The 1838âÂÂ39 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between July 2, 1838, and November 5, 1839. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 26th United States Congress convened on December 2, 1839. They occurred during President Martin Van Buren's term. Elections were held for all 242 seats, representing 26 states.
The Panic of 1837 and consequent economic downturn drove Whig Party gains. Van Buren's Democratic Party had lost popularity and Whig policies of economic nationalism appealed to a larger number of voters. Democrats were able, however, to contain the political fallout by blaming banks for the crisis. The Anti-Masonic Party, influential in New York, Pennsylvania, and other Northern states, lost seats, while the Southern Nullifier Party disappeared. Two Virginia representatives were elected on that state's Conservative Party ticket.
Early business of the new House reflected the close partisan division. When Congress first Convened on December 3, 1839, two contingents of New Jersey representatives-elect, one composed of Democrats and the other of Whigs, arrived and both requested to be seated as members. Charging the Whigs with election fraud and facing loss of control of the House, the Democratic Party majority (119 to 118 Whigs from outside New Jersey) refused to seat all but one Whig. Massachusetts Representative John Quincy Adams presided as "chairman" of the House after the clerk lost control. Two weeks later, when voting for speaker of the House finally commenced, 11 ballots were needed before Robert M. T. Hunter, a compromise Whig candidate, was elected, receiving 119 votes (out of 232 cast). This congress also enacted the first Independent Treasury bill.
There were special elections in 1838 and 1839 to the 25th United States Congress and 26th United States Congress.
Special elections are listed by date then district.
|- ! | | | | New member elected March 8, 1838. | |- ! | | | | New member elected April 28, 1838. | |- ! | | | | New member elected May 29, 1838. | |- ! rowspan=2 | <br/> | John F. H. Claiborne | | Democratic | 1835 | rowspan=2 | The House rescinded its former decision February 5, 1838 and declared the seats vacant.<br/>New members elected May 29, 1838.<br/>Two Whig gains.<br/>Successors seated May 30, 1838. | rowspan=2 nowrap |
|- | Samuel J. Gholson | | Democratic | 1836
|- ! | | | | New member elected October 9, 1838. | |- ! | | | | New member elected November 5, 1838. | |- ! | Stephen C. Phillips | | Whig | 1834 | | Incumbent resigned September 28, 1838 to become Mayor of Salem.<br/>New member elected November 12, 1838.<br/>Whig hold.<br/>Winner also elected to the next term; see below. | nowrap |
|- ! | Albert G. Harrison | | Democratic | 1835 | | New member elected October 28, 1839 and seated December 5, 1839.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Richard Fletcher | | Whig | 1836 | | Incumbent member-elect declined to serve.<br/>New member elected November 11, 1839.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | | | | New member elected November 20, 1839. | |- ! | James C. Alvord | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent died September 27, 1839.<br/>New member elected December 23, 1839.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap | Second ballot <br/>
|- ! | Archibald Yell | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
Connecticut elected its six members April 1, 1839, flipping all six seats from Democratic to Whig.
|- ! | Isaac Toucey | | Democratic | 1835 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Samuel Ingham | | Democratic | 1835 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Elisha Haley | | Democratic | 1835 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Thomas T. Whittlesey | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Lancelot Phelps | | Democratic | 1835 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Orrin Holt | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
See Non-voting delegates, below.
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|- ! | Thomas Davee | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Elections were held November 12, 1838, but one district's election went to a fourth ballot in 1839, after the March 4, 1839 start of the term but before the House convened in December 1839.
|- ! | Richard Fletcher | | Whig | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected, but declined to serve, leading to a special election. | nowrap |
|- ! | Stephen C. Phillips | | Whig | 1834 | | Incumbent resigned September 28, 1838 to become Mayor of Salem.<br/>Whig hold.<br/>Successor also elected the same day to finish the current term. | nowrap |
|- ! | Caleb Cushing | | Whig | 1834 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Parmenter | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected late on the fourth ballot. | nowrap |
Fourth ballot <br/>
|- ! | Levi Lincoln Jr. | | Whig | 1834 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | George Grennell Jr. | | Whig | 1834 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | George N. Briggs | | Whig | 1830 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Calhoun | | Whig | 1834 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William S. Hastings | | Whig | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Nathaniel B. Borden | | Democratic | 1835 | | Incumbent lost re-election as a Whig.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | John Reed Jr. | | Whig | 1812<br/>1816 <br/>1820 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | John Quincy Adams | | Whig | 1830 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Isaac E. Crary | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
A special election was held in Mississippi on July 17âÂÂ18, 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.
|- ! rowspan=2 | <br/><small>(2 seats)</small> | Seargent S. Prentiss | | Whig | 1837 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap rowspan=2 | |- | Thomas J. Word | | Whig | 1837 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- ! | Thomas B. Jackson | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | James De La Montanya | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=4 | <br/> | Ogden Hoffman | | Whig | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | rowspan=4 nowrap |
|- | John McKeon | | Democratic | 1834 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain.
