.svg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 13 seats in theIowa Territory Council 7 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Democratic hold Whig hold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the1843 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the sixthIowa Territory Council. All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected.[d] Councilors served one-year terms.
TheIowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, whenIowa was admitted to theUnion 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).
Following theprevious election in 1842,Democrats held a majority with seven seats toWhigs' six seats.
To claim a majority of seats, theWhigs needed to net one seat fromDemocrats.
Democrats maintained a majority of seats in theIowa Territory Council following the 1843 general election with the balance of power remaining unchanged withDemocrats holding seven seats andWhigs having six seats. Democratic CouncilorThomas Cox was chosen as the President of the sixth Territory Council to succeed Whig Councilor John D. Elbert in that leadership position.[a]
However, during the session, Democratic CouncilorThomas Cox died on November 9, 1844, causing a vacancy. Following Cox's death, Democrats and Whigs were tied with six seats each.
| Iowa Territory Council District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Councilor | Party | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st[e] | Robert M. G. Patterson | Whig | Robert M. G. Patterson | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| William Patterson | Dem | William Patterson | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| 2nd[f] | John D. Elbert | Whig | John D. Elbert | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| James H. Jenkins | Dem | James H. Jenkins | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| 3rd[g] | Shepherd Leffler | Dem | Shepherd Leffler | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 4th[h] | William Henson Wallace | Whig | William Henson Wallace | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 5th[i] | Joseph B. Teas | Dem | Joseph B. Teas | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 6th[j] | Francis Springer | Whig | Francis Springer | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 7th[k] | Pleasant Harris | Dem | Pleasant Harris | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| 8th[l] | John Parsons Cook | Whig | John Parsons Cook | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 9th[m] | Robert Christie | Whig | Robert Christie | Whig | Whig Hold | ||
| 10th[n] | Thomas Cox | Dem | Thomas Cox[a] | Dem | Dem Hold | ||
| Vacancy after Cox's death[b] | |||||||
| Francis Gehon | Dem | Francis Gehon | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
Source:[4]
District boundaries for theIowa Territory Council in 1843:
