1850 Iowa gubernatorial election

1850 Iowa gubernatorial election

←  1846 August 5, 1850 1854  →

Nominee Stephen P. Hempstead James L. Thompson Party Democratic Whig Popular vote 13,486 11,403 Percentage 52.94% 44.76%

County results Hempstead:     50–60%     60–70%     80–90% Thompson:     40–50%     50–60%     80–90% No Data/Votes:

Governor before election Ansel Briggs Democratic Elected Governor Stephen P. Hempstead Democratic

The 1850 Iowa gubernatorial election was held on August 5, 1850. ^[1]

Incumbent Democratic governor Ansel Briggs declined to stand for re-election. ^{[2] [3]}

Democratic nominee Stephen P. Hempstead defeated Whig nominee James L. Thompson and Free Soil nominee William Penn Clark with 52.94% of the vote.

General election

Candidates

• William Penn Clark, Free Soil, lawyer, former newspaper editor ^{[4] [5]}
• Stephen P. Hempstead, Democratic, former president of the Iowa Territory Legislative Council ^[6]
• James L. Thompson, Whig, Methodist preacher ^{[7] [8]}

Results

1850 Iowa gubernatorial election ^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [a]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Stephen P. Hempstead	13,486	52.94%
	Whig	James L. Thompson	11,403	44.76%
	Free Soil	William Penn Clark	575	2.26%
	Scattering		11	0.04%
Majority			2,083	8.18%
Turnout			25,475
	Democratic hold		Swing

Notes

1. Some sources give the result as Thompson's vote as 11,452. ^{[16] [17] [18]} The result given is taken from the Iowa Senate Journal.

References

1. "The Election". The miners' express. Dubuque, Iowa. August 7, 1850. p. 2. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
2. "Gov. Ansel Briggs". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
3. "Ansel Briggs – The Stagecoach Driver Who Became Governor". Our Iowa Heritage. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
4. Aldrich, Charles, ed. (1903–1905). The Annals of Iowa. A Historical Quarterly. Vol. Six. Des Moines: Historical Department of Iowa. p. 77.
5. "William Penn Clarke – Iowa City's Abolitionist". Our Iowa Heritage. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
6. "Gov. Stephen Hempstead". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
7. "Father Thompson". Burlington hawk-eye. Burlington, Iowa. June 27, 1850. p. 4. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
8. "Since "Father Thompson's" nomination". Des Moines courier. Ottumwa, Iowa. July 26, 1850. p. 2. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
9. Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. p. 51. ISBN   1-56802-396-0.
10. Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 65–66. ISBN   978-0-7864-1439-0.
11. Kallenbach, Joseph E.; Kallenbach, Jessamine S., eds. (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Vol. I. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications, Inc. p. 183. ISBN   0-379-00665-0.
12. Journal of the Senate of the Third General Assembly of the State of Iowa. Iowa City: Palmer & Paul State Printers. 1850. p. 29.
13. Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington County, Iowa. Chicago: Acme Publishing Company. 1887. p. 116.
14. Gue, Benjamin F. (1903). History of Iowa from the earliest times to the beginning of the twentieth century. Vol. I. New York City: The Century History Company. p. 263.
15. Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Story County, Iowa. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1890. p. 66.
16. "IA Governor, 1850". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
17. Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. pp. 92–93. ISBN   0-930466-17-9.
18. Brewer, Guy S.; Jamieson, John M. (1907). The Iowa Official Register for the Years 1907-1908 (PDF). Des Moines: Emory H. English, State Printer. p. 526.