1794 Virginia gubernatorial election

1794 Virginia gubernatorial election

←  1793 November 20, 1794 1795  →

Nominee Robert Brooke James Wood Party Democratic-Republican Federalist 1st ballot 90 60

Governor before election Henry Lee III Federalist Elected Governor Robert Brooke Democratic-Republican

A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on November 20, 1794. ^[1] The Democratic-Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Spotsylvania County Robert Brooke defeated the Federalist member of the Council of State James Wood. ^[2]

The Federalist incumbent governor Henry Lee III was ineligible for re-election due to term limits established by the Constitution of Virginia. ^[3] Lee courted controversy near the end of his term when he accepted command of United States troops during the Whiskey Rebellion, an action unpopular with Democratic-Republicans and farmers in Western Virginia. On November 21, the House of Delegates found Lee had forfeited his office by accepting a lucrative U.S. commission and declared the governorship vacant, nine days before Lee was due to leave office on December 1. ^[4]

The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session. ^[3] Brooke defeated Wood on the first ballot. ^[2]

General election

1794 Virginia gubernatorial election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	First ballot
			Count	Percent
	Democratic-Republican	Robert Brooke	90	60.00
	Federalist	James Wood	60	40.00
Total			150	100.00

Notes

1. Swem & Williams 1918, p. ix.
2. Lampi 2012.
3. Sobel & Raimo 1978, p. 1624.
4. Abernethy 1961, p. 224.

Bibliography

• Abernethy, Thomas P. (1961). The South in the New Nation: 1789–1819. n.p.: Louisiana State University Press.
• Lampi, Philip J. (2012). "Virginia 1794 Governor". A New Nation Votes. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
• Sobel, Robert; Raimo, John (1978). Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789–1978. Vol. 4. Westport, CT: Meckler Books.
• Swem, Earl G.; Williams, John W. (1918). A Register of the General Assembly of Virginia, 1776–1918. Richmond: Superintendent of Public Printing.