In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning March 4, 1861; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
Elections during the 37th Congress
In these elections, the winners were elected in 1861 after March 4.
New York
The New York election was held February 5, 1861. Whig William H. Seward had been re-elected in February 1855 to this seat, had become a Republican upon the foundation of that party in September 1855, and his term would expire on March 3, 1861. Seward did not seek re-election, instead being certain to be appointed to an office in the incoming Lincoln administration. At the State election in November 1859, 23 Republicans and 9 Democrats were elected for a two-year term in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1860, 93 Republicans and 35 Democrats were elected to the Assembly for the session of 1861. The 84th New York State Legislature met from January 1 to April 16, 1861, at Albany, New York. Ira Harris was the candidate of the Republican Party. Harris had been a Whig assemblyman in 1845 and 1846, and a justice of the New York Supreme Court from 1847 to 1859. Ex-Governor Horatio Seymour was the candidate of the Democratic Party. Both in the Assembly and the Senate a strict party vote confirmed the caucus selections. In the Assembly 119 votes were given. Republicans Smith Anthony, Martin Finch, Henry A. Prendergast, Victor M. Rice and Perez H. Field ; and Democrats Luke F. Cozans, Benjamin H. Long, N. Holmes Odell and Christian B. Woodruff ; did not vote. In the State Senate, 31 votes were given. William H. Ferry was absent. Ira Harris was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
A special election was held in Pennsylvania on March 14, 1861. David Wilmot was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to the United States Senate. The Republican Simon Cameron was elected to the United States Senate by the General Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, in January 1857. Sen. Cameron resigned on March 4, 1861, to become United States Secretary of War in the Abraham Lincoln administration, vacating the seat. Following the resignation of Sen. Simon Cameron, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 14, 1861, to elect a new Senator to fill the vacancy. The results of the vote of both houses combined are as follows:
