Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1859

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Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1859
Flag of the United States (1859-1861).svg
  1855 November 7, 1859 1863 (Confederate)  

  Thomas Overton Moore, CDV, c1860s.jpg No image.svg
Nominee Thomas Overton Moore Thomas Jefferson Wells
Party Democratic Know Nothing
Popular vote16,306 10,805
Percentage60.15% 39.85%

Governor before election

Robert C. Wickliffe
Democratic

Elected Governor

Thomas Overton Moore
Democratic

The Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1859, was the third election to take place under the Louisiana Constitution of 1852. As a result of this election Thomas Overton Moore became Governor of Louisiana. This was the last Louisiana gubernatorial election before the outbreak of the Civil War.

Constitution of Louisiana

The Louisiana Constitution is legally named the Constitution of the State of Louisiana and commonly called the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and the Constitution of 1974. The constitution is the cornerstone of the law of Louisiana ensuring the rights of individuals, describing the distribution and power of state officials and local government, establishes the state and city civil service systems, creates and defines the operation of a state lottery, and the manner of revising the constitution.

Thomas Overton Moore American politician

Thomas Overton Moore was an attorney and politician who was the 16th Governor of Louisiana from 1860 until 1864 during the American Civil War. Anticipating that Louisiana's Ordinance of Secession would be passed in January 1861, he ordered the state militia to seize all U.S. military posts.

Louisiana State of the United States of America

Louisiana is a state in the Deep South region of the South Central United States. It is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States. Louisiana is bordered by the state of Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. A large part of its eastern boundary is demarcated by the Mississippi River. Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are equivalent to counties. The state's capital is Baton Rouge, and its largest city is New Orleans.

Results

Popular Vote [1]

PartyCandidateVotes receivedPercentage
Democratic Thomas Overton Moore 16,30660.15%
Know Nothing Thomas Jefferson Wells 10,80539.85%
Total Vote27,111
Preceded by
1855 Louisiana gubernatorial election
Louisiana gubernatorial elections Succeeded by
1863 Louisiana gubernatorial election (Confederate)

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References

  1. Jeanne Frois. 2006. Louisiana Almanac, 2006–2007 Edition. Gretna, La: Pelican Pub. Co. p.547