1851 United States Senate election in New York
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The 1851 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 4 and March 18–19, 1851, by the
Background
Daniel S. Dickinson (Dem.) had been elected in 1845 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1851.
At this time the
At the
Candidates
Ex-
Election
Hamilton Fish belonged to the Seward/Weed faction, but was also a close friend of
The State Legislature met on February 4, the legally prescribed day, to elect a U.S. Senator. In the Assembly, Fish received a majority of 78 to 49. In the State Senate the vote stood 16 for Fish and 16 votes for a variety of candidates, among them Beekman's vote for Francis Granger. After a second ballot with the same result, Beekman moved to adjourn, which was carried by the casting vote of the lieutenant governor, and no nomination was made.
On February 14, Senator George B. Guinnip offered a resolution to declare John Adams Dix elected to the U.S. Senate. On motion of Senator George R. Babcock, the resolution was laid on the table, i.e. consideration was postponed.
On February 15, Guinnip again offered a resolution to declare John Adams Dix elected to the U.S. Senate. Senator Stephen H. Johnson offered an amendment to this resolution, declaring Daniel S. Dickinson elected. On motion of Senator Marius Schoonmaker, the resolution was laid on the table too.
On March 18, when two Democratic State Senators were absent, having gone to New York City, the Whigs persuaded the Democrats in a 14-hour session to re-open the U.S. Senate election, and in the small hours of March 19 Fish was nominated by a vote of 16 to 12 (Beekman, Johnson [both Whigs], Thomas B. Carroll and William A. Dart [both Dem.] did not vote).
Result
Fish was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
| Office | Candidate | Party | Senate (32 members) February 4 (first ballot) |
Senate (32 members) February 4 (second ballot) |
Assembly (128 members) February 4 |
Senate (32 members) March 19 |
Assembly (128 members) March 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Senator
|
Hamilton Fish | Whig
|
16 | 16 | 78 | 16 | 68 |
| John Adams Dix | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | 29 | 6 | 6 | |
| James T. Brady[1] | Democratic
|
7 | |||||
| Horatio Seymour | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Francis Granger | Whig
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Aaron Ward | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Daniel S. Dickinson | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Arphaxed Loomis | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Amasa J. Parker | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| David Buel Jr. | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
| Augustus C. Hand | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
John Hunter
|
Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
| John Fine | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
| Levi S. Chatfield | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
| John Tracy | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
| Abraham Bockee | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
George Rathbun
|
Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
| Timothy Jenkins | Democratic
|
1 | 1 | ||||
| William L. Marcy | Democratic
|
1 | |||||
| Washington Irving | 1 | ||||||
| John L. Riker[2] | 1 | ||||||
| Erastus Corning | Democratic
|
1 | |||||
| Levi S. Chatfield | Democratic
|
1 | |||||
| George Wood | 1 | ||||||
| Daniel Lord | 1 | ||||||
| James S. Wadsworth | Democratic
|
1 | |||||
| William C. Bouck | Democratic
|
1 |
Aftermath
Fish took his seat on December 1, 1851, and remained in office until March 3, 1857.
See also
- United States Senate elections, 1850 and 1851
Notes
- 1860
- ^ John Lawrence Riker (1787-1861), lawyer
Sources
- The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators [gives wrong date for election "November 19"]; pg. 137 for state senators 1851; pg. 240ff for Members of Assembly 1851)
- Members of the 32nd United States Congress
- Hamilton Fish by Amos Elwood Corning (pages 35ff)
- Result Assembly: Journal of the Assembly (74th Session) (1851; Vol. I, pg. 268f and 662)
- Result Senate: Journal of the Senate (74th Session) (1851; pg. 136f and 322)
- The Papers of Henry Clay (Vol. 10; page 859)
- The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party by Michael F. Holt (pages 649f)