The United States Senate election of 1862 was an election during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 in which Republicans increased their control of the U.S. Senate. The Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 gained three seats, bringing their majority to 66% of the body. Also caucusing with them were Unionists

Unionist Party (United States)

The Union Party was a fusion political party conceived by Republicans in 1861 to combine people of all political affiliations into a single movement committed to the preservation of the Union and to war. Republicans wanted to project an image of wartime nonpartisanship and they also expected to...

 and Unconditional Unionists. As many Southern states seceded in 1860 and 1861, and members left the Senate to join the Confederacy, or were expelled for supporting the rebellion, seats were declared vacant. To establish a quorum with fewer members, a lower total seat number was taken into account.

As this election was prior to ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment

Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures...

, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

Results

38th Congress

38th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members...

 (1863–1865)

• Majority Party: Republican (31), later rose to 33
• Minority Party: Democratic (10)
• Other Parties: Unionist (4), later dropped to 3; Unconditional Unionist (3), later rose to 4
• Vacant: 20, later rose to 22
• Total Seats: 48, later rose to 50

Change in Senate composition

End of previous Congress 37th United States Congress The Thirty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1861 to March 4, 1863, during the first two... V V V V V V V V V V D D D D D D D D D D D D D U U R R R R R U U U U U R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R V V V V V R R R R R V V V V V

Beginning of the next Congress 38th United States Congress -House of Representatives:Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members... V V V V V V V V V V V V D D D D D D D D D D Ü Ü Ü U R R R R R R R U U U R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R V V V V V V R R R R V V V V V V

End of the next Congress 38th United States Congress -House of Representatives:Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members... V V V V V V V V V V V V V D D D D D D D D D D Ü Ü Ü Ü U R R R R R R R R U U R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R V V V V V R R R R R V V V V V V V V

Key:	D = Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... R = Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... U = Unionist Unionist Party (United States) The Union Party was a fusion political party conceived by Republicans in 1861 to combine people of all political affiliations into a single movement committed to the preservation of the Union and to war. Republicans wanted to project an image of wartime nonpartisanship and they also expected to... Ü = Unconditional Unionist V = Vacant	EWLINE Majority divider

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1862
• 38th United States Congress
  38th United States Congress
  -House of Representatives:Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members...