1856–57 United States House of Representatives elections

←  1854 & 1855 August 4, 1856 – November 4, 1857 [a] 1858 & 1859 →
All 237 seats in the United States House of Representatives 118 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader James Orr Galusha A. Grow Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat South Carolina 5th Pennsylvania 14th Last election 81 seats 46 seats [b] Seats won 132 90 Seat change 51 45 Popular vote 1,805,827 1,425,265 Percentage 46.85% 36.98% Swing 2.90% 21.36% [c]   Third party Fourth party   Party Know Nothing Independent Last election 51 seats 1 seats [d] Seats won 14 1 [e] Seat change 37 Popular vote 586,254 34,120 [f] Percentage 15.21% 0.89% Swing 4.35% 1.72%
Results      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Know Nothing gain      Know Nothing hold
Speaker before election Nathaniel Banks Know Nothing Elected Speaker James Orr Democratic

The 1856–57 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between August 4, 1856, and November 4, 1857. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives. 236 representatives were elected in 31 states and the pending new state of Minnesota before the first session of the 35th United States Congress convened on December 7, 1857.

The elections briefly returned a semblance of normalcy to the Democratic Party, restoring its House majority alongside the election of Democratic President James Buchanan. However, superficial victory masked severe, ultimately irretrievable divisions over slavery. Voters next would return a Democratic House majority only in 1874.

Party realignments continued. In 1856, the Whig Party disbanded, the Know Nothing movement declined, and its vehicle, the American Party, began to collapse. Many Northern Whig, American, and other Opposition Party Representatives joined the new, rapidly consolidating Republican Party, which contested the Presidency in 1856. Though the Republican Party did not yet demand abolition, its attitude toward slavery was stridently negative. It was an openly sectional Northern party opposing fugitive slave laws and slavery in the territories, and for the first time offered a mainstream platform to outspoken abolitionists.

In March 1857, after almost all Northern states had voted, the Supreme Court issued its infamous Dred Scott decision, amplifying tensions and hardening voter divisions. Remaining elections were concentrated in the South. Southern voters widely drove the American Party from office, rallying to the Democrats in firm opposition to the Republicans.

In October 1857, the pending new state of Minnesota elected its first Representatives, to be seated by the 35th Congress. Between the admissions of Vermont in 1791 and Wisconsin in 1848, Congress had admitted new states roughly in pairs: one slave, one free. California was admitted alone as a free state in 1850 only as part of a comprehensive compromise including significant concessions to slave state interests. Admission of Minnesota in May 1858, also alone but with no such deal, helped expose the declining influence of the South, destroying the formerly binding concept that slave and free state power was best kept in balance even in the Senate while solidifying a sense that the West would exclude slavery.

Election summaries

Two seats were added for the new state of Minnesota, ^[1] which was unrepresented for part of the 1st session.

↓

133	14	90
Democratic	KN	Republican

State	Type	Date	Total seats	Democratic		Know Nothing		Republican
				Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change [g]
Arkansas	District	August 4, 1856	2	2		0		0
Iowa	District		2	0	1	0		2	1
Missouri	District		7	5 [e]	4	2	2	0	6
Vermont	District	September 2, 1856	3	0		0		3
Maine	District	September 8, 1856	6	0	1	0		6	1
Florida	At-large	October 6, 1856	1	1		0		0
South Carolina	District	October 13–14, 1856	6	6		0		0
Indiana	District	October 14, 1856	11	6	4	0		5	4
Ohio	District		21	9	9	0		12	9
Pennsylvania	District		25	15	8	0	1	10	7
California	At-large	November 4, 1856 ( Election Day) [h]	2	2		0		0
Delaware	At-large		1	1	1	0	1	0
Illinois	District		9	5		0		4
Massachusetts	District		11	0		0	11	11	11
Michigan	District		4	0	1	0		4	1
New Jersey	District		5	3	2	0		2	2
New York	District		33	12	7	0	3	21	4
Wisconsin	District		3	0	1	0		3	1
New Hampshire	District	March 10, 1857	3	0		0	3	3	3
Rhode Island	District	April 1, 1857	2	0		0	2	2	2
Connecticut	District	April 6, 1857	4	2	2	0	4	2	2
Virginia	District	May 28, 1857	13	13	1	0	1	0
Alabama	District	August 3, 1857	7	7	2	0	2	0
Kentucky	District		10	8	4	2	4	0
Texas	District		2	2	1	0	1	0
North Carolina	District	August 6, 1857	8	7	2	1	2	0
Tennessee	District		10	7	2	3	2	0
Georgia	District	October 5, 1857	8	6		2		0
Mississippi	District	October 5–6, 1857	5	5	1	0	1	0
Minnesota	At-large	October 13, 1857 [i]	2	2	2	0		0
Louisiana	District	November 3, 1857	4	3		1		0
Maryland	District	November 4, 1857	6	3	1	3	1	0
Total			236	133 [e] 56.1%	50 [e]	14 5.9%	37	90 38.0%	10 [g]

Popular vote Democratic   46.85% Republican   36.98% Know Nothing   15.21% Independent   0.89% Others   0.07%

House seats Democratic   55.70% Republican   37.97% Know Nothing   5.91% Independent   0.42%

Special elections

There were a total of thirteen special elections in 1856 and 1857 during the 34th and 35th Congresses.

34th Congress

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member / Delegate	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
South Carolina 3	Laurence M. Keitt	Democratic	1853	Incumbent resigned July 15, 1856, following the caning of Charles Sumner. Incumbent re-elected July 29, 1856.	▌Y Laurence M. Keitt (Democratic) 100.0%
South Carolina 4	Preston Brooks	Democratic	1853	Incumbent resigned July 15, 1856, following the caning of Charles Sumner. Incumbent re-elected July 29, 1856.	▌Y Preston Brooks (Democratic) 100.0%
Missouri 5	John Gaines Miller	Whig	1850	Incumbent died May 11, 1856. New member elected August 4, 1856. Know Nothing gain. Winner was not candidate for full term, see below.	▌Y Thomas Peter Akers (Know Nothing) 55.8% ▌ Claiborne Fox Jackson (Democratic) 44.2%
Illinois 5	William Alexander Richardson	Democratic	1847 (special)	Incumbent resigned August 25, 1856, to run for governor of Illinois. New member elected November 4, 1856. Winner was not candidate for full term, see below.	▌Y Jacob C. Davis (Democratic) 52.6% ▌ Thomas C. Sharp (Republican) 35.2% ▌James B. Kyle (Unknown) 12.2%
Illinois 7	James C. Allen	Democratic	1852	Incumbent resigned July 18, 1856, amid election challenge. Incumbent re-elected November 4, 1856. Winner was not candidate for full term, see below.	▌Y James C. Allen (Democratic) 56.3% ▌ William Beatty Archer (Whig) 43.7%
Illinois 8	Vacant			Rep.-elect Lyman Trumbull (D) was later elected U.S. senator and took office March 4, 1855. New member elected November 4, 1856. Democratic hold. Winner was not candidate for full term, see below.	▌Y James L. D. Morrison (Democratic) 56.0% ▌John Thomas (Republican) 42.9% ▌William H. Short (Unknown) 1.2%
Virginia 1	Thomas H. Bayly	Democratic	1853	Incumbent died June 23, 1856. New member elected November 4, 1856. Democratic hold.	▌Y Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett (Democratic) 51.6% ▌ Robert Saunders Jr. (Know Nothing) 48.4%
Kansas Territory at-large	John Wilkins Whitfield	Democratic	1854	Seat declared vacant August 1, 1856. Incumbent re-elected November 5, 1856.	▌Y John Wilkins Whitfield (Democratic) ▌ Andrew Horatio Reeder (Republican) [2]
Vermont 1	James Meacham	Whig	1849 (special)	Incumbent died August 23, 1856. New member elected December 1, 1856. Republican gain.	▌Y George Tisdale Hodges (Republican) 79.8% ▌ Stoddard B. Colby (Democratic) 20.2%

35th Congress

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Missouri 3	Vacant			Rep.-elect James S. Green (D) was later elected U.S. senator and took office January 12, 1857. New member elected August 3, 1857. Democratic hold.	▌Y John Bullock Clark (Democratic) 58.7% ▌Joseph M. Collins (Know Nothing) 41.3%
Indiana 1	James Lockhart	Democratic	1851 1852 (retired) 1856	Incumbent died September 7, 1857. New member elected October 7, 1857. Democratic hold.	▌Y William E. Niblack (Democratic) 99.5%
Indiana 10	Samuel Brenton	Republican	1854	Incumbent died March 29, 1857. New member elected October 7, 1857. Republican hold.	▌Y Charles Case (Republican) 52.3% ▌ James Worden (Democratic) 47.7%
Pennsylvania 12	John Gallagher Montgomery	Democratic	1856	Incumbent died April 24, 1857. New member elected October 13, 1857. Democratic hold.	▌Y Paul Leidy (Democratic) 61.0% ▌Smith Thompson (Republican) 39.0%

Alabama

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Alabama 1	Percy Walker	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y James Adams Stallworth (Democratic) 62.0% ▌John McCaskill (Know Nothing) 38.0%
Alabama 2	Eli Sims Shorter	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Eli Sims Shorter (Democratic) 62.4% ▌Batt Peterson (Know Nothing) 37.6%
Alabama 3	James Ferguson Dowdell	Democratic	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James Ferguson Dowdell (Democratic) 50.3% ▌Thomas J. Judge (Know Nothing) 49.7%
Alabama 4	William Russell Smith	Know Nothing	1851	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Sydenham Moore (Democratic) 56.5% ▌ William Russell Smith (Know Nothing) 43.5%
Alabama 5	George S. Houston	Democratic	1841 1849 (retired) 1851	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y George S. Houston (Democratic) 55.1% ▌ David Hubbard (Democratic) 44.9%
Alabama 6	Williamson Robert Winfield Cobb	Democratic	1847	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Williamson Robert Winfield Cobb (Democratic) 62.4% ▌Henry Sanford (Democratic) 37.6%
Alabama 7	Sampson Willis Harris	Democratic	1847	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry (Democratic) 98.5%

Arkansas

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Arkansas 1	Alfred B. Greenwood	Democratic	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Alfred B. Greenwood (Democratic) 71.4% ▌Hugh Thomason (Know Nothing) 28.6% [3]
Arkansas 2	Albert Rust	Democratic	1854	Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Edward A. Warren (Democratic) 57.6% ▌ Absalom Fowler (Know Nothing) 42.4% [3]

California

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
California at-large 2 seats on a general ticket	James W. Denver	Democratic	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Charles L. Scott (Democratic) 29.9% ▌Y Joseph C. McKibbin (Democratic) 21.0% ▌A. B. Dibble (Know Nothing) 20.7% ▌Ira P. Rankin (Independent) 13.0% ▌J. N. Turner (Republican) 12.5%
	Philemon T. Herbert	Democratic	1854	Incumbent retired after manslaughter acquittal. New member elected. Democratic hold.

Connecticut

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Connecticut 1	Ezra Clark Jr.	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Ezra Clark Jr. (Republican) 51.3% ▌Richard P. Hubbard (Democratic) 48.7%
Connecticut 2	John Woodruff	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Samuel Arnold (Democratic) 51.3% ▌ John Woodruff (Republican) 48.7%
Connecticut 3	Sidney Dean	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Sidney Dean (Republican) 54.6% ▌James A. Hovey (Democratic) 45.4%
Connecticut 4	William W. Welch	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y William D. Bishop (Democratic) 50.1% ▌ Orris S. Ferry (Republican) 49.9%

Delaware

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Delaware at-large	Elisha D. Cullen	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y William G. Whiteley (Democratic) 56.0% ▌ Elisha D. Cullen (Know Nothing) 44.0%

Florida

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Florida at-large	Augustus Maxwell	Democratic	1852	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y George S. Hawkins (Democratic) 53.1% ▌ James McNair Baker (Know Nothing) 46.9%

Georgia

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Georgia 1	James Lindsay Seward	Democratic	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James Lindsay Seward (Democratic) 51.2% ▌ Francis S. Bartow (Know Nothing) 44.4% ▌C. S. Gaulden (Independent) 4.4%
Georgia 2	Martin Jenkins Crawford	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Martin Jenkins Crawford (Democratic) 56.1% ▌Samuel C. Elam (Know Nothing) 43.9%
Georgia 3	Robert Pleasant Trippe	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert Pleasant Trippe (Know Nothing) 51.7% ▌ David Jackson Bailey (Democratic) 48.3%
Georgia 4	Hiram B. Warner	Democratic	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell (Democratic) 53.6% ▌M. M. Tidwell (Know Nothing) 46.4%
Georgia 5	John Henry Lumpkin	Democratic	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Augustus Romaldus Wright (Democratic) 61.2% ▌J. W. Hooper (Know Nothing) 36.1% ▌Tatum [j] (Democratic) 2.7%
Georgia 6	Howell Cobb	Democratic	1842 1851 (retired) 1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y James Jackson (Democratic) 56.5% ▌Simmons [j] (Independent) 43.5%
Georgia 7	Nathaniel Greene Foster	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Know Nothing hold.	▌Y Joshua Hill (Know Nothing) 51.5% ▌Linton Stephens (Democratic) 48.5%
Georgia 8	Alexander H. Stephens	Democratic	1843 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Alexander H. Stephens (Democratic) 57.1% ▌Thomas W. Miller (Know Nothing) 42.9%

Illinois

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Illinois 1	Elihu B. Washburne	Republican	1852	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Elihu B. Washburne (Republican) 73.9% ▌ Richard S. Molony (Democratic) 25.0% ▌B. D. Eastman (Know Nothing) 1.0%
Illinois 2	James Hutchinson Woodworth	Republican	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y John F. Farnsworth (Republican) 67.2% ▌John Vannortwick (Democratic) 30.6% ▌B. F. James (Know Nothing) 2.2%
Illinois 3	Jesse O. Norton	Republican	1852	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Owen Lovejoy (Republican) 59.5% ▌Uri Osgood (Democratic) 40.5%
Illinois 4	James Knox	Republican	1852	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y William Kellogg (Republican) 51.1% ▌James W. Davidson (Democratic) 45.8% ▌Arthur H. Griffith (Know Nothing) 3.1%
Illinois 5	Vacant			Rep. William Alexander Richardson (D) resigned August 25, 1856, to run for governor of Illinois. New member elected. Democratic hold. Winner was not candidate for unexpired term, see above.	▌Y Isaac N. Morris (Democratic) 53.7% ▌Jackson Grimshaw (Republican) 45.8% ▌James S. Irwin (Know Nothing) 0.5%
Illinois 6	Thomas L. Harris	Democratic	1848 1850 (lost) 1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Thomas L. Harris (Democratic) 58.0% ▌John Williams (Republican) 42.0%
Illinois 7	Vacant			Rep. James C. Allen (D) resigned July 18, 1856, amid election contest. New member elected. Democratic hold. Winner was not candidate for unexpired term, see above.	▌Y Aaron Shaw (Democratic) 56.8% ▌ Henry P. H. Bromwell (Republican) 43.2%
Illinois 8	Vacant			Rep.-elect Lyman Trumbull (D) was later elected U.S. senator and took office March 4, 1855. New member elected. Democratic hold. Winner was not candidate for unexpired term, see above.	▌Y Robert Smith (Democratic) 60.1% ▌James D. Lansing (Republican) 39.9%
Illinois 9	Samuel S. Marshall	Democratic	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Samuel S. Marshall (Democratic) 82.4% ▌Benjamin Ladd Wiley (Republican) 17.6%

Indiana

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Indiana 1	Smith Miller	Democratic	1852	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y James Lockhart (Democratic) 61.5% ▌James G. Veach (Republican) 38.5%
Indiana 2	William Hayden English	Democratic	1852	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William Hayden English (Democratic) 57.2% ▌John M. Wilson (Republican) 42.8%
Indiana 3	George Grundy Dunn	People's	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y James Hughes (Democratic) 53.8% ▌John A. Hendricks (Republican) 46.2%
Indiana 4	William Cumback	People's	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y James Bradford Foley (Democratic) 53.7% ▌ William Cumback (Republican) 46.3%
Indiana 5	David P. Holloway	People's	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y David Kilgore (Republican) 60.8% ▌Edmund Johnson (Democratic) 39.2%
Indiana 6	Lucien Barbour	People's	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y James M. Gregg (Democratic) 52.1% ▌ John Coburn (Republican) 47.9%
Indiana 7	Harvey D. Scott	People's	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y John G. Davis (Democratic) 53.9% ▌ John Palmer Usher (Republican) 46.1%
Indiana 8	Daniel Mace	People's	1851	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y James Wilson (Republican) 50.5% ▌ Daniel W. Voorhees (Democratic) 49.5%
Indiana 9	Schuyler Colfax	People's	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Schuyler Colfax (Republican) 52.1% ▌William Z. Stewart (Democratic) 47.9%
Indiana 10	Samuel Brenton	People's	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Samuel Brenton (Republican) 51.7% ▌ Robert Lowry (Democratic) 48.3%
Indiana 11	John U. Pettit	People's	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y John U. Pettit (Republican) 51.8% ▌William Garver (Democratic) 48.2%

Iowa

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Iowa 1	Augustus Hall	Democratic	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Samuel Ryan Curtis (Republican) 50.2% ▌ Augustus Hall (Democratic) 47.5% ▌John J. Selman (Know Nothing) 2.3%
Iowa 2	James Thorington	Whig	1854	Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Timothy Davis (Republican) 58.0% ▌ Shepherd Leffler (Democratic) 42.0%

Kansas Territory

See non-voting delegates, below.

Kentucky

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Kentucky 1	Henry Cornelius Burnett	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Henry Cornelius Burnett (Democratic) 75.3% ▌Owen Grimes (Know Nothing) 24.7%
Kentucky 2	John P. Campbell Jr.	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent withdrew. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Samuel Peyton (Democratic) 53.9% ▌ James Leeper Johnson (Know Nothing) 46.1%
Kentucky 3	Warner Underwood	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Warner Underwood (Know Nothing) 50.8% ▌ Joseph Horace Lewis (Democratic) 49.2%
Kentucky 4	Albert G. Talbott	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Albert G. Talbott (Democratic) 50.6% ▌ William Clayton Anderson (Know Nothing) 49.4%
Kentucky 5	Joshua Jewett	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Joshua Jewett (Democratic) 59.6% ▌ Bryan Young (Know Nothing) 40.4%
Kentucky 6	John Milton Elliott	Democratic	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Milton Elliott (Democratic) 55.7% ▌John A. Moore (Know Nothing) 44.3%
Kentucky 7	Humphrey Marshall	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Humphrey Marshall (Know Nothing) 55.0% ▌Thomas H. Holt (Democratic) 45.0%
Kentucky 8	Alexander Keith Marshall	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y James Brown Clay (Democratic) 50.5% ▌ Roger Hanson (Know Nothing) 49.5%
Kentucky 9	Leander Cox	Know Nothing	1853	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y John Calvin Mason (Democratic) 52.0% ▌ Leander Cox (Know Nothing) 48.0%
Kentucky 10	Samuel F. Swope	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y John W. Stevenson (Democratic) 67.6% ▌William L. Rankin (Know Nothing) 32.4%

Louisiana

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Louisiana 1	George Eustis Jr.	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y George Eustis Jr. (Know Nothing) 60.4% ▌Charles J. Villiers (Democratic) 39.6%
Louisiana 2	Miles Taylor	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Miles Taylor (Democratic) 50.3% ▌ Glendy Burke (Know Nothing) 49.7%
Louisiana 3	Thomas G. Davidson	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Thomas G. Davidson (Democratic) 43.0% ▌George W. Watterson (Know Nothing) 35.4% ▌Laurent J. Sigur (Independent) 21.6%
Louisiana 4	John M. Sandidge	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John M. Sandidge (Democratic) 63.5% ▌W. H. Sparks (Know Nothing) 36.5%

Maine

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Maine 1	John M. Wood	Republican	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John M. Wood (Republican) 53.4% ▌ Josiah S. Little (Democratic) 46.6%
Maine 2	John J. Perry	Republican	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Charles J. Gilman (Republican) 57.3% ▌Eben F. Pillsbury (Democratic) 42.7%
Maine 3	Ebenezer Knowlton	Republican	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Nehemiah Abbott (Republican) 56.1% ▌Henry Ingalls (Democratic) 43.9%
Maine 4	Samuel P. Benson	Republican	1852	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Samuel P. Benson (Republican) 65.1% ▌ David Bronson (Democratic) 34.9%
Maine 5	Israel Washburn Jr.	Republican	1850	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Israel Washburn Jr. (Republican) 60.1% ▌Abraham Sanborn (Democratic) 39.9%
Maine 6	Thomas J. D. Fuller	Democratic	1848	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Stephen Clark Foster (Republican) 52.9% ▌Amo Wiswell (Democratic) 47.1%

Maryland

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Maryland 1
Maryland 2
Maryland 3
Maryland 4
Maryland 5
Maryland 6

Massachusetts

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Massachusetts 1	Robert B. Hall	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Robert B. Hall (Republican) 69.73% ▌Moses Bates (Democratic) 16.14% ▌Daniel Fisher (American) 14.12%
Massachusetts 2	James Buffinton	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y James Buffinton (Republican) 68.25% ▌Charles R. Vickery (Democratic) 20.58% ▌Darius Dunbar (American) 7.03%
Massachusetts 3	William S. Damrell	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y William S. Damrell (Republican) 61.57% ▌Arthur W. Austin (Democratic) 29.96% ▌Alfred B. Ely (American) 8.47%
Massachusetts 4	Linus B. Comins	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Linus B. Comins (Republican) 45.92% ▌Charles Greene (Democratic) 39.22% ▌Benjamin F. Cooke (American) 14.85%
Massachusetts 5	Anson Burlingame	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Anson Burlingame (Republican) 50.26% ▌ William Appleton (American) 49.74%
Massachusetts 6	Timothy Davis	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Timothy Davis (Republican) 69.39% ▌Nathaniel J. Lord (Democratic) 22.21% ▌Benjamin Perley (American) 7.74% Scattering 0.66%
Massachusetts 7	Nathaniel P. Banks	Know Nothing	1852	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Nathaniel P. Banks (Republican) 61.95% ▌Isaac H. Wright (Democratic) 26.31% ▌Isaac Story (American) 11.74%
Massachusetts 8	Chauncey L. Knapp	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Chauncey L. Knapp (Republican) 70.36% ▌ Benjamin Butler (Democratic) 26.97% ▌Abiel Lewis (American) 2.66%
Massachusetts 9	Alexander DeWitt	Know Nothing	1852	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Eli Thayer (Republican) 53.69% ▌ Alexander DeWitt (American) 26.57% ▌Nathaniel Wood (Democratic) 17.98% ▌Alfred Mowrey (American) 1.76%
Massachusetts 10	Calvin C. Chaffee	Know Nothing	1855 (special)	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Calvin C. Chaffee (Republican) 72.66% ▌William C. Fowler (American) 27.34%
Massachusetts 11	Mark Trafton	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Henry L. Dawes (Republican) 43.85% ▌ Mark Trafton (American) 27.41% ▌Josiah D. Weston (Democratic) 28.74%

Michigan

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Michigan 1	William A. Howard	Republican	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William A. Howard (Republican) 51.6% ▌ George V. N. Lothrop (Democratic) 48.4% [4]
Michigan 2	Henry Waldron	Republican	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Henry Waldron (Republican) 62.1% ▌ John S. Barry (Democratic) 37.9% [5]
Michigan 3	David S. Walbridge	Republican	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y David S. Walbridge (Republican) 59.3% ▌Flavius Littlejohn (Democratic) 40.7% [6]
Michigan 4	George W. Peck	Democratic	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Dewitt C. Leach (Republican) 55.7% ▌ George W. Peck (Democratic) 44.3% [7]

Minnesota

Minnesota Territory elected three members in advance of Minnesota's 1848 statehood. "Although three men won this election, which was held before Minnesota was actually a state, only two representatives from Minnesota were allowed in the congressional bill creating the state in 1858. George L. Becker lost in the drawing of lots to decide who would present their credentials, therefore he did not serve in Congress." ^[8]

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Minnesota at-large 2 seats on a general ticket	None (New seat)			New state would be admitted May 11, 1858. New member elected. Democratic gain.	Elected on a general ticket: ▌Y William Wallace Phelps (Democratic) 17.3% ▌Y James Michael Cavanaugh (Democratic) 17.2% ▌Y George Loomis Becker (Democratic) 17.1% [8] ▌ Henry Adoniram Swift (Republican) 16.2% ▌ Cyrus Aldrich (Republican) 16.1% ▌ Morton S. Wilkinson (Republican) 16.1%
	None (New seat)			New state would be admitted May 11, 1858. New member elected. Democratic gain.

Mississippi

Elections held late, from October 5 to 6, 1857.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Mississippi 1	Daniel B. Wright	Democratic	1853	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Lucius Q. C. Lamar (Democratic) 63.76% ▌ James L. Alcorn (Know Nothing) 36.24% [9]
Mississippi 2	Hendley S. Bennett	Democratic	1855	Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Reuben Davis (Democratic) 65.30% ▌ Charles Clark (Know Nothing) 34.70% [10]
Mississippi 3	William Barksdale	Democratic	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William Barksdale (Democratic) 98.21% Scattering 1.79% [11]
Mississippi 4	William A. Lake	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Otho R. Singleton (Democratic) 55.04% ▌ William A. Lake (Know Nothing) 44.97% [12]
Mississippi 5	John A. Quitman	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John A. Quitman (Democratic) 98.47% Scattering 1.53% [13]

Missouri

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Missouri 1
Missouri 2
Missouri 3
Missouri 4
Missouri 5
Missouri 6
Missouri 7

Nebraska Territory

See non-voting delegates, below.

New Hampshire

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New Hampshire 1
New Hampshire 2
New Hampshire 3

New Jersey

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New Jersey 1
New Jersey 2
New Jersey 3
New Jersey 4
New Jersey 5

New York

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
New York 1
New York 2
New York 3
New York 4
New York 5
New York 6
New York 7
New York 8
New York 9
New York 10
New York 11
New York 12
New York 13
New York 14
New York 15
New York 16
New York 17
New York 18
New York 19
New York 20
New York 21
New York 22
New York 23
New York 24
New York 25
New York 26
New York 27
New York 28
New York 29
New York 30
New York 31
New York 32
New York 33

North Carolina

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
North Carolina 1
North Carolina 2
North Carolina 3
North Carolina 4
North Carolina 5
North Carolina 6
North Carolina 7
North Carolina 8

Ohio

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Ohio 1
Ohio 2
Ohio 3
Ohio 4
Ohio 5
Ohio 6
Ohio 7
Ohio 8
Ohio 9
Ohio 10
Ohio 11
Ohio 12
Ohio 13
Ohio 14
Ohio 15
Ohio 16
Ohio 17
Ohio 18
Ohio 19
Ohio 20
Ohio 21

Oregon Territory

See non-voting delegates, below.

Pennsylvania

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Pennsylvania 1	Thomas B. Florence	Democratic	1850	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Thomas B. Florence (Democratic) 56.62% ▌Edward B. Knight (Republican) 43.38%
Pennsylvania 2	Job R. Tyson	Whig	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Edward Joy Morris (Republican) 51.58% ▌John A. Marshall (Democratic) 48.42%
Pennsylvania 3	William Millward	Opposition	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y James Landy (Democratic) 54.02% ▌ William Millward (Unionist) 45.98%
Pennsylvania 4	Jacob Broom	Know Nothing	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Henry M. Phillips (Democratic) 50.72% ▌Robert Faust (Know Nothing) 35.86% ▌ William D. Kelley (Republican) 13.43%
Pennsylvania 5	John Cadwalader	Democratic	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Owen Jones (Democratic) 54.86% ▌Daniel H. Mulvany (Whig) 45.14%
Pennsylvania 6	John Hickman	Democratic	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Hickman (Democratic) 48.91% ▌John S. Bowen (Republican) 47.85% ▌ John Larkin Jr. (Know Nothing) 3.24%
Pennsylvania 7	Samuel C. Bradshaw	Opposition	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Henry Chapman (Democratic) 54.01% ▌ Samuel C. Bradshaw (Republican) 45.99%
Pennsylvania 8	J. Glancy Jones	Democratic	1850 1852 (retired) 1854 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y J. Glancy Jones (Democratic) 71.60% ▌David Yoder (Republican) 28.40%
Pennsylvania 9	Anthony E. Roberts	Opposition	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Anthony E. Roberts (Republican) 54.59% ▌ Isaac E. Heister (Democratic) 45.41%
Pennsylvania 10	John C. Kunkel	Opposition	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y John C. Kunkel (Republican) 55.63% ▌Henry C. Eyer (Democratic) 44.37%
Pennsylvania 11	James H. Campbell	Opposition	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y William L. Dewart (Democratic) 58.26% ▌ James H. Campbell (Republican) 41.74%
Pennsylvania 12	Henry M. Fuller	Opposition	1850 1852 (lost) 1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y John G. Montgomery (Democratic) 57.69% ▌Elhanan Smith (Republican) 42.31%
Pennsylvania 13	Asa Packer	Democratic	1852	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y William H. Dimmick (Democratic) 68.93% ▌Samuel E. Demmick (Republican) 31.07%
Pennsylvania 14	Galusha A. Grow	Democratic	1850	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Galusha A. Grow (Republican) 71.31% ▌Daniel L. Sherwood (Democratic) 28.69%
Pennsylvania 15	John J. Pearce	Opposition	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Allison White (Democratic) 51.36% ▌William H. Irvin (Republican) 48.64%
Pennsylvania 16	Lemuel Todd	Opposition	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y John A. Ahl (Democratic) 53.75% ▌ Lemuel Todd (Republican) 46.25%
Pennsylvania 17	David F. Robison	Opposition	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Wilson Reilly (Democratic) 51.28% ▌Joseph Pumroy (Republican) 48.72%
Pennsylvania 18	John R. Edie	Opposition	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y John R. Edie (Republican) 50.91% ▌Cyrus L. Pershing (Democratic) 49.09%
Pennsylvania 19	John Covode	Opposition	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y John Covode (Union) 54.40% ▌Alexander McKinney (Democratic) 45.60%
Pennsylvania 20	Jonathan Knight	Opposition	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y William Montgomery (Democratic) 52.15% ▌ Jonathan Knight (Republican) 47.85%
Pennsylvania 21	David Ritchie	Opposition	1852	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y David Ritchie (Republican) 54.45% ▌ Wilson McCandless (Democratic) 42.17% ▌William M. Wright (Know Nothing) 3.38%
Pennsylvania 22	Samuel A. Purviance	Opposition	1854	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y Samuel A. Purviance (Republican) 57.09% ▌James Gibson (Democratic) 40.51% ▌Alexander Wadlow (Know Nothing) 2.40%
Pennsylvania 23	John Allison	Opposition	1850 1852 (lost) 1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y William Stewart (Republican) 61.00% ▌Thomas Cunningham (Democratic) 39.00%
Pennsylvania 24	David Barclay	Democratic	1854	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y James L. Gillis (Democratic) 51.75% ▌James S. Myers (Republican) 48.25%
Pennsylvania 25	John Dick	Opposition	1852	Incumbent re-elected to a new party. Republican gain.	▌Y John Dick (Republican) 67.97% ▌James A. McFadden (Democratic) 32.03%

