1855 United States Senate election in New York


The 1855 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 6, 1855, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.

Background

had been elected in 1849 to this seat and his term would expire on March 3, 1855.
At the time the Democratic Party was split into two opposing factions: the "Hards" and the "Softs". After most of the "Barnburners" had left the party, joining the Whigs, the majority of "Hunkers" split over the question of reconciliation with the minority of Barnburners who had remained Democrats. The Hard faction was against it, in true Hunker fashion claiming all patronage for themselves; the Soft faction in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1854, Whig State Senator Myron H. Clark was elected Governor of New York, and 82 Whigs, 26 Softs, 16 Hards and 3 Temperance men were elected for the session of 1855 to the New York State Assembly. "Know Nothings are sprinkled miscellaneously among Whigs, Hards and Softs; and exactly how many there are of these gentry in the Assembly Nobody Knows." The 78th New York State Legislature met from January 2 to April 14, 1855, at Albany, New York.

Candidates

The incumbent U.S. Senator William H. Seward ran for re-election as a Whig.

Election

In the Assembly, Seward received 69 votes, given by 65 Whigs; 1 Democrat; 1 Temperance man; 1 Republican and 1 Whig-Republican. Dickinson received 14 votes, given by 13 Democrats and 1 American. Horatio Seymour received the votes of 12 Democrats. Dix received 7 votes, given by 5 Democrats; 1 Independent Democrat and 1 Temperance man. Fillmore received 4 votes, given by 2 Whigs; 1 Democrat and 1 Temperance-American. Horatio Seymour, Jr., received the votes of 2 Americans. King, Butler, Lester, Wait and Bronson received 1 Democratic vote each. Campbell received 1 Temperance-American vote. Howell received 1 American vote. Hoffman and Haven received 1 Whig vote each.
In the State Senate, Seward received 18 Whig votes, Dickinson 5 Hard votes, and Allen 2 Whig votes. Preston and Church received 1 Soft vote each. Hoffman, Babcock, Ullmann and Fillmore received 1 American vote each.

Result

William H. Seward was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
OfficeCandidatePartySenate
Assembly
U.S. SenatorWilliam H. SewardWhig1869
Daniel S. DickinsonDem./Hard514
Horatio SeymourDem./Soft12
Washington HuntWhig9
John Adams DixDem./Soft7
Millard FillmoreWhig14
William F. AllenDemocrat2
Horatio Seymour Jr.2
Preston King11
Ogden HoffmanWhig11
Daniel UllmannAmerican1
Sanford E. ChurchDemocrat1
George R. BabcockWhig1
William W. CampbellAmerican1
Benjamin F. ButlerDemocrat1
Albert LesterDemocrat1
Greene C. BronsonDemocrat1
Solomon G. HavenOpposition1
John D. Howell1
L. or J. Wait1

Aftermath

Seward remained in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1861, and two days later became U.S. Secretary of State, appointed by President Abraham Lincoln.