July 1, 1822 - August 14, 1823 1824 → 189 24 Start date 1822 | 155 seats 32 seats 34 8 | |
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Winner Henry Clay | ||
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 18th Congress were held at different dates in each state between July 1, 1822 (in Louisiana) and August 14, 1823 (in North Carolina) during James Monroe's second term in office. This was the first election based on the results of the 1820 Census, which added a total of 26 seats to the House. Four states lost one Representative each, while nine states gained anywhere between 1 and 8 seats.
Contents
- Election summaries
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Non voting delegates
- References
The campaign was waged between the Democratic-Republican Party and the Federalist Party. However, by this time, party unity had broken down and the consensus principles of the Era of Good Feelings were giving way to fragmentation. In turn, many historians classify the parties of the Representatives based on how they voted in the contingent election of 1825 (where the House determined the winner of the 1824 presidential election), at the end of the 18th Congress, with results similar to those in the following table. Michael J. Dubin classifies candidates based on the political parties supporting them in the elections of 1822-1823 (though he does not provide a nationwide tally).
This was the single largest gain by any President's party in House midterm elections in US history, and the only time the President's party made gains of 10 seats or more in such an election.
Election summaries
Following the 1820 Census, 26 new seats were apportioned, with 4 States losing 1 seat each, 9 States gaining between 1 and 8 seats, and the remaining 11 States having no change in apportionment.
Note: Each party is broken down according to the numbers of Adams-Clay supporters (AC), Crawford supporters (C) and Jackson supporters (J)
Alabama
Alabama increased from 1 to 3 Representatives in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
Connecticut
Connecticut lost one seat in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
Delaware
Delaware was reduced once more from 2 back to 1 representative after the Fourth Census, which number has remained constant to the present day. At the time of the 1822 election, the second seat in Delaware's at-large district was vacant, so there was only one incumbent going into the election.
Georgia
Georgia gained one seat in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
Thomas W. Cobb (C-DR) resigned December 6, 1824, having been elected to the Senate. A special election was held to fill the resulting vacancy which was won by Richard Henry Wilde (C-DR)
Indiana
Indiana gained 2 Representatives in reapportionment following the 1820 Census. Indiana's single at-large seat in the 17th Congress was empty at the time of the election, previous incumbent William Hendricks (DR) having resigned to run for Governor of Indiana. Jonathan Jennings (J-DR), elected to the new 2nd district, was elected in the ensuing special election to fill the at-large district for the remainder of the 17th Congress.
In the 1st district, William Prince died on September 8, 1824, and was replaced in a special election by Jacob Call (J-DR)
Kentucky
Kentucky gained 2 representatives in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
Louisiana
Louisiana gained two seats in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
Maine
Maine electoral law at this time required a majority for election, with additional ballots taken if a majority were not achieved. This proved necessary in 1822 in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th districts. Although Maine neither gained nor lost representatives after the Fourth Census, there was redistricting, which placed two incumbents into the 3rd district
Maryland
In the 5th district, Samuel Smith resigned on December 22, 1822, before the end of the 17th Congress. Special elections were held to fill the vacancies in the 17th and 18th Congresses.
Massachusetts
William Eustis (DR) of the 10th district resigned before the start of the 18th Congress and was replaced in special election by John Bailey (A-DR). Bailey's election was contested and his seat vacated March 24, 1824. Another special election was held which re-elected Bailey.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire electoral law required a candidate to receive votes from a majority of voters for election, that is 1/12 of votes. Only five candidates received the requisite majority, and so a run-off election was held for the sixth seat.
New York
New York's representation increased after the 1820 Census from 27 to 34 seats, elected from 30 districts, two with two members each, and one with three members.
As in the previous election, the Democratic-Republican Party in New York was divided into two factions, the "Bucktails" and the Clintonians, which distinction is not marked here. The Clintonians and the Federalists ran on a joint ticket in 1822 as in 1821, in some cases, it's unclear which party a candidate belonged to, those are marked C/F.
In the 28th district, William B. Rochester (DR) was appointed judge of the 8th Circuit Court on April 21, 1823 and resigned his seat in the House, before the 18th Congress assembled, a special election was held which elected William Woods (DR) in his place.
In the 29th district, Isaac Wilson (DR) was initially declare the winner with 2,093 votes to 2,077 for Adams and took his seat when the 18th Congress assembled. After investigation, the House Committee on Elections determined that there had been erroneous vote totals reported from two towns, with the corrected totals being 2,072 votes for Adams and 2,071 for Wilson. On January 7, 1824, the House declared Adams the rightful holder of that seat.
North Carolina
In the 2nd district, Burton resigned March 23, 1824 after being elected Governor of North Carolina. A special election was held to fill the resulting vacancy which elected George Outlaw (C-DR).
In the 12th district, Vance and Walker both received 1,913 votes. At the time, the sheriffs of the four counties in that district cast the tie-breaking votes. Three voted for Vance, and one for Walker, giving the seat to Vance.
Ohio
Ohio gained 8 seats in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania gained 3 Representatives in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
There were two subsequent vacancies in the 18th Congress resulting in special elections. The first was in the 8th district when Thomas J. Rogers (DR) resigned April 20, 1824, the second was in the 13th district when John Tod (DR) resigned in June 1824. The first vacancy was filled by George Wolf (DR) and the second vacancy was filled by Alexander Thomson (DR), both special election being held on October 12, 1824
Tennessee
Tennessee gained 3 Representatives in reapportionment following the 1820 Census.
Vermont
Vermont lost 1 Representative in reapportionment following the 1820 Census. For the 1822 election, Vermont switched back to using a single at-large district. This would be the last year that Vermont would use an at-large district until 1932, when its representation was reduced to a single representative.
Charles Rich (DR) died on October 15, 1824, and was replaced in a special election by Henry Olin (DR)
Virginia
Virginia lost one Representative in reapportionment following the 1820 Census. Nineteen incumbents ran for re-election leaving three open seats.
A vacancy arose during the 18th Congress in the 13th district when William Lee Ball (DR) died on February 29, 1824. A special election was held to fill the vacancy, which chose John Taliaferro (DR).
Non-voting delegates
There were three territories with the right to send delegates to the 18th Congress