Cantor's defeat appears to mark unprecedented loss

June 10, 2014: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., delivers his concession speech as his wife, Diana, listens in Richmond, Va. (AP)

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost the GOP Virginia primary to a Tea Party-backed challenger Tuesday night in a stunning, apparently unprecedented upset.

According to an analysis by Fox News, it appears Cantor is the first sitting House majority leader to ever lose a primary. However, other congressional leaders have been unseated by election challengers.

Examples include:

- House Speaker Galusha Grow: The Lincoln-era congressman lost his re-election bid in 1862.

- House Speaker Tom Foley: The Washington state Democrat lost in the general election to Republican George Nethercutt in the Republican takeover of 1994.

- Senate Majority Leader Scott Lucas: The Illinois Democrat lost in the general election to Republican Everett Dirksen in 1950, who later went on to become the Senate Minority Leader.

-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle: The South Dakota Democrat was defeated by Republican Sen. John Thune, who is still in office.

Other lawmakers have been defeated in the primary, but have gone on to win in the general election as write-in or third-party candidates, including:

-Sen. Lisa Murkowski: The Alaska Republican lost in the primary to Joe Miller, but ran as a write-in candidate and emerged victorious in the general election in 2010.

- Sen. Joe Lieberman: The Democrat from Connecticut lost in the primary to Ned Lamont in 2006, but ran as an independent in the general election and won.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report