1797 Virginia gubernatorial election

1797 Virginia gubernatorial election

←  1796 November 30, 1797 1798  →

Nominee James Wood John Page 1st ballot 116 38

Governor before election James Wood Democratic-Republican Elected Governor James Wood Democratic-Republican [a]

A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on December 7, 1797. ^[3] The incumbent governor of Virginia James Wood defeated the U.S. representative from Virginia's 12th congressional district John Page. ^[1]

Wood had earned the displeasure of his fellow Democratic-Republicans for his inaction in the face of the Alien and Sedition Acts. Some Democratic-Republicans preferred to support the former U.S. minister to France James Monroe, an outspoken critic of the legislation. Monroe, however, declined to challenge Wood, in deference to the custom that incumbent governors eligible for re-election be allowed to run unopposed. ^[4]

The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session. ^[2] Wood was elected with a majority on the first ballot. ^[1]

General election

1797 Virginia gubernatorial election ^[1]

Candidate	First ballot
	Count	Percent
James Wood	116	75.32
John Page	38	24.68
Total	154	100.00

Notes

1. Lampi does not include parties for this election, ^[1] but lists Wood as a Federalist in 1794. Sobel and Raimo list Wood as a Democratic-Republican during his tenure. ^[2]

1. Lampi 2012.
2. Sobel & Raimo 1978, p. 1625.
3. Headlee 1976, p. 2.
4. Ammon 1971, p. 172.

Bibliography

• Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity. New York: McGraw Hill Book Company.
• Headlee, Thomas J. Jr. (1976). Journal of the Senate of Virginia: Session of 1797/98. Richmond: Virginia State Library.
• Lampi, Philip J. (2012). "Virginia 1797 Governor". A New Nation Votes. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
• Sobel, Robert; Raimo, John (1978). Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789–1978. Vol. 4. Westport, CT: Meckler Books.