1853 Vermont gubernatorial election

1853 Vermont gubernatorial election

←  1852 September 6, 1853 (1853-09-06) 1854  →

Nominee John S. Robinson Erastus Fairbanks Lawrence Brainerd Party Democratic Whig Free Soil Electoral vote 120 104 7 Popular vote 18,142 20,849 8,291 Percentage 38.5% 43.9% 17.6%

County results Robinson:     40–50%     50–60% Fairbanks:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Brainerd:     40–50%

Governor before election Erastus Fairbanks Whig Elected Governor John S. Robinson Democratic

The 1853 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on September 6. ^[1] The same three candidates who ran for governor of Vermont in 1852 ran again in 1853: Whig and incumbent Erastus Fairbanks, Democratic candidate John S. Robinson, and Lawrence Brainerd, the nominee of the Free Soil Party. ^[2] The results showed that Fairbanks had received 43.9 percent of the vote, with Robinson receiving 38.5 percent, and Brainerd 17.6 percent. ^[2]

Because no candidate received a majority, the Vermont Constitution required the contest to be settled by the Vermont General Assembly. ^[2] In the October 27 voting, 119 to 121 votes were necessary for a choice, depending on how many members of the Vermont Senate and Vermont House of Representatives took part in each ballot. ^[2] On the 20th ballot, with 120 votes required for a choice, enough Brainerd supporters voted for Robinson to give Robinson the win with 120 votes. ^[2] Fairbanks received 104, and Brainerd received 7. ^[2] Robinson took the oath of office and began a one-year term on October 28. ^[3]

Robinson was the only Democrat elected governor of Vermont until the election of Philip H. Hoff in 1962. ^[4]

General election

Results

1853 Vermont gubernatorial election ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Robinson	18,142	38.5%
	Whig	Erastus Fairbanks (incumbent)	20,849	43.9%
	Free Soil	Lawrence Brainerd	8,291	17.6%
	Write-in	Other	9	0.0
Total votes			'47,291'	'100'

References

1. Walton, Eliakim Persons, ed. (September 1, 1853). "Election, Tuesday, Sept. 6". Watchman & State Journal. Montpelier, VT. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Walton, Eliakim Persons, ed. (October 28, 1853). "Legislature of Vermont". Walton's Daily Journal. Montpelier, VT. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Vermont House of Representatives (1854). Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Vermont. Burlington, VT. p. 65 – via Google Books.
4. O'Connor, Kevin (April 27, 2018). "Democratic groundbreaker former Gov. Phil Hoff dies". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
5. "General Election Results - Governor - 1853". Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved January 17, 2021.