1850 Boston mayoral election

1850 Boston mayoral election

←  1849 December 9, 1850 1851  →

Candidate John P. Bigelow Charles Coffin Amory Sr. Party Whig Ind. Whig Popular vote 5,473 1,169 Percentage 63.45% 13.55%   Candidate Charles B. Goodrich Benjamin B. Mussey Party Democratic Free Soil Popular vote 1,094 882 Percentage 12.68% 9.53%

Mayor before election John P. Bigelow Whig Elected mayor John P. Bigelow Whig

The 1850 Boston mayoral election saw the reelection of incumbent Whig mayor John P. Bigelow to a third consecutive term. It was held on December 9, 1850. ^[1]

Candidates

• Charles Coffin Amory Sr. (independent Whig), alderman ^[2]
• John P. Bigelow (Whig), ^[2] incumbent mayor
• Charles B. Goodrich (Democratic Party), ^[3] Democratic nominee for mayor in 1846 and 1847
• Benjamin B. Mussey (Free Soil) ^[3]

Incumbent mayor John P. Bigelow was renominated by the city's Whig Party. However, some leading Boston Whigs did not approve of Bigelow's renomination and instead wanted to field a candidate from the city's West End. At the last-minute ahead of the election, 400 individuals signed nominating papers for Charles Coffin Amory to run as an independent Whig candidate. ^[2]

Campaign

Backers of Amory's last-minute candidacy of made last-minute accusations against Bigelow, painting him as lacking the "dignity" to hold his office. These accusations were levied so close to the election that there was effectively no time left for Bigelow to retort them. They also accused Bigelow of having designs of seeking the state's governorship in November 1851's gubernatorial election. ^[2]

Results

1850 Boston mayoral election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John P. Bigelow (incumbent)	5,473	63.45
	Ind. Whig	Charles Coffin Amory Sr.	1,169	13.55
	Democratic	Charles B. Goodrich	1,094	12.68
	Free Soil	Benjamin B. Mussey	822	9.53
	Scattering	Other	68	0.08
Total votes			8,626	100

See also

• List of mayors of Boston, Massachusetts

References

1. A Catalogue of the City Councils of Boston, 1822-1908, Roxbury, 1846-1867, Charlestown, 1847-1873 and of the Selectmen of Boston, 1634-1822: Also of Various Other Town and Municipal Officers. City of Boston Printing Department. 1909. p. 52. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
2. "Our Boson Correspondence" . New York Daily Heald. December 17, 1850. Retrieved April 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
3. "City Election" . The Liberator. December 13, 1850. Retrieved April 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.