The 1840–41 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between July 6, 1840 and November 2, 1841. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives, before or after the first session of the 27th United States Congress convened on May 31, 1841. Elections were held for all 242 seats, representing 26 states. In a Whig wave, voters gave the Whig Party a House majority for the first time. Most Americans experienced the Panic of 1837 as a severe economic downturn. Its perceived mishandling by Democratic President Martin Van Buren fueled new support for alternative economic policies favored by Whigs of which voters had previously been skeptical. Collapse of the Anti-Masonic Party in the late 1830s also drove some third-party incumbents into the Whig Party. Newly elected members included Robert M. T. Hunter, Independent of Virginia, and Zadok Casey, Independent Democrat of Illinois. Election summaries The previous election had two minor parties, the Anti-Masonic Party with 6 seats and the Conservative Party (of Virginia) with 2 seats, both of which disappeared in this election. The 1st session of the 27th Congress began May 31, 1841, before Mississippi had elected Representatives, leaving that State unrepresented until the 2nd session. Special elections 26th Congress : 1840 : January 1841 (one of the at-large seat) : 1840 : 1840 : 1840 : 1840 : 1840 27th Congress : 1841 : 1841 : 1841 : 1841 : 1841 (again): 1841 : 1841 |- ! | Francis Granger | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent resigned March 5, 1841 to become U.S. Postmaster General.New member elected May 13, 1841.Whig hold.Successor seated May 21, 1841. | nowrap | |- ! | John Greig | | Whig | 1841 | | Incumbent resigned September 25, 1841.New member elected November 3, 1841.Whig hold.Successor seated November 27, 1841. | nowrap | |- ! rowspan=3 | | William C. Dawson | | Whig | 1836 | | Incumbent resigned November 13, 1841 to run for Governor of Georgia.New member elected December 21, 1841.Democratic gain. | rowspan=3 nowrap | |- | Eugenius A. Nisbet | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent resigned October 12, 1841.New member elected December 21, 1841.Democratic gain. |- | Julius Caesar Alford | | Whig | 1838 | | Incumbent resigned October 1, 1841.New member elected December 21, 1841.Democratic gain. |} Alabama Arkansas