1872 Arkansas gubernatorial election

1872 Arkansas gubernatorial election
← 1868 November 5, 1872 1874 →
	Baxter: 50%-60% 60%-70% 70%-80% 80%-90%; Brooks: 50%-60% 60%-70% 70%-80% 80%-90% 90%-100%; Tie; No data
Governor before election; Powell Clayton ; Republican	Elected Governor; Elisha Baxter ; Republican

Last updated January 27, 2026

The 1872 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1872, in order to elect the Governor of Arkansas. Republican nominee Elisha Baxter defeated Joseph Brooks, who was nominated by the Liberal Republican-affiliated state Reform Party.^[1] The results of the election led to the Brooks-Baxter War, in which Brooks unsuccessfully attempted to take control of the state government with force.^[2]

Democratic primary

Declined

Augustus Garland, attorney who had served as delegate to the Arkansas Secession Convention, Provisional Confederate Congress, and in the Congress of the Confederate States ^[3]

General election

On election day, November 5, 1872, Republican nominee Elisha Baxter won the election by a margin of 2,866 votes against his opponent Liberal Republican nominee Joseph Brooks, thereby retaining Republican control over the office of Governor. Democrats did not nominate a candidate and many supported Baxter. Baxter was sworn in as the 10th Governor of Arkansas on January 6, 1873. The results in Greene and Poinsett Counties were not counted and the results in Richland Township, Yell County were rejected. Scott County did not hold an election after the poll and registration books were stolen from the County Clerk's office.^[4]

Results

1872 Arkansas gubernatorial election^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Elisha Baxter	41,775^[a]	51.77
	Liberal Republican	Joseph Brooks	38,909	48.22
	Write-in	Scattering	4	0.00
Total votes			80,688	100.00
	Republican hold

Results by county

Results by county^[4]
County	Elisha Baxter		Joseph Brooks		Scattering		Total
County	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Total
Arkansas	658	51.77%	613	48.23%	0	0.00%	1271
Ashley	730	48.60%	772	51.40%	0	0.00%	1502
Benton	241	17.28%	1154	82.72%	0	0.00%	1395
Boone	202	21.89%	721	78.11%	0	0.00%	923
Bradley	403	35.20%	742	64.80%	0	0.00%	1145
Calhoun	275	35.99%	489	64.01%	0	0.00%	764
Carroll	277	46.09%	324	53.91%	0	0.00%	601
Chicot	1657	85.59%	279	14.41%	0	0.00%	1936
Clark	1329	62.42%	800	37.58%	0	0.00%	2129
Columbia	761	39.05%	1188	60.95%	0	0.00%	1949
Conway	151	39.32%	233	60.68%	0	0.00%	384
Craighead	146	22.19%	512	77.81%	0	0.00%	658
Crawford	932	61.36%	587	38.64%	0	0.00%	1519
Crittenden	1911	86.63%	295	13.37%	0	0.00%	2206
Cross	303	35.86%	542	64.14%	0	0.00%	845
Dallas	322	31.54%	699	68.46%	0	0.00%	1021
Desha	764	64.75%	416	35.25%	0	0.00%	1180
Drew	482	27.85%	1249	72.15%	0	0.00%	1731
Franklin	528	67.43%	255	32.57%	0	0.00%	783
Fulton	152	26.12%	430	73.88%	0	0.00%	582
Grant	204	32.69%	420	67.31%	0	0.00%	624
Greene	No results^[c]
Hempstead	1356	67.23%	661	32.77%	0	0.00%	2017
Hot Spring	268	26.83%	731	73.17%	0	0.00%	999
Independence	818	57.69%	600	42.31%	0	0.00%	1418
Izard	200	24.42%	619	75.58%	0	0.00%	819
Jackson	424	55.57%	339	44.43%	0	0.00%	763
Jefferson	2860	73.58%	1027	26.42%	0	0.00%	3887
Johnson	128	62.75%	76	37.25%	0	0.00%	204
Lafayette	1601	73.34%	582	26.66%	0	0.00%	2183
Lawrence	122	17.89%	560	82.11%	0	0.00%	682
Lincoln	1000	56.05%	784	43.95%	0	0.00%	1784
Little River	505	65.93%	261	34.07%	0	0.00%	766
Sarber	792	74.30%	274	25.70%	0	0.00%	1066
Madison	497	48.44%	529	51.56%	0	0.00%	1026
Marion	162	19.85%	654	80.15%	0	0.00%	816
Mississippi	386	48.68%	407	51.32%	0	0.00%	793
Monroe	862	54.11%	731	45.89%	0	0.00%	1593
Montgomery	173	30.73%	390	69.27%	0	0.00%	563
Nevada	511	36.16%	902	63.84%	0	0.00%	1413
Newton	332	66.27%	169	33.73%	0	0.00%	501
Ouachita	1073	50.00%	1073	50.00%	0	0.00%	2146
Perry	167	67.89%	79	32.11%	0	0.00%	246
Phillips	3959	80.91%	934	19.09%	0	0.00%	4893
Pike	233	67.15%	114	32.85%	0	0.00%	347
Poinsett	No results^[c]
Polk	121	26.30%	339	73.70%	0	0.00%	460
Pope	531	62.84%	314	37.16%	0	0.00%	845
Prairie	589	34.67%	1110	65.33%	0	0.00%	1699
Pulaski^[b]	3041	48.29%	3253	51.65%	4	0.06%	6298
Randolph	289	57.80%	211	42.20%	0	0.00%	500
Saline	9	1.19%	745	98.81%	0	0.00%	754
Scott	No results^[c]
Searcy	380	78.19%	106	21.81%	0	0.00%	486
Sebastian	1009	63.10%	590	36.90%	0	0.00%	1599
Sevier	265	38.52%	423	61.48%	0	0.00%	688
Sharp	124	19.02%	528	80.98%	0	0.00%	652
St. Francis	792	48.41%	844	51.59%	0	0.00%	1636
Union	1347	61.65%	838	38.35%	0	0.00%	2185
Van Buren	138	50.36%	136	49.64%	0	0.00%	274
Washington	723	39.92%	1088	60.08%	0	0.00%	1811
White	335	16.94%	1642	83.06%	0	0.00%	1977
Woodruff	688	58.55%	487	41.45%	0	0.00%	1175
Yell	537	34.07%	1039	65.93%	0	0.00%	1576
Total	41775^[a]	51.77%	38909	48.22%	4	0.00%	80688

