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The 1850–51 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 1850 and 1851, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock.[1] In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.
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21 of the 62 seats in the United States Senate (with special elections) 32 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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The Democratic Party lost seats, but retained a majority in the Senate.
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Senate party division, 32nd Congress (1851–1853)
- Majority party: Democratic (34–35)
- Minority party: Whig Party (21–23)
- Other parties: Free Soiler (2–3)
- Total seats: 62
Before the elections
| D1 | |||||||||
| D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 |
| D21 | D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 |
| D22 | D23 Ran |
D24 Ran |
D25 Ran |
D26 Ran |
D27 Ran |
D28 Ran |
D29 Ran |
D30 Ran |
D31 Ran |
| Majority → | D32 Ran | ||||||||
| W22 Unknown |
W23 Unknown |
W24 Retired |
FS1 | FS2 | D36 Retired |
D35 Unknown |
D34 Unknown |
D33 Ran | |
| W21 Ran |
W20 Ran |
W19 Ran |
W18 Ran |
W17 | W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 |
| W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 |
| W1 | |||||||||
As a result of the elections
| D1 | |||||||||
| D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 |
| D21 | D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 |
| D22 | D23 Re-elected |
D24 Re-elected |
D25 Re-elected |
D26 Re-elected |
D27 Re-elected |
D28 Re-elected |
D29 Re-elected |
D30 Hold |
D31 Hold |
| Majority → | D32 Gain | ||||||||
| V1 W Loss |
V2 W Loss |
FS1 | FS2 | V3 D Loss |
V4 D Loss |
V5 D Loss |
D34 Gain |
D33 Gain | |
| W21 Gain |
W20 Gain |
W19 Hold |
W18 Re-elected |
W17 | W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 |
| W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 |
| W1 | |||||||||
At the beginning of the first session, December 1, 1851
| D1 | |||||||||
| D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | D9 | D10 | D11 |
| D21 | D20 | D19 | D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 |
| D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 | D26 | D27 | D28 | D29 | D30 | D31 |
| Majority → | D32 | ||||||||
| W22 Gain |
W23 Gain |
FS1 | FS2 | FS3 Gain |
V1 | V2 | D34 Hold |
D33 | |
| W21 | W20 | W19 | W18 | W17 | W16 | W15 | W14 | W13 | W12 |
| W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 |
| W1 | |||||||||
| Key: |
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Elections during the 31st Congress
In these elections, the winners were seated during 1850 or in 1851 before March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Maryland (Class 1) |
David Stewart | Whig | 1849 (appointed) | Interim appointee retired. New senator elected January 12, 1850. Whig hold. Winner was elected to the next term; see below. |
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| Massachusetts (Class 1) |
Robert C. Winthrop | Whig | 1850 (appointed) | Interim appointee lost election to finish the term. New senator elected February 1, 1851. Democratic gain. Winner was not elected to the next term; see below. |
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Races leading to the 32nd Congress
In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1851; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Connecticut | Roger Sherman Baldwin | Whig | 1847 (appointed) 1848 (special) |
Incumbent lost re-election or retired. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss. Seat would not be filled until 1852. |
[data missing] |
| California | John C. Frémont | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would not be filled until 1852. |
▌John C. Frémont (Democratic) [data missing] |
| Delaware | John Wales | Whig | 1849 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Democratic gain. |
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| Florida | David Levy Yulee | Democratic | 1845 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Democratic hold. |
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| Indiana | Jesse D. Bright | Democratic | 1844 | Incumbent re-elected in 1850. |
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| Maine | Hannibal Hamlin | Democratic | 1848 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1851. |
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| Maryland | Thomas Pratt | Whig | 1850 (special) | Incumbent re-elected January 12, 1850. |
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| Massachusetts | Robert Rantoul Jr. | Democratic | 1851 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election or retired. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would later be filled on April 24, 1851; see below. |
▌Charles Sumner (Free Soil) [data missing] |
| Michigan | Lewis Cass | Democratic | 1844 or 1845 1848 (resigned) 1849 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1850 or 1851. |
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| Mississippi | Jefferson Davis | Democratic | 1847 (appointed) 1848 (special) |
Incumbent re-elected in 1850. |
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| Missouri | Thomas H. Benton | Democratic | 1821 1827 1833 1839 1845 |
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Whig gain. |
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| New Jersey | William L. Dayton | Whig | 1842 (appointed) ? (special) 1845 |
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Democratic gain. |
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| New York | Daniel S. Dickinson | Democratic | 1844 (appointed) 1845 |
Incumbent lost re-election. Legislature failed to elect. Democratic loss. Seat would later be filled on March 19, 1851; see below. |
▌Daniel S. Dickinson (Democratic) Many; see below. |
| Ohio | Thomas Ewing | Whig | 1850 (appointed) | Incumbent lost election to the next term. Legislature failed to elect. Whig loss. Seat would later be filled on March 15, 1851; see below. |
▌Thomas Ewing (Whig) [data missing] |
