1839 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

1839 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

←  1838 April 17, 1839 1840  →

Nominee William Sprague Nathaniel Bullock Tristram Burges Party Whig Democratic Liberal Popular vote 2,908 2,771 457 Percentage 47.11% 44.89% 7.40%

Governor before election William Sprague Whig Elected Governor Samuel Ward King (acting) Whig

The 1839 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on April 17, 1839. ^{[1] [2]}

Incumbent Whig Governor William Sprague ran for re-election for a second term against Democratic nominee Nathaniel Bullock and Liberal nominee Tristram Burges.

Since no candidate received a majority in the popular vote, the senior Senator, Samuel Ward King, acted as Governor for the term. ^[3]

General election

Candidates

• Nathaniel Bullock, Democratic, former U.S. Collector of Customs ^[4]
• Tristram Burges, Liberal (Whig faction), ^[5] Whig nominee for Governor in 1836
• William Sprague, Whig, incumbent Governor

Results

1839 Rhode Island gubernatorial election ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [lower-alpha 1]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Sprague (incumbent)	2,908	47.11%
	Democratic	Nathaniel Bullock	2,771	44.89%
	Liberal Party	Tristram Burges	457	7.40%
	Scattering		37	0.60%
Majority			137	2.22%
Turnout			6,173
	Whig hold		Swing

Notes

1. Some sources give Sprague's vote as 2,901 ^{[3] [12]} or 2,948. ^{[13] [14]}

References

1. "State Election". Herald of the times. Newport, R.I. April 18, 1839. p. 2. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
2. "The Election". The Rhode-Island Republican. Newport, R.I. April 24, 1839. p. 2. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
3. "R. I. Legislature: (May Session – Newport)". Herald of the times. Newport, R.I. May 9, 1839. pp. 1–2. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
4. "Bullock family of Massachusetts". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
5. DeSimone, Russell J.; Schofield, Daniel C. (2015). "Rhode Island Election Tickets: A Survey" (PDF). Kingston, Rhode Island: The University of Rhode Island. p. Figure 1–170. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
6. "RI Governor, 1839". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
7. Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 235. ISBN   978-0-7864-1439-0.
8. Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. pp. 270–271. ISBN   0-930466-17-9.
9. Kallenbach, Joseph E.; Kallenbach, Jessamine S., eds. (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Vol. I. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications, Inc. p. 512. ISBN   0-379-00665-0.
10. Manual with Rules and Orders for the Use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1888-89. Providence: E. L. Freeman & Co., Printers to the State. 1888. p. 101.
11. DeSimone, Russell (November 2, 2018). "Rhode Island in the 1800s Failed to Elect a Governor in Eleven General Elections". smallstatebighistory.com. The Online Review of Rhode Island History. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
12. The Democrat's Almanac, and Political Register, for 1840. New York: The Evening Post. 1840. p. 35.
13. Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. p. 76. ISBN   1-56802-396-0.
14. "Rhode Island". The New-Yorker. Vol. VII, no. 8. New York: H. Greeley & Co. May 11, 1839. p. 122. Retrieved October 23, 2021.