Rhode Island

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Rhode Island 1
Rhode Island 2

South Carolina

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
South Carolina 1
South Carolina 2
South Carolina 3
South Carolina 4
South Carolina 5
South Carolina 6

Tennessee

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Tennessee 1	Albert G. Watkins	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Albert G. Watkins (Democratic) 50.58% ▌ Nathaniel G. Taylor (Know Nothing) 49.42% [14]
Tennessee 2	William H. Sneed	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Know Nothing hold.	▌Y Horace Maynard (Know Nothing) 50.89% ▌Wayne W. Wallace (Democratic) 49.11% [15]
Tennessee 3	Samuel A. Smith	Democratic	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Samuel A. Smith (Democratic) 52.98% ▌ William Heiskell (Know Nothing) 47.02% [16]
Tennessee 4	John H. Savage	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John H. Savage (Democratic) 55.16% ▌Joseph Pickett (Know Nothing) 44.84% [17]
Tennessee 5	Charles Ready	Know Nothing	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Charles Ready (Know Nothing) 51.25% ▌Joseph Guild (Democratic) 48.75% [18]
Tennessee 6	George W. Jones	Democratic	1842	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y George W. Jones (Democratic) 100% [19]
Tennessee 7	John V. Wright	Democratic	1855	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John V. Wright (Democratic) 83.81% ▌D. E. McElrath (Know Nothing) 16.19% [20]
Tennessee 8	Felix Zollicoffer	Know Nothing	1853	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Felix Zollicoffer (Know Nothing) 52.18% ▌ James M. Quarles (Democratic) 47.82% [21]
Tennessee 9	Emerson Etheridge	Know Nothing	1853	Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y John D.C. Atkins (Democratic) 50.37% ▌ Emerson Etheridge (Know Nothing) 49.63% [22]
Tennessee 10	Thomas Rivers	Know Nothing	1855	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y William T. Avery (Democratic) 51.32% ▌William H. Stevens (Know Nothing) 48.68% [23]

Texas

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District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Texas 1
Texas 2

Vermont

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Vermont 1
Vermont 2
Vermont 3

Virginia

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Virginia 1
Virginia 2
Virginia 3
Virginia 4
Virginia 5
Virginia 6
Virginia 7
Virginia 8
Virginia 9
Virginia 10
Virginia 11
Virginia 12
Virginia 13

Wisconsin

Election results in Wisconsin for 1856: ^[24]

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Wisconsin 1	Daniel Wells Jr.	Democratic	1852	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.	▌Y John F. Potter (Republican) 50.6% ▌ Jackson Hadley (Democratic) 49.4%
Wisconsin 2	Cadwallader C. Washburn	Republican	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Cadwallader C. Washburn (Republican) 61.8% ▌ Samuel Crawford (Democratic) 38.2%
Wisconsin 3	Charles Billinghurst	Republican	1854	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Charles Billinghurst (Republican) 52.0% ▌ Harrison Carroll Hobart (Democratic) 48.0%

Non-voting delegates

District	Incumbent			This race
	Delegate	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Kansas	John Wilkins Whitfield	Democratic	1854 1856 (Seat vacated) 1856 (Special)	Re-elected in 1855 before seat was vacated. Won special 1856 election. Democratic hold.	▌Y John Wilkins Whitfield (Democratic) ▌ Andrew H. Reeder ( Free-State Democrat) [25]
Minnesota	Henry Mower Rice	Democratic	1852	Incumbent retired. New delegate elected. Democratic hold. District eliminated in 1858 upon Minnesota's statehood.	▌Y William W. Kingsbury (Democratic) [ data missing]
Nebraska	Bird Chapman	Democratic	1854	Incumbent lost re-election. New delegate elected August 3, 1857. [26] Independent Democratic gain.	▌Y Fenner Ferguson (Independent Democratic) ▌ Bird Chapman (Democratic)
Oregon	Joseph Lane	Democratic	1851	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Joseph Lane (Democratic) [ data missing]

See also

• 1856 United States elections
  • 1856 United States presidential election
  • 1856–57 United States Senate elections
• List of United States House of Representatives elections (1856–present)
• 34th United States Congress
• 35th United States Congress

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN  978-0786402830.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN  978-0029201701.
• Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN  978-0871879967.
• "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.

External links

• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)