Contents

1836–37 United States House of Representatives elections

1836–37 United States House of Representatives elections

← 1834 & 1835 July 4, 1836 – November 7, 1837[a] 1838 & 1839 →
All 242 seats in the United States House of Representatives 122 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader James K. Polk John Bell Party Democratic Whig Leader's seat Tennessee 9th Tennessee 7th Last election 143 seats 75 seats Seats won 128 100 Seat change 15 25 Popular vote 801,767 731,627 Percentage 50.15% 45.77% Swing 1.26% 2.89%   Third party Fourth party   Party Anti-Masonic Nullifier Last election 16 seats 8 seats Seats won 7 6[b] Seat change 9 2 Popular vote 48,329 1,261 Percentage 3.02% 0.08% Swing 0.05% 1.11%   Fifth party   Party Independent Last election 1 seat Seats won 1[c] Seat change Popular vote 15,606 Percentage 0.98% Swing 2.23%
Speaker before election James K. Polk Democratic Elected Speaker James K. Polk Democratic

The 1836–37 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between July 4, 1836, and November 7, 1837. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives, either before or after the first session of the 25th United States Congress convened on September 4, 1837. With Arkansas and Michigan officially achieving statehood in 1836 and 1837, respectively, the size of the House was set at 242 seats.

Though Democrat Martin Van Buren was elected president in November 1836, Democrats lost seats. The newly organizing Whigs benefited from regional candidacies and issues and voter fatigue with outgoing two-term President Andrew Jackson. Jackson, a flamboyant public personality with a record of high-profile leadership and historic military success, often clashed with Congress and the Supreme Court. By comparison, Van Buren, a brilliant partisan organizer and political operative, was less charismatic in looks and demeanor. Voter support for the minor Anti-Masonic and Nullifier parties ebbed, but remained significant. One Independent, John Pope, was elected from Kentucky.^[1][2][3]

Election summaries[edit]

State	Type	↑ Date	Total seats	Anti-Masonic		Democratic[d]		Independent		Nullifier		Whig[e]
				Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Louisiana	Districts	August 1, 1836	3	0		1		0		0		2
Illinois	Districts	August 1, 1836	3	0		3		0		0		0
Missouri	At-large	August 1, 1836	2	0		2	1	0		0		0	1
Vermont	Districts	September 6, 1836	5	0	2	1	1	0		0		4	1
Maine	Districts	September 12, 1836	8	0		6		0		0		2
Georgia	At-large	October 3, 1836	9	0		8	1	0		0		1	1
South Carolina	Districts	October 10–11, 1836	9	0		2		0		6	1	1	1
Ohio	Districts	October 11, 1836	19	0	1	8	1	0		0		11	2
Pennsylvania	Districts	October 11, 1836	28	7	1	18	1	0		0		3
Delaware	At-large	November 8, 1836	1	0		0		0		0		1
New York	Districts	November 7–9, 1836	40	0		30	1	0		0		10	1
Massachusetts	Districts	November 14, 1836	12	0	3	2	1	0		0		10	2
New Jersey	At-large	November 16, 1836	6	0		0	6	0		0		6	6
Late elections (after the March 4, 1837, beginning of the term)
New Hampshire	At-large	March 14, 1837	5	0		5		0		0		0
Connecticut	Districts	April 3, 1837	6	0		6		0		0		0
Virginia	Districts	April 27, 1837	21	0		15	1	0		0		6	1
Maryland	Districts	July 26, 1837	8	0		4		0		0		4
Tennessee	Districts	August 3, 1837	13	0		3	1	0		0		10	1
Indiana	Districts	August 7, 1837	7	0		1	5	0		0		6	5
Kentucky	Districts	August 7, 1837	13	0		1	3	1[f]	1	0		11	2
Alabama	Districts	August 8, 1837	5	0		3		0		0	1	2	1
North Carolina	Districts	August 10, 1837	13	0		5	2	0		0		8	2
Michigan	At-large	August 22, 1837	1	0		1		0		0		0
Rhode Island	At-large	August 29, 1837	2	0	2	0		0		0		2	2
Later elections (after the September 4, 1837, beginning of special session)
Arkansas	At-large	October 2, 1837	1	0		1		0		0		0
Mississippi	At-large	November 6–7, 1837[g]	2	0		0	2	0		0		2	2
Total[h]			242	7 2.9%	9	128 52.9%	15	1 0.4%	1	6 2.5%	2	100 41.3%	25

Special elections[edit]

There were special elections in 1836 and 1837 to the 24th United States Congress and 25th United States Congress.

