1854–55 United States House of Representatives elections
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All 234 seats in the United States House of Representatives[1] 118 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results: Democratic gain Whig gain Democratic hold Whig hold American gain Anti-Nebraska gain Republican gain People's gain Independent gain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1854–55 United States House of Representatives elections were held in 31 states for all 234 seats between August 4, 1854, and November 6, 1855, during President Franklin Pierce's term. Each state legislature separately set a date to elect representatives to the House of Representatives before the 34th Congress convened its first session on December 3, 1855.
This midterm election was among the most disruptive in American history, auguring the collapse of the Second Party System. Both major parties, the Democratic Party and the Whig Party lost critical voter support. The two parties had been organized as rivals for roughly 20 years. Northern voters strongly opposed to the Kansas–Nebraska Act shifted sharply against the Democrats. The Whigs also lost seats as the party disintegrated over the issue of slavery in the United States.
The elected majority temporarily coalesced as the Opposition Party. This transitional party included Whigs, Free Soil members, American Party members or Know Nothings, the People's Party of Indiana, Anti-Nebraska candidates, disaffected Northern Democrats, and members of the nascent Republican Party, which soon would absorb most of these factions and replace the Whigs to rival the Democrats.
Candidates opposed to the Democratic Party won widely in the Northern United States through November 1854. The American Party, ignoring slavery and opposing immigration (particularly by Catholics from Ireland and Germany) won seats from both major parties, but to the net loss of Democrats, in New England and the Southern United States from November 1854 into 1855.
Congress had passed the Kansas–Nebraska Act in May 1854 after aggressive sponsorship by the Pierce Administration and Democrats led by Senator Stephen Douglas, including radical pro-slavery legislators. The Act repealed the 1820 Missouri Compromise and triggered the Bleeding Kansas conflict. With widely foreseen risks and immediately negative results, the act publicly discredited the Democratic Party, fueling new partisan and sectional rancor. It created violent uncertainty on the Western frontier by abruptly making slavery potentially legal in territories originally comprising the northern portion of the Louisiana Purchase and attractive to contemporary settlers. Settlers were expected to determine the status of slavery locally. This idea appealed to Democratic politicians and to some voters, but proved unworkable in Kansas where the status of slavery would be violently disputed between more numerous Northern settlers and geographically closer Southern settlers. Even some pro-slavery legislators and voters, particularly Southern Whigs, felt that repealing the Missouri Compromise was politically reckless. Attempting to push slavery by law and force into territories where most settlers predictably were unlikely to want it was perceived as endangering slavery everywhere, even in the South. These fears proved prescient.
More than 21 representatives vied for the post of speaker of the House. After two months and 133 ballots, American Party representative Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts, also a Free Soiler, defeated Democrat William Aiken of South Carolina by plurality, 103–100.[5] To date, Banks is the only speaker to come from a third party.
Election summaries
[edit]State | Type | Date | Total seats | Opposition | Democratic | Know Nothing | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seats | Change[g] | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | ||||
Arkansas | Districts | August 4, 1854 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
Iowa | Districts | August 7, 1854 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
Missouri | Districts | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
Vermont | Districts | September 5, 1854 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
California | At-large | September 6, 1854 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
Maine | Districts | September 11, 1854 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
Florida | At-large | October 2, 1854 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
South Carolina | Districts | October 9–10, 1854 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
Indiana | Districts | October 10, 1854 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 0 | |
Ohio | Districts | 21 | 21 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
Pennsylvania | Districts | 25 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1 | |
Illinois | Districts | November 7, 1854 (Election Day)[h] | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |||
Michigan | Districts | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
New Jersey | Districts | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
New York | Districts | 33 | 25 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 3 | |
Wisconsin | Districts | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
Massachusetts | Districts | November 12, 1854 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 11 |
Delaware | At-large | November 14, 1854 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Late elections (after the March 4, 1855 beginning of the term) | |||||||||
New Hampshire | Districts | March 13, 1855 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
Connecticut | Districts | April 2, 1855 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
Rhode Island | Districts | April 4, 1855 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Virginia | Districts | May 24, 1855 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
North Carolina | Districts | August 2, 1855 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | |
Tennessee | Districts | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||
Alabama | Districts | August 6, 1855 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Kentucky | Districts | 10 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 6 | |
Texas | Districts | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
Georgia | Districts | October 1, 1855 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
Louisiana | Districts | November 5, 1855 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
Mississippi | Districts[i] | November 5–6, 1855 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Maryland | Districts | November 6, 1855 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Total | 234 | 100[2][3] 42.7% | 29[j] | 83[2][3] 35.0% | 75 | 51[2][3] 21.8% | 51 |
83 | 51 | 100 |
Democratic | Know Nothing | Opposition |
Special elections
[edit]There were four special elections to the 33rd United States Congress, listed here by date and district.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Pennsylvania 8 | Henry A. Muhlenberg | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent died January 9, 1854. New member elected February 4, 1854. Democratic hold. |
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Massachusetts 1 | Zeno Scudder | Whig | 1850 | Incumbent resigned March 4, 1854. New member elected April 17, 1854. Whig hold. |
