemasonry) and Nullifier (based on the principle of states' rights) parties. Also, John Pope was elected as an Independent to Kentucky's 7th District.[2]
Election summaries
128 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 100 |
Democratic | N | AM | I | Whig |
State | Type | Date | Total seats |
Democratic[Note 2] | Whig[Note 3] | Anti-Masonic | Nullifier | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | ||||
Delaware | At-large | November 8, 1836 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Georgia | At-large | October 3, 1836 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Illinois | District (3) | August 1, 1836 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Louisiana | District (3) | July 4–6, 1836 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Maine | District (8) | September 12, 1836 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Massachusetts | District (12) | November 14, 1836 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
Missouri | At-large | August 1, 1836 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
New Jersey | At-large | November 16, 1836 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
New York | District (33[Note 4]) | November 7–9, 1836 | 40 | 30 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Ohio | District (19) | October 11, 1836 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Pennsylvania | District (25[Note 5]) | October 11, 1836 | 28 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | ||
South Carolina | District (9) | October 10–11, 1836 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
Vermont | District (5) | September 6, 1836 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
1837 elections | |||||||||||
Alabama | District (5) | August 8, 1837 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
Arkansas | At-large | October 2, 1837 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Connecticut | District[Note 6] (6) | April 3, 1837 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Indiana | District (7) | August 7, 1837 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
Kentucky[Note 7] | District (13) | August 7, 1837 | 13[Note 7] | 1 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
Maryland | District (7[Note 8]) | July 26, 1837 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Michigan | At-large | August 22, 1837 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Mississippi | At-large | July 17–18, 1837[Note 9] November 6–7, 1837[Note 10] |
2 | 2[Note 11] | 1 | 0[Note 12] | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
New Hampshire | At-large | March 14, 1837 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
North Carolina | District (13) | August 10, 1837 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
Rhode Island | At-large | August 29, 1837 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
Tennessee | District (13) | August 3, 1837 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Virginia | District (21) | April 27, 1837 | 21 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 242 | 128 52.9% |
15 | 100 41.3% |
25 | 7 2.9% |
9 | 6 2.5% |
2 |
The 1st session of the 25th Congress began on September 4, 1837, before Arkansas' and Mississippi's Congressional elections. In Mississippi, the governor issued writs for a special election for July 17–18. Initially, the Elections Committee accepted the winners of that election, John F. H. Claiborne (D) and Samuel J. Gholson (D) as holding their seats for the entirety of the 25th Congress. However, the regular November election was also held, and elected Sergeant S. Prentiss (W) and Thomas J. Word (W), and on February 5, 1838, the earlier decision was rescinded, and the winners of the November election were seated in the place of the July winners.
Complete returns
Pennsylvania
District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates[Note 13][3] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pennsylvania 1 | Joel B. Sutherland | Jacksonian | 1826 | Lost re-election Democratic hold |
Lemuel Paynter (D) 55.3% Joel B. Sutherland (W[Note 14]) 44.7% |
Pennsylvania 2 Plural district with 2 seats |
Joseph R. Ingersoll | Anti-Jacksonian | 1834 | Retired Whig hold |
John Sergeant (W) 63.1% George W. Toland (W) 63.0% Read Longstreth (D) 37.7% John M. Morris (D) 36.3% |
James Harper | Anti-Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Whig hold | ||
Pennsylvania 3 | Michael W. Ash | Jacksonian | 1834 | Retired Democratic hold |
Francis J. Harper (D) 50.5% Charles Naylor[Note 15] (W) 49.5% |
Pennsylvania 4 Plural district with 3 seats |
William Hiester | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Retired Anti-Masonic hold |