Special elections are sorted by date then district.

24th Congress[edit]

Note: In some sources, parties are listed as "Democrats" and "Whigs." However, they are listed here as "Jacksonian" and "Anti-Jacksonian" (respectively) to conform to the party names as they were regarded during the 24th United States Congress.

25th Congress[edit]

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Pennsylvania 3	Francis J. Harper	Democratic	1836	Incumbent died March 18, 1837, having just been seated as a new member. New member elected June 29, 1837. Whig gain. Successor seated September 4, 1837.[20]	▌Y Charles Naylor (Whig) 51.2% ▌Charles J. Ingersoll (Democratic) 48.8%[21]
Mississippi at-large	John F. H. Claiborne	Democratic	1835	Mississippi elected its members in November of odd numbered years (after the beginning of the congressional term). As Congress had been called to meet in September, the governor issued writs for a special election to fill vacancies until the regular election. Incumbents re-elected July 18, 1837. Democratic hold. Incumbent successors presented their credentials and were seated September 4, 1837.[20] At their request the question of the validity of their election was referred to the Committee on Elections. The House decided October 3, 1837, they had been elected for the full term.[i]	▌Y John F. H. Claiborne (Democratic) 32.10% ▌Y Samuel J. Gholson (Democratic) 28.43% ▌Sergeant S. Prentiss (Whig) 20.47% ▌E. L. Acee (Whig) 19.00%[22]
	Samuel J. Gholson	Democratic	1836 (special)
Tennessee 4	James I. Standifer	Whig	1823 1825 (lost) 1827 (lost) 1829	Incumbent died August 20, 1837. New member elected September 14, 1837.[23] Whig hold. Successor seated October 6, 1837.[20]	▌Y William Stone (Whig) 27.01% ▌Thomas Brown (Unknown) 20.60% ▌Miles Vernon (Unknown) 17.84% ▌T. Nixon Vandyke (Unknown) 13.51% ▌John Rice (Democratic) 9.85% ▌John Miller (Democratic) 7.28% ▌Archibald R. Turk (Unknown) 3.92%[23]
Ohio 17	Andrew W. Loomis	Whig	1836	Incumbent resigned October 20, 1837. New member elected November 30, 1837.[24] Whig hold. Successor seated December 20, 1837.[20]	▌Y Charles D. Coffin (Whig) 50.62% ▌George McCook (Democratic) 49.38%[24]

Alabama[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Arkansas[edit]

24th Congress[edit]

The new state of Arkansas was admitted to the Union on June 15, 1836, and elected its sole at-large member August 1, 1836. He was seated December 5, 1836,^[5] to finish the term that would end the following March.

25th Congress[edit]

Arkansas elected its member October 2, 1837, this time for a full term.

Connecticut[edit]

Connecticut went from six at-large seats to six districts for the first time. Elections were held April 3, 1837, after the new term began but before the Congress convened. All incumbents from the at-large district were re-elected in districts.

Delaware[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Florida Territory[edit]

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Georgia[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Illinois[edit]

Illinois elected its three members on August 1, 1834.

Indiana[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Kentucky[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Louisiana[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Maine[edit]

Maine elected its members September 12, 1836, except one district went to multiple ballots later in the year.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Maryland[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Massachusetts[edit]

Elections were held November 14, 1836.

Michigan[edit]

Michigan elected its sole member late on August 22, 1837.

