1857 Iowa Senate election

1857 Iowa Senate election

1857
15 out of 36 seats in the Iowa State Senate 19 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party Republican Democratic Know Nothing Last election 23 12 1 Seats after 22 14 0 Seat change 1 2 1
President of the Iowa Senate before election William W. Hamilton[a] Republican Elected President of the Iowa Senate Oran Faville[b] Republican

In the 1857 Iowa State Senate elections, Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the seventh Iowa General Assembly. Elections were held for 15 of the state senate's 36 seats.^[c] State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.

The general election took place in 1857.^[5]

Following the previous election in 1856, Republicans had control of the Iowa Senate with 23 seats to Democrats' 12 seats and one member from the Know Nothing Party.

To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to garner seven Senate seats.

Republicans maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 22 seats and Democrats having 14 seats (a net gain of 2 seats for Democrats).

Summary of Results

• Note: The holdover Senators not up for re-election are not listed on this table.

Senate District	Incumbent	Party		Elected Senator	Party		Outcome
1st[d]	Exum Sumner McCulloch		Dem	John R. Allen		Dem	Dem Hold
	William A. Thurston		Dem	John Walker Rankin		Rep	Rep Gain
3rd[e]	Abner Harrison McCrary		Rep	Gideon Smith Bailey		Dem	Dem Gain
4th[f]	William Findlay Coolbaugh		Dem	William Findlay Coolbaugh		Dem	Dem Hold
7th[g]	Alvin Saunders		Rep	Alvin Saunders		Rep	Rep Hold
8th[h]	James C. Ramsey		Dem	John A. Johnson		Dem	Dem Hold
9th[i]	Daniel A. Anderson		Rep	Daniel A. Anderson		Rep	Rep Hold
12th[j]	James D. Test		Dem	William H.M. Pusey		Dem	Dem Hold
13th[k]	Hiram Thomas Cleaver		Rep	Samuel Reiner		Rep	Rep Hold
15th[l]	James Latimer Hogin		Rep	Oliver P. Sherraden		Rep	Rep Hold
19th[m]	George W. Wilkinson		Know Nothing	Andrew Oliphant Patterson		Dem	Dem Gain
23rd[n]	Julius J. Matthews		Rep	George M. Davis		Rep	Rep Hold
27th[o]	James Cunningham Jordan		Rep	William P. Davis		Rep	Rep Hold
29th[p]	Joseph Birge		Dem	Joseph Mann		Dem	Dem Hold
31st[q]	William W. Hamilton		Rep	David S. Wilson		Dem	Dem Gain

Source:^[6]

1. Republican Senator William W. Hamilton of Dubuque County was chosen to be the seventh President of the Iowa Senate. He served during the sixth Iowa General Assembly, succeeding Democratic Senator Maturin L. Fisher in that leadership position.^[1] Senator Hamilton was the first Republican to serve as President of the Senate (all the previous Senate Presidents had been Democrats). Following Hamilton's one term as President of the Iowa Senate, Article IV, section 18, of the Constitution of Iowa was enacted & established that the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa shall perform the duties of the President of the Senate. The Lieutenant Governor performed the duties of President of the Senate from January 11, 1858 through January 14, 1991. As of 1991, duties of Iowa's Lieutenant Governor no longer include presiding over the state Senate.^[2]
2. Article IV, section 18, of the Constitution of Iowa at that time established that the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa shall perform the duties of the President of the Senate. The Lieutenant Governor performed the duties of President of the Senate from January 11, 1858 through January 14, 1991. As of 1991, duties of Iowa's Lieutenant Governor no longer include presiding over the state Senate. As the Lieutenant Governor at the time, Oran Faville was the eighth President of the Iowa Senate. He served during the seventh Iowa General Assembly, succeeding Republican Senator William W. Hamilton in that leadership position.^[3]
3. At the time, the Iowa Senate had several multi-member districts.^[4]
4. The first district was a 2-member district at the time.
5. The third district was a 1-member district at the time.
6. The fourth was a 2-member district at the time. However, only one of the seats in the district was contested in the election. The other was held by a holdover senator not up for re-election.
7. The seventh district was a 1-member district at the time.
8. The eighth district was a 1-member district at the time.
9. The ninth district was a 1-member district at the time.
10. The twelfth district was a 1-member district at the time.
11. The thirteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
12. The fifteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
13. The nineteenth district was a 1-member district at the time.
14. The twenty-third district was a 1-member district at the time.
15. The twenty-seventh district was a 1-member district at the time.
16. The twenty-ninth district was a 1-member district at the time.
17. The thirty-first district was a 1-member district at the time.

Detailed Results

• NOTE: The Iowa General Assembly does not provide detailed vote totals for Iowa State Senate elections in 1857.

See also

• Elections in Iowa

External links

District boundaries for the Iowa Senate in 1857:

• Iowa Senate Districts 1856-1859 map

References

1. "Senator William W. Hamilton". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
2. "Iowa Legislators Past and Present: Senate President". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
3. "Iowa Legislators Past and Present: Senate President". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
4. "General Assembly: 7 (01/11/1858 - 01/08/1860)". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
5. "General Assembly: 7 (01/11/1858 - 01/08/1860)". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
6. "Legislators". Iowa State Senate. Retrieved July 21, 2021.