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The 1844–45 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with James K. Polk's election. 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 1844 and 1845, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.[1]
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18 of the 54 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 28 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results: Democratic gain Democratic hold Whig gain Whig hold Legislature failed to elect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1. The Democratic Party re-captured control of the Senate, gaining a net total of eleven seats from the Whigs.
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Senate party division, 29th Congress (1845–1847)
- Majority party: Democratic (26–31)
- Minority party: Whig (24)
- Other parties: (0–1)
- Vacant: (4–2)
- Total seats: 54–58
Before the elections
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | ||||
| D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 | D7 |
| D17 | D18 | D19 | D20 Ran |
D21 Ran |
D22 Ran |
D23 Ran |
D24 Retired |
LO1 Retired |
W27 Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority → | |||||||||
| W17 Ran |
W18 Ran |
W19 Ran |
W20 Ran |
W21 Unknown |
W22 Unknown |
W23 Retired |
W24 Retired |
W25 Retired |
W26 Retired |
| 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 | D7 | |||
| D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 |
| D18 | D19 | D20 Re-elected |
D21 Re-elected |
D22 Re-elected |
D23 Re-elected |
D24 Gain |
D25 Gain |
D26 Gain |
D27 Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority → | |||||||||
| W18 Re-elected |
W19 Re-elected |
W20 Hold |
W21 Hold |
W22 Hold |
W23 Gain |
W24 Gain |
V1 W Loss |
V2 New seat |
V3 New seat |
| W17 Re-elected |
W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 | W8 |
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | |||
Beginning of the next Congress
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | |||
| D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 |
| D18 | D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 | D26 | V4 D Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority ↑ | |||||||||
| W18 | W19 | W20 | W21 | W22 | W23 | W24 | V1 | V2 | V3 |
| W17 | W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 | W8 |
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | |||
Beginning of the first session of the next Congress (December 1, 1845)
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | |||
| D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 | D8 |
| D18 | D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 Hold |
D25 Hold |
D26 Hold |
D27 Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majority → | D28 Gain | ||||||||
| W18 | W19 | W20 | W21 | W22 | W23 Hold |
W24 Hold |
D30 Gain |
D29 Gain | |
| W17 | W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 | W11 | W10 | W9 | W8 |
| W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | |||
| Key: |
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Special elections during the 28th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1844 or in 1845 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Rhode Island (Class 1) |
William Sprague | Whig | 1842 (special) | Incumbent resigned January 17, 1844. New senator elected January 25, 1844. Law and Order gain. |
|
| Louisiana (Class 3) |
Alexander Porter | Whig | 1833 (special) 1837 (resigned) 1843 |
Incumbent died January 13, 1844. New senator elected February 12, 1844. Whig hold. |
|
| Arkansas (Class 2) |
William S. Fulton | Democratic | 1836 (special) 1840 |
Incumbent died August 15, 1844. New senator elected November 8, 1844. Democratic hold. |
|
| New York (Class 1) |
Daniel S. Dickinson | Democratic | 1844 (appointed) | Appointee elected January 18, 1845. Winner was later be elected to the next term; see below. |
|
| New York (Class 3) |
Henry A. Foster | Democratic | 1844 (appointed) | Appointee retired or lost election. New senator elected January 18, 1845. Democratic hold. |
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Races leading to the 29th Congress
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1845; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Connecticut | Jabez W. Huntington | Whig | 1840 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1844 or 1845. |
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| Delaware | Richard H. Bayard | Whig | 1836 (special) 1838 or 1839 1839 (resigned) 1841 (special) |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1845. Whig hold. |
|
| Florida | None (new state) | Florida was admitted March 3, 1845, but elected its first Class 1 senator late, during the next Congress. Seat remained vacant. |
None. | ||
| Indiana | Albert White | Whig | 1838 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1844. Democratic gain. |
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| Maine | John Fairfield | Democratic | 1843 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1844 or 1845. |
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| Maryland | William Merrick | Whig | 1838 (special) 1839 |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1844 or 1845. Whig hold. |
|
| Massachusetts | Rufus Choate | Whig | 1841 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1845. Whig hold. |
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| Michigan | Augustus S. Porter | Whig | 1840 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1844 or 1845. Democratic gain. |
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| Mississippi | John Henderson | Whig | 1838 | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost. New senator elected in 1844. Democratic gain. |
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| Missouri | Thomas H. Benton | Democratic | 1821 1827 1833 1839 |
Incumbent re-elected in 1845. |
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| New Jersey | William L. Dayton | Whig | 1842 (appointed) ? (special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1845. |
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| New York | Daniel S. Dickinson | Democratic | 1844 (appointed) 1845 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected February 4, 1845. |
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| Ohio | Benjamin Tappan | Democratic | 1838 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected December 5, 1844.[4] Whig gain. |
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| Pennsylvania | Daniel Sturgeon | Democratic | 1840 | Incumbent re-elected January 14, 1845. |
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| Rhode Island | John B. Francis | Law and Order | 1844 (special) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1844 or 1845. Whig gain. |
