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| Elections in Massachusetts |
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 Massachusettsportal |
The 1835 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 9.
Acting Whig Governor Samuel T. Armstrong ran for re-election to a full term in office, but was defeated for the Whig nomination by Edward Everett. In the general election, Armstrong ran without party support but finished a distant third behind Everett and Democrat Marcus Morton.
Governor John Davis resigned in March after his election to the United States Senate, to succeed the retiring Nathaniel Silsbee. [1]
The Whig convention nominated Edward Everett. [2] Despite the suggestions of Everett, Senator Daniel Webster, and Senator Davis, acting Governor Samuel T. Armstrong would not stand aside, and remained in the race. [1]
The Anti-Masonic convention nominated Everett as well, recalling his earlier "martyrdom" for the anti-Masonic cause. [2]
However, the party nominated the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, William Foster, over Whig George Hull, ostensibly because Hull was a Mason. The party also endorsed Martin Van Buren for the presidency in 1836 over Daniel Webster, though some anti-Masons embraced Webster. [2]
Everett was somewhat distressed by the Anti-Masonic campaign in his name, which was conducted by Benjamin F. Hallett and suggested that Everett supported Martin Van Buren over moderate Democrat Hugh Lawson White for President in 1836. However, Everett resolved not to involve himself in Democratic politics on the advice of Caleb Cushing. The Democratic press joined Hallett's campaign, likely to draw Anti-Masonic votes away from the Whigs and into the Democratic camp. [3]
A separate campaign was conducted by George Bancroft to draw the Working Men's Party vote, which was largely rural and Western, to Marcus Morton. Morton's campaign was largely based on "radical" egalitarian opposition to aristocratic rule in the state. [4]
In total, the state was divided between the Everett Whigs, Armstrong Whigs, Everett Anti-Masons, Van Buren Anti-Masons, "integrant" Van Buren Democrats, agrarian Democrats, and finally a dissatisfied "Free Bridge" group drawing from all parties. [5]
Everett won easily, but Morton gained his largest support yet. Despite Everett's nominal endorsement, Morton succeeded in drawing away many anti-Masonic voters and consolidated nearly all of the Working Men's support, which had gone for Samuel Allen in the previous two elections. Morton's running mate, running with the explicit Anti-Masonic endorsement, outpolled him by another 5,000 votes. [6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Edward Everett | 37,555 | 57.86% |  0.19 | |
| Democratic | Marcus Morton | 25,227 | 38.87% |  14.08 | |
| Whig | Samuel T. Armstrong (incumbent) | 1,901 | 2.93% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 220 | 0.34% | 0.08 | ||
| Total votes | 64,903 | 100.00% | |||
The Whig Party was a conservative political party that existed in the United States during the mid-19th century. Alongside the slightly larger Democratic Party, it was one of the two major parties in the United States between the late 1830s and the early 1850s as part of the Second Party System. Four presidents were affiliated with the Whig Party for at least part of their terms. Other prominent members of the Whig Party include Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Rufus Choate, William Seward, John J. Crittenden, and John Quincy Adams. The Whig base of support was centered among entrepreneurs, professionals, planters, social reformers, devout Protestants, and the emerging urban middle class. It had much less backing from poor farmers and unskilled workers.
The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry in the United States. It was active from the late 1820s, especially in the Northeast, and later attempted to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. It declined quickly after 1832 as most members joined the new Whig Party; it disappeared after 1838.
The 1832 United States presidential election was the 12th quadrennial presidential election, held from Friday, November 2 to Wednesday, December 5, 1832. Incumbent president Andrew Jackson, candidate of the Democratic Party, defeated Henry Clay, candidate of the National Republican Party.
The 1836 United States presidential election was the 13th quadrennial presidential election, held from Thursday, November 3 to Wednesday, December 7, 1836. In the third consecutive election victory for the Democratic Party, incumbent Vice President Martin Van Buren defeated four candidates fielded by the nascent Whig Party.
The 1848 United States presidential election was the 16th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 1848. In the aftermath of the Mexican–American War, General Zachary Taylor of the Whig Party defeated Senator Lewis Cass of the Democratic Party.
Edward Everett was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Massachusetts, minister to Great Britain, and United States secretary of state. He also taught at Harvard University and served as its president.
Marcus Morton was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Taunton, Massachusetts. He served two terms as the governor of Massachusetts and several months as Acting Governor following the death in 1825 of William Eustis. He served for 15 years as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, all the while running unsuccessfully as a Democrat for governor. He finally won the 1839 election, acquiring exactly the number of votes required for a majority win over Edward Everett. After losing the 1840 and 1841 elections, he was elected in a narrow victory in 1842.
Samuel Turell Armstrong was a U.S. political figure. Born in 1784 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, he was a printer and bookseller in Boston, specializing in religious materials. Among his works were an early stereotype edition of Scott's Family Bible, which was very popular, and The Panoplist, a religious magazine devoted to missionary interests.
John Davis was an American lawyer, businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He spent 25 years in public service, serving in both houses of the United States Congress and for three non-consecutive years as Governor of Massachusetts. Because of his reputation for personal integrity he was known as "Honest John" Davis.
Levi Lincoln Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the 13th governor of Massachusetts (1825–1834) and represented the state in the U.S. Congress (1834–1841). Lincoln's nine-year tenure as governor is the longest consecutive service in state history; only Michael Dukakis, John Hancock and Caleb Strong served more years, but they were not consecutive.
The 1839 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was a tightly contested race won by Marcus Morton. Under Massachusetts law at the time, a majority of the votes cast was required to win, and Morton received exactly half the votes cast. Despite the presence of some irregularities, incumbent Whig Governor Edward Everett refused to contest the results once a legislative committee dominated by his party accepted a report giving Morton 51,034 votes out of 102,066 cast.
The 1840 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 9.
The 1838 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 12.
The 1837 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 13.
The 1836 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 14.
The 1834 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 10.
The 1832 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 12.
The first 1831 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on April 14.
The second 1831 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 14.
The 1833–34 Massachusetts gubernatorial election consisted of a popular election held on November 11, 1833, that was followed by a legislative vote held in January 1834. The ultimate task of electing the governor had been placed before the Massachusetts General Court because no candidate received the majority of the vote that was constitutionally required for a candidate to be elected through the popular election.
