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| Elections in Tennessee |
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 Government |
The 1859 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on August 4, 1859, to elect the governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Governor Isham G. Harris narrowly won re-election, defeating Opposition Party John Netherland with 52.79% of the vote. [1]
Isham Harris ran for re-election against John Netherland, who had been nominated by a hodge-podge group of ex-Whigs, ex-Know Nothings, and disgruntled Democrats, known as the Opposition Party. [2] Harris campaigned on fears of northern abolitionists, while Netherland argued that the U.S. Constitution provided the best protection for Southern rights, and thus, it was in the state's interest to remain in the Union.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Isham G. Harris (incumbent) | 76,073 | 52.79% | ||
| Opposition | John Netherland | 68,042 | 47.21% | ||
| Total votes | 144,115 | 100.00% | |||
Edward Hazzard East was an American attorney, judge, and politician. He served as Secretary of State for the state of Tennessee from 1862 to 1865, having been appointed by Andrew Johnson, the state's military governor under the Union Army occupation during the Civil War. East briefly served as the state's acting governor during the interim between Johnson's inauguration as U.S. Vice President on March 4, 1865, and the inauguration of the state's "elected" governor, William G. Brownlow, on April 5, 1865.
Neill Smith Brown was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 12th Governor of Tennessee from 1847 to 1849, and as the United States Minister to Russia from 1850 to 1853. He also served several terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives, and was Speaker of the House for the 1855–1857 term. A lifelong Whig, Brown campaigned to keep Tennessee in the Union in the years leading up to the Civil War. However, once the war began, he sided with the Confederacy.
William Bowen Campbell was an American politician and soldier. He served as the 14th governor of Tennessee from 1851 to 1853, and was the state's last Whig governor. He also served four terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1837 to 1843, and from 1866 to 1867.
Isham Green Harris was an American politician who served as the 16th governor of Tennessee from 1857 to 1862, and as a U.S. senator from 1877 until his death. He was the state's first governor from West Tennessee. A pivotal figure in the state's history, Harris was considered by his contemporaries the person most responsible for leading Tennessee out of the Union and aligning it with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Benton McMillin was an American politician and diplomat. He served as the 27th governor of Tennessee from 1899 to 1903 and represented Tennessee's 4th district in the United States House of Representatives from 1879 to 1899. He served as a diplomat during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, initially as Minister to Peru (1913–1919) and afterward as Minister to Guatemala (1920–1921).
Bourbon Democrat was a term used in the United States in the later 19th century and early 20th century (1872–1904) to refer to members of the Democratic Party who were ideologically aligned with fiscal conservatism or classical liberalism, especially those who supported presidential candidates Charles O'Conor in 1872, Samuel J. Tilden in 1876, President Grover Cleveland in 1884, 1888, and 1892 and Alton B. Parker in 1904.
William Hawkins Polk was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 6th congressional district from 1851 to 1853. He was the younger brother of President James K. Polk. Prior to his election to Congress, he had been a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1841–1845), served as U.S. Minister to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1845–1847), and fought as a major in the Mexican–American War.
Henry Emerson Etheridge was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 9th congressional district from 1853 to 1857, and again from 1859 to 1861. He also served one term in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1845–1847) and one term in the Tennessee Senate (1869–1871). After Tennessee seceded in 1861, he was elected Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, serving until 1863.
The American Civil War significantly affected Tennessee, with every county witnessing combat. During the War, Tennessee was a Confederate state, and the last state to officially secede from the Union to join the Confederacy. Tennessee seceded in protest to President Lincoln's April 15 Proclamation calling forth 75,000 members of state militias to suppress the rebellion. Although Tennessee provided a large number of troops for the Confederacy, it would also provide more soldiers for the Union Army than any other state within the Confederacy.
The East Tennessee Convention was an assembly of Southern Unionist delegates primarily from East Tennessee that met on three occasions during the Civil War. The Convention most notably declared the secessionist actions taken by the Tennessee state government on the eve of the war unconstitutional, and requested that East Tennessee, where Union support remained strong, be allowed to form a separate state that would remain part of the United States split from the rest of Confederate Tennessee. The state legislature denied this request, and the Confederate Army occupied the region in late 1861.
John Baxter was an American attorney and jurist who served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit from 1877 to 1886. Initially a Whig, he had previously served several terms in the North Carolina House of Commons, including one term as Speaker, before moving to Knoxville, Tennessee to practice law.
John Netherland was an American attorney and politician, active primarily in mid-19th century Tennessee. A leader of the state's Whigs, he served in both the Tennessee Senate and Tennessee House of Representatives, and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor on the Opposition ticket in 1859. During the Civil War, he supported the Union, and was a delegate to the 1861 East Tennessee Convention.
William H. Wisener was an American politician, active primarily at the state level in Tennessee during the mid-19th century. He served four terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives, including one term as Speaker (1853–1855). A Southern Unionist, he led the opposition to secession in the House on the eve of the Civil War. After the war, he served in the Tennessee Senate, where he introduced the 13th Amendment for ratification in April 1865.
The 1884 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1884. Incumbent Democratic Governor William B. Bate defeated Republican nominee Frank T. Reid with 51.24% of the vote.
The 1867 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on August 1, 1867, to elect the governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Governor Parson Brownlow defeated Conservative nominee Emerson Etheridge with 76.85% of the vote.
The 1870 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1870, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Governor Dewitt Clinton Senter did not seek re-election. Democratic candidate and former Confederate Army officer John C. Brown defeated Republican candidate and former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives William H. Wisener with 65.55% of the vote.
The 1872 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1872, to elect the governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Governor John C. Brown won re-election, defeating Republican candidate Alfred A. Freeman with 53.74% of the vote.
The 1878 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1878, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Governor James D. Porter did not seek re-election. Democratic candidate Albert S. Marks was elected with 60.03% of the vote.
The 1861 Tennessee gubernatorial (Confederate) election was held on August 1, 1861, to elect the governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Governor Isham G. Harris won re-election, defeating Independent Democrat William Hawkins Polk, brother of former President James K. Polk, with 63.37% of the vote.
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