1852 and 1853 United States House of Representatives elections

Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 33rd Congress were held at various dates in different states from August 1852 to November 1853.

Democrats increased their House majority while electing national compromise candidate Franklin Pierce, a Northerner favorable to Southern interests, to the Presidency. Effects of the Compromise of 1850 temporarily had reduced sectional tensions, and both major parties, Democrats and Whigs, unified around the 1852 Presidential campaign, with Whig unity more tenuous. Two small parties, the Constitutional Unionists and States' Rights parties, collapsed before this election, while the Free Soil Party, opposing slavery in the Western territories, retained four seats. One Independent, Caleb Lyon, was elected from New York.

Election summaries
Following the 1850 Census, the House was reapportioned. In the initial apportionment bill, the number of seats was unchanged at 233, but later one seat was added to California's delegation, increasing the total apportionment to 234, due to returns from California being determined to be incomplete.

California
Note: From statehood to 1864, California's representatives were elected at-large, with the top two vote-getters winning election from 1849 to 1858; in 1860 when California gained a seat in the House the top three vote-getters were elected.

! rowspan=2 | CA At-large 2 seats on a general ticket
 * Edward C. Marshall
 * | Democratic
 * 1851
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic hold.
 * rowspan=2 nowrap | ✅ James A. McDougall (Democratic) 84.4%

✅ Milton Latham (Democratic) 15.6%

Philip L. Edwards (Whig) 23.28%

George B. Tingley (Whig) 23.13%


 * Joseph W. McCorkle
 * | Democratic
 * 1851
 * | Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Democratic hold.
 * | Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Democratic hold.


 * }

Florida
! FL At-large
 * Edward C. Cabell
 * | Whig
 * 1846
 * | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Augustus Maxwell (Democratic) 50.1%

Edward C. Cabell (Whig) 49.9%


 * }

Massachusetts
The elections were held November 8, 1852. However, many of the districts went to a December 13, 1852 second ballot.

! Massachusetts's 1st congressional district
 * Zeno Scudder Redistricted from the MA's 10th congressional district
 * | Whig
 * 1851
 * Incumbent re-elected on the second ballot.
 * nowrap | First ballot (November 8, 1852):

Zeno Scudder (Whig) 49.67%

John Pierce (Democratic) 28.60%

Rodney French (Free Soil) 21.73% Second ballot (December 13, 1852):

✅ Zeno Scudder (Whig) 62.91%

Abraham H. Howland (Independent) 37.09%

! Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district

! Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district

! Massachusetts's 4th congressional district

! Massachusetts's 5th congressional district

! Massachusetts's 6th congressional district

! Massachusetts's 7th congressional district

! Massachusetts's 8th congressional district

! Massachusetts's 9th congressional district

! Massachusetts's 10th congressional district

! Massachusetts's 11th congressional district


 * }

Mississippi
Elections held late, from November 7 to 8, 1853

! data-sort-value=0 | MS At-large
 * colspan=3 | None (new district)
 * | New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ William Barksdale (Democratic) 54.27%

Alexander B. Bradford (Whig) 45.73%

! MS's 1st congressional district
 * Benjamin D. Nabers
 * | Unionist
 * 1851
 * | Incumbent lost re-election as a Whig. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Daniel B. Wright (Democratic) 51.64%

Benjamin D. Nabers (Whig) 48.36%

! MS's 2nd congressional district
 * John A. Wilcox
 * | Unionist
 * 1851
 * | Incumbent lost re-election as a Whig. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap | ✅ William S. Barry (Democratic) 50.73%

John A. Wilcox (Whig) 49.27%

! MS's 3rd congressional district
 * John D. Freeman
 * | Unionist
 * 1851
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap | ✅ Otho R. Singleton (Democratic) 55.65%

Alexander K. McLung (Whig) 44.35%

! MS's 4th congressional district
 * Albert G. Brown
 * | Southern Rights
 * 1847
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap | ✅ Wiley P. Harris (Democratic) 100%


 * }

Tennessee
Elections held late, on August 4, 1853.

! rowspan=2 | TN's 1st congressional district
 * Andrew Johnson
 * | Democratic
 * 1842
 * |Incumbent retired to run for Governor. New member elected. Democratic hold.
 * rowspan=2 nowrap |

✅ Brookins Campbell (Democratic) 37.11%

Nathaniel G. Taylor (Whig) 36.14%

Albert G. Watkins (Whig) 26.75%


 * Albert G. Watkins
 * | Whig
 * 1849
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 2nd congressional district.
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 2nd congressional district.

! rowspan=2 | TN's 2nd congressional district
 * Albert G. Watkins
 * | Whig
 * 1849
 * |Incumbent redistricted to the Tn's 2nd congressional district. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * rowspan=2 nowrap |

✅ William M. Churchwell (Democratic) 56.64%

Horace Maynard (Whig) 43.36%


 * William M. Churchwell
 * | Democratic
 * 1851
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 3rd congressional district.
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 3rd congressional district.

! TN's 3rd congressional district
 * William M. Churchwell
 * | Democratic
 * 1851
 * |Incumbent redistricted to the Tn's 2nd congressional district. New member elected. Democratic hold.
 * nowrap |

✅ Samuel A. Smith (Democratic) 55.49%

T. Nixon Vandyke (Whig) 44.52%

! rowspan=2 | TN's 4th congressional district
 * John H. Savage
 * | Democratic
 * 1849
 * |Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig gain.
 * rowspan=2 nowrap |

✅ William Cullom (Whig) 50.14%

Erasmus L. Gardner (Democratic) 49.86%


 * William Cullom
 * | Whig
 * 1851
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 8th congressional district.
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 8th congressional district.

! TN's 5th congressional district
 * George W. Jones
 * | Democratic
 * 1842
 * |Incumbent redistricted to the Tn's 6th congressional district. New member elected. Whig gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Charles Ready (Whig) 57.86%

Thomas Barry (Democratic) 42.14%

! rowspan=2 | TN's 6th congressional district
 * William H. Polk
 * | Independent Democratic
 * 1851
 * |Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * rowspan=2 nowrap |

✅ George W. Jones (Democratic) 100%


 * George W. Jones
 * | Democratic
 * 1842
 * Redistricted from the TN's 5th congressional district.
 * Redistricted from the TN's 5th congressional district.

! TN's 7th congressional district
 * Meredith P. Gentry
 * | Whig
 * 1845
 * |Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig hold.
 * nowrap |

✅ Robert M. Bugg (Whig) 52.52%

S. C. Pavott (Democratic) 47.48%

! TN's 8th congressional district
 * William Cullom
 * | Whig
 * 1851
 * |Incumbent redistricted to the Tn's 4th congressional district. New member elected. Whig hold.
 * nowrap |

✅ Felix Zollicoffer (Whig) 52.96%

Samuel P. Allison (Democratic) 47.04%

! rowspan=2 | TN's 9th congressional district
 * Isham G. Harris
 * | Democratic
 * 1849
 * |Incumbent retired. New member elected. Whig gain.
 * rowspan=2 nowrap | ✅ Emerson Etheridge (Whig) 96.90%

Christopher H. Williams (Whig) 3.10%


 * Christopher H. Williams
 * | Whig
 * 1849
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 11th congressional district.
 * Redistricted from the Tn's 11th congressional district.

! TN's 10th congressional district
 * Frederick P. Stanton
 * | Democratic
 * 1845
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap |

✅ Frederick P. Stanton (Democratic) 50.03%

Edwin M. Yerger (Whig) 49.97%


 * }

Wisconsin
! Wisconsin's 1st congressional district
 * Charles Durkee
 * | Free Soil
 * 1848
 * | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Daniel Wells Jr. (Democratic) 46.48%

Charles Durkee (Free Soil) 31.93%

Henry S. Durand (Whig) 21.56%

! Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district
 * Ben C. Eastman
 * | Democratic
 * 1850
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap |

✅ Ben C. Eastman (Democratic) 53.91%

Chauncey Abbott (Whig) 38.67%

James L. Enos (Free Soil) 7.41%

! Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district
 * James Duane Doty
 * | Ind. Democratic
 * 1848
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ John B. Macy (Democratic) 55.42%

James McMillan Shafter (Whig) 36.32%

Hiram McKee (Free Soil) 8.23%


 * }

Non-voting delegates
! Minnesota Territory's at-large congressional district
 * Henry Hastings Sibley
 * | Democratic
 * 1848 (Wisconsin Territory: Special) 1849 (Wisconsin Territory: Eliminated) 1849 (Minnesota Territory)
 * | Incumbent retired. New delegate elected. Democratic hold.
 * nowrap |

✅ Henry Mower Rice (Democratic) 2360 votes

Wilkin 728 votes

! New Mexico Territory's at-large congressional district
 * Richard H. Weightman
 * | Democratic
 * 1851
 * | Incumbent retired. New delegate elected in 1853. Democratic hold.
 * nowrap | ✅ Jose Gallegos (Democratic)

William Carr Lane (Whig)

! Oregon Territory's at-large congressional district
 * Joseph Lane
 * | Democratic
 * 1851
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap |

✅ Joseph Lane (Democratic)


 * }