1857 United States Senate special election in California

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1857 United States Senate special election in California
← 1849 January 13, 1857 1861 →
Majority vote of both houses needed to win
Senator before election; None; (Legislature failed to elect);	Elected Senator ; William M. Gwin; Democratic

The 1857 United States Senate special election in California was held on January 13, 1857, by the California State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State of California in the United States Senate. Legislators had previously attempted to elect a Senator in 1855, but could not reach a majority for a single candidate. In a special joint session, former Democratic Senator William M. Gwin was re-elected over Know Nothing State Senator Henry A. Crabb and Republican Nevada County District Attorney Aaron A. Sargent.^[1]

Results

Election in the Legislature (joint session)^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William M. Gwin	82	72.57%
	Know Nothing	Henry A. Crabb	17	15.04%
	Republican	Aaron A. Sargent	11	9.73%
	Republican	Edward Stanly	2	1.77%
		Scattering	1	0.88%
Total votes			113	100.00%

References

^ ^a ^b "California Legislature". San Joaquin Republican. Stockton. January 15, 1857. Retrieved November 1, 2024.

[gwin-1] "California Legislature". San Joaquin Republican. Stockton. January 15, 1857. Retrieved November 1, 2024.

[1]