United States Senate election in New York, 1851
Encyclopedia
The 1851 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 4 and March 18/19, 1851, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 1) to represent the State of New York
in the United States Senate
.
had been elected in 1845 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1851.
At this time the Whig Party in New York was split in two opposing factions: the Seward
/Weed
faction (the majority, opposed to the Compromise of 1850
) and the "Silver Grays" (supporters of President Millard Fillmore
and his compromise legislation, led by Francis Granger
whose silver gray hair originated the faction's nickname). The opposing factions of the Democratic Party in New York, the "Barnburners" and the "Hunkers"
, had reunited at the State election in November 1850, and managed to have almost their whole State ticket elected, only Horatio Seymour
was defeated for Governor by a plurality of 262 votes.
At the State election in November 1849
, 14 Seward Whigs, 3 Silver Gray Whigs and 15 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1850-1851) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1850, a Whig majority was elected to the Assembly for the session of 1851. The 74th State Legislature met from January 7 to April 17, and from June 10 to July 11, 1851, at Albany, New York
.
Hamilton Fish was the candidate of the Whig Party.
who was one of the leaders of the Fillmore faction in Washington, D.C.
He was thus considered the only viable compromise candidate. The Silver Grays asked Fish to pledge his support for the Compromise, but Fish refused to make any comment, saying that he did not seek the office, and that the legislators should vote guided by Fish's known political history. Fish had earlier stated his opposition against the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
but was believed to support most of the remainder of the Compromise. Nevertheless, Silver Gray State Senator James W. Beekman
declared that he would not vote for Fish for personal reasons, a dislike stemming from the time when they were fellow students at Columbia University
.
The State Legislature met on February 4, the legally prescribed day, to elect a U.S. Senator. In the Assembly, Fish received a majority of 78 to 49. In the State Senate the vote stood 15 for Fish (one Whig was absent), and 16 votes for a variety of candidates, among them Beekman's vote for Francis Granger. After a second ballot with the same result, Beekman moved to adjourn, and no nomination was made.
Early in March, another ballot was taken in the State Senate, without choice.
On March 18, when two Democratic State Senators were absent, having gone to New York City
, the Whigs persuaded the Democrats in a 14-hour session to re-open the U.S. Senate election, and in the small hours of March 19 Fish was nominated by a vote of 16 to 13.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Background
Daniel S. DickinsonDaniel S. Dickinson
Daniel Stevens Dickinson was a New York politician, most notable as a United States Senator from 1844 to 1851.-Biography:...
had been elected in 1845 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1851.
At this time the Whig Party in New York was split in two opposing factions: the Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
/Weed
Thurlow Weed
Thurlow Weed was a New York newspaper publisher, politician, and party boss. He was the principal political advisor to the prominent New York politician William H...
faction (the majority, opposed to the Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five bills, passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year confrontation between the slave states of the South and the free states of the North regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War...
) and the "Silver Grays" (supporters of President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
and his compromise legislation, led by Francis Granger
Francis Granger
Francis Granger was a Representative from New York. He was the son of Gideon Granger, another Postmaster General, and the first cousin of Amos P. Granger.-Biography:...
whose silver gray hair originated the faction's nickname). The opposing factions of the Democratic Party in New York, the "Barnburners" and the "Hunkers"
Barnburners and Hunkers
The Barnburners were the more radical faction of the New York state Democratic Party in the mid 19th century. The term barnburner was derived from the idea of someone who would burn down his own barn to get rid of a rat infestation, in this case those who would destroy all banks and corporations,...
, had reunited at the State election in November 1850, and managed to have almost their whole State ticket elected, only Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of...
was defeated for Governor by a plurality of 262 votes.
At the State election in November 1849
New York state election, 1849
The 1849 New York state election was held on November 6, 1849, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all...
, 14 Seward Whigs, 3 Silver Gray Whigs and 15 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1850-1851) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1850, a Whig majority was elected to the Assembly for the session of 1851. The 74th State Legislature met from January 7 to April 17, and from June 10 to July 11, 1851, at Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
Candidates
Ex-Governor of New YorkGovernor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the 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 and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
Hamilton Fish was the candidate of the Whig Party.