References

↑ "Gov. Elisha Baxter". National Governors Association. January 15, 2019. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
↑ Carl H. Moneyhon. "Brooks-Baxter War". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
↑ Thompson, George H. (1976). Arkansas and Reconstruction. Port Washington, New York: Kennikat Press Corp. p. 146. ISBN 0804691304. LCCN 76-18192. OCLC 2284106.
1 2 3 Arkansas Senate. "Journal of the Senate of Arkansas 1873". HathiTrust. hdl:2027/uiug.30112118492666 . Retrieved 2024-03-30.

1 2 3 Baxter is stated as receiving 41,808 votes, however, the total number of votes in every county adds up to 41,775.
1 2 3 Pulaski County reports votes separately for variations of the candidates' names. These have been combined.
1 2 3 Green and Poinsett counties had their results rejected and Scott County did not hold an election.

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[3] "Gov. Elisha Baxter". National Governors Association. January 15, 2019. Retrieved 2023-12-01.

[4] Carl H. Moneyhon. "Brooks-Baxter War". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2024-03-30.

[5] Thompson, George H. (1976). Arkansas and Reconstruction. Port Washington, New York: Kennikat Press Corp. p. 146. ISBN 0804691304. LCCN 76-18192. OCLC 2284106.

[Senate_Journal-6] 1 2 3 Arkansas Senate. "Journal of the Senate of Arkansas 1873". HathiTrust. hdl:2027/uiug.30112118492666 . Retrieved 2024-03-30.

[Baxter_votes-1] 1 2 3 Baxter is stated as receiving 41,808 votes, however, the total number of votes in every county adds up to 41,775.

[Pulaski_County-2] 1 2 3 Pulaski County reports votes separately for variations of the candidates' names. These have been combined.

[No_results-7] 1 2 3 Green and Poinsett counties had their results rejected and Scott County did not hold an election.

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v t e Elections in Arkansas
General	1844 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1902 1903 1904 1906 1907 1908 1910 1912 1913 1914 1916 1917 1918 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1926 1927 1928 1930 1932 1933 1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1942 1943 1944 1946 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1956 1958 1959 1960 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Governor	1836 1840 1844 1848 1849 S 1852 1856 1860 1862 1864 U 1868 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1913 S 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
U.S. President	1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
U.S. Senate	Class 2: 1833 1839–40 1848 S 1853 1859 1868 S 1870 1876 1883 1885 S 1889 1895 1901 1907 1913 S 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1937 S 1942 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2014 2020 Class 3: 1837 1843 1845 S 1849 1855 1861 1867 1873 1879 1881 S 1885 1891 1897 1903 1909 1914 1916 S 1920 1926 1932 S 1932 1938 1944 1950 1956 1962 1968 1974 1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 2022
U.S. House	1837 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1851 1853 1854 1856 1858 1860 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 (4th S) 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 (6th S) 1962 1964 1966 (4th S) 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
'S,' denotes special election; 'U,' denotes election under Federal (Union) military occupation See also: Political party strength in Arkansas