| Pennsylvania | Daniel Sturgeon | Democratic | 1840 1845 |
Incumbent retired. New senator elected January 14, 1851. Democratic hold. |
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| Rhode Island | Albert C. Greene | Whig | 1844 or 1845 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected in 1850 or 1851. Democratic gain. |
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| Tennessee | Hopkins L. Turney | Democratic | 1844 | Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1851. Whig gain. |
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| Texas | Thomas J. Rusk | Democratic | 1846 | Incumbent re-elected in 1851. |
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| Vermont | Samuel S. Phelps | Whig | 1839 1845 |
Incumbent retired or lost re-election. New senator elected in 1850. Whig hold. |
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| Virginia | James M. Mason | Democratic | 1847 (special) | Incumbent re-elected in 1850. |
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| Wisconsin | Henry Dodge | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent re-elected in 1851. |
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Elections during the 32nd Congress
In late these elections, the winners were elected in 1851 after March 4; ordered by election date.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Ohio (Class 1) |
Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. Winner elected late March 15, 1851 on the 37th ballot.[4] Whig gain. |
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| New York (Class 1) |
Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. Winner elected late March 19, 1851. Whig gain. |
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| Massachusetts (Class 1) |
Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. Winner elected April 24, 1851. Free Soil gain. |
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| Kentucky (Class 3) |
Henry Clay | Whig | 1806 (special) 1807 (retired) 1810 (appointed) 1811 (retired) 1831 (special) 1836 1842 (resigned) 1849 |
Incumbent resigned December 17, 1851, to be effective September 6, 1852. Winner elected December 31, 1851. Whig hold. |
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Race leading to the 33rd Congress
In this regular election, the winner was elected for the term beginning March 4, 1853.
This election involved a Class 3 seat.
| State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
| Kentucky | Joseph R. Underwood | Whig | 1846 or 1847 | Incumbent retired. New senator elected December 15, 1851, far in advance of the 1853 term. Know Nothing gain. |
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Kentucky (early)
One-term Whig Joseph R. Underwood retired and the Know Nothing Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky John Burton Thompson was elected early, December 15, 1851, far in advance of the 1853 term, as was common practice at the time.
John Burton Thompson 73 votes- Francis P. Stone 65 votes[7]
Kentucky (special)
Long-term Whig and former-United States Secretary of State Henry Clay announced his resignation December 17, 1851 from the class 3 seat, to be effective September 6, 1852.
Whig Archibald Dixon was elected December 31, 1851.
After many ballots, the vote in the final deciding ballot was:
- Archibald Dixon 71 votes
- James Guthrie 58 votes
- Garrett Davis 1 vote
- Charles S. Morehead 1 vote
- Joseph R. Underwood 1 vote
- John L. Helm 1 vote[5][6]
Before Clay's resignation was effective, he died June 24, 1852. Democratic Secretary of State of Kentucky David Meriwether was appointed July 6, 1852 pending the effective date of the special election. Dixon was then seated September 1, 1852 to finish the term that would end in 1855.
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Maryland (special)
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022) |
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80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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Reverdy Johnson won election in 1844 but retired to become the United States Attorney General. In order to fill his seat, David Stewart was elected as a temporary appointment until a successor could be elected. Thomas Pratt won election by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 1 seat.[8]
Maryland (regular)
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2022) |
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80 members of the Maryland General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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Thomas Pratt won election to a full term by an unknown margin of votes, for the Class 1 seat.[9]
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In 1851, Democrats gained control of the legislature in coalition with the Free Soilers. However, the legislature deadlocked on this Senate race, as Democrats refused to vote for Charles Sumner (the Free Soilers' choice).
The election in New York was held on February 4 and March 18 and 19, 1851. Daniel S. Dickinson (Democratic) had been elected in 1845 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1851. The Whig Party in New York was split in two opposing factions: the Seward/Weed faction (the majority, opposed to the Compromise of 1850) and the "Silver Grays" (supporters of President Millard Fillmore and his compromise legislation, led by Francis Granger whose silver gray hair originated the faction's nickname). The opposing factions of the Democratic Party in New York, the "Barnburners" and the "Hunkers", had reunited at the State election in November 1850, and managed to have almost their whole State ticket elected, only Horatio Seymour was defeated for Governor by a plurality of 262 votes.
At the State election in November 1849, 14 Seward Whigs, 3 Silver Gray Whigs and 15 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1850–1851) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1850, a Whig majority was elected to the Assembly for the session of 1851. The 74th New York State Legislature met from January 7 to April 17, and from June 10 to July 11, 1851, at Albany, New York.