Mississippi[edit]

A special election was held in Mississippi on July 17–18, 1837. Its winners were Democrats John F. H. Claiborne and Samuel J. Gholson. The first session of the 25th Congress was a special session beginning on September 4, 1837, extending to October 16. In November, Mississippi, held the regular election. Seargent Smith Prentiss, a Vicksburg lawyer and Whig, unexpectedly launched a vigorous, partisan campaign. He and fellow Whig Thomas J. Word won in an upset. Claiborne and Gholson then argued that the July result entitled them to serve full terms. With the Whig Party newly organizing, the closely divided House, in which Anti-Masons, Nullifiers, and the Independent tended to align more with Whigs and to oppose Democrats, agreed to hear Prentiss. He spoke for nine hours over three days, packing the gallery, drawing Senators, and earning a national reputation for oratory and public admiration from leading Whigs including Senators Clay and Webster. The Elections Committee then required a third election. Scheduled for April 1838, it confirmed the November result. Both Whigs were seated in May late in the second session, also serving for the third session.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Mississippi at-large (2 seats)	John F. H. Claiborne	Jacksonian	1835	Incumbent lost re-election as a Democrat. New member elected. Whig gain.	▌Y Seargent S. Prentiss (Whig) 35.20% ▌Y Thomas J. Word (Whig) 31.82% ▌John F. H. Claiborne (Democratic) 17.43% ▌Samuel J. Gholson (Democratic) 15.55%[36]
	Samuel J. Gholson	Jacksonian	1836 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election as a Democrat. New member elected. Whig gain.

Missouri[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

New Hampshire[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

New Jersey[edit]

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New Jersey at-large At-large with 6 seats	William Halsted	Whig	To be added	50.70%	▌Y William Halsted (Whig) 50.70% ▌Y Charles C. Stratton (Whig) 50.58% ▌Y John P. Maxwell (Whig) 50.55% ▌Y Joseph F. Randolph (Whig) 50.54% ▌Y John B. Ayerigg (Whig) 50.52% ▌Y Thomas J. Yorke (Whig) 49.82% ▌Charles Sitgraves (Democratic) 49.65% ▌Daniel Holmes (Democratic) 49.62% ▌John M. Cornelison (Democratic) 49.60% ▌Richard P. Thompson (Democratic) 49.57% ▌John W. Mickle (Democratic) 49.54% ▌Samuel R. Hamilton (Democratic) 49.30%
	Charles C. Stratton	Whig	To be added	50.58%
	John P. Maxwell	Whig	To be added	50.55%
	Joseph F. Randolph	Whig	To be added	50.54%
	John B. Ayerigg	Whig	To be added	50.52%
	Thomas J. Yorke	Whig	To be added	49.82%

Source:^[37]

New York[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

North Carolina[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Ohio[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Pennsylvania[edit]

