1851 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

The 1851 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held during January 1851. Free Soil Party candidate Charles Sumner was elected by a coalition of Free-Soil and Democratic legislators over Whig incumbent Robert C. Winthrop, who had been appointed to finish the term of retiring Senator Daniel Webster.

1851 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
← 1845 January 14–April 24, 1851 1857 →

40 members of the Massachusetts Senate
396 members of the Massachusetts House
Majority vote of each house needed to win
 
Nominee Charles Sumner Robert C. Winthrop
Party Free Soil Whig
Senate 23 14
Percentage 60.53% 36.84%
House 193 166
Percentage 50.26% 43.23%

Senator before election

Robert C. Winthrop
Whig

Elected Senator

Charles Sumner
Free Soil

At the time, Massachusetts elected United States senators by a majority vote of each separate house of the Massachusetts General Court, the House and the Senate.

Background

edit

Democratic-Free Soil coalition

edit

At the time, Massachusetts elected governors by a majority of the popular vote. If no candidate received a majority, the election was decided by a vote of the General Court. In 1850, the Massachusetts electorate split between three major parties: the Whigs, the Democrats, and the anti-slavery Free Soil Party. To overcome the much larger Whig Party, the Democrats and Free-Soilers entered a coalition. Under their power-sharing agreement, the state Democratic Party adopted an anti-slavery platform. Democrats George S. Boutwell and Nathaniel Prentiss Banks would be elected Governor and Speaker of the House, respectively. Free Soil leader Henry Wilson was elected Senate President.

Finally, abolitionist activist Charles Sumner would be elected to the United States Senate in the January election.

Legislative composition

edit

In the Senate, 14 Whigs, 14 Democrats, and 12 Free-Soilers were elected. In the House, 175 Whigs, 108 Democrats, and 113 Free-Soilers were elected.[1] Although the Democratic-Free Soil coalition held a clear majority in each house, some Democratic legislators voiced their opposition to the election of the radical abolitionist Sumner. Conservative representatives who sought reconciliation with the South feared that Sumner's election would be a step toward civil war and sought to deny him the majority in the House.

Election

edit

January

edit

The election for Senator began in the House on January 14, but the House adjourned after no candidate received a majority on the first two ballots.[2] Following the first ballot, a motion was made to postpone the election until February 15. Pending that motion, another motion was made to adjourn. The motion to adjourn failed 180-190, and the motion to postpone failed 159-193. The House proceeded to a second ballot.[2] Following the failure of the second ballot, the House adjourned for the day. They also adjourned on January 15 without electing a Senator. Following this second adjournment, the House Free Soilers threatened that if Sumner was not elected on the next ballot, then they would request the resignation of Democratic Governor George S. Boutwell, who owed his seat to the coalition's support.

On January 20, between the fifth and sixth House ballots, Sumner was victorious over Winthrop in the Senate, receiving three votes more than the necessary 20.[3][4]

Results of the January 20 Senate ballot
For Sumner For Winthrop Bishop
George Austin
Joseph T. Buckingham
Edward Cazneau
Lyman W. Dean
Alexander DeWitt
John W. Graves
Whiting Griswold
Francis Howe
Edmund Kimball
Edw. L. Keyes
Alvah Morrison
David Moseley
Frederic Robinson
Daniel Saunders Jr.
Tabor
J. M. Usher
Asa G. Welch
Giles H. Whitney
Samuel Warner Jr.
Luke Wellington
Moses Wood
William H. Wood
Henry Wilson
William Barney
Z. D. Bassett
John Boynton
Robert S. Daniels
William Hyde
Charles Hubbard
William A. Hawley
Stephen Hilliard
George H. Kuhn
Moses Newell
Charles T. Russell
David Sears
Benjamin Seaver
John H. Wilkins
Erasmus D. Beach

April

edit

On the twentieth ballot, April 23, Sumner was found to be one vote shy of a majority. However, a single vote had Sumner's name written but crossed out in pencil. After debate, this vote was counted and it was reported that Sumner had a one-vote majority,[5] but a Whig member of the House moved to count a previously-discarded vote as "scattering." After another half hour of debate, the motion carried without opposition and Sumner's majority was erased. It was reported that there were two more votes than members voting.[6]

After it was erroneously reported that Sumner had won by one vote, abolitionists throughout the Commonwealth began celebrating.[6]

On the twenty-third ballot, Sumner fell two votes short of a majority. It was reported that two votes for Sumner found "doubled together" were thrown out.[6]

On the twenty-sixth ballot, it was moved that votes be cast by envelope. Two Whigs were reported to have supported Sumner, one being Nathaniel B. Borden after instructions to do so from his constituents.[1] Sumner was declared the victor with a majority of one. Two blank ballots were not counted.[7]

Summary of results

edit
Balloting by Round
Ballots 1[2][8] 2[2] 3 4 5[9] S[3] 6[9] 7[9] 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21[6] 22[6] 23[6] 24 25 26[7]
Sumner 186 186 185 23 187 188 194 193 191 193
Winthrop 167 168 169 16 169 168 167 166 166 166
Childs 6 1
Merrick 5 0
Davis 5 3
Rantoul 4 8 0
Boutwell 2 0
Phillips 2 4
Hallett 1 0
Briggs 1 0
Hoar 1 0
John Mills 1 0
Henry Bishop 0 1 11
Cushing 0 3
Banks 0 1
Scattering 0 17 25 28 26 27 27 27 0
Blank 0 4 3 3 1 0
Total 381 383 382 382 382 384

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Our Boston Correspondence". Detroit Free Press. May 5, 1851. p. 2.
  2. ^ a b c d "Massachusetts U.S. Senator". The Baltimore Sun. January 16, 1851. p. 2.
  3. ^ a b "The Legislature--Election of Charles Sumner U. S. Senator on the part of the Senate". The Boston Herald. January 22, 1851. p. 4.
  4. ^ "U. S. SENATOR". The Liberator. Vol. 21, no. 4. January 24, 1851. p. 15.
  5. ^ "Ocean and Empire State". The Detroit Free Press. April 25, 1851. p. 3.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "The Senatorial Election in Massachusetts". The New York Daily Tribune. April 24, 1851. p. 4.
  7. ^ a b "CHARLES SUMNER ELECTED UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS". National Era. Vol. V, no. 18. May 1, 1851. p. 70.
  8. ^ "POLITICAL TREACHERY". The Liberator. Vol. 21, no. 3. January 17, 1851. p. 11.
  9. ^ a b c "THE ELECTION FOR SENATOR IN MASSACHUSETTS--MR. SUMNER". National Era. Vol. V, no. 5. January 30, 1851. p. 18.