1851 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

1851 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
40 members of the Massachusetts Senate; 396 members of the Massachusetts House; Majority vote of each house needed to win
Senator before election; Robert C. Winthrop; Whig	Elected Senator ; Charles Sumner; Free Soil

The 1851 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held during January 1851. Free Soil Party candidate Charles Sumner was elected by a coalition of Free-Soil and Democratic legislators over Whig incumbent Robert C. Winthrop, who had been appointed to finish the term of retiring Senator Daniel Webster.

At the time, Massachusetts elected United States senators by a majority vote of each separate house of the Massachusetts General Court, the House and the Senate.

Background

Democratic-Free Soil coalition

At the time, Massachusetts elected governors by a majority of the popular vote. If no candidate received a majority, the election was decided by a vote of the General Court. In 1850, the Massachusetts electorate split between three major parties: the Whigs, the Democrats, and the anti-slavery Free Soil Party. To overcome the much larger Whig Party, the Democrats and Free-Soilers entered a coalition. Under their power-sharing agreement, the state Democratic Party adopted an anti-slavery platform. Democrats George S. Boutwell and Nathaniel Prentiss Banks would be elected Governor and Speaker of the House, respectively. Free Soil leader Henry Wilson was elected Senate President.

Finally, abolitionist activist Charles Sumner would be elected to the United States Senate in the January election.

Legislative composition

In the Senate, 14 Whigs, 14 Democrats, and 12 Free-Soilers were elected. In the House, 175 Whigs, 108 Democrats, and 113 Free-Soilers were elected.^[1] Although the Democratic-Free Soil coalition held a clear majority in each house, some Democratic legislators voiced their opposition to the election of the radical abolitionist Sumner. Conservative representatives who sought reconciliation with the South feared that Sumner's election would be a step toward civil war and sought to deny him the majority in the House.

Election

January

The election for Senator began in the House on January 14, but the House adjourned after no candidate received a majority on the first two ballots.^[2] Following the first ballot, a motion was made to postpone the election until February 15. Pending that motion, another motion was made to adjourn. The motion to adjourn failed 180-190, and the motion to postpone failed 159-193. The House proceeded to a second ballot.^[2] Following the failure of the second ballot, the House adjourned for the day. They also adjourned on January 15 without electing a Senator. Following this second adjournment, the House Free Soilers threatened that if Sumner was not elected on the next ballot, then they would request the resignation of Democratic Governor George S. Boutwell, who owed his seat to the coalition's support.

On January 20, between the fifth and sixth House ballots, Sumner was victorious over Winthrop in the Senate, receiving three votes more than the necessary 20.^[3]^[4]

Results of the January 20 Senate ballot
For Sumner	For Winthrop	Bishop
George Austin ▌Joseph T. Buckingham Edward Cazneau Lyman W. Dean Alexander DeWitt John W. Graves ▌▌Whiting Griswold Francis Howe Edmund Kimball Edw. L. Keyes Alvah Morrison David Moseley Frederic Robinson Daniel Saunders Jr. Tabor J. M. Usher Asa G. Welch Giles H. Whitney Samuel Warner Jr. Luke Wellington Moses Wood William H. Wood ▌Henry Wilson	▌William Barney ▌Z. D. Bassett ▌John Boynton ▌Robert S. Daniels ▌William Hyde ▌Charles Hubbard ▌William A. Hawley ▌Stephen Hilliard ▌George H. Kuhn ▌Moses Newell ▌Charles T. Russell ▌David Sears ▌Benjamin Seaver ▌John H. Wilkins	▌Erasmus D. Beach

April

On the twentieth ballot, April 23, Sumner was found to be one vote shy of a majority. However, a single vote had Sumner's name written but crossed out in pencil. After debate, this vote was counted and it was reported that Sumner had a one-vote majority,^[5] but a Whig member of the House moved to count a previously-discarded vote as "scattering." After another half hour of debate, the motion carried without opposition and Sumner's majority was erased. It was reported that there were two more votes than members voting.^[6]

After it was erroneously reported that Sumner had won by one vote, abolitionists throughout the Commonwealth began celebrating.^[6]

On the twenty-third ballot, Sumner fell two votes short of a majority. It was reported that two votes for Sumner found "doubled together" were thrown out.^[6]

On the twenty-sixth ballot, it was moved that votes be cast by envelope. Two Whigs were reported to have supported Sumner, one being Nathaniel B. Borden after instructions to do so from his constituents.^[1] Sumner was declared the victor with a majority of one. Two blank ballots were not counted.^[7]

