1848 and 1849 United States House of Representatives elections

Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 31st Congress were held at various dates in different states from August 1848 to November 1849.

1848 and 1849 U.S. House of Representatives elections

August 7, 1848 – November 6, 1849[lower-alpha 1]
All 233[lower-alpha 2] seats in the U.S. House of Representatives 117 seats needed for a majority
Leader Howell Cobb Robert C. Winthrop Party Democratic Whig Leader's seat Georgia 6th Massachusetts 1st Last election 110 seats 116 seats Seats won 115[lower-alpha 2] 104 Seat change 5 12 Popular vote 1,212,632 1,231,320 Percentage 44.16% 44.84% Swing 4.27% 0.32%   Party Free Soil Know Nothing Last election New Party 1 seats Seats won 8 1 Seat change 8 Popular vote 237,714 10,539 Percentage 8.66% 0.38% Swing 5.57%[lower-alpha 3] 0.83%   Party Independent Last election 2 seats[lower-alpha 4] Seats won 3[lower-alpha 5] Seat change 1 Popular vote 48,223 Percentage 1.76% Swing 0.98%
Speaker before election Robert C. Winthrop Whig Elected Speaker Howell Cobb Democratic

These elections spanned the presidential election of 1848 and took place amid the U.S. victory over Mexico in the (1846–48) Mexican–American War. The Whigs lost their House majority as Democrats, whose support had driven the war, gained a House plurality. Among minor parties, the Free Soil Party won nine Northern seats, while the American or "Know Nothing" Party retained one.

Following the discovery of gold in January 1848, California boomed, creating immediate pressure for statehood. The Compromise of 1850, though largely crafted in the Senate, was also passed by the House, brokering its admission to the Union. Anticipating statehood, California elected two members at-large on November 11, 1849, to be seated September 11, 1850.

As neither major party held a majority when Congress convened on December 3, 1849 - the Democrats finished three seats short, while the Whigs had lost 12 seats and the majority - the election of a Speaker proved contentious.

The Whigs were split, with Northern Whigs nominating incumbent speaker Robert C. Winthrop of Massachusetts and Southern Whigs supporting Meredith P. Gentry of Tennessee, while Democrats primarily supported Howell Cobb of Georgia, and 13 other candidates also garnered support: despite being a third party, the anti-slavery Free Soilers supported David Wilmot of Pennsylvania, author of the Wilmot Proviso, calling attention to slave power's hold over both major parties.

After nearly three weeks of heated debate, the House suspended its majority rule for the Speaker election: Cobb was elected on the 63rd ballot by plurality.[1]

Election summaries

Wisconsin was apportioned an additional seat in 1848,[2] and two more seats were added for the new state of California.[3]

↓

113	11	108
Democratic	[lower-alpha 6]	Whig

State	Type	Date	Total seats	Democratic		Free Soil		Whig		Other
				Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Arkansas	At-large	August 7, 1848	1	1		0		0		0
Illinois	District	August 7, 1848	7	6		0		1		0
Iowa	District	August 7, 1848	2	2		0		0		0
Missouri	District	August 7, 1848	5	5		0		0		0
Vermont	District	September 5, 1848	4	1		0		3		0
Maine	District	September 11, 1848	7	5	1	0		2	1	0
Florida	At-large	October 2, 1848	1	0		0		1		0
Georgia	District	October 2, 1848	8	4		0		4		0
South Carolina	District	October 9–10, 1848	7	7		0		0		0
Ohio	District	October 10, 1848	21	11	1	2	2	8	3	0
Pennsylvania	District	October 10, 1848	24	9	2	1	1	13	3	1[lower-alpha 7]
Delaware	At-large	November 6, 1848	1	0		0		1		0
Michigan	District	November 7, 1848 (Election Day)[lower-alpha 8]	3	2	1	0		1	1	0
New Jersey	District		5	1		0		4		0
New York	District		34	1	10	1	1	32	9	0
Wisconsin	District		3[lower-alpha 9]	1	1	1	1	1	1	0
Massachusetts	District	November 13, 1848	10[lower-alpha 10]	0		1	1	8	2	0
Late elections, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term
New Hampshire	District	March 13, 1849	4	2		1	1	1		0	1[lower-alpha 11]
Connecticut	District	April 2, 1849	4	2	2	1	1	1	3	0
Rhode Island	District	April 4, 1849	2	0	1	0		2	1	0
Virginia	District	April 26, 1849	15	13	4	0		2	4	0
Tennessee	District	August 2, 1849	11	7	1	0		4	1	0
Alabama	District	August 6, 1849	7	5		0		2		0
Indiana	District	August 6, 1849	10	8	2	1	1	1	3	0
Kentucky	District	August 6, 1849	10	4		0		6		0
Texas	District	August 6, 1849	2	2		0		0		0
North Carolina	District	August 7, 1849	9	3		0		6		0
Maryland	District	October 3, 1849	6	3	1	0		3	1	0
Louisiana	District	November 5, 1849	4	3		0		1		0
Mississippi	District	November 5–6, 1849	4	4	1	0		0	1	0
California	At-large	November 11, 1849[lower-alpha 12]	2	1	1	0		0		1[lower-alpha 13]	1
Total[lower-alpha 2]			233	113 48.7%	1	9 3.9%	9	108 46.6%	8	2 0.9%

Popular vote Democratic   44.16% Free Soil   8.66% Independent   1.76% Know Nothing   0.38% Others   0.20% Whig   44.84%

House seats Democratic   49.78% Free Soil   3.46% Independent   1.30% Know Nothing   0.43% Whig   45.02%

Special elections

30th Congress

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member / Delegate	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Pennsylvania 6	John W. Hornbeck	Whig	1846	Incumbent died January 16, 1848. New member elected March 6, 1848. Democratic gain. Successor was not a candidate for the next term, see below.	Samuel Augustus Bridges (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Massachusetts 8	John Quincy Adams	Whig	1830	Incumbent died February 23, 1848. New member elected April 3, 1848. Whig hold. Successor later re-elected for the next term, see below.	Horace Mann (Whig) 60.07% Edgar K. Whitaker (Democratic) 26.91% Appleton Howe (Liberty) 13.02%[4]
South Carolina 1	James A. Black	Democratic	1843	Incumbent died April 3, 1848. New member elected October 10, 1848. Democratic hold. Successor later re-elected for the next term, see below.	Daniel Wallace (Democratic) 39.59% H. F. Thompson (Unknown) 35.77% W. F. Davie (Unknown) 24.64%[5]
New York 27	John M. Holley	Whig	1846	Incumbent died March 8, 1848. New member elected November 7, 1848. Whig hold. Successor later re-elected for the next term, see below.	Esbon Blackmar (Whig) 45.62% James C. Smith (Free Soil) 40.89% Cullen Foster (Democratic) 13.49%[6]
South Carolina 4	Alexander D. Sims	Democratic	1844	Incumbent died November 22, 1848. New member elected January 9, 1849. Democratic hold. Successor later elected for the next term, see below.	John McQueen (Democratic) 62.67% Robert Munroe (Unknown) 37.33%[7]
Wisconsin Territory at-large				New delegate elected October 30, 1848.

