The 1842âÂÂ43 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between August 1, 1842, and November 8, 1843. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 28th United States Congress convened on December 4, 1843. The exception was Maryland, who held theirs so late that they ran into February 1844. These elections occurred during President John Tyler's term. The congressional reapportionment based on the 1840 United States census unusually decreased the number of House seats, from 242 down to 223.
After Whig President William Henry Harrison died within a month of taking office, his successor as president, John Tyler was only nominally a Whig who had not been properly validated for alignment to Whig policy. Effectively an independent, Tyler was disliked by politicians and was unpopular with voters of both parties, leaving the Whigs unexpectedly leaderless and in visible disarray.
Despite the improving economy, rural voters favored Democrats, again rejecting Whig economic nationalism. The Whig Party lost 69 seats and their sizeable majority from the 1840 election, almost half their House delegation (one of the Whigs who won re-election was William Wright of New Jersey, elected as an "Independent Whig").
The Democrats won a majority, flipping 48 Whig seats (this includes Henry Nes of Pennsylvania, elected as an Independent Democrat). In Rhode Island, the Law and Order Party, formed in response to the Dorr Rebellion, won both of Rhode Island's two seats.
Apportionment was based on the census of 1840 and was unusual in that the number of House seats was decreased, from 242 to 223: this came after the Apportionment Act of 1842 mandated that all members be elected from single-member contiguous districts, thus abolishing plural districts and at-large districts. Four states that did not comply with this new law delayed redistricting under a grandfather clause.
|- ! | Robert C. Winthrop | | Whig | 1840 | | Incumbent resigned May 25, 1842 due to the death of his wife.<br/>New member elected June 3, 1842.<br/>Whig hold.<br/>Winner would later resign and be replaced by his predecessor; see below. | nowrap |
|- ! | Nathan Appleton | | Whig | 1830<br/>1832 <br/>1842 | | Incumbent resigned September 28, 1842.<br/>New member elected November 14, 1842.<br/>Whig hold.<br/>Winner also elected to the next term; see below. | nowrap |
|- ! | Barker Burnell | | Whig | 1840 | | Incumbent died June 15, 1843.<br/>New member elected November 13, 1843 and seated December 7, 1843.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
Alabama gained 2 seats, going from 5 to 7 members. Elections were held August 7, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term. In the 1841 elections, Alabama briefly used at-large general-ticket elections, but in these elections it returned to districts.
|- ! | Benjamin Glover Shields<br/> | | Democratic | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | New seat | | New seat.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Dixon Hall Lewis<br/> | | Democratic | 1829 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Winter Payne<br/> | | Democratic | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | George S. Houston<br/> | | Democratic | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Reuben Chapman<br/> | | Democratic | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | Open seat | | New seat.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
Arkansas stayed at 1 seat, electing its one member at-large October 3, 1842.
|- ! | Edward Cross | | Democratic | 1838 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Connecticut lost 2 seats, reduced from 6 to 4 members. Elections were held April 5, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term, but before the House first convened in December 1843.
|- ! rowspan=2 | | Joseph Trumbull | | Whig | 1834<br/>1835 <br/>1839 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | rowspan=2 nowrap |
|- | John H. Brockway<br/> | | Whig | 1839 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig loss.
|- ! | William Boardman | | Whig | 1840 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | Thomas W. Williams | | Whig | 1839 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | rowspan=2 nowrap |
|- | Truman Smith<br/> | | Whig | 1839 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig loss.
|- ! | Thomas B. Osborne | | Whig | 1839 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
Delaware stayed at 1 seat, electing its one member at-large November 8, 1842.
The election was decided by a nine-vote margin.
|- ! | George B. Rodney | | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
Georgia lost 1 seat, going from 9 to 8 members. Elections were held at-large on a general ticket October 3, 1842.
|- ! rowspan=8 | <br/> | Mark A. Cooper | | Democratic | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected. | rowspan=8 nowrap | <br/>
|- | Thomas F. Foster | | Whig | 1828<br/>1834 <br/>1840 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- | Thomas B. King | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- | Roger L. Gamble | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- | James A. Meriwether | | Whig | 1840 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- | Richard W. Habersham | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain.<br/>Incumbent died December 2, 1842, leading to a special election.
|- | Edward J. Black | | Democratic | 1838<br/>1840 <br/>1841 | Incumbent re-elected.
|- | Walter T. Colquitt | | Democratic | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold.
