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1839 Georgia gubernatorial election

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1839 Georgia gubernatorial election

← 1837 October 7, 1839 1841 →
 
Nominee Charles McDonald Charles Dougherty
Party Democratic Whig
Alliance Union Party State Rights
Popular vote 34,634 32,727
Percentage 51.42% 48.58%

Results by County[1]
McDonald:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Dougherty:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

Governor before election

George Rockingham Gilmer
Whig

Elected Governor

Charles McDonald
Democratic

The 1839 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on October 7, 1839, to elect the governor of Georgia. The Democratic Union candidate Charles McDonald won the election defeating Whig State Rights Candidate Charles Dougherty, with the election being decided by 1,907 votes.[2][3]

Background

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During this time, Georgian politics were dominated by two local parties, the Union party and the State Rights party. The Union party was the product of the forces of liberal democracy that brought white manhood suffrage and popular elections in the 1800s. The State Rights party, on the other hand, was a political anomaly whose conservative politics and organization were more closely related to those of the late 1800s.[4]

Since the 1836 presidential election the Union and State Rights parties have slowly merged with the Democratic and Whig parties respectively.[4]

General election

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Candidates

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Democratic

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Whig

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Results

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1839 Georgia gubernatorial election[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Charles McDonald 34,634 51.4 +2
Whig Charles Dougherty 32,807 48.6 −2
Total votes 67,441 100

References

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  1. ^ Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776 1860: The Official Results By State And County. McFarland. pp. 35–36. ISBN 9780786414390.
  2. ^ a b Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2009). Guide to U.S. Elections (6th ed.). Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1609. ISBN 9781604265361.
  3. ^ "Democratic Ticket for President". The Weekly Telegraph. October 15, 1839. p. 2. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Murray, Paul. "Party Organization in Georgia Politics 1825–1853". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 29 (4): 197, 202. JSTOR 40576991.
  5. ^ "Charles McDonald (1793–1860)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 18, 2021.