31st Congress

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
South Carolina 4	Alexander D. Sims	Democratic	1844	Incumbent had been re-elected, see below, but died November 22, 1848. New member elected January 16, 1849. Democratic. Successor having already been elected to finish the current term, see above.	John McQueen (Democratic) 62.54% Robert Munroe (Unknown) 46%[8]
Ohio 6	Rodolphus Dickinson	Democratic		Incumbent died March 20, 1849. New member elected in 1849.
Vermont 3
Virginia 15

Alabama

Elections were held August 6, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Alabama 1
Alabama 2
Alabama 3
Alabama 4
Alabama 5
Alabama 6
Alabama 7

Arkansas

The election was held August 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Arkansas at-large

California

California two at-large members were elected November 11, 1849 in anticipation of statehood and seated September 11, 1850.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
California at-large 2 seats	None			New seat. New member elected. Independent gain.	(Elected on a general ticket) George W. Wright (Independent) 22% Edward Gilbert (Democratic) 20.6% Rodman M. Price 16.3% P. A. Morse 8.3% Lewis Dent 8.2% E. J. C. Kewen 7.3% W. M. Sheppard 7.2% William E. Shannon 5.4% Peter Halsted 2.4% L. W. Hastings 0.9% Pierson B. Reading 0.7% W. H. Russell 0.4% J. S. Thompson 0.3% Kimball H. Dimmick 0.2%
	None			New seat. New member elected. Democratic gain.

Connecticut

Elections were held April 2, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Connecticut 1
Connecticut 2
Connecticut 3
Connecticut 4

Delaware

The election was held November 6, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Delaware at-large

Florida

Florida's single at-large member was elected October 2, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Florida at-large	Edward C. Cabell	Whig	1846	Incumbent re-elected.	Edward C. Cabell (Whig) 53.5% William Pope Duval (Democratic) 46.5%

Georgia

Elections were held October 2, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Georgia 1
Georgia 2
Georgia 3
Georgia 4
Georgia 5
Georgia 6
Georgia 7
Georgia 8

Illinois

Elections were held August 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Illinois 1
Illinois 2
Illinois 3
Illinois 4
Illinois 5
Illinois 6
Illinois 7

Indiana

Elections were held August 10, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Indiana 1
Indiana 2
Indiana 3
Indiana 4
Indiana 5
Indiana 6
Indiana 7
Indiana 8
Indiana 9
Indiana 10

Iowa

Elections were held August 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Iowa 1
Iowa 2

Kentucky

Elections were held August 6, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Kentucky 1
Kentucky 2
Kentucky 3
Kentucky 4
Kentucky 5
Kentucky 6
Kentucky 7
Kentucky 8
Kentucky 9
Kentucky 10

Louisiana

Elections were held November 5, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Louisiana 1
Louisiana 2
Louisiana 3
Louisiana 4

Maine

Elections were held September 11, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Maine 1
Maine 2
Maine 3
Maine 4
Maine 5
Maine 6
Maine 7

Maryland

Elections were held October 3, 1849 elections were after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the new term, but still before the Congress convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Maryland 1
Maryland 2
Maryland 3
Maryland 4
Maryland 5
Maryland 6

Massachusetts

Elections were held November 13, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Massachusetts 1
Massachusetts 2
Massachusetts 3
Massachusetts 4	John G. Palfrey	Whig	1846	Incumbent lost re-election as Free Soil candidate. No member elected due to failure to achieve majority vote. Whig loss.	John G. Palfrey (Free Soil) Frederick Robinson (Democratic) Benjamin Thompson (Whig)[9]
Massachusetts 5
Massachusetts 6
Massachusetts 7	Julius Rockwell	Whig	1844 (Late)	Incumbent re-elected.	Julius Rockwell (Whig) 51.40% Thomas F. Plunkett (Democratic) 28.22% Charles Sedgwick (Free Soil) 20.38%[10]
Massachusetts 8
Massachusetts 9
Massachusetts 10

Michigan

Elections were held November 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Michigan 1
Michigan 2
Michigan 3

Minnesota Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Mississippi

Elections were held November 5–6, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Mississippi 1
Mississippi 2
Mississippi 3
Mississippi 4

Missouri

Elections were held August 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Missouri 1
Missouri 2
Missouri 3
Missouri 4
Missouri 5

New Hampshire

Elections were held March 13, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New Hampshire 1
New Hampshire 2
New Hampshire 3
New Hampshire 4

