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The1849 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 6, 1849, by theNew York State Legislature to elect aU.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State ofNew York in theUnited States Senate.
BarnburnerJohn Adams Dix had been elected in 1845 to this seat after the resignation ofSilas Wright, and Dix's term would expire on March 3, 1849. In November 1848, Dix was the Barnburners/Free-Soilers candidate for Governor of New York, but was defeated by WhigHamilton Fish.
At this time theDemocratic Party in New York was split in two fiercely opposing factions: the"Barnburners" and the "Hunkers". The Barnburners organized theFree Soil Party in 1848 and nominatedMartin Van Buren forU.S. President. Due to the split, theWhig Party won most of the elective offices by pluralities.
At theState election in November 1847, 24 Whigs and 8 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1848–1849) in the State Senate. At theState election in November 1848, 106 Whigs, 15 Free Soilers and 7 Hunkers were elected to the Assembly for the session of 1849. The72nd New York State Legislature met from January 2 to April 11, 1849, atAlbany, New York.
Ex-Governor of New York William H. Seward was nominated by a caucus ofWhig State legislators on February 1, 1849. The vote was 88 for Seward, 12 forJohn A. Collier, 18 scattering and 4 blanks.
The incumbent U.S. Senator John Adams Dix ran for re-election supported by the Free Soilers.
Ex-Chancellor Reuben H. Walworth was the candidate of the Hunkers. Walworth had been third place in the last gubernatorial election, behind Fish and Dix.
Ex-Congressman Daniel D. Barnard (Whig) received 2 scattering votes in the Senate.
William H. Seward was the choice of both the Assembly and the Senate, and was declared elected.
| Office | House | Whig | Free Soil | Dem./Hunker | also ran | ||||
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| U.S. Senator | State Senate (32 members) | William H. Seward | 19 | John Adams Dix | 6 | Reuben H. Walworth | 2 | Daniel D. Barnard | 2 |
| State Assembly (128 members) | William H. Seward | 102 | John Adams Dix | 15 | Reuben H. Walworth | 7 | |||
Seward took his seat on March 5, 1849,[1] and was re-elected in 1855. He remained in office until March 3, 1861, and two days later becameU.S. Secretary of State, appointed by PresidentAbraham Lincoln.
