1860 United States House of Representatives election in Florida
.svg){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County Results[1]
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Florida |
|---|
 |
 Government |
The 1860 United States House of Representatives election in Florida was held on Monday, October 1, 1860 to elect the single United States Representative from the state of Florida, one from the state's single at-large congressional district, to represent Florida in the 37th Congress. The election coincided with the gubernatorial election and various state and local elections.
Democratic nominee Robert Benjamin Hilton defeated Opposition nominee Benjamin F. Allen. Hilton was never seated in Congress, however, as Florida had succeeded from the Union before Congress convened.[2]
Candidates
[edit]Democratic
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Robert Benjamin Hilton, clerk of the Florida House of Representatives[3][4]
Eliminated at party convention
[edit]- William Dilworth, former state representative[5][6]
- James Gettis, former state representative[6]
- Barton C. Pope, former state representative[6][7]
- J. Carraway Smith, former state representative[8]
- Frederick L. Villepigue, secretary of state of Florida[3]
- C. C. Younge, lawyer[3]
Opposition
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Benjamin F. Allen, former state representative
Campaign
[edit]By 1860, the secession of the South from the Union was nearly inevitable. Both Hilton and Allen were secessionists; the only question that remained was what ideology would an independent Florida prefer: the conservatism of the Democratic Party or the Whiggism of the Opposition Party. Due to Hilton's close ties with Vice President John C. Breckinridge, the Democratic nominee for president, it was all but guaranteed that he would ride on Breckinridge's coattails.[3]
General election
[edit]Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Benjamin Hilton | 7,722 | 59.89% | −2.54% | |
| Opposition | Benjamin F. Allen | 5,172 | 40.11% | N/A | |
| Majority | 2,550 | 19.78% | −5.08% | ||
| Turnout | 12,894 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Results by County
[edit]| County[1] | Robert Benjamin Hilton Democratic |
Benjamin F. Allen Opposition |
Total votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | ||
| Alachua | 516 | 74.67% | 175 | 25.33% | 691 |
| Brevard | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 |
| Calhoun | 88 | 88.0% | 12 | 12.0% | 100 |
| Clay | 85 | 43.59% | 110 | 51.73% | 195 |
| Columbia | 237 | 48.27% | 254 | 51.73% | 491 |
| Dade | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 |
| Duval | 263 | 53.46% | 229 | 46.54% | 492 |
| Escambia | 173 | 30.73% | 390 | 69.27% | 563 |
| Franklin | 155 | 85.16% | 27 | 14.84% | 182 |
| Gadsden | 387 | 48.99% | 403 | 51.01% | 790 |
| Hamilton | 247 | 58.39% | 176 | 41.61% | 423 |
| Hernando | 216 | 72.0% | 84 | 28.0% | 300 |
| Hillsborough | 347 | 90.36% | 37 | 9.64% | 384 |
| Holmes | 75 | 46.88% | 85 | 53.13% | 160 |
| Jackson | 511 | 51.88% | 474 | 48.12% | 985 |
| Jefferson | 450 | 74.38% | 155 | 25.62% | 605 |
| Lafayette | 110 | 55.56% | 88 | 44.44% | 198 |
| Leon | 427 | 56.26% | 332 | 43.74% | 759 |
| Levy | 181 | 69.35% | 80 | 30.65% | 261 |
| Liberty | 93 | 51.38% | 88 | 48.62% | 181 |
| Madison | 422 | 64.53% | 232 | 35.47% | 654 |
| Manatee | 79 | 94.05% | 5 | 5.95% | 84 |
| Marion | 435 | 73.36% | 158 | 26.64% | 593 |
| Monroe | 156 | 78.0% | 44 | 22.0% | 200 |
| Nassau | 252 | 81.82% | 56 | 18.18% | 308 |
| New River | 211 | 61.34% | 133 | 38.66% | 344 |
| Orange | 58 | 36.02% | 103 | 63.98% | 161 |
| Putnam | 162 | 63.28% | 94 | 36.72% | 256 |
| Santa Rosa | 251 | 44.27% | 316 | 55.73% | 567 |
| St. Johns | 202 | 67.79% | 96 | 32.21% | 298 |
| Sumter | 108 | 59.67% | 73 | 40.33% | 181 |
| Suwannee | 135 | 49.63% | 137 | 50.37% | 272 |
| Taylor | 86 | 50.59% | 84 | 49.41% | 170 |
| Volusia | 49 | 69.01% | 22 | 30.99% | 71 |
| Wakulla | 173 | 54.75% | 143 | 45.25% | 316 |
| Walton | 210 | 51.98% | 194 | 48.02% | 404 |
| Washington | 172 | 67.45% | 83 | 32.55% | 255 |
| Totals | 7,722 | 59.89% | 5,172 | 40.11% | 12,894 |
Aftermath
[edit]Florida seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861, meaning Hilton was not able to take his seat in Congress. However, Hilton won election to the Confederate States House of Representatives later in 1861, representing Florida's 2nd congressional district.[9]
See also
[edit]- 1860 United States presidential election in Florida
- United States House of Representatives elections, 1860
- 1860 Florida Gubernatorial election
- 1861 Confederate States House of Representatives elections in Florida
References
[edit]- ^ a b Dyke; Carlisle (November 17, 1860). "VOTE FOR CONGRESSMAN BY COUNTIES". Floridian & Journal. p. 3. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Dubin, Michael J. (1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland & Company. pp. 187, 191. ISBN 9780786402830.
- ^ a b c d "Florida's U.S. Representative nomination 1860". The Florida Peninsular. June 23, 1860. p. 2. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Democratic nominations for governor and U.S. representative, 1860". The Florida Peninsular. June 30, 1860. p. 2. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Dilworth-Barnhill House - Monticello, FL". Old Georgia Homes. March 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c The People of Lawmaking in Florida 1822 - 2019 (PDF). Tallahassee: Florida House of Representatives. 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "The Pope Family". The Madison Enterprise-Recorder. No. 38. Madison: Greene Publishing. May 22, 2009. p. 9. Retrieved November 7, 2020 – via University of Florida.
- ^ Membership of the Florida House of Representatives by County 1845-2020 (PDF). Tallahassee: Florida House of Representatives. 2020. p. 149. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ McConville, Michael Paul (2012). "The Politics Of Slavery And Secession In Antebellum Florida, 1845-1861". University of Central Florida: 75. Retrieved November 7, 2020 – via STARS.