Summary of results

Balloting by Round
Ballots	1^[2]^[8]	2^[2]	5^[9]	S^[3]	6^[9]	7^[9]	21^[6]	22^[6]	23^[6]	26^[7]
▌ Sumner	186	186	185	23	187	188	194	193	191	193
▌ Winthrop	167	168	169	16	169	168	167	166	166	166
▌ Childs	6									1
▌ Merrick	5									0
▌ Davis	5									3
▌ Rantoul	4	8								0
▌ Boutwell	2									0
▌ Phillips	2									4
▌ Hallett	1									0
▌ Briggs	1									0
▌ Hoar	1									0
▌ John Mills	1									0
▌ Henry Bishop	0			1						11
▌ Cushing	0									3
▌ Banks	0									1
Scattering	0	17	25	28	26		27	27	27	0
Blank	0	4	3	3	1					0
Total	381	383	382	382	382					384

References

^ ^a ^b "Our Boston Correspondence". Detroit Free Press. May 5, 1851. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Massachusetts U.S. Senator". The Baltimore Sun. January 16, 1851. p. 2.
^ ^a ^b "The Legislature--Election of Charles Sumner U. S. Senator on the part of the Senate". The Boston Herald. January 22, 1851. p. 4.
^ "U. S. SENATOR". The Liberator. Vol. 21, no. 4. January 24, 1851. p. 15.
^ "Ocean and Empire State". The Detroit Free Press. April 25, 1851. p. 3.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The Senatorial Election in Massachusetts". The New York Daily Tribune. April 24, 1851. p. 4.
^ ^a ^b "CHARLES SUMNER ELECTED UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS". National Era. Vol. V, no. 18. May 1, 1851. p. 70.
^ "POLITICAL TREACHERY". The Liberator. Vol. 21, no. 3. January 17, 1851. p. 11.
^ ^a ^b ^c "THE ELECTION FOR SENATOR IN MASSACHUSETTS--MR. SUMNER". National Era. Vol. V, no. 5. January 30, 1851. p. 18.

[dfp-1] "Our Boston Correspondence". Detroit Free Press. May 5, 1851. p. 2.

[house1-2] "Massachusetts U.S. Senator". The Baltimore Sun. January 16, 1851. p. 2.

[results1-3] "The Legislature--Election of Charles Sumner U. S. Senator on the part of the Senate". The Boston Herald. January 22, 1851. p. 4.

[4] "U. S. SENATOR". The Liberator. Vol. 21, no. 4. January 24, 1851. p. 15.

[5] "Ocean and Empire State". The Detroit Free Press. April 25, 1851. p. 3.

[house3-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The Senatorial Election in Massachusetts". The New York Daily Tribune. April 24, 1851. p. 4.

[finalvote-7] "CHARLES SUMNER ELECTED UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS". National Era. Vol. V, no. 18. May 1, 1851. p. 70.

[8] "POLITICAL TREACHERY". The Liberator. Vol. 21, no. 3. January 17, 1851. p. 11.

[house2-9] "THE ELECTION FOR SENATOR IN MASSACHUSETTS--MR. SUMNER". National Era. Vol. V, no. 5. January 30, 1851. p. 18.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

v t e Federal elections in Massachusetts
U.S. President	1788 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
U.S. Senate Class 1	1803 1808 1839 1851 1857 1863 1869 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 s/1926 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1958 s/1962 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 s/2010 2012 2018 2024
U.S. Senate Class 2	s/1855 1859 1865 1871 s/1873 1877 1883 1889 1895 1901 1907 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1942 s/1944 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 s/2013 2014 2020
U.S. House	1788–89 1790–92 1792-93 1794–95 1796–97 1798–99 1800–01 1802–03 1804 1806 1808 1810–11 1812–13 1814–15 1816–17 1818–19 1820–21 1822–23 1824–25 1826–27 1828 1830–1970 1972 1974–2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
U.S. House Special Elections	1796–1797 s/1st s/10th s/11th 1800–1801 s/3rd s/4th s/10th s/4th s/12th s/14th 1804 s/12th 1807 s/12th 1808 s/2nd 1810–1811 s/10th s/11th s/4th 1812 s/17th 1814–1815 s/4th s/12th s/3rd 1816–1817 s/11th s/1st 1818 s/20th 1820 s/1st s/8th s/13th 1823 s/10th 1824 s/10th 1827 s/1st 1834–1991 listed here 2001 s/9th 2007 s/5th 2013 s/5th
"s/" = Special election See also: Political party strength in Massachusetts For statewide elections, see Template:State elections in Massachusetts footer.