|
| Tennessee | Ephraim H. Foster | Whig | 1838 (special) 1839 (re-elected, but resigned) 1843 (special) |
Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1844. Democratic gain. |
|
| Vermont | Samuel S. Phelps | Whig | 1839 | Incumbent re-elected in 1845. |
|
| Virginia | William C. Rives | Whig | 1832 (special) 1834 (resigned) 1836 (special) 1839 (failure to elect) 1841 (special) |
Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss. |
[data missing] |
Special elections during the 29th Congress
In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1845 after March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Pennsylvania (Class 3) |
James Buchanan | Democratic | 1834 (special) 1836 1843 |
Incumbent resigned March 5, 1845, to become U.S. Secretary of State. New senator elected March 13, 1845. Democratic hold. |
|
| Massachusetts (Class 2) |
Isaac C. Bates | Whig | 1841 (special) 1841 |
Incumbent died March 16, 1845. New senator elected March 24, 1845. Whig hold. |
|
| Florida (Class 1) |
None (new state) | Florida was admitted March 3, 1845. Its first senators were elected July 1, 1845. Democratic gain. |
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| Florida (Class 3) |
Florida was admitted March 3, 1845. Its first senators were elected July 1, 1845. Democratic gain. |
| |||
| Georgia (Class 2) |
John M. Berrien | Whig | 1825 1829 (resigned) 1840 |
Incumbent resigned in May 1845 to become judge of the Supreme Court of Georgia. He did not remain on the court, and was re-elected November 13, 1845. Whig hold. |
|
| South Carolina (Class 2) |
Vacant | Incumbent Daniel E. Huger (D) had resigned in the previous Congress. New senator was elected November 26, 1845. Democratic hold. |
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| Virginia (Class 1) |
Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. New senator elected late December 3, 1845. Democratic gain. |
| ||
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Florida (regular)
Florida (special)
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80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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Reverdy Johnson won election by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 1 seat.[5]
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Massachusetts (regular)
Massachusetts (special)
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There were three elections: Two special elections were held on January 18, 1845, and one regular election was held on February 4, 1845.
The 68th New York State Legislature met from January 7 to May 14, 1845.
New York (special, class 1)
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge had been re-elected in 1840 to the Class 1 seat (term 1839-1845), but resigned June 17, 1844, to become Governor of Wisconsin Territory. On November 30, Governor of New York William C. Bouck appointed his Democratic Lieutenant Governor Daniel S. Dickinson to fill the vacancy temporarily, and Dickinson was seated December 9, 1844.
| House | Democratic | Whig | American Republican | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) |  Daniel S. Dickinson |
27 | Millard Fillmore | 3 | Jonathan Thompson | 1 |
| State Assembly (128 members) | Daniel S. Dickinson |
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New York (special, class 3)
Silas Wright Jr. had been re-elected in 1843 to the Class 3 seat (term 1843-1849), but resigned November 26, 1844, when elected Governor of New York. On November 30, Governor Bouck appointed Democratic State Senator Henry A. Foster to fill the vacancy temporarily, and Foster took his seat on December 9, 1844.
| House | Democratic | Whig | American Republican | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) | John Adams Dix |
27 | Willis Hall | 3 | Harman B. Cropsey | 1 |
| State Assembly (128 members) | John Adams Dix |
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Dix took his seat on January 27, 1845, and remained in office until March 3, 1849, when his term expired.
New York (regular)
| House | Democratic | Whig | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (32 members) | Daniel S. Dickinson |
25 | John C. Clark | 4 |
| State Assembly (128 members) | Daniel S. Dickinson |
|||
Dickinson re-took his seat under the new credentials on January 27, 1845, and re-elected, remained in office until March 3, 1851, when his term expired.
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Pennsylvania (regular)
The regular election was held January 14, 1845. Incumbent Daniel Sturgeon was re-elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.[6] The Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, convened on January 14, 1845, to elect a Senator to serve the term beginning on March 4, 1845. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Daniel Sturgeon (Incumbent) | 72 | 54.14 | |
| Whig | James Cooper | 49 | 36.84 | |
| Know Nothing | John Ashmead | 5 | 3.76 | |
| Know Nothing | E. W. Keyser | 2 | 1.50 | |
| Know Nothing | Jacob Broom | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Know Nothing | E. C. Reigert | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | John Sergeant | 1 | 0.75 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 2 | 1.50 | |
| Totals | 133 | 100.00% | ||
Pennsylvania (special)
A special election was held March 13, 1845. Simon Cameron was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.[8] Democratic future-U.S. president James Buchanan was elected in an 1834 special election and was re-elected in 1836 and 1843.
Senator Buchanan resigned on March 5, 1845, after being appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President James K. Polk.[9]
Following the resignation of senator Buchanan, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 13, 1845, to elect a new senator to fill the vacancy and serve the remainder of the term set to expire on March 4, 1849. Five ballots were recorded. The results of the fifth and final ballot of both houses combined are as follows:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Simon Cameron | 67 | 50.38 | |
| Democratic | George W. Woodward | 55 | 41.35 | |
| Whig | J. R. Ingersoll | 2 | 1.50 | |
| Whig | John Banks | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Know Nothing | Peter A. Brown | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Unknown | Thomas S. Bell | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | T. D. Cochran | 1 | 0.75 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 5 | 3.76 | |
| Totals | 133 | 100.00% | ||
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Rhode Island (regular)
Rhode Island (special)
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Virginia (regular)
Virginia (special)
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