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New York 12 | Gilbert Dean | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent resigned July 3, 1854. New member elected November 7, 1854. Whig gain. |
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Kentucky 3 | Presley Ewing | Whig | 1851 | Incumbent died September 27, 1854. New member elected November 13, 1854. Whig hold. |
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Alabama
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Alabama 1 | Philip Phillips | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Alabama 2 | James Abercrombie | Whig | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Alabama 3 | James F. Dowdell | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Alabama 4 | William Russell Smith | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Know Nothing gain. |
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Alabama 5 | George S. Houston | Democratic | 1843 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Alabama 6 | Williamson R. W. Cobb | Democratic | 1847 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Alabama 7 | Sampson Willis Harris | Democratic | 1847 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Arkansas
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Arkansas 1 | Alfred B. Greenwood | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Arkansas 2 | Edward A. Warren | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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California
[edit]Note: From statehood to 1864, California's representatives were elected at-large, with the top two vote-getters winning election from 1849 to 1858.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
California at-large 2 seats | Milton S. Latham | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent withdrew. Democratic hold. | (Elected on a general ticket)
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James A. McDougall | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic hold. |
Connecticut
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Connecticut 1 | James T. Pratt | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Connecticut 2 | Colin M. Ingersoll | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Connecticut 3 | Nathan Belcher | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Connecticut 4 | Origen S. Seymour | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Delaware
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Delaware at-large | George R. Riddle | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Florida
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Florida at-large | Augustus Maxwell | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Georgia
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Georgia 1 | James Lindsay Seward | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Georgia 2 | Alfred H. Colquitt | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Georgia 3 | Jack Bailey | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Georgia 4 | William B. W. Dent | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Georgia 5 | Elijah W. Chastain | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Georgia 6 | Junius Hillyer | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Georgia 7 | David A. Reese | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Georgia 8 | Alexander H. Stephens | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. Democratic gain. |
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Illinois
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Illinois 1 | Elihu B. Washburne | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
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Illinois 2 | John Wentworth | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
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Illinois 3 | Jesse O. Norton | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
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Illinois 4 | James Knox | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
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Illinois 5 | William A. Richardson | Democratic | 1847 (special) | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Illinois 6 | Richard Yates | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
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Illinois 7 | James C. Allen | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. Election disqualified. Democratic loss. |
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Illinois 8 | William Henry Bissell | Independent Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Illinois 9 | Willis Allen | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Indiana
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Indiana 1 | Smith Miller | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Indiana 2 | William Hayden English | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Indiana 3 | Cyrus L. Dunham | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent lost re-election. People's gain. |
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Indiana 4 | Jim Lane | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. People's gain. |
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Indiana 5 | Samuel W. Parker | Whig | 1851 | Incumbent retired. People's gain. |
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Indiana 6 | Thomas A. Hendricks | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent lost re-election. People's gain. |
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Indiana 7 | John G. Davis | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent lost re-election. People's gain. |
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Indiana 8 | Daniel Mace | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. People's gain. |
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Indiana 9 | Norman Eddy | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. People's gain. |
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Indiana 10 | Ebenezer M. Chamberlain | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. People's gain. |
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Indiana 11 | Andrew J. Harlan | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. People's gain. |
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Iowa
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Iowa 1 | Bernhart Henn | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Iowa 2 | William Vandever | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig hold. |
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Kentucky
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[9] | |
Kentucky 1 | Linn Boyd | Democratic | 1839 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Kentucky 2 | Benjamin E. Grey | Whig | 1851 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain.[k] |
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Kentucky 3 | Francis Bristow | Whig | 1854 (special) | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Kentucky 4 | James Chrisman | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Kentucky 5 | Clement S. Hill | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Kentucky 6 | John Milton Elliott | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Kentucky 7 | William Preston | Whig | 1852 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Kentucky 8 | John C. Breckinridge | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Kentucky 9 | Leander Cox | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected as a Know Nothing. Know Nothing gain. |