Ex-Governor of New York Hamilton Fish was the candidate of the Whig Party, but was also a close friend of Henry Clay who was one of the leaders of the Fillmore faction in Washington, D.C. He was thus considered the only viable compromise candidate. The Silver Grays asked Fish to pledge his support for the Compromise, but Fish refused to make any comment, saying that he did not seek the office, and that the legislators should vote guided by Fish's known political history. Fish had earlier stated his opposition against the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 but was believed to support most of the remainder of the Compromise. Nevertheless, Silver Gray State Senator James W. Beekman declared that he would not vote for Fish for personal reasons, a dislike stemming from the time when they were fellow students at Columbia University.
The State Legislature met on February 4, the legally prescribed day, to elect a U.S. Senator. In the Assembly, Fish received a majority of 78 to 49. In the State Senate the vote stood 16 for Fish and 16 votes for a variety of candidates, among them Beekman's vote for Francis Granger. After a second ballot with the same result, Beekman moved to adjourn, which was carried by the casting vote of the lieutenant governor, and no nomination was made.
On February 14, Senator George B. Guinnip offered a resolution to declare John Adams Dix elected to the U.S. Senate. On motion of Senator George R. Babcock, the resolution was laid on the table, i.e. consideration was postponed.
On February 15, Guinnip again offered a resolution to declare John Adams Dix elected to the U.S. Senate. Senator Stephen H. Johnson offered an amendment to this resolution, declaring Daniel S. Dickinson elected. On motion of Senator Marius Schoonmaker, the resolution was laid on the table too.
On March 18, when two Democratic State Senators were absent, having gone to New York City, the Whigs persuaded the Democrats in a 14-hour session to re-open the U.S. Senate election, and Senate electionin the small hours of March 19 Fish was nominated by a vote of 16 to 12 (Beekman, Johnson (both Whigs), Thomas B. Carroll and William A. Dart (both Democratic) did not vote).
Fish was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
| Candidate | Party | Senate (32 members) February 4 (first ballot) |
Senate (32 members) February 4 (second ballot) |
Assembly (128 members) February 4 |
Senate (32 members) March 19 |
Assembly (128 members) March 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Fish | Whig | 16 | 16 | 78 | 16 | 68 |
| John Adams Dix | Democratic | 1 | 1 | 29 | 6 | 6 |
| James T. Brady | Democratic | 7 | ||||
| Horatio Seymour | Democratic | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| Francis Granger | Whig | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Aaron Ward | Democratic | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Daniel S. Dickinson | Democratic | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Arphaxed Loomis | Democratic | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Amasa J. Parker | Democratic | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| David Buel Jr. | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| Augustus C. Hand | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| John Hunter | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| John Fine | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| Levi S. Chatfield | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| John Tracy | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| Abraham Bockee | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| George Rathbun | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| Timothy Jenkins | Democratic | 1 | 1 | |||
| William L. Marcy | Democratic | 1 | ||||
| Washington Irving | 1 | |||||
| John L. Riker | 1 | |||||
| Erastus Corning | Democratic | 1 | ||||
| Levi S. Chatfield | Democratic | 1 | ||||
| George Wood | 1 | |||||
| Daniel Lord | 1 | |||||
| James S. Wadsworth | Democratic | 1 | ||||
| William C. Bouck | Democratic | 1 |
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Incumbent Senator Thomas Corwin (Whig) resigned July 20, 1850 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Thomas Ewing (Whig) was appointed July 20, 1850 to finish the term. Benjamin Wade (Whig) was elected late on March 15, 1851, on the 37th ballot over Ewing.[4]
The Pennsylvania election was held January 14, 1851. Richard Brodhead was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.[10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Brodhead | 76 | 57.14 | |
| Whig | Andrew W. Loomis | 12 | 9.02 | |
| Whig | Alexander Brown | 11 | 8.27 | |
| Whig | Samuel Purviance | 4 | 3.01 | |
| Whig | Samuel Calvin | 4 | 3.01 | |
| Whig | Thomas M. T. McKennan | 4 | 3.01 | |
| Whig | John Sergeant | 4 | 3.01 | |
| Whig | George Chambers | 3 | 2.26 | |
| Whig | John Dickey | 2 | 1.50 | |
| Whig | James Pollock | 2 | 1.50 | |
| Whig | John Allison | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | William Darlington | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | Townsend Haines | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | Charles Pitman | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | Daniel M. Smyser | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | Thomas White | 1 | 0.75 | |
| Whig | David Wilmot | 1 | 0.75 | |
| N/A | Not voting | 3 | 2.26 | |
| Totals | 133 | 100.00% | ||
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