1839 Iowa Council election

← 1838 1839 1840 →
All 13 seats in the Iowa Territory Council 7 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Stephen Hempstead[a] Jesse B. Browne Party Democratic Whig Leader's seat 8th-Dubuque County 2nd-Lee County Last election 7 6 Seats after 7 6 Seat change
President of the Iowa Territory Council before election Jesse B. Browne Whig Elected President of the Iowa Territory Council Stephen Hempstead[a] Democratic

Elections in Iowa
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v t e

In the 1839 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the second Iowa Territory Council.^[2] All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected.^[b] Councilors served one-year terms.

The Iowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the Union as a state. At the time, the Iowa Territory had a Legislative Assembly consisting of an upper chamber (i.e., the Territory Council) and a lower chamber (i.e., the Territory House of Representatives).^[4]

Following the organization of the first Territory Council in 1838, Democrats held a majority with seven seats to Whigs' six seats.^[5]

To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net one seat from the Democrats.

The Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Council following the 1839 general election with the balance of power remaining unchanged with the Democrats holding seven seats and the Whigs having six seats.^[6] Democratic Councilor Stephen P. Hempstead was chosen as the President of the second Territory Council to succeed Whig Councilor Jesse B. Browne in that leadership position.^[a]

Summary of Results

Source:^[19]

Detailed Results

• NOTE: The Iowa General Assembly does not contain detailed vote totals for Territory Council elections in 1839.