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Richard H. Stanton Redistricted from the 10th district | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic loss. | ||
Kentucky 10 | None (new district) | New seat. Know Nothing gain. |
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Louisiana
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Louisiana 1 | William Dunbar | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Louisiana 2 | Theodore G. Hunt | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
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Louisiana 3 | John Perkins Jr. | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Louisiana 4 | Roland Jones | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Maine
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Maine 1 | Moses Macdonald | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
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Maine 2 | Samuel Mayall | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
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Maine 3 | E. Wilder Farley | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
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Maine 4 | Samuel P. Benson | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
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Maine 5 | Israel Washburn Jr. | Whig | 1850 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
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Maine 6 | Thomas J. D. Fuller | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Maryland
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Maryland 1 | John Rankin Franklin | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Maryland 2 | Jacob Shower | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Maryland 3 | Joshua Van Sant | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Maryland 4 | William T. Hamilton | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Maryland 5 | Henry May | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Maryland 6 | Augustus Rhodes Sollers | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Massachusetts
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Massachusetts 1 | Thomas D. Eliot | Whig | 1854 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 2 | Samuel L. Crocker | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 3 | J. Wiley Edmands | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 4 | Samuel H. Walley | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 5 | William Appleton | Whig | 1850 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 6 | Charles W. Upham | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 7 | Nathaniel P. Banks | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 8 | Tappan Wentworth | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 9 | Alexander DeWitt | Free Soil | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 10 | Edward Dickinson | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Massachusetts 11 | John Z. Goodrich | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Michigan
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Michigan 1 | David Stuart | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
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Michigan 2 | David A. Noble | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
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Michigan 3 | Samuel Clark | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
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Michigan 4 | Hestor L. Stevens | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Mississippi
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Mississippi 1 | Daniel B. Wright | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Mississippi 2 | William S. Barry | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired to run for state representative. Democratic hold. |
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Mississippi 3 | William Barksdale Redistricted from the at-large district | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Mississippi 4 | Otho R. Singleton Redistricted from the 3rd district | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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Mississippi 5 | None (New seat) | New seat. Democratic gain. |
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Missouri
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Missouri 1 | Thomas Hart Benton | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Whig gain. |
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Missouri 2 | Alfred W. Lamb | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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Missouri 3 | James J. Lindley | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Missouri 4 | Mordecai Oliver | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Missouri 5 | John G. Miller | Whig | 1850 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Missouri 6 | John S. Phelps | Democratic | 1844 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Missouri 7 | Samuel Caruthers | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New Hampshire
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
New Hampshire 1 | George W. Kittredge | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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New Hampshire 2 | George W. Morrison | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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New Hampshire 3 | Harry Hibbard | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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New Jersey
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
New Jersey 1 | Nathan T. Stratton | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New Jersey 2 | Charles Skelton | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New Jersey 3 | Samuel Lilly | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Whig gain. |
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New Jersey 4 | George Vail | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New Jersey 5 | Alexander C. M. Pennington | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
New York 1 | James Maurice | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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New York 2 | Thomas W. Cumming | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 3 | Hiram Walbridge | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 4 | Michael Walsh | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic hold. |
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New York 5 | William M. Tweed | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
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New York 6 | John Wheeler | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 7 | William A. Walker | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 8 | Francis B. Cutting | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 9 | Jared V. Peck | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Whig gain. |
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New York 10 | William Murray | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 11 | Theodoric R. Westbrook | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 12 | Isaac Teller | Whig | 1854 (special) | Incumbent retired. Whig hold. |
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New York 13 | Russell Sage | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 14 | Rufus W. Peckham | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 15 | Charles Hughes | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Whig gain. |
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New York 16 | George A. Simmons | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 17 | Bishop Perkins | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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New York 18 | Peter Rowe | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 19 | George W. Chase | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig hold. |
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New York 20 | Orsamus B. Matteson | Whig | Incumbent re-elected. |
| |
New York 21 | Henry Bennett | Whig | 1848 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 22 | Gerrit Smith | Free Soil | 1852 | Incumbent resigned August 7, 1854. Whig gain. |
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New York 23 | Caleb Lyon | Independent | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 24 | Daniel T. Jones | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 25 | Edwin D. Morgan | Whig | 1850 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 26 | Andrew Oliver | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 27 | John J. Taylor | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
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New York 28 | George Hastings | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Whig gain. |
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New York 29 | Davis Carpenter | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
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New York 30 | Benjamin Pringle | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 31 | Thomas T. Flagler | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 32 | Solomon G. Haven | Whig | 1850 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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New York 33 | Reuben Fenton | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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North Carolina
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
North Carolina 1 | Henry M. Shaw | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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North Carolina 2 | Thomas Hart Ruffin | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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North Carolina 3 | William S. Ashe | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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North Carolina 4 | Sion H. Rogers | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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North Carolina 5 | John Kerr Jr. | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
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North Carolina 6 | Richard C. Puryear | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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North Carolina 7 | F. Burton Craige | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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North Carolina 8 | Thomas L. Clingman | Democratic | 1843 1845 (lost) 1847 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Ohio
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Ohio 1 | David T. Disney | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
|
Ohio 2 | John Scott Harrison | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 3 | Lewis D. Campbell | Whig | 1848 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 4 | Matthias H. Nichols | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 5 | Alfred Edgerton | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 6 | Andrew Ellison | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 7 | Aaron Harlan | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 8 | Moses Bledso Corwin | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 9 | Frederick W. Green | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 10 | John L. Taylor | Democratic | 1846 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 11 | Thomas Ritchey | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 12 | Edson B. Olds | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent lost re-election. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 13 | William D. Lindsley | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 14 | Harvey H. Johnson | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 15 | William R. Sapp | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 16 | Edward Ball | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 17 | Wilson Shannon | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
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Ohio 18 | George Bliss | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
|
Ohio 19 | Edward Wade | Free Soil | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
|
Ohio 20 | Joshua Reed Giddings | Free Soil | 1843 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
|
Ohio 21 | Andrew Stuart | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent lost re-election. Anti-Nebraska gain. |
|
Pennsylvania
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Pennsylvania 1 | Thomas B. Florence | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Pennsylvania 2 | Joseph R. Chandler | Whig | 1848 | Incumbent lost re-election. Whig hold. |
|
Pennsylvania 3 | John Robbins | Democratic | 1848 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
|
Pennsylvania 4 | William Henry Witte | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Pennsylvania 5 | John McNair | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
|
Pennsylvania 6 | William Everhart | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
|
Pennsylvania 7 | Samuel A. Bridges | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
|
Pennsylvania 8 | J. Glancy Jones | Democratic | 1854 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Pennsylvania 9 | Isaac E. Hiester | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Independent gain. |
|
Pennsylvania 10 | Ner Middleswarth | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig hold. |
|
Pennsylvania 11 | Christian M. Straub | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig gain. |
|
Pennsylvania 12 | Hendrick B. Wright | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Whig gain. |
|
Pennsylvania 13 | Asa Packer | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Pennsylvania 14 | Galusha A. Grow | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Rhode Island
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Rhode Island 1 | Thomas Davis | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Rhode Island 2 | Benjamin B. Thurston | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Know Nothing gain. |
|
South Carolina
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
South Carolina 1 | John McQueen | Democratic | 1849 (special) | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