David Potts, Jr. (AM[Note 16]) 53.8% Edward Darlington (AM[Note 16]) 53.6% Edward Davies (AM[Note 16]) 53.6% Samuel Leiper (D) 46.4% John K. Findley (D) 46.3% John W. Cunningham (D) 46.3% |
Edward Darlington | Anti-Masonic | 1832 | Re-elected | ||
David Potts, Jr. | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Re-elected | ||
Pennsylvania 5 | Jacob Fry, Jr. | Jacksonian | 1834 | Re-elected | Jacob Fry, Jr. (D) 61.9% Daniel M. Mulvaney (W) 38.1% |
Pennsylvania 6 | Mathias Morris | Anti-Jacksonian | 1834 | Re-elected | Mathias Morris (W) 51.4% John Rockman (D) 48.6% |
Pennsylvania 7 | David D. Wagener | Jacksonian | 1832 | Re-elected | David D. Wagener (D) 73.7% Jacob Weygandt (W) 26.3% |
Pennsylvania 8 | Edward B. Hubley | Jacksonian | 1834 | Re-elected | Edward B. Hubley (D) 54.2% William Audenried (AM) 45.8% |
Pennsylvania 9 | Henry A. P. Muhlenberg | Jacksonian | 1828 | Re-elected | Henry A. P. Muhlenberg (D) 57.5% Henry W. Smith (W) 42.5% |
Pennsylvania 10 | William Clark | Anti-Masonic | 1832 | Retired Democratic gain |
Luther Reily (D) 50.8% George W. Harris (W) 49.2% |
Pennsylvania 11 | Henry Logan | Jacksonian | 1834 | Re-elected | Henry Logan (D) 58.2% Jacob Kirk (W) 41.8% |
Pennsylvania 12 | George Chambers | Anti-Masonic | 1832 | Retired Democratic gain |
Daniel Sheffer (D) 50.5% G. James McSherry (AM) 49.5% |
Pennsylvania 13 | Jesse Miller | Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Democratic hold |
Charles McClure (D) 57.5% William Sharon (W) 42.5% |
Pennsylvania 14 | Joseph Henderson | Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Democratic hold |
William W. Potter (D) 59.6% John Williamson (AM) 38.2% John Ashman (AM) 2.2% |
Pennsylvania 15 | Andrew Beaumont | Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Democratic hold |
David Petrikin (D) 52.1% John McReynolds (W) 47.9% |
Pennsylvania 16 | Joseph B. Anthony | Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Democratic hold |
Robert H. Hammond (D) 59.1% Ebenezer Greenough (A) 40.9% |
Pennsylvania 17 | John Laporte | Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Democratic hold |
Samuel W. Morris (D) 60.2% William Jessup (W) 39.8% |
Pennsylvania 18 | Job Mann | Jacksonian | 1832 | Lost re-election Anti-Masonic gain |
Charles Ogle (AM) 51.7% Job Mann (D) 48.3% |
Pennsylvania 19 | John Klingensmith, Jr. | Jacksonian | 1832 | Re-elected | John Klingensmith, Jr. (D) 58.0% James Moorhead (W) 42.0% |
Pennsylvania 20 | Andrew Buchanan | Jacksonian | 1832 | Re-elected | Andrew Buchanan (D) 100% |
Pennsylvania 21 | Thomas M. T. McKennan | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | Re-elected | Thomas M. T. McKennan (AM) 52.2% Thomas Ringland (D) 47.8% |
Pennsylvania 22 | Harmar Denny | Anti-Masonic | 1829 (special) | Retired Anti-Masonic hold |
Richard Biddle (AM) 51.4% Trevanion B. Dallas (D) 48.6% |
Pennsylvania 23 | Samuel S. Harrison | Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Democratic hold |
William Beatty (D) 56.5% Joseph Buffington (W) 43.5% |
Pennsylvania 24 | Previous incumbent John Banks (AM) resigned April 2, 1836 | Anti-Masonic hold | Thomas Henry (AM) 56.1% John R. Shannon (D) 43.9% | ||
Pennsylvania 25 | John Galbraith | Jacksonian | 1832 | Retired Democratic hold |
Arnold Plumer (D) 54.4% David Dick (W) 45.6% |
There were two special elections to fill vacancies in Pennsylvania's representation during the 25th Congress. The first was in the 3rd district caused by Francis J. Harper (D)'s death on March 18, 1837, shortly after the official start of the 25th Congress, but before the first meeting. Said vacancy was filled by Charles Naylor (W). The second was in the 9th district when Henry A. P. Muhlenberg (D) resigned February 9, 1838, which vacancy was filled by George Keim (D)
See also
Notes
- 1 2 3 Dubin (p. 119) records only 99 Whigs, with a vacancy in TN-04 (which was later filled by a Whig). Dubin also records 132 Democrats, and only 2 Nullifiers. Figures listed here defer to Martis (p. 94).
- ↑ Previously Jacksonian
- ↑ Previously Anti-Jacksonian
- ↑ Includes 5 plural districts
- ↑ Includes 3 plural districts
- ↑ Changed from at-large
- 1 2 John Pope was elected as an Independent to KY-07, and so is not included in the figures here. Pope would run in later elections as a Whig.
- ↑ Includes 1 plural district
- ↑ Special election
- ↑ Regular election
- ↑ 0 after second election
- ↑ 2 after second election
- ↑ For plural districts, percent is based on assumption that each voter cast as many votes as there are seats
- ↑ Changed parties
- ↑ Won subsequent special election
- 1 2 3 Joint Whig/Anti-Masonic ticket
References
- 1 2 Martis, p. 94.
- ↑ Dubin, p. 117; Martis, p. 94; Moore, p. 966.
- ↑ Wilkes University Elections Statistics Project
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)