1861 United States Senate Special Election in Pennsylvania
The 1861 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania took place on March 14, 1861. During this election, David Wilmot was elected by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to serve in the United States Senate.
Background
Prior to Wilmot’s election, the Republican Simon Cameron had been elected to the Senate by the General Assembly in January 1857. Cameron resigned his position on March 4, 1861, to accept the role of United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln, creating a vacancy that needed to be filled.
Results
After Cameron’s resignation, the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened on March 14, 1861, to elect a new Senator to fill the vacant seat. The combined voting results of both houses were recorded during this session.
See Also
- United States Senate elections, 1860 and 1861
- United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 1861
References
For more detailed election statistics, refer to the Pennsylvania Election Statistics: 1682-2006 from the Wilkes University Election Statistics Project.