1839 Iowa Council election

1839 Iowa Council election

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All 13 seats in the Iowa Territory Council
7 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Stephen Hempstead[a] Jesse B. Browne
Party Democratic Whig
Leader's seat 8th-Dubuque County 2nd-Lee County
Last election 7 6
Seats after 7 6
Seat change Steady Steady

President of the Iowa Territory Council before election

Jesse B. Browne
Whig

Elected President of the Iowa Territory Council

Stephen Hempstead[a]
Democratic

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]

  1. ^ "Councilor Stephen Hempstead". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  2. ^ "Iowa Legislators Past and Present". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Legislative Assembly: 2 (11/04/1839 - 11/01/1840)". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "Early History: Iowa Territory" (PDF). Iowa Official Register. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "Legislative Assembly: 1 (11/12/1838 - 11/03/1839)". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Legislative Assembly: 2 (11/04/1839 - 11/01/1840)". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved July 14, 2021.


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