|- | Ely Moore | | Democratic | 1834 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain.
|- | Gideon Lee | | Democratic | 1835 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig Gain.
|- ! | Gouverneur Kemble | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Obadiah Titus | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Nathaniel Jones | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | John C. Brodhead | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Lemuel Paynter | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | <br/> | John Sergeant | | Whig | 1816<br/>1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | rowspan=2 nowrap |
|- | George W. Toland | | Whig | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected.
|- ! | Charles Naylor | | Whig | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=3 | <br/> | Edward Davies | | Anti-Masonic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | rowspan=3 nowrap |
|- | Edward Darlington | | Anti-Masonic | 1832 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Anti-Masonic hold.
|- | David Potts Jr. | | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Anti-Masonic hold.
|- ! | Jacob Fry Jr. | | Democratic | 1834 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Mathias Morris | | Whig | 1834 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | David D. Wagener | | Democratic | 1832 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Edward B. Hubley | | Democratic | 1834 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | George Keim | | Democratic | 1838 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Luther Reily | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Henry Logan | | Democratic | 1834 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Daniel Sheffer | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Charles McClure | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | William W. Potter | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | David Petrikin | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Robert H. Hammond | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Samuel W. Morris | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Charles Ogle | | Anti-Masonic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | John Klingensmith Jr. | | Democratic | 1832 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Andrew Buchanan | | Democratic | 1832 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Thomas M. T. McKennan | | Anti-Masonic | 1830 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Richard Biddle | | Anti-Masonic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Beatty | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Thomas Henry | | Anti-Masonic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Arnold Plumer | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
In the , Charles Naylor's election was unsuccessfully contested by Charles J. Ingersoll.
There were three special elections in Pennsylvania during the 26th Congress. The first was in the caused by the death of William W. Potter (Democratic) on October 28, 1839. This vacancy was filled by George McCulloch (Democratic). The second was in the caused by the resignation of Richard Biddle. This vacancy was filled by Henry M. Brackenridge (Whig). The third was in the caused by the death of William S. Ramsey (Democratic) on October 17, 1840. Ramsey had also been re-elected to the 27th Congress and so an additional special election was held the following May to fill the vacancy in the 27th Congress.
Elections held late, on August 1, 1839.
|- ! | William B. Carter | | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Abraham McClellan | | Democratic | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Joseph L. Williams | | Whig | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Stone | | Whig | 1837 (special) | |Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Hopkins L. Turney | | Democratic | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William B. Campbell | | Whig | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | John Bell | | Whig | 1827 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Abram P. Maury | | Whig | 1835 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | James K. Polk | | Democratic | 1825 | |Incumbent retired to run for Governor.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Ebenezer J. Shields | | Whig | 1835 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Richard Cheatham | | Whig | 1837 | |Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | John W. Crockett | | Whig | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Christopher H. Williams | | Whig | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Hiland Hall | | Whig | 1833 <small>(special)</small> | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Slade | | Whig | 1831 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Horace Everett | | Whig | 1828 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Heman Allen | | Whig | 1832 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | Second ballot
|- ! | Isaac Fletcher | | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Joel Holleman | | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Francis E. Rives | | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | John Winston Jones | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | George Dromgoole | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | James Bouldin | | 1834 <small>(special)</small> | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Walter Coles | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Archibald Stuart | | 1837 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Henry A. Wise | | Whig | 1833 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Robert M. T. Hunter | | Whig | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|- ! | John Taliaferro | | Whig | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | John Robertson | | Whig | 1834 <small>(special)</small> | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | James Garland | | 1835 | | Incumbent re-elected as a Conservative.<br/>Conservative gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Linn Banks | | 1838 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Charles F. Mercer | | Whig | 1817 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | James M. Mason | | 1837 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Isaac S. Pennybacker | | 1837 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Robert Craig | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | George W. Hopkins | | 1835 | | Incumbent re-elected as a Conservative.<br/>Conservative gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Andrew Beirne | | 1837 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Joseph Johnson | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William S. Morgan | | 1835 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | colspan=3 | None (new district) | | New seat.<br/>New delegate elected September 10, 1838.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Charles Downing | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected on an unknown date. | nowrap |
|- ! | William W. Chapman | | Democratic | 1838 | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>New delegate elected August 5, 1839, but election was invalidated due to a misdrafting of the a territorial statute, and Congress extended the term of the incumbent delegate to 1840. | nowrap |
|- ! | George Wallace Jones | | Democratic | 1836 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>New delegate elected in September 1838.<br/>Democratic hold.<br/>Incumbent claimed that prior 1836 election had entitled him to serve until March 1839, but the house disagreed and seated the winner January 14, 1839. | nowrap |