1855 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

Last updated

1855 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
Flag of Massachusetts.svg
  1854 November 6, 1855 (1855-11-06) 1856  
  GovHenryJGardner.jpg JuliusRockwell.jpg
Nominee Henry J. Gardner Julius Rockwell
Party Know Nothing Republican
Popular vote51,49736,715
Percentage37.73%26.90%

  Erasmus D. Beach.png
NomineeErasmus Beach Samuel H. Walley
Party Democratic Whig
Popular vote34,72813,296
Percentage25.44%9.74%

1855 Massachusetts gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Gardner:      30–40%     40–50%     50–60%
Rockwell:      30–40%     40–50%
Beach:      30–40%
Walley:      40–50%

Governor before election

Henry J. Gardner
Know Nothing

Elected Governor

Henry J. Gardner
Know Nothing

The 1855 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 6. Know-Nothing candidate Henry J. Gardner was re-elected to a second term as Governor in a multi-partisan race, defeating Republican Julius Rockwell and Democrat Erasmus Beach.

Contents

This was the first election won by a direct plurality vote, after the majority requirement was abolished by the legislature on May 23. Gardner won without ratification by the General Court.

General election

Candidates

Results

1855 Massachusetts gubernatorial election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Know Nothing Henry J. Gardner (incumbent) 51,497 37.73% Decrease2.svg24.85
Republican Julius Rockwell 36,71526.90%Increase2.svg21.92
Democratic Erasmus D. Beach34,72825.44%Increase2.svg14.89
Whig Samuel H. Walley 13,2969.74%Decrease2.svg11.20
ScatteringAll others2520.19%Decrease2.svg0.03
Total votes136,488 100.00%
Know Nothing hold Swing

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912–13 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1912–13 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. They were the last U.S. Senate elections before the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, establishing direct elections for all Senate seats. Senators had been primarily chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1912 and 1913, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. Some states elected their senators directly even before passage of Seventeenth Amendment. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Weld won reelection as Governor of Massachusetts by the largest margin in state history, winning every single county and all but 6 of the state's 351 municipalities. As of 2024, this is the most recent election in which Boston, Somerville, Lawrence, Chelsea, Brookline, Northampton, Provincetown, Monterey, Great Barrington, Ashfield, Williamstown, Williamsburg, Shelburne, Sunderland, and Pelham voted for the Republican candidate for governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic governor Michael Dukakis, his party's nominee for president in 1988, opted to not seek a fourth term. Republican Bill Weld won the open seat, beating Democrat John Silber to become the first Republican governor of Massachusetts elected since 1970. This election was the first open-seat gubernatorial election in Massachusetts since 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Gardner</span> American politician

Henry Joseph Gardner was the 23rd Governor of Massachusetts, serving from 1855 to 1858. Gardner, a Know Nothing, was elected governor as part of the sweeping victory of Know Nothing candidates in the Massachusetts elections of 1854.

The Massachusetts Republican Party (MassGOP) is the Massachusetts branch of the U.S. Republican Party.

The Bush-Davis-Walker family is a political family from the United States that includes former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. The family's political involvement spans the period from 18th to the 21st centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1960 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1960. John A. Volpe was elected Governor of Massachusetts to replace Foster Furcolo. Volpe defeated Democrat Joseph D. Ward in the race. Also running were Henning A. Blomen of the Socialist Labor Party of America and Guy S. Williams of the Prohibition Party.

The 1855 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was held during January 1855. Henry Wilson was elected to fill the remainder of the term left vacant by the resignation of Edward Everett.

The 1877 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held in January 1877. Incumbent Republican Senator George S. Boutwell, who had won a special election for the remainder of Henry Wilson's term, was defeated by reformist U.S. Representative George Frisbie Hoar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1895 New Jersey gubernatorial election</span>

The 1895 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1895. Republican nominee John W. Griggs defeated Democratic nominee Alexander T. McGill with 52.28% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1913 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1913 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1913. Democratic Lieutenant Governor David I. Walsh defeated the Progressive, Republican and independent candidates Charles S. Bird, Representative Augustus Peabody Gardner and incumbent Governor Eugene Foss with 39.77% of the vote. Suffolk County was the only county to give more than 50% of its vote to a candidate and had given Walsh 53.98% of its vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1854 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1854 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 15. American Party candidate Henry J. Gardner was elected to his first term as governor, defeating incumbent Whig governor Emory Washburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1856 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1856 Massachusetts gubernatorial election on November 4. Incumbent Know-Nothing governor Henry J. Gardner was re-elected to a third term. He benefited greatly from a deal with the state's new Republican Party, which agreed not to field a candidate in exchange for Gardner's support of presidential nominee John C. Frémont. With no serious challenger in the field against him, Gardner easily defeated Democrat Erasmus Beach and George W. Gordon, an American Party member running in support of the national ticket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1857 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1857 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3. Incumbent Know-Nothing governor Henry J. Gardner ran for a fourth term in office, but lost the support of the Republican Party, which nominated Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nathaniel P. Banks. Banks prevailed over Gardner to become the first Republican governor of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1858 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1858 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 2. Incumbent Republican governor Nathaniel Banks was easily re-elected to a second term in office, beginning a period of Republican dominance which would extended into the 1870s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1860 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1860 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 6. Incumbent Republican governor Nathaniel Banks did not run for re-election to a fourth term. He was succeeded by Republican John Albion Andrew, a radical abolitionist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1886 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1886 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1886. Incumbent Republican governor George D. Robinson did not run for re-election to a fourth term in office. He was succeeded by his lieutenant governor Oliver Ames, who defeated Democratic former state senator John F. Andrew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1884 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1884 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 4. Incumbent Republican governor George D. Robinson was re-elected to a second term in office over Democrat William Crowninshield Endicott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1874 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1874 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1874. Republican acting Governor Thomas Talbot, who took office after the resignation of William B. Washburn, was defeated by Democrat William Gaston, a former Mayor of Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1853–54 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 1853–54 Massachusetts gubernatorial election consisted of an initial popular held on November 14, 1853, which was followed by a legislative vote that was conducted on January 9, 1854, which elected Whig Party nominee Emory Washburn. The ultimate task of electing the governor had been placed before the Massachusetts General Court because no candidate received the majority of the vote required for a candidate to be elected through the popular election.

References

  1. Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. p. 118. ISBN   9780786414390.