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  MA District 4 - 4th Trial
RACE DETAILS
Parents > United States > Massachusetts > MA - District 04
OfficeHouse of Representatives
HonorificRepresentative - Abbr: Rep.
Type General Election
Filing Deadline 00, 0000 - 12:00pm Central
Polls Open May 26, 1851 - 06:00am Central
Polls Close May 26, 1851 - 07:00pm Central
Term Start May 27, 1851 - 12:00pm
Term End March 04, 1853 - 12:00pm
ContributorRBH
Last ModifiedRBH April 18, 2011 02:49pm
Data SourcesUnited States Congressional elections, 1788-1997 : the official results of the elections of the 1st through 105th Congresses
Description A Summary of the 1848-1851 elections for Massachusetts' 4th district:

Incumbent Congressman John Palfrey went from the Whig Party to the Free Soil Party due to the nomination of Zachary Taylor. Palfrey faced Whig Benjamin Thompson and Democrat Frederick Robinson eight times from November 1848 to March 1850 with no candidate winning a majority.

Robinson withdrew his candidacy before the 9th trial and the Democrats didn't nominate a candidate. But the scattering of Democrats caused no candidate to win a majority.

Democrat Richard Frothingham was nominated by the Democrats for the 10th through 12th trials, along with the four trials for the 1851-1853 term.

The inability of a candidate to win a majority for the 1849-1851 term led the seat to be unfilled for the entire 31st Congress.

Massachusetts state law was changed before this election to allow for someone to be selected without a majority. This allowed for a member to be elected after 16 elections over 30 months.
LAST GENERAL ELECTION
PartyWhig Won12/28/1846
NameJohn G. Palfrey Votes4,513 (50.56%)
Term03/04/1847 - 03/04/1849 Margin759 (+8.50%)
NEXT GENERAL ELECTION
PartyWhig Won11/08/1852
NameSamuel H. Walley Votes4,290 (60.74%)
Term03/04/1853 - 03/04/1855 Margin2,545 (+36.03%)
PRIMARY/OTHER SCHEDULE
Nov 13, 1848 MA District 4 - 1st Trial
John G. Palfrey
FS 5,419W 5,379D 3,284
Jan 01, 1849 MA District 4 - 2nd Trial
John G. Palfrey
FS 4,495W 3,095D 1,525
Mar 05, 1849 MA District 4 - 3rd Trial
John G. Palfrey
FS 5,053W 3,583D 1,963
Jun 11, 1849 MA District 4 - 4th Trial
John G. Palfrey
FS 3,930W 2,970D 1,325
Sep 10, 1849 MA District 4 - 5th Trial
John G. Palfrey
FS 4,411W 3,464D 1,532
Nov 12, 1849 MA District 4 - 6th Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 5,511FS 4,947D 3,330
Jan 21, 1850 MA District 4 - 7th Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 4,528FS 3,927D 1,902
Mar 04, 1850 MA District 4 - 8th Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 4,621FS 4,319D 2,273
May 27, 1850 MA District 4 - 9th Trial
John G. Palfrey
FS 4,970W 4,657D 667NPA 154
Aug 19, 1850 MA District 4 - 10th Trial
John G. Palfrey
FS 3,010W 2,929D 1,133
Nov 11, 1850 MA District 4 - 11th Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 5,603FS 4,932D 3,688
Nov 11, 1850 MA District 4 - 1st Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 5,531FS 4,783D 3,653
Jan 20, 1851 MA District 4 - 12th Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 3,759FS 3,001D 2,044
Jan 20, 1851 MA District 4 - 2nd Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 3,771FS 2,986D 2,063
Apr 07, 1851 MA District 4 - 3rd Trial
Benjamin Thompson
W 3,689FS 3,519D 1,550

CANDIDATES
Photo  
Name Rep. Benjamin Thompson Rep. John G. Palfrey Richard Frothingham  
PartyWhig Free Soil Democratic  
Campaign Logo  
Certified Votes 6,380 (47.65%) 6,293 (47.00%) 717 (5.36%)  
Margin0 (0.00%) -87 (-0.65%) -5,663 (-42.29%)  
Predict Avg.0.00% 0.00% 0.00%  
Cash On Hand $-- $-- $--  
Website  
Entry Date -- -- --  
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