1845 Iowa Council election


In the 1845 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the eighth and final Iowa Territory Council before Iowa attained statehood in 1846. All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected, and councilors served until the organization of the Iowa General Assembly in 1846 as the legislative branch of the new state of Iowa.
The Iowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the Union as a state. At that time, the Iowa Territory had a Legislative Assembly consisting of an upper chamber and a lower chamber. Since lowa attained statehood in 1846, the General Assembly has served as the legislative branch of Iowa. The Territory Council was the predecessor to the Iowa State Senate, the upper chamber of the Iowa state legislature.
Following the previous election in 1844, the Democrats held a majority with 11 seats compared to the Whigs' two seats.
To claim a majority of seats, the Whigs needed to net five seats from Democrats.
After the 1845 general election, the Democrats maintained a majority of seats in the Council, with the balance of power unchanged, with Democrats holding 11 seats and Whigs having two seats. Democratic Councilor Stephen P. Hempstead was elected as the President of the eighth Territory Council to succeed Democratic Councilor Serranus Clinton Hastings in that leadership position.

Summary of results

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Detailed results