1851 Mississippi gubernatorial election

1851 Mississippi gubernatorial election

←  1849 4 November 1851 1853  →

Nominee Henry S. Foote Jefferson Davis Party Union Southern Rights Popular vote 29,358 28,359 Percentage 50.87% 49.13%

County results Foote   50-60%   60-70%   70-80% Davis   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%   80-90%

Governor before election James Whitfield Democratic Elected Governor Henry S. Foote Union

The 1851 Mississippi gubernatorial election was held on 4 November 1851 in order to elect the Governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi. Democratic US Senator for Mississippi Henry S. Foote, who ran on a Unionist platform, defeated the Southern Rights Party nominee and fellow Democratic US Senator for Mississippi before resigning on 23 September 1851 to run in the gubernatorial election, Jefferson Davis. ^[1]

General election

Following the controversial Compromise of 1850, Mississippi voters considered this election to be an extension of their approval or disapproval of the compromise. Unionist Democratic Party nominee Henry S. Foote defended the compromise, while Southern Rights Party nominee Jefferson Davis campaigned vigorously against the compromise, suggesting that it put the South at a political disadvantage. ^[2] The election was held during a time of increasing sectional tension in the United States; Davis voiced his concern over the alleged infringement of southern constitutional rights by the federal government. ^[3] Although he only started his campaign six weeks before election day, Davis was considered the favorite to win the election. ^[4] However, on election day, 4 November 1851, Foote won by a margin of 999 votes and would go on to become the 19th Governor of Mississippi. ^[5] Meanwhile, Davis turned down an offer from outgoing Governor James Whitfield to be reappointed to his seat in the US senate. ^[6] Davis would go on to serve as the President of the Confederacy during the civil war from 1861 to 1865.

Results

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1851

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Union	Henry S. Foote	29,358	50.87
	Southern Rights	Jefferson Davis	28,359	49.13
Total votes			57,717	100.00
	Union gain from Democratic

References

1. Simonson, Walter E.; Strange, Bennett (April 1, 2009). "Foote versus Davis: The Mississippi election of 1851". The Southern Speech Journal. 27 (2). tandfonline.com: 126–134. doi:10.1080/10417946109371636 . Retrieved May 7, 2023.
2. Cooper 2000, p. 189.
3. "JEFFERSON DAVIS AND THE MISSISSIPPI GUBERNATORIAL CONTEST OF 1851 WITH SELECTED LETTERS AND SPEECHES CONCERNING THE CAMPAIGN" (PDF). scholarship.rice.edu. May 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
4. "The Bar's Tribute. Resolutions Concerning the Death of Henry S. Foote". The Daily American. Nashville, Tennessee. May 21, 1880. p. 2. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
5. "MS Governor". ourcampaigns.com. May 27, 2005. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
6. Davis 1991, pp. 214–217.

Works cited

• Cooper, William J. Jr. (2000). Jefferson Davis, American . Knopf. ISBN   978-0-307-77264-0. OCLC   1035904007.
• Davis, William C. (1991). Jefferson Davis: The Man and his Hour . Harpercollins. ISBN   0-06-016706-8. OCLC   1150103061.