Illinois gained 4 seats, going from 3 to 7 members. Elections were held August 7, 1842.
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Indiana gained 3 seats, going from 7 to 10 members. Elections were held August 7, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
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Kentucky lost 3 seats, going from 13 to 10 members. Elections were held August 7, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
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Louisiana gained 1 seats, going from 3 to 4 members. Elections were held July 3âÂÂ5, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
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Maine lost 1 seat, going from 8 to 7 members. Elections were held September 11, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
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Maryland lost 2 seats, going from 8 to 6 members. Elections were held February 14, 1844, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
Maryland's elections to the next Congress were held February 14, 1844, after the 1842âÂÂ1843 election cycle was passed and almost after the next Congress completed.
Massachusetts lost 2 seats, going from 12 to 10 members. Elections were held November 14, 1842, but some districts' elections stretched to multiple ballots into 1843 and very early 1844.
|- ! | Nathan Appleton | | Whig | 1830<br/>1833 <br/>1842 | | Incumbent resigned September 28, 1842.<br/>Whig hold.<br/>Successor also elected the same day to finish the current term; see above. | nowrap |
|- ! | Leverett Saltonstall I | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>New member elected on the fourth ballot.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
Fourth ballot <br/>
|- ! | Caleb Cushing | | Whig | 1834 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>New member elected on the seventh ballot.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
Seventh ballot <br/>
|- ! | William Parmenter | | Democratic | 1836 | Incumbent re-elected on the second ballot. | nowrap | Second ballot <br/>
|- ! | Charles Hudson | | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected on the third ballot. | nowrap |
Third ballot <br/>
|- ! | Osmyn Baker | | Whig | 1839 | Incumbent re-elected on the sixth ballot. | nowrap |
Sixth ballot <br/>
|- ! | George N. Briggs | | Whig | 1833 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>New member elected on the sixth ballot.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
Sixth ballot
|- ! | John Quincy Adams<br/> | | Whig | 1830 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Nathaniel B. Borden<br/> | | Democratic | 1834<br/>1838 <small>(lost)</small><br/>1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Barker Burnell<br/> | | Whig | 1840 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Michigan gained 2 seats, going from 1 to 3 members. Elections were held from districts November 8, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term, having previously elected a single member at-large.
|- ! | Jacob M. Howard<br> | | Whig | 1840 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | None | | New seat.<br>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | None | | New seat.<br>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
Mississippi gained 2 seats, going from 2 to 4 members. Elections were held at-large on a general ticket November 6âÂÂ7, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term. Due to a banking crisis in Mississippi, the state Democratic party was split into two factions; the Redemptions, which favored the repudiation of bank bonds, and Anti-Redemptions, which opposed it.
|- ! rowspan=4 | <br/><small>(4 seats)</small> | Jacob Thompson | | Democratic | 1839 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap rowspan=4 | |- | William M. Gwin | | Democratic | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. |- | colspan=3 | None (new seat) | | New seat.<br/>Democratic gain. |- | colspan=3 | None (new seat) | | New seat.<br/>Democratic gain.
Missouri gained 3 seats, going from 2 to 5 members. Elections were held at-large on a general ticket August 1, 1842.
|- ! rowspan=5 | <br/> | | | | | rowspan=5 nowrap |
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New Hampshire lost 1 seat, going from 5 to 4 members. Elections were held at-large on a general ticket March 3, 1843.
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New Jersey lost 1 seats, going from 6 to 5 members. Elections were held from districts October 8, 1842, having previously elected them at-large.
|- ! | Joseph Fitz Randolph<br/> | | Whig | 1836 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | John B. Aycrigg<br/> | | Whig | 1836<br/>1838 <br/>1840 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Halstead<br/> | | Whig | 1836<br/>1838 <br/>1840 | | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | John Patterson Bryan Maxwell<br/> | | Whig | 1836<br/>1838 <br/>1840 | | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | Charles C. Stratton<br/> | | Whig | 1836<br/>1838 <br/>1840 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | rowspan=2 nowrap |
|- | Thomas Jones Yorke<br/> | | Whig | 1836<br/>1838 <br/>1840 | | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost.<br/>Whig loss.
