1839 Iowa Council election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the 1839 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the second Iowa Territory Council.[2] All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected.[b] Councilors served one-year terms.
1839
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All 13 seats in the Iowa Territory Council 7 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Iowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the Union as a state. At the time, the Iowa Territory had a Legislative Assembly consisting of an upper chamber (i.e., the Territory Council) and a lower chamber (i.e., the Territory House of Representatives).[4]
Following the organization of the first Territory Council in 1838, Democrats held a majority with seven seats to Whigs' six seats.[5]
To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net one seat from the Democrats.
The Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Council following the 1839 general election with the balance of power remaining unchanged with the Democrats holding seven seats and the Whigs having six seats.[3] Democratic Councilor Stephen P. Hempstead was chosen as the President of the second Territory Council to succeed Whig Councilor Jesse B. Browne in that leadership position.[a]
Summary of Results
| Iowa Territory Council District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Councilor | Party | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st[c] | George Hepner | Dem | George Hepner[d] | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Arthur Inghram | Dem | Arthur Inghram[e] | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| Robert Ralston | Dem | Robert Ralston[f] | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| 2nd[g] | Jesse B. Browne | Whig | Jesse B. Browne[h] | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 3rd[i] | Lawson B. Hughes | Whig | Lawson B. Hughes[j] | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| Jesse D. Payne | Whig | Jesse D. Payne[k] | Whig | Whig Hold | |||
| 4th[l] | E. A. M. Swazy | Dem | E. A. M. Swazy[m] | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Isham Keith | Whig | Isham Keith[n] | Whig | Whig Hold | |||
| 5th[o] | James M. Clark | Whig | James M. Clark[p] | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 6th[q] | Charles Whittlesey | Whig | Charles Whittlesey[r] | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 7th[s] | Jonathan W. Parker | Dem | Jonathan W. Parker[t] | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 8th[u] | Stephen Hempstead[a] | Dem | Stephen Hempstead[a] | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Warner Lewis | Dem | Warner Lewis[v] | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
Source:[18]
- Councilor Hempstead of Dubuque County was chosen to be the President of the second Iowa Territory Council.[1]
- At the time, the Council had several multi-member districts.[3]
- The 1st was a 3-member district.
- Councilor Hepner resided in Des Moines County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[6]
- Councilor Inghram resided in Des Moines County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[7]
- Councilor Ralston resided in Des Moines County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[8]
- The 2nd was a 1-member district.
- Councilor Browne resided in Lee County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[9]
- The 3rd was a 2-member district.
- Councilor Hughes resided in Henry County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[10]
- Councilor Payne resided in Henry County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[11]
- The 4th was a 2-member district.
- Councilor Swazy resided in Van Buren County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[12]
- Councilor Keith resided in Van Buren County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[13]
- The 5th was a 1-member district.
- Councilor Clark resided in Louisa County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[14]
- The 6th was a 1-member district.
- Councilor Whittlesey resided in Cedar County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[15]
- The 7th was a 1-member district.
- Councilor Parker resided in Scott County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[16]
- The 8th was a 2-member district.
- Councilor Lewis resided in Dubuque County during the second Iowa Territory Council.[17]
Detailed Results
- NOTE: The Iowa General Assembly does not contain detailed vote totals for Territory Council elections in 1839.
See also
External links
District boundaries for the Iowa Territory Council in 1839: