1952 United States House of Representatives elections
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox election The 1952 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the United States House of Representatives to elect members to serve in the 83rd United States Congress. They were held for the most part on November 4, 1952, while Maine held theirs on September 8. This was the first election after the congressional reapportionment based on the 1950 census. It also coincided with the election of President Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower's Republican Party gained 22 seats from the Democratic Party, gaining a majority of the House. However, the Democrats had almost 250,000 more votes (0.4%) thanks to overwhelming margins in the Solid South, although this election did see the first Republican elected to the House from North Carolina since 1928,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the first Republicans elected from Virginia since 1930.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As of 2025, this is the last election in which both major parties increased their share of the popular vote simultaneously, largely due to the disintegration of the American Labor Party and other third parties.
The dismal approval rating of the outgoing president Harry Truman was one reason why his party lost its House majority. Also, continued uneasiness about the Korean War was an important factor. Joseph Martin (R-Massachusetts) became Speaker of the House, exchanging places with Sam Rayburn (D-Texas), who became the new Minority Leader.
This was the last time Republicans won control of the House of Representatives until 1994, despite the GOP controlling the presidency for the majority of the next four decades, Democrats outperformed in down-ballot elections, especially in the South, which had started to drift towards Republican presidential candidates. Template:As of, this is the last time the House changed partisan control during a presidential election, and the last time both houses did so simultaneously. This marked one of only two times in the 20th century in which the Republicans won a House majority without winning the popular vote, with the other time being in 1996;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> it was also one of four times where either party did so in the 20th century, with the other three instances occurring in 1914, 1942, and 1996.<ref name="NYTGerry">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Overall results
| 221 | 1 | 213 |
| Republican | I | Democratic |
Template:Bar box Template:Bar box
|
File:83 us house membership.png
|
|||||||||
Special elections
Template:See also Four special elections were held to finish terms in the 82nd United States Congress, which would end January 3, 1953.
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Template:Ushr | T. Vincent Quinn | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Template:Party shading/Republican | Incumbent resigned December 30, 1951. New member elected February 19, 1952. Republican gain. Winner lost re-election in November. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | William T. Byrne | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1944 | Template:Party shading/Democratic/Hold | Incumbent died January 27, 1952. New member elected April 1, 1952. Democratic hold. Winner won re-election in November. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | John A. Whitaker | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | [[1948 Kentucky's 2nd congressional district special election|1948 Template:Small]] | Template:Party shading/Democratic/Hold | Incumbent died December 15, 1951. New member elected August 2, 1952. Democratic hold. Winner won re-election in November. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Tom Pickett | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1944 | Template:Party shading/Democratic/Hold | Incumbent resigned June 30, 1952. New member elected September 23, 1952. Democratic hold. Winner won re-election in November. |
Template:Plainlist |
Alabama
Arizona
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | John R. Murdock | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1936 | Template:Party shading/Republican | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Harold Patten | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Arkansas
Arkansas lost one seat in reapportionment leaving it with 6; the existing 4th district along the western edge of the state lost some of its territory to the 3rd district in the northwest, and the rest was merged with the 7th district in the south, with minor changes to other districts.<ref name="martis"> Template:Cite book</ref>
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Ezekiel C. Gathings | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1938 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Wilbur Mills | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1938 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | James William Trimble | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Boyd Anderson Tackett | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Template:Party shading/Loss | Incumbent retired to run for Governor of Arkansas. Democratic loss. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Oren Harris Template:Small |
Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1940 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| Template:Ushr | Brooks Hays | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | William F. Norrell | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1938 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
California
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also
Seven new seats were added in reapportionment, increasing the delegation from 23 to 30 seats. Two of the new seats were won by Democrats, and five by Republicans. One Republican and one Democratic incumbents lost re-election, and a retiring Democrat was replaced by a Republican. Overall, therefore, Democrats gained one seat and Republicans gained 7.
Colorado
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Byron G. Rogers | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | William S. Hill | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1940 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | John Chenoweth | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Wayne N. Aspinall | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Connecticut
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Abraham Ribicoff | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Template:Party shading/Democratic/Hold | Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator. Democratic hold. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Horace Seely-Brown Jr. | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | John A. McGuire | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Template:Party shading/Republican | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Albert P. Morano | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | James T. Patterson | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1946 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Antoni Sadlak | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1946 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Delaware
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | J. Caleb Boggs | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1946 | Template:Party shading/Republican/Hold | Incumbent retired to run for Governor of Delaware. Republican hold. |
Template:Plainlist |
Florida
Florida was redistricted from 6 districts to 8, splitting the area around Sarasota out from the Tampa-St. Petersburg based 1st district, and splitting Gainesville out from the Jacksonville-based 2nd district.<ref name="martis"/>
Georgia
Idaho
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | John Travers Wood | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Hamer H. Budge | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Illinois
Illinois lost one seat, redistricting from 26 to 25 districts. No changes were made to the Chicago area districts, but the downstate districts were broadly reorganized, forcing incumbents Peter F. Mack Jr. (Democratic) and Edward H. Jenison (Republican) into the same district.
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Albert M. Cole | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1944 | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Errett P. Scrivner | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1943 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Myron V. George | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Edward Herbert Rees | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1936 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Clifford R. Hope | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1926 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Wint Smith | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1946 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Kentucky
Kentucky lost one seat at reapportionment, and redistricted from 9 districts to 8, adjusting boundaries across the state and dividing the old 8th up among its neighbors.<ref name="martis"/>
Louisiana
Maine
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Robert Hale | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Charles P. Nelson | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1948 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Clifford McIntire | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1951 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Maryland
Maryland redistricted from 6 to 7 seats, transferring territory from the 2nd to the 3rd and 4th and to a new 7th seat in the Baltimore suburbs.<ref name="martis"/>
Template:As of, this was the last time the Republican Party held a majority of congressional districts from Maryland.Template:Original research inline
Massachusetts
Michigan
Michigan added one seat, and divided the 17th district to form an 18th district, leaving boundaries otherwise unchanged.
Minnesota
Mississippi
Mississippi lost 1 seat in reapportionment and redistricted from 7 seats to 6; in addition to other boundary adjustments a substantial portion of the old 4th district was moved into the 1st, and 4th district incumbent Abernethy defeated 1st district incumbent Rankin in the Democratic primary.
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | John E. Rankin | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1920 | Template:Party shading/Loss | Incumbent lost renomination. Democratic loss. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Thomas Abernethy Template:Small |
Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| Template:Ushr | Jamie Whitten | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1941 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Frank E. Smith | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | John Bell Williams Template:Small |
Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1946 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | W. Arthur Winstead | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | William M. Colmer | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1932 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Missouri
Montana
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Mike Mansfield | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1942 | Template:Party shading/Democratic/Hold | Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator. Democratic hold. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Wesley A. D'Ewart | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1945 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Nebraska
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Carl Curtis | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1938 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Howard Buffett | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Template:Party shading/Republican/Hold | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Robert Dinsmore Harrison | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1951 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Arthur L. Miller | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Nevada
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Walter S. Baring Jr. | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Template:Party shading/Republican | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
Template:Plainlist |
New Hampshire
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Chester Earl Merrow | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Norris Cotton | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1946 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
New Jersey
New Mexico
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | John J. Dempsey | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Antonio M. Fernández | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. |
New York
New York redistricted from 45 seats to 43, losing a seat in Long Island and another upstate.<ref name="martis"/>
North Carolina
North Dakota
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Usher L. Burdick | Template:Party shading/Nonpartisan League | Republican-NPL | 1948 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Fred G. Aandahl | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Template:Party shading/Republican/Hold | Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator. Republican hold. |
Ohio
Ohio's representation was not changed at reapportionment, but redistricted its at-large district into a 23rd district and also removed the 11th district in south Ohio, creating two new districts around Cleveland.<ref name="martis"/>
Oklahoma
Oklahoma was reapportioned from 8 seats to 6 and eliminated the 7th and 8th districts, moving most of their territory into the 1st and 6th and expanding other districts to compensate.<ref name="martis"/>
Oregon
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | A. Walter Norblad | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1946 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Lowell Stockman | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1942 | Template:Party shading/Republican/Hold | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Homer D. Angell | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1938 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Harris Ellsworth | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania redistricted from 33 districts to 30, eliminating 1 district in northeastern Pennsylvania and 2 in southwestern Pennsylvania.<ref name="martis"/>
Rhode Island
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Aime Forand | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1940 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | John E. Fogarty | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1940 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
South Carolina
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | L. Mendel Rivers | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1940 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | John J. Riley | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | William Jennings Bryan Dorn | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1946 1948 Template:Small 1950 |
Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Joseph R. Bryson | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1938 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | James P. Richards | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1932 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | John L. McMillan | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1938 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
South Dakota
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Harold Lovre | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1948 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Ellis Yarnal Berry | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Tennessee
Tennessee lost one seat in reapportionment, and divided the old 4th district between the old 5th and 7th districts, with other minor boundary changes.
Texas
Texas gained one seat, adding it as an at-large district instead of redistricting.<ref name="martis"/>
Utah
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Walter K. Granger | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1940 | Template:Party shading/Republican | Incumbent retired to run for U.S. senator. Republican gain. |
Template:Plainlist |
| Template:Ushr | Reva Beck Bosone | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1948 | Template:Party shading/Republican | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
Template:Plainlist |
Vermont
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | Winston L. Prouty | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Virginia
Virginia gained one seat, adding a new district in the DC suburbs and making boundary adjustments elsewhere.
Washington
Washington gained one seat at reapportionment, adding it as an at-large district instead of redistricting.
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected |
Result | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ushr | William Henry Harrison III | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1950 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Non-voting delegates
Alaska Territory
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Template:Ushr | Bob Bartlett | Template:Party shading/Democratic | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
Hawaii Territory
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Template:Ushr | Joseph Farrington | Template:Party shading/Republican | Republican | 1942 | Incumbent re-elected. | Template:Plainlist |
See also
Notes
References
Template:ReflistTemplate:1952 United States electionsTemplate:Elections to the United States House of Representatives Template:Gerald Ford