1859 Mississippi gubernatorial election

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]

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

Governor before election

William McWillie
Democratic

Elected Governor

John J. Pettus
Democratic

General election

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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

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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

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  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.