1811 Virginia gubernatorial special election

1811 Virginia gubernatorial special election

←  1810 January 16, 1811 1811  →

Nominee James Monroe George W. Smith Party Democratic-Republican 1st ballot 129 58

Governor before election George W. Smith (acting) Democratic-Republican [a] Elected Governor James Monroe Democratic-Republican

A gubernatorial special election was held in Virginia on January 16, 1811. ^[3] The Democratic-Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Charlottesville James Monroe defeated the acting governor of Virginia George W. Smith. ^[4]

The previous governor John Tyler Sr. resigned on January 15, 1811, to accept an appointment as judge of the United States District Court for the District of Virginia. Monroe had previously served as governor from 1799 to 1802 and later as U.S. minister to Great Britain. ^[5] Upon his return to the United States in 1807, he emerged as a leader of the Tertium quids political faction and a rival to the U.S. secretary of state James Madison for leadership of the Democratic-Republican Party. His return to the legislature in 1810 and subsequent bid for governor was part of a strategy to reingratiate himself with Virginia Democratic-Republicans following his unsuccessful challenge to Madison in the 1808 United States presidential election. Leaders of the Richmond Junto were initially skeptical of Monroe's candidacy, preferring to nominate the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates James Barbour. In a letter to John Taylor of Caroline, subsequently circulated to the members of the legislature, Monroe affirmed his loyalty to Madison's administration while reserving the right to dissent with regard to specific policies. While this statement was less than the Junto leaders had sought, it was enough to alleviate most of their concerns. ^[6]

The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session. Monroe was elected with a majority on the first ballot. ^[4]

General election

1811 Virginia gubernatorial special election ^[4]

Party		Candidate	First ballot
			Count	Percent
	Democratic-Republican	James Monroe	129	65.48
—		George W. Smith	58	29.44
Others			10	5.08
Total			197	100.00

Notes

1. Kallenbach and Kallenbach list Smith as a Jeffersonian Republican, ^[1] while Sobel and Raimo do not indicate a party. ^[2]

1. Kallenbach & Kallenbach 1977, p. 613.
2. Sobel & Raimo 1978, pp. 1629–30.
3. Virginia n.d., p. 69.
4. Lampi 2012.
5. Sobel & Raimo 1978, pp. 1629, 1626.
6. Ammon 1971, pp. 272–73, 282, 285.

Bibliography

• Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity. New York: McGraw Hill Book Company.
• Kallenbach, Joseph E.; Kallenbach, Jessamine S. (1977). American State Governors, 1776–1976. Vol. 1. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications.
• Lampi, Philip J. (2012). "Virginia 1811 Governor, Special". A New Nation Votes. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
• Sobel, Robert; Raimo, John (1978). Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789–1978. Vol. 4. Westport, CT: Meckler Books.
• Virginia (n.d.). Journal of the House of Delegates [...]. Richmond.