United States House election, 1844

United States House of Representatives elections, 1844

← 1842 July 1, 1844 - November 4, 1845 1846 →
All 227 seats to the United States House of Representatives 115 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader John Davis Samuel Finley Vinton Lewis Charles Levin Party Democratic Whig Know Nothing Leader's seat Indiana-6th Ohio-12th Pennsylvania-1st Last election 148 seats 73 seats 0 seats Seats won 142 79 6 Seat change 6 6 6
Speaker before election John Jones Democratic Elected Speaker John Davis Democratic

John Jones
Democratic

John Davis
Democratic

Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 29th Congress were held at different dates in the various states from July 1, 1844 (Louisiana) to November 4, 1845 (Mississippi). All 227 members of the House of Representatives elected took their seats when Congress convened December 1, 1845. The elections mostly coincided with the 1844 presidential election, won by dark horse Democratic candidate James K. Polk, who won on a campaign advocating territorial expansion. The new states of Florida, Texas and Iowa were added during this Congress. Florida had actually been admitted on the last day of the 28th Congress, but was not represented until the 29th. Iowa and Texas both elected their first representatives in 1846.

Despite Polk's victory, the Democrats had a net loss of six Representatives. They still retained a large majority of 142-79 over their major rivals, the Whigs. The American Party, based on the nativist "Know Nothing" movement characterized by opposition to immigration and anti-Catholicism, gained six seats, its first in Congress. The fragmentation of votes by this new party, combined with a generally negative political environment cause by dislike of outgoing President John Tyler, contributed to the slight Democratic loses.

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