1856 Iowa Senate election

1856 Iowa Senate election

← 1854 1856 1857 →
21 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 0 17 0 Seats before 0 15[b] 0 Seats after 23[a] 12[a] 1[a] Seat change 23[c] 3 1   Fourth party   Party Whig Last election 14 Seats before 15[b] Seats after 0[a] Seat change 15[c]
President of the Iowa Senate before election Maturin L. Fisher[d] Democratic Elected President of the Iowa Senate William W. Hamilton[e] Republican

Elections in Iowa
Federal government U.S. Presidential elections 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential caucuses Democratic 1976 1980 1984 1992 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Republican 1980 1996 2000 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1848 1849 1852 1855 1857 sp 1858 1860 1864 1866 1866 sp 1870 1870 sp 1872 1878 1882 1882 sp 1884 1888 1890 1894 1896 1900 1902 1902 sp 1907 1908 1908 sp 1909 1911 sp 1913 1914 1918 1920 1922 sp 1924 1926 1926 sp 1930 1932 1936 1936 sp 1938 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 2028 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1846 1847 1848 1850 1st sp 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1861 1st sp 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 2nd sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1879 5th sp 1880 1882 1883 6th sp 1884 7th sp 1886 1888 1890 7th sp 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 10th sp 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1911 9th sp 1912 11th sp 1914 2nd sp 1916 1918 1920 1921 5th sp 1922 1923 8th sp 1924 1926 1928 9th sp 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 6th sp 1942 9th sp 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1959 4th sp 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government General elections 2009 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1846 1850 1854 1857 1859 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1875 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Secretary of State elections 2022 Attorney General elections 2018 2022 Senate elections 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1857 1859 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1875 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Specials House of Representatives elections 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Territorial Council elections 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845
Ballot measures 2020 Question 1 2022 Amendment 1
Cedar Rapids Mayoral elections 2021
Des Moines Mayoral elections 1997 sp 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
v t e

In the 1856 Iowa State Senate elections, Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the sixth Iowa General Assembly. Following the expansion of the Iowa Senate from 31 to 36 seats in 1856, elections were held for 21 of the state senate's 36 seats.^[f] State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.

The general election took place in 1856.^[11]

Following the previous election in 1854, Democrats had control of the Iowa Senate with 17 seats to Whigs' 14 seats. However, three changes occurred during the fifth general assembly. In the first district, Democratic Senator James M. Love resigned on July 1, 1856, causing a vacancy in his seat that was filled by special election.^[12] Democrat David Trowbridge Brigham succeeded Senator Love, holding the seat for the Democrats.^[13] In the twentieth district, Democratic Senator Theophilus Bryan was originally declared the winner.^[14] However, the members of the Iowa Senate voted on January 7, 1855 to remove Senator Bryan and replace him with his Whig opponent, Senator James Cunningham Jordan, thereby flipping the seat to Whig control.^[15] In the twenty-fourth district, Democratic Senator John G. Shields died on June 25, 1856, causing a vacancy in his seat.^[16] Therefore, by election day in 1856, the Democrats held 15 seats, the Whigs held 15 seats, and one seat was vacant (the seat that had been held by Democratic Senator John Shields).

Prior to the 1856 election, nearly all Whigs switched political party affiliation to become Republicans.

To claim control of the chamber from Democrats, the Republicans needed to garner 19 Senate seats.

Republicans claimed control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1856 general election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 23 seats, Democrats having 12 seats, and a lone seat for the Know Nothing Party^[g] (a net gain of 23 seats for Republicans^[c] and 1 seat for Know Nothings). This was the first time Democrats lost control of the chamber. Republican Senator William W. Hamilton was chosen as the President of the Iowa Senate for the sixth General Assembly, succeeding Democratic Senator Maturin L. Fisher in that leadership position.^[e][d]

The 1856 general election was the first in which the Iowa Senate's districts expanded to cover all the land area currently recognized as Iowa.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).