1828 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania

Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in Pennsylvania on October 14, 1828, for the 21st Congress. Members of three different parties were elected to the 21st Congress, the first time in US history that a third party won seats. The new Anti-Masonic Party won a total of 5 seats, 1 of which was in Pennsylvania.

Background

In the previous election, 20 Jacksonians and 5 Anti-Jacksonians had been elected with one vacancy, which was filled in a special election by an Anti-Jacksonian, for a total of 20 Jacksonians and 6 Anti-Jacksonians.

Congressional districts

Pennsylvania was divided into 18 districts, 6 of which were plural districts

• The consisted of southern Philadelphia County
• The consisted of the City of Philadelphia
• The consisted of northern Philadelphia County
• The (3 seats) consisted of Chester, Delaware and Lancaster Counties
• The consisted of Montgomery County
• The consisted of Dauphin and Lebanon Counties
• The (2 seats) consisted of Berks, Lehigh, and Schuylkill Counties
• The (2 seats) consisted of Bucks, Northampton, Pike, and Wayne Counties
• The (3 seats) consisted of Bradford, Columbia, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKeane, Northumberland, Potter, Susquehanna, and Tioga Counties
• The consisted of York County
• The (2 seats) consisted of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and Perry Counties
• The consisted of Centre, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Union Counties
• The consisted of Bedford, Cambria, and Somerset Counties
• The consisted of Fayette and Greene Counties
• The consisted of Washington County
• The (2 seats) consisted of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, and Butler Counties
• The consisted of Indiana, Jefferson, and Westmoreland Counties
• The consisted of Crawford, Erie, Mercer, Venango, and Warren Counties

Note: Several of these counties covered larger areas than today, having since been divided into smaller counties

Election results

20 incumbents (15 Jacksonians and 5 Anti-Jacksonians) ran for re-election, of whom 12 (all Jacksonians) were re-elected. The incumbents Charles Miner (AJ) of the , George Kremer (J), Espy Van Horne (J), and Samuel McKean (J) of the , John Mitchell (J) of the and Robert Orr, Jr. (J) of the did not run for re-election.

A total of 8 seats changed parties. One seat changed from Jacksonian control to Anti-Masonic control, one changed from Jacksonian to Anti-Jacksonian, and six changed from Anti-Jacksonian to Jacksonian, for a net change of five seats lost by the Anti-Jacksonians, four gained by the Jacksonians, and one gained by the Anti-Masonics.

Special elections

Two special elections were held in 1829 for the 21st Congress. The first was held on October 13, 1829 in the to fill two vacancies caused by the resignations of Samuel D. Ingham (J) and George Wolf (J) before the first meeting of the 21st Congress. Wolf's resignation was due to his having been elected Governor of Pennsylvania. The second was held on December 15, 1829 in the , to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of William Wilkins (AM) on November 9, 1829, before the first session of the 21st Congress began.

No seat changed parties after these special elections.

References

• 1828 Wilkes University Election Statistics Project