United States elections, 1854

Partisan control of Congress and the presidency
Previous party
Incoming party
President Democratic Democratic
House Democratic Opposition
Senate Democratic Democratic

The 1854 United States general election occurred in the middle of Democratic President Franklin Pierce's term. Members of the 32nd United States Congress were chosen in this election. The election took place during a transition between the Second Party System and the Third Party System, as the Whigs collapsed as a national party. A coalition known as the Opposition, including the nascent Republican Party, won a plurality of seats in the House. Although Democrats lost control of the House, they easily kept control of the Senate. The election also saw the rise of the American Party, which won more seats in the House than any other third party in the history of the chamber.[1]

In the House, Democrats suffered a massive defeat, losing seats to the Opposition and American Party.[1] Nathaniel Banks, a member of the American Party and the Free Soil Party, won election as Speaker of the House after a protracted battle, defeating Democrat William Aiken.[2]

In the Senate, Democrats retained a strong majority, while the Opposition replaced the Whigs as the second largest party in the chamber.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  2. ↑ Glass, Andrew (3 December 2012). "The House speaker bog-down, Dec. 3, 1855". Politico. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". United States Senate. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
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