New Jersey

Elections were held November 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New Jersey 1
New Jersey 2
New Jersey 3
New Jersey 4
New Jersey 5

New York

Elections were held November 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New York 1
New York 2
New York 3
New York 4
New York 5
New York 6
New York 7
New York 8
New York 9
New York 10
New York 11
New York 12
New York 13
New York 14
New York 15
New York 16
New York 17
New York 18
New York 19
New York 20
New York 21
New York 22
New York 23
New York 24
New York 25
New York 26
New York 27
New York 28
New York 29
New York 30
New York 31
New York 32
New York 33
New York 34

North Carolina

Elections were held August 7, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
North Carolina 1
North Carolina 2
North Carolina 3
North Carolina 4
North Carolina 5
North Carolina 6
North Carolina 7
North Carolina 8
North Carolina 9

Ohio

Elections were held October 10, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Ohio 1
Ohio 2
Ohio 3
Ohio 4
Ohio 5
Ohio 6
Ohio 7
Ohio 8
Ohio 9
Ohio 10
Ohio 11
Ohio 12
Ohio 13
Ohio 14
Ohio 15
Ohio 16
Ohio 17
Ohio 18
Ohio 19
Ohio 20
Ohio 21

Oregon Territory

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Pennsylvania

Elections were held October 10, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Pennsylvania 1
Pennsylvania 2
Pennsylvania 3
Pennsylvania 4
Pennsylvania 5
Pennsylvania 6
Pennsylvania 7
Pennsylvania 8
Pennsylvania 9
Pennsylvania 10
Pennsylvania 11
Pennsylvania 12
Pennsylvania 13
Pennsylvania 14
Pennsylvania 15
Pennsylvania 16
Pennsylvania 17
Pennsylvania 18
Pennsylvania 19
Pennsylvania 20
Pennsylvania 21
Pennsylvania 22
Pennsylvania 23
Pennsylvania 24

Rhode Island

Elections were held April 4, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Rhode Island 1
Rhode Island 2

South Carolina

Elections were held October 9–10, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
South Carolina 1
South Carolina 2
South Carolina 3
South Carolina 4	Alexander D. Sims	Democratic	1844	Incumbent re-elected. Incumbent then died November 22, 1848, leading to two special elections.	Alexander D. Sims (Conservative Democratic) 50.52% John McQueen (Cass Democratic) 49.48%[11]
South Carolina 5
South Carolina 6
South Carolina 7

Tennessee

Elections were held August 2, 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Tennessee 1
Tennessee 2
Tennessee 3
Tennessee 4
Tennessee 5
Tennessee 6
Tennessee 7
Tennessee 8
Tennessee 9
Tennessee 10
Tennessee 11

Texas

Elections were held August 6, 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Texas 1
Texas 2

Vermont

Elections were held September 5, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Vermont 1
Vermont 2
Vermont 3
Vermont 4

Virginia

Elections were held April 26, 1849, after the March 4, 1849 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Virginia 1
Virginia 2
Virginia 3
Virginia 4
Virginia 5
Virginia 6
Virginia 7
Virginia 8
Virginia 9
Virginia 10
Virginia 11
Virginia 12
Virginia 13
Virginia 14
Virginia 15

Wisconsin

Wisconsin members were first elected in advance of its June 1848 statehood. It elected two members to finish the current term in the 30th Congress, and then it gained an elected an additional member for elections to the 31st Congress.

