1834 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania

The 1834 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on December 6, 1834. Future President of the United States James Buchanan was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate.[1]

Background

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Democrat William Wilkins was elected to the United States Senate by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in 1830. Sen. Wilkins resigned on June 30, 1834, after being appointed U.S. Minister to Russia by President Andrew Jackson.[2]

Results

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Following the resignation of Sen. William Wilkins, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on December 6, 1834, to elect a new Senator to fill the vacancy. Four ballots were recorded. The results of the fourth and final ballot of both houses combined are as follows:

State Legislature Results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Buchanan 66 49.62
Anti-Masonic Amos Ellmaker 31 23.31
Democratic James Clarke 26 19.55
National Republican Joseph Lawrence 6 4.51
Democratic Joel Sutherland 1 0.75
N/A Not voting 3 2.26
Totals 133 100.00%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "U.S. Senate Election - 6 December 1834" (PDF). Wilkes University. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  2. ^ "WILKINS, William, (1779 - 1865)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
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Preceded by Pennsylvania U.S. Senate election (Class III)
1834
Succeeded by