1859 Mississippi gubernatorial election

1859 Mississippi gubernatorial election

←  1857 October 3, 1859 1861  →

Nominee John J. Pettus Harvey W. Walter Party Democratic Independent Popular vote 34,559 10,308 Percentage 77.03% 22.97%

County results Pettus   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Walter   50–60%   60–70%

Governor before election William McWillie Democratic Elected Governor John J. Pettus Democratic

The 1859 Mississippi gubernatorial election was held on October 3, 1859, to elect the governor of Mississippi. Former Democratic acting governor of Mississippi John J. Pettus defeated the independent candidate Harvey W. Walter. ^[1]

General election

On election day, October 3, 1859, John J. Pettus won the election by a margin of 24,251 votes against his opponent Harvey W. Walter. Thus retaining Democratic control of the office, he wasg sworn in as the 23rd governor of Mississippi on November 21, 1859. Pettus' election by such a large margin indicated that secession was becoming increasingly popular among Mississippians, as he had campaigned as a strong supporter of secession of the South from the United States. He would end up fulfilling this as governor in 1861, marking this election as the final one before the outbreak of the American Civil War, which saw Mississippi become part of the Confederate States of America. ^[2]

Results

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1859 ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John J. Pettus	34,559	77.03
	Independent	Harvey W. Walter	10,308	22.97
Total votes			44,867	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. "John Jones Pettus: Twentieth and Twenty-third Governor of Mississippi: January 5, 1854 to January 10, 1854; 1859–1863". mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
2. "Gov. John Jones Pettus". nga.org. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
3. "MS Governor". ourcampaigns.com. March 7, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2023.