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates[j][21]
Pennsylvania 1	Joel B. Sutherland	Jacksonian	1826	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Lemuel Paynter (Democratic) 55.3% ▌Joel B. Sutherland (Whig)[k] 44.7%
Pennsylvania 2 Plural district with 2 seats	Joseph R. Ingersoll	Anti-Jacksonian	1834	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig hold.	▌Y John Sergeant (Whig) 63.1% ▌Y George W. Toland (Whig) 63.0% ▌Read Longstreth (Democratic) 37.7% ▌John M. Morris (Democratic) 36.3%
	James Harper	Anti-Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig hold.
Pennsylvania 3	Michael W. Ash	Jacksonian	1834	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold. Harper died March 18, 1837, leading to a special election, which was won by Naylor.	▌Y Francis J. Harper (Democratic) 50.5% ▌Charles Naylor (Whig) 49.5%
Pennsylvania 4 Plural district with 3 seats	William Hiester	Anti-Masonic	1830	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Anti-Masonic hold.	▌Y David Potts Jr. (Anti-Masonic)[l] 53.8% ▌Y Edward Darlington (Anti-Masonic)[l] 53.6% ▌Y Edward Davies (Anti-Masonic)[l] 53.6% ▌Samuel Leiper (Democratic) 46.4% ▌John K. Findley (Democratic) 46.3% ▌John W. Cunningham (Democratic) 46.3%
	Edward Darlington	Anti-Masonic	1832	Incumbent re-elected.
	David Potts Jr.	Anti-Masonic	1830	Incumbent re-elected.
Pennsylvania 5	Jacob Fry Jr.	Jacksonian	1834	Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.	▌Y Jacob Fry Jr. (Democratic) 61.9% ▌Daniel M. Mulvaney (Whig) 38.1%
Pennsylvania 6	Mathias Morris	Anti-Jacksonian	1834	Incumbent re-elected as a Whig.	▌Y Mathias Morris (Whig) 51.4% ▌John Rockman (Democratic) 48.6%
Pennsylvania 7	David D. Wagener	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.	▌Y David D. Wagener (Democratic) 73.7% ▌Jacob Weygandt (Whig) 26.3%
Pennsylvania 8	Edward B. Hubley	Jacksonian	1834	Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.	▌Y Edward B. Hubley (Democratic) 54.2% ▌William Audenried (Anti-Masonic) 45.8%
Pennsylvania 9	Henry A. P. Muhlenberg	Jacksonian	1828	Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.	▌Y Henry A. P. Muhlenberg (Democratic) 57.5% ▌Henry W. Smith (Whig) 42.5%
Pennsylvania 10	William Clark	Anti-Masonic	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Luther Reily (Democratic) 50.8% ▌George W. Harris (Whig) 49.2%
Pennsylvania 11	Henry Logan	Jacksonian	1834	Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.	▌Y Henry Logan (Democratic) 58.2% ▌Jacob Kirk (Whig) 41.8%
Pennsylvania 12	George Chambers	Anti-Masonic	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Daniel Sheffer (Democratic) 50.5% ▌G. James McSherry (Anti-Masonic) 49.5%
Pennsylvania 13	Jesse Miller	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Charles McClure (Democratic) 57.5% ▌William Sharon (Whig) 42.5%
Pennsylvania 14	Joseph Henderson	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y William W. Potter (Democratic) 59.6% ▌John Williamson (Anti-Masonic) 38.2% ▌John Ashman (Anti-Masonic) 2.2%
Pennsylvania 15	Andrew Beaumont	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y David Petrikin (Democratic) 52.1% ▌John McReynolds (Whig) 47.9%
Pennsylvania 16	Joseph B. Anthony	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Robert H. Hammond (Democratic) 59.1% ▌Ebenezer Greenough (A) 40.9%
Pennsylvania 17	John Laporte	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Samuel W. Morris (Democratic) 60.2% ▌William Jessup (Whig) 39.8%
Pennsylvania 18	Job Mann	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Anti-Masonic gain.	▌Y Charles Ogle (Anti-Masonic) 51.7% ▌Job Mann (Democratic) 48.3%
Pennsylvania 19	John Klingensmith Jr.	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.	▌Y John Klingensmith Jr. (Democratic) 58.0% ▌James Moorhead (Whig) 42.0%
Pennsylvania 20	Andrew Buchanan	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.	▌Y Andrew Buchanan (Democratic) 100%
Pennsylvania 21	Thomas M. T. McKennan	Anti-Masonic	1830	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Thomas M. T. McKennan (Anti-Masonic) 52.2% ▌Thomas Ringland (Democratic) 47.8%
Pennsylvania 22	Harmar Denny	Anti-Masonic	1829 (special)	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Anti-Masonic hold.	▌Y Richard Biddle (Anti-Masonic) 51.4% ▌Trevanion B. Dallas (Democratic) 48.6%
Pennsylvania 23	Samuel S. Harrison	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y William Beatty (Democratic) 56.5% ▌Joseph Buffington (Whig) 43.5%
Pennsylvania 24	John Banks	Anti-Masonic	1830	Incumbent resigned April 2, 1836. New member elected. Anti-Masonic hold.	▌Y Thomas Henry (Anti-Masonic) 56.1% ▌John R. Shannon (Democratic) 43.9%
Pennsylvania 25	John Galbraith	Jacksonian	1832	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Arnold Plumer (Democratic) 54.4% ▌David Dick (Whig) 45.6%

Rhode Island[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

South Carolina[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020)

Tennessee[edit]

Elections held late, on August 3, 1837