Election
Hamilton Fish belonged to the Seward/Weed faction, but was also a close friend of Henry ClayHenry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
who was one of the leaders of the Fillmore faction in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He was thus considered the only viable compromise candidate. The Silver Grays asked Fish to pledge his support for the Compromise, but Fish refused to make any comment, saying that he did not seek the office, and that the legislators should vote guided by Fish's known political history. Fish had earlier stated his opposition against the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers. This was one of the most controversial acts of the 1850 compromise and heightened...
but was believed to support most of the remainder of the Compromise. Nevertheless, Silver Gray State Senator James W. Beekman
James William Beekman
James William Beekman was vice president of the New York Hospital.-Biography:He was born in New York City on November 22, 1815...
declared that he would not vote for Fish for personal reasons, a dislike stemming from the time when they were fellow students at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
The State Legislature met on February 4, the legally prescribed day, to elect a U.S. Senator. In the Assembly, Fish received a majority of 78 to 49. In the State Senate the vote stood 15 for Fish (one Whig was absent), and 16 votes for a variety of candidates, among them Beekman's vote for Francis Granger. After a second ballot with the same result, Beekman moved to adjourn, and no nomination was made.
Early in March, another ballot was taken in the State Senate, without choice.
On March 18, when two Democratic State Senators were absent, having gone to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Whigs persuaded the Democrats in a 14-hour session to re-open the U.S. Senate election, and in the small hours of March 19 Fish was nominated by a vote of 16 to 13.
Result
Fish was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.| Office | Candidate | Party | Senate (32 members) (first ballot) February 4 |
Senate (32 members) (second ballot) February 4 |
Senate (32 members) March 19 |
Assembly (128 members) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senator | Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish was an American statesman and politician who served as the 16th Governor of New York, United States Senator and United States Secretary of State. Fish has been considered one of the best Secretary of States in the United States history; known for his judiciousness and reform efforts... |
Whig | 15 | 15 | 16 | 78 |
| John Adams Dix John Adams Dix John Adams Dix was an American politician from New York. He served as Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, and the 24th Governor of New York. He was also a Union major general during the Civil War.-Early life and career:... |
Democrat | 29 | ||||
| James T. Brady | Democrat | 7 | ||||
| Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of... |
Democrat | 4 | ||||
| Francis Granger Francis Granger Francis Granger was a Representative from New York. He was the son of Gideon Granger, another Postmaster General, and the first cousin of Amos P. Granger.-Biography:... |
Whig | 1 | 2 | |||
| William L. Marcy William L. Marcy William Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and the 11th Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:... |
Democrat | 1 | ||||
| Washington Irving Washington Irving Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works... |
1 | |||||
| John L. Riker | 1 | |||||
| Erastus Corning Erastus Corning Erastus Corning I , American businessman and politician, was born in Norwich, Connecticut. Corning moved to Troy, New York at the age of 13 to clerk in the hardware store of an uncle; six years later he moved to Albany, New York, where he joined the mercantile business under James Spencer... |
Democrat | 1 | ||||
| Levi S. Chatfield Levi S. Chatfield Levi Starr Chatfield was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:He was the son of Enos Chatfield and Hannah Starr Chatfield .... |
Democrat | 1 | ||||
| George Wood | 1 | |||||
| Daniel Lord | 1 | |||||
Sources
- The New York Civil List compiled in 1858 (see: pg. 63 for U.S. Senators [gives wrong date for election "November 19"]; pg. 137 for State Senators 1851; pg. 240ff for Members of Assembly 1851)
- Members of the 32nd United States Congress
- Hamilton Fish by Amos Elwood Corning (pages 35ff)
- Result Assembly: Journal of the Assembly of the State of New York 1851 (pages 268f)
- Result Assembly and Senate, February 4: Harper's New Monthly Magazine by Henry Mills AldenHenry Mills AldenHenry Mills Alden was an American author and editor of Harper's Magazine for fifty years—from 1869 until 1919.-Biography:...
(Vol. 2; page 555) [gives erroneously 79 to 48 instead of the correct 78 to 49] - The Papers of Henry Clay (Vol. 10; page 859)
- The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party by Michael F. Holt (pages 649f)