South Carolina 2 | William Aiken Jr. | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
South Carolina 3 | Laurence M. Keitt | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
South Carolina 4 | Preston Brooks | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
South Carolina 5 | James L. Orr | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
South Carolina 6 | William W. Boyce | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Tennessee
[edit]Elections held late, on August 2, 1855.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Tennessee 1 | Nathaniel G. Taylor | Whig | 1854 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election as a Know Nothing. Democratic gain. |
|
Tennessee 2 | William M. Churchwell | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Tennessee 3 | Samuel A. Smith | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Tennessee 4 | William Cullom | Whig | 1851 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
|
Tennessee 5 | Charles Ready | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Tennessee 6 | George W. Jones | Democratic | 1842 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Tennessee 7 | Robert M. Bugg | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
|
Tennessee 8 | Felix Zollicoffer | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Tennessee 9 | Emerson Etheridge | Whig | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Tennessee 10 | Frederick P. Stanton | Democratic | 1845 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Texas
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Texas 1 | George W. Smyth | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent retired. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Texas 2 | Peter Hansborough Bell | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Vermont
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[25] | |
Vermont 1 | James Meacham | Whig | 1849 (special) | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Vermont 2 | Andrew Tracy | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent retired. Whig hold. |
|
Vermont 3 | Alvah Sabin | Whig | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[26] | |
Virginia 1 | Thomas H. Bayly | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 2 | John Millson | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 3 | John S. Caskie | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 4 | William Goode | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 5 | Thomas S. Bocock | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 6 | Paulus Powell | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 7 | William Smith | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 8 | Charles J. Faulkner | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 9 | John Letcher | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 10 | Zedekiah Kidwell | Democratic | 1853 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 11 | Charles S. Lewis | Democratic | 1854 (special) | Incumbent lost re-election. Know Nothing gain. |
|
Virginia 12 | Henry A. Edmundson | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Virginia 13 | Fayette McMullen | Democratic | 1849 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Wisconsin
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[27] | |
Wisconsin 1 | Daniel Wells Jr. | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Wisconsin 2 | Ben C. Eastman | Democratic | 1850 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
|
Wisconsin 3 | John B. Macy | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
|
Non-voting delegates
[edit]District | Incumbent | This race | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Delegate | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Kansas | New seat | New territory. New delegate elected December 20, 1854. Democratic gain. |
| ||
Minnesota | Henry Mower Rice | Democratic | 1852 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Nebraska (33rd Congress) | New seat | New territory. New delegate elected December 12, 1854.[29][30] Democratic gain. |
| ||
Nebraska (34th Congress) | Napoleon Bonaparte Giddings | Democratic | 1854 | Incumbent retired. New delegate elected November 5, 1855.[29] Democratic hold. |
|
Oregon | Joseph Lane | Democratic | 1851 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
See also
[edit]- 1854 United States elections
- List of United States House of Representatives elections (1824–1854)
- 1854–55 United States Senate elections
- 33rd United States Congress
- 34th United States Congress
Notes
[edit]- ^ Includes two Anti-Broderick Democrats (California), one Anti-Benton Democrat (Missouri), one Hard-Shell Democrat (New York), and four Soft-Shell Democrats (New York)
- ^ Includes votes for those who ran labeled as an Anti-Broderick Democrat, Anti-Benton Democrat, Hard Shell Democrat or Soft-Shell Democrat.
- ^ a b c d e Counted as part of the plurality-winning "Opposition Party."
- ^ While Martis, et al. count 51 Know Nothings, Dubin (p. 174) counts 52.
- ^ Included one Independent Whig: Anthony Ellmaker Roberts of Pennsylvania.
- ^ Includes votes for those who ran labeled as an Independent, Benton Democrat, Independent Democrat, or Independent American.
- ^ Compared to Whigs, Free Soilers, and Independents elected in the previous election of 1852.
- ^ 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.
- ^ At-large district abolished in redistricting.
- ^ Compared to just Whig Party members elected in the previous election of 1852. If Whig Party and Free Soil Party members are counted together, the increase was only 25.
- ^ Listed as unsuccessful for re-election in Congressional bio, but no votes listed in source.
- ^ Bennett led 578–560 in returns that included the results of Ottoe (175–95 Bennett), Richardson (76–36 Bennett), Dacotah (25–0 Chapman), and Burt (14–10 Chapman) counties. Gov. Izard excluded those results due to irregularities.
References
[edit]- ^ Party Breakdown of the 34th House
- ^ a b c d e Martis, p. 108–109.
- ^ a b c d e "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
- ^ Dubin, p. 174.
- ^ Nevins, Allan (1947). Ordeal of the Union, Volume II: A House Dividing 1852-1857. New York. pp. 413–415.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Guide to U.S. Elections. Vol. II (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. 2010. p. 1021. ISBN 9781604265361. LCCN 2009033938. OCLC 430736650.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - CA - at Large Race - Sep 06, 1854".
- ^ "State of Connecticut Elections Database » Search Past Election Results". State of Connecticut Elections Database. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ The Tribune Almanac and Political Register For 1856. New York: Greeley & McElrath. 1856.
- ^ "MS - District 01 Race - Nov 05, 1855". Our Campaigns. October 27, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "MS - District 02 Race - Nov 05, 1855". Our Campaigns. October 28, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "MS - District 03 Race - Nov 05, 1855". Our Campaigns. October 29, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "MS - District 04 Race - Nov 05, 1855". Our Campaigns. October 29, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "MS - District 05 Race - Nov 05, 1855". Our Campaigns. October 29, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "TN - District 01". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^