The 1910 United States House of Representatives elections were held for the most part on November 8, 1910, while Maine and Vermont held theirs early in September, in the middle of President William Howard Taft's term. Elections were held for all 391 seats of the United States House of Representatives, representing 46 states, to the 62nd United States Congress.

The conservative Taft contended with major factional splits within his Republican Party. Instead of using his position as president to bridge compromise, Taft alienated the progressive wing of the party, which had championed his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt. While conservatives controlled the largest number of elected positions for Republicans, progressive politics had been what brought many voters to the polls. The clash of these units of the Republican Party, combined with the message of unity from the Democratic Party, was enough to allow the Democrats to take control of the House, ending 16 years in opposition. This was the first time that the Socialist Party won a seat.

Issues

Protection was the ideological cement holding the Republican coalition together. High tariffs were used by Republicans to promise higher sales to business, higher wages to industrial workers, and higher demand for their crops to farmers. Progressive insurgents said it promoted monopoly. Democrats said it was a tax on the little man. It had greatest support in the Northeast, and greatest opposition in the South and West. The Midwest was the battleground. The great battle over the high Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act in 1910 ripped the Republicans apart and set up the realignment in favor of the Democrats.

Election summaries

Election dates

In 1910, two states, with 6 seats between them, held elections early:

• September 6, Vermont
• September 12, Maine

Two newly admitted states held elections late: New Mexico and Arizona held their first elections in 1911.

Special elections

Alabama

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Non-voting delegates

Alaska Territory

Alaska Territory elected its non-voting delegate August 9, 1910.

Arizona Territory

Arizona Territory elected its non-voting delegate sometime in 1910, but did not serve out the complete term as statehood was granted in 1912.

New Mexico Territory

New Mexico Territory elected its non-voting delegate sometime in 1910, but did not serve out the complete term as statehood was granted in 1912.

See also

• 1910 United States elections
  • 1910–11 United States Senate elections
• 61st United States Congress
• 62nd United States Congress

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Baker, John D. “The Character of the Congressional Revolution of 1910.” Journal of American History 60#3 (1973), pp. 679–691. online on the revolt against Cannon
• Coletta, Paolo E. The Presidency of William Howard Taft (1973) pp 101–120.
• Dubin, Michael J. (1998). 1788 United States Congressional Elections-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
• Gould, Lewis L. The William Howard Taft Presidency (2009) pp 107–120.
• Hechler, Ken. Insurgency; personalities and politics of the Taft era (1964) online
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
• Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
• Rubin, Ruth Bloch. "Organizing for Insurgency: Intraparty Organization and the Development of the House Insurgency, 1908–1910." Studies in American Political Development 27.2 (2013): 86-110 online.
• Solvick, Stanley D. "William Howard Taft and the Payne-Aldrich Tariff." Mississippi Valley Historical Review 50.3 (1963): 424-442 online.

External links

• "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
• Secretary of State (1911). Maryland Manual 1911. Baltimore: John Murphy Co. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)

Articles connexes

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2. 1910 United States House of Representatives elections in California
3. 1974 United States House of Representatives elections
4. 1964 United States House of Representatives elections
5. 1948 United States House of Representatives elections
6. 1920 United States House of Representatives elections
7. 1954 United States House of Representatives elections
8. 1944 United States House of Representatives elections
9. 1942 United States House of Representatives elections
10. 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland
11. 1928 United States House of Representatives elections
12. 1956 United States House of Representatives elections
13. 1934 United States House of Representatives elections
14. 1946 United States House of Representatives elections
15. 1936 United States House of Representatives elections
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17. 1932 United States House of Representatives elections
18. 1978 United States House of Representatives elections
19. 1924 United States House of Representatives elections
20. 1918 United States House of Representatives elections