1845 United States House of Representatives election in Florida
The 1845 United States House of Representatives election in Florida was held on Monday, May 26, 1845, to elect the first United States Representative from the state of Florida, one from the state's single at-large congressional district, to represent Florida in the 29th Congress. The election coincided with the elections of other offices, including the gubernatorial election, the senatorial elections, and various state and local elections.[1]
.svg){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
_Florida_US_House.png) County Results
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The winning candidate would have served a less-than-two-year term in the United States House of Representatives from July 1, 1845, to March 4, 1847.
Background
editFlorida was admitted to the Union as a slave state on March 3, 1845, the last day of the 28th Congress.[2] The state was not represented in that Congress. Florida held its elections on May 26, 1845.
Candidates
editDemocratic
editNominee
editWhig
editNominee
editGeneral election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Levy Yulee | 3,608 | 60.32% | N/A | |
| Whig | Benjamin Alexander Putnam | 2,373 | 39.68% | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,235 | 20.65% | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,981 | 100.00% | |||
Results by County
edit| County[4] | David Levy Yulee Democratic |
Benjamin A. Putnam Whig |
Total votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | ||
| Alachua | 193 | 67.25% | 94 | 32.75% | 287 |
| Benton | 73 | 90.12% | 8 | 9.88% | 81 |
| Calhoun | 57 | 85.07% | 10 | 14.93% | 67 |
| Columbia | 354 | 72.84% | 132 | 27.16% | 486 |
| Dade | 60 | 92.31% | 5 | 7.69% | 65 |
| Duval | 232 | 58.88% | 162 | 41.12% | 394 |
| Escambia | 105 | 39.33% | 162 | 60.67% | 267 |
| Franklin | 113 | 53.55% | 98 | 46.45% | 211 |
| Gadsden | 264 | 51.26% | 251 | 48.74% | 515 |
| Hamilton | 136 | 80.00% | 34 | 20.00% | 170 |
| Hillsborough | 88 | 74.58% | 30 | 25.42% | 118 |
| Jackson | 162 | 35.06% | 300 | 64.94% | 462 |
| Jefferson | 332 | 81.17% | 77 | 18.83% | 409 |
| Leon | 301 | 51.28% | 286 | 48.72% | 587 |
| Madison | 215 | 73.13% | 79 | 26.87% | 294 |
| Marion | 93 | 55.36% | 75 | 44.64% | 168 |
| Monroe | 156 | 68.42% | 72 | 31.58% | 228 |
| Nassau | 127 | 82.47% | 27 | 17.53% | 154 |
| Orange | 29 | 74.36% | 10 | 25.64% | 39 |
| Santa Rosa | 35 | 21.08% | 131 | 78.92% | 166 |
| St. Johns | 170 | 57.43% | 126 | 42.57% | 296 |
| St. Lucie | 16 | 94.12% | 1 | 5.88% | 17 |
| Wakulla | 119 | 70.00% | 51 | 30.00% | 170 |
| Walton | 101 | 37.69% | 167 | 62.31% | 268 |
| Washington | 77 | 93.90% | 5 | 39.88% | 82 |
| Totals | 3,608 | 60.12% | 2,393 | 39.88% | 6,001 |
Aftermath
editBecause Yulee was jointly elected to both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate and a person cannot hold both offices at the same time, he resigned from the House before taking his seat. A special election was held later in 1845 to elect his replacement, electing Whig Edward Carrington Cabell, though after a recount, Democrat William Henry Brockenbrough was found to be the winner instead.[5][6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "FL At Large - Initial Election Race - May 26, 1845". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- ^ Text of the Act admitting Florida
- ^ "FL At Large - 1845". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ Hughes, Jeremiah (July 5, 1845). "Florida - Elections". Niles Register. pp. 381 / PDF 297. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "FL At Large - Special Election Race - Oct 06, 1845". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- ^ "FL At Large - Special Election Recount Race - Jan 24, 1846". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 17, 2020.