The 1845 United States Senate special election in New York was held on January 18, 1845 by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

to elect two

U.S. Senators The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

(Class 1 and Class 3) to represent the State of New York in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. The regular 1845 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 4, 1845, to elect a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

(Class 1) to represent the State of New York in the

Background

Nathaniel P. Tallmadge Nathaniel Pitcher Tallmadge (February 8, 1795November 2, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician. He served two terms as United States Senator from New York (1833–1844) and was the 3rd Governor of the Wisconsin Territory (1844– ...

had been re-elected in 1840 to the Class 1 seat (term 1839-1845), but resigned on June 17, 1844, to be appointed

Governor of Wisconsin Territory A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

by President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...

. On November 30, Governor William C. Bouck appointed

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Daniel S. Dickinson to fill the vacancy temporarily, and Dickinson took his seat on December 9, 1844.

Silas Wright, Jr. Silas Wright Jr. (May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847) was an American attorney and United States Democratic Party, Democratic politician. A member of the Albany Regency, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York ...

had been re-elected in 1843 to the Class 3 seat (term 1843-1849), but resigned on November 26, 1844, after his election as

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

. On November 30, Governor William C. Bouck appointed State Senator Henry A. Foster to fill the vacancy temporarily, and Foster took his seat on December 9, 1844. At the State election in November 1844, Democrat

Silas Wright Silas Wright Jr. (May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. A member of the Albany Regency, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York State Comptroller, United Stat ...

was elected Governor; 70 Democrats, 44 Whigs, and 14 Anti-Renters and Native Americans were elected to the Assembly; and 6 Democrats, 1 Whig and 1 American Republican were elected to the State Senate. The

68th New York State Legislature The 68th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 14, 1845, during the first year of Silas Wright's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisions ...

met from January 7 to May 14, 1845, at

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. At this time the Democratic Party was split in two factions: the "Hunkers" and the "Barnburners". At the Democratic caucus for

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

, Hunker

Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 1868 United States presidential elec ...

received 35 votes against 30 for Barnburner

William C. Crain William Cullen Crain (August 31, 1798, in Warren, Herkimer County, New York – March 16, 1865) was an American physician and politician. Life His father was Rufus Crain, a physician, a judge of the Court of Common Pleas for sixteen years, an ...

. Both temporarily appointed U.S. Senators, Dickinson and Foster, were Hunkers, but the Barnburners claimed one of the seats.

Candidates

A Democratic caucus to nominate candidates for the U.S. Senate met in January 1845, with 93 State legislators present.The exact date is unclear. Hammond writes "on the 24th of February," which is an obvious mistake. Hammond also confuses the date of the special election and the regular election. Although the nominations for the special and the regular elections were made at the same caucus, the elections were held on different dates. The special election took place in January; the U.S. Senators were recorded in the congressional journals as taking their seats on January 27. The regular election took place on the regular election day, the first Tuesday in February, together with the election of the other State officers. To fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Souther ...

(Barnburner) was nominated, winning by a vote of 51 against 41 for Chief Justice

Samuel Nelson Samuel Nelson (November 10, 1792 – December 13, 1873) was an American attorney and appointed as judge of New York State courts. He was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1872. He concu ...

(Hunker). To fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

, for the remainder of the term that would expire on March 3, the incumbent Daniel S. Dickinson (Hunker) was re-nominated. After these nominations were made, the legislature moved to adjourn, and to postpone the nomination of a candidate for the full term beginning on March 4; this motion was rejected by a vote of 55 to 37. Then, Daniel S. Dickinson was nominated to succeed himself for a full term (1845-1851). The vote was 54 for Dickinson, 13 for Ex-Congressman Michael Hoffman (Barnb.), 3 for Ex-Congressman Freeborn G. Jewett (Barnb.), 1 for Samuel Nelson (Hunker), and 4 blanks. As many Barnburners refused to vote on this nomination, they opposed a motion to "make the nomination unanimous."

Result

Aftermath

Dickinson re-took his seat under the new credentials on January 27, 1845, and re-elected, remained in office until March 3, 1851, when his term expired. Dix took his seat on January 27, 1845, and remained in office until March 3, 1849, when his term expired. The defeated Hunkers' candidate for the Class 3 seat, Justice

was appointed to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

on February 27, 1845, one week before the end of President

's term.

Notes

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators; pg. 134f for State Senators 1845; pg. 230f for Members of Assembly 1845)
Members of the 28th United States CongressMembers of the 29th United States Congress''Political History of the State of New York, from Jan. 1, 1841, to Jan. 1, 1847; Vol. III''
by

Jabez Delano Hammond Jabez Delano Hammond (August 2, 1778 – August 18, 1855) was an American physician, lawyer, author and politician. Life Hammond was born in New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He practiced medicine in Reading, Vermont, but afterward stu ...

(State election, 1844: pg. 505f; appointments, 1844: pg. 508f; Speaker election, 1845: pg. 518; U.S. Senate nominations, 1845: pg. 526ff)

ives wrong date for caucus, and election Ives is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Alice Emma Ives (1876–1930), American dramatist, journalist * Burl Ives (1909–1995), American singer, author and actor * Charles Ives (1874–1954), Am ...

br>''Abridgment of the Debates in Congress, from 1789 to 1856: Dec. 4, 1843 to June 18, 1846''
(page 197)
''Journal of the Senate'' (68th Session)
(1845; pg. 77f and 142f) {{New York elections

1845 Events January–March * January 10 – Elizabeth Barrett receives a love letter from the younger poet Robert Browning; on May 20, they meet for the first time in London. She begins writing her ''Sonnets from the Portuguese''. * January 23 ...

New York 1845 New York 1845 United States Senate 1845

New York 1845 in New York (state)