30th Congress

Wisconsin's two members were elected May 8, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Wisconsin 1	New seat			New seat. New member elected May 8, 1848. Democratic gain.	William Pitt Lynde (Democratic) 54.89% Edward V. Whiton (Whig) 41.23% Ichabod Cotting (Liberty) 3.89%[12]
Wisconsin 2	New seat			New seat. New member elected May 8, 1848. Democratic gain.	Mason C. Darling (Democratic) 58.38% Alexander L. Collins (Whig) 41.21%[13]

31st Congress

Wisconsin's three members were elected November 7, 1848.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates[14]
Wisconsin 1	William Pitt Lynde	Democratic	1848	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Free Soil gain.	Charles Durkee (Free Soil) 38.49% William Pitt Lynde (Democratic) 33.89% Asahel Finch Jr. (Whig) 27.62%
Wisconsin 2	Mason C. Darling	Democratic	1848	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig gain.	Orsamus Cole (Whig) 45.23% A. Hyatt Smith (Democratic) 40.97% George W. Crabb (Free Soil) 13.80%[15]
Wisconsin 3	New seat			New seat. New member elected. Democratic gain.	James Duane Doty (Democratic) 50.34% Timothy O. Howe (Whig) 29.25% Stoddard Judd (Free Soil) 20.41%[16]

Non-voting delegates

Going into these elections, there were no incumbent delegates, because the only territory — Wisconsin Territory — became a state in 1848. Two new territories — Minnesota Territory and Oregon Territory — were granted delegates in 1849.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Delegate	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Minnesota Territory	New district			New seat. New delegate elected July 7, 1849. Democratic gain.	Henry Hastings Sibley (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
Oregon Territory	New district			New seat. New delegate elected in 1849. Democratic gain.	Samuel Thurston (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]

See also

• 1848 United States elections
  • List of United States House of Representatives elections, 1824–54
  • 1848 United States presidential election
  • 1848 and 1849 United States Senate elections
• 30th United States Congress
• 31st United States Congress

Notes

1. Excludes states admitted during the 31st Congress
2. Includes late elections
3. In comparison to its precursor, the Liberty Party, in the last election cycle.
4. Includes two Independent Democrats.
5. Includes one Independent, one Independent Whig, and one Anti-Rent Whig.
6. There were 9 Free Soilers, 1 Know Nothing, and 1 Independent.
7. 1 Know Nothing
8. In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform date for choosing presidential electors (see: Statutes at Large, 28th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 721). Congressional elections were unaffected by this law, but the date was gradually adopted by the states for Congressional elections as well.
9. Increase of 1 seat.
10. One vacancy, in Massachusetts's 4th district, for the duration of the 31st Congress (as no candidate received a majority of the vote after multiple elections).
11. Previous election had 1 Independent.
12. Seated September 11, 1850 after admission to the Union.
13. 1 Independent elected.

References

1. Brooks, Corey M. (2016). Liberty Power: Antislavery Third Parties and the Transformation of American Politics. University of Chicago Press. pp. 155–160. ISBN 978-0-226-30728-2. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
2. 9 Stat. 235
3. 9 Stat. 452
4. "Our Campaigns - MA District 8 - Special Election Race - Apr 03, 1848". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
5. "Our Campaigns - SC - District 01 Race - Oct 09, 1848". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
6. "Our Campaigns - NY District 27 - Special Election Race - Nov 07, 1848". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
7. "Our Campaigns - SC - District 04 Special Election Race - Jan 08, 1849". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
8. "Our Campaigns - SC - District 04 Special Election Race - Jan 15, 1849". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
9. "Our Campaigns - MA District 4 - 4th Trial Race - May 26, 1851". OurCampaigns.com.
10. "Our Campaigns - MA District 7 Race - Nov 13, 1848". OurCampaigns.com.
11. "Our Campaigns - SC - District 04 Race - Oct 09, 1848". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
12. "Our Campaigns - WI District 01 Race - Mar 13, 1848". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
13. "Our Campaigns - WI District 2 Race - Mar 13, 1848". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
14. "Election 1848". Potosi Republican. December 7, 1848. p. 2. Retrieved May 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Our Campaigns - WI District 2 Race - Nov 07, 1848". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
16. "Our Campaigns - WI District 3 Race - Nov 07, 1848". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.

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)