New York lost 6 seats, going from 40 to 34 members, but remaining the largest delegation. Its thirty-four members were elected November 8, 1842.
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North Carolina lost 4 seats, going from 13 to 9 members. Elections were held August 3, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
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Ohio gained 2 seats, going from 19 to 21 members. Its twenty-one members were elected October 10, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
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Pennsylvania lost 4 seats, going from 28 to 24 members. Its twenty-four members were elected October 10, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
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Rhode Island stayed at 2 seats, but elected its members from districts, having previously elected them at-large. Elections were held August 29, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
|- ! | Robert B. Cranston<br/> | | Whig | 1837 | | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost re-election.<br/>Law and Order gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Joseph L. Tillinghast<br/> | | Whig | 1837 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Law and Order gain. | nowrap |
South Carolina lost 2 seats, going from 9 to 7 members. Elections were held February 20âÂÂ21, 1843.
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Tennessee lost 2 seats, going from 13 to 11 members. Elections were held August 3, 1842.
|- ! | Thomas D. Arnold | | Whig | 1841 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Abraham McClellan | | Democratic | 1837 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | Joseph L. Williams | | Whig | 1837 | | Incumbent lost renomination.<br/>Whig loss. | rowspan=2 nowrap | |- | Thomas J. Campbell<br/> | | Whig | 1841 | |Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- ! | colspan=3 | None (new district) | |New district.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Hopkins L. Turney | | Democratic | 1837 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | William B. Campbell | | Whig | 1837 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig loss. | nowrap rowspan=2 | |- | Aaron V. Brown<br/> | | Democratic | 1839 | Incumbent re-elected.
|- ! | Robert L. Caruthers | | Whig | 1841 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Meredith P. Gentry | | Whig | 1839 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | Harvey M. Watterson | | Democratic | 1839 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic loss. | nowrap rowspan=2 | |- | Cave Johnson<br/> | | Democratic | 1839 | Incumbent re-elected.
|- ! | colspan=3 | None (new district) | | New district.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Milton Brown<br/> | | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
Vermont lost 1 seat, going from 5 to 4 members. Elections were held September 5, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
|- ! | Hiland Hall | | Whig | 1833 <small>(special)</small> | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | William Slade | | Whig | 1831 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig hold. | nowrap rowspan=2 | Second ballot
|- | Horace Everett<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1828 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig loss.
|- ! | colspan=3 | None (new district) | | New district.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Augustus Young | | Whig | 1840 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! ' | Isaac Fletcher | | Whig | 1840 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>District eliminated.<br/>Whig loss. | None
Virginia lost 6 seats, going from 21 to 15 members. Elections were held April 27, 1843, after the March 4, 1843 beginning of the term.
|- ! | Francis Mallory | | Whig | 1840 <small>(special)</small> | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | George B. Cary | | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap rowspan=2 |
|- | William Goode<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic loss.
|- ! | Walter Coles<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Edmund W. Hubard<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | William L. Goggin<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1839 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig loss. | nowrap rowspan=2 |
|- | Thomas W. Gilmer<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1841 | | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- ! rowspan=2 | | John Winston Jones<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap rowspan=2 |
|- | John Botts<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1839 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig loss.
|- ! | Henry A. Wise<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1833 | | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Robert M. T. Hunter<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Independent | 1837 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Smith<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1841 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Whig gain. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=2 | | John Taliaferro | | Whig | 1835 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig loss. | nowrap rowspan=2 |
|- | Richard W. Barton<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain.
|- ! | Alexander H. H. Stuart<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1841 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | None (new district) | | New district.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | George W. Hopkins<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1835 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! rowspan=3 | | Cuthbert Powell | | Whig | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Whig loss. | nowrap rowspan=3 |
|- | Samuel L. Hays<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1841 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic loss.
|- | George W. Summers<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | Whig | 1841 | Incumbent re-elected.
|- ! | Lewis Steenrod<br/><small>Redistricted from the </small> | | 1839 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! ' | William A. Harris | | 1841 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>District eliminated.<br/>Democratic loss. | nowrap | None
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | David Levy Yulee | | Democratic | 1840 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Augustus C. Dodge | | Democratic | 1840 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
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