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All 13 seats in the Iowa Territory Council 7 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Iowa |
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In the 1839 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the second Iowa Territory Council.[2] All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected.[b] Councilors served one-year terms.
The Iowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the Union as a state. At the time, the Iowa Territory had a Legislative Assembly consisting of an upper chamber (i.e., the Territory Council) and a lower chamber (i.e., the Territory House of Representatives).[4]
Following the organization of the first Territory Council in 1838, Democrats held a majority with seven seats to Whigs' six seats.[5]
To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net one seat from the Democrats.
The Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Council following the 1839 general election with the balance of power remaining unchanged with the Democrats holding seven seats and the Whigs having six seats.[6] Democratic Councilor Stephen P. Hempstead was chosen as the President of the second Territory Council to succeed Whig Councilor Jesse B. Browne in that leadership position.[a]
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