1825 Indiana gubernatorial election
August 1, 1825
 
Nominee James B. Ray Isaac Blackford
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Popular vote 13,852 12,165
Percentage 53.24% 46.76%
Governor before election

James B. Ray
Nonpartisan

 Elected Governor

James B. Ray
Nonpartisan

The 1825 Indiana gubernatorial election took place on August 1, 1825, under the provisions of the Constitution of Indiana. It was the fourth gubernatorial election in the State of Indiana. James B. Ray, the incumbent governor following the resignation of William Hendricks, was reelected to a full term, defeating Isaac Blackford, the chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.[1] The election took place concurrently with elections for lieutenant governor and members of the Indiana General Assembly.[2]

William Hendricks won the 1822 Indiana gubernatorial election without facing any significant opposition and remains the only governor of Indiana to be elected unanimously.[3] Rather than seek reelection to a second three-year term, Hendricks ran for the United States Senate and was elected on the fourth ballot of the General Assembly by a narrow majority of two votes.[4] He formally resigned the governorship on February 12, 1825, the last day of the state legislative session. As the elected lieutenant governor, Ratliff Boon, had resigned his office the previous year following his election to the United States House of Representatives, the president pro tempore of the Indiana Senate, James B. Ray, became acting governor.[5]

There was some controversy as to whether Ray could lawfully continue as governor for the remainder of Hendricks' term, with some arguing he must forfeit the office following the end of his senatorial term in August. Others questioned whether Ray, who was a few days shy of thirty when Hendricks resigned, was constitutionally eligible to serve as governor. Article IV§4 of the Indiana Constitution required the governor be "at least thirty years of age, and shall have been a citizen of the united States ten years, and have resided in the State five years next preceding his Election." A Richmond paper asserted Ray was only twenty-eight years old and described his ascension as "an usurpation, which should not be tolerated by the people of the state". The issue of Ray's age and the legality of his governorship persisted as the 1825 gubernatorial campaign commenced.[6][7]

Despite the bitterly polarizing presidential election only the previous year, the campaign was conducted on a nonpartisan basis. Ray announced his candidacy in May and received the support of the Indianapolis Gazette and other newspapers, who praised his legislative experience, humility, and diligence. In addition to Ray, Chief Justice Blackford, Justices Jesse Lynch Holman and James Scott of the state supreme court, and State Representative David H. Maxwell were mentioned as potential candidates. By spring, Blackford has emerged as the main opposition to Ray. Both campaigns praised their candidate's experience and moral attributes, while disparaging their opponent as a craven office-seeker. While Blackford was rebuked for seeking the governorship while serving on the state supreme court, Ray came under criticism for campaigning for a seat in Congress while still a member of the State Senate in 1824. Both campaigns likewise sought to portray their candidate as a man of the people, in contrast to the opponent's perceived elitism. Blackford was endorsed by the Indiana Journal, whose editor nevertheless conceded Ray had competently carried out his duties as acting governor, while there were few important policy differences between the candidates.[8]

Results

Ray defeated Blackford decisively, polling strongest in the eastern counties.[9] The county returns, provided below, are incomplete: in his inaugural message to the General Assembly, Ray noted that eleven communities had failed to make returns for the gubernatorial election.[10]

1825 Indiana gubernatorial election[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan James B. Ray 13,852 53.24%
Nonpartisan Isaac Blackford 12,165 46.76%
Total votes 26,017 100.00%

Results by county

James B. Ray
Nonpartisan		 Isaac Blackford
Nonpartisan		 County total
County Votes Percent Votes Percent
Allen 41 42.71% 55 57.29% 96
Bartholomew 238 47.32% 265 52.68% 503
Clark 541 46.04% 634 53.96% 1,175
Clay unknown unknown unknown
Crawford 44 8.78% 457 91.22% 501
Daviess 297 49.25% 306 50.75% 603
Dearborn 886 57.20% 663 42.80% 1,549
Decatur 278 71.10% 113 28.90% 391
Dubois unknown unknown unknown
Fayette 690 70.41% 290 29.59% 980
Floyd 305 51.26% 290 48.74% 595
Franklin 824 63.29% 478 36.11% 1,302
Gibson 55 15.62% 297 84.38% 352
Greene 80 24.92% 241 75.08% 321
Hamilton 79 68.70% 36 31.30% 115
Hendricks unknown unknown unknown
Henry 303 82.79% 63 17.21% 366
Jackson 135 31.32% 296 68.68% 431
Jefferson 299 22.33% 1,040 77.67% 1,339
Jennings 31 6.70% 432 93.30% 463
Johnson 103 61.68% 64 38.32% 167
Knox 230 34.12% 444 65.88% 674
Lawrence 374 49.21% 386 50.79% 760
Madison 91 68.94% 41 31.06% 132
Marion 288 58.30% 206 41.70% 494
Martin 167 71.98% 65 28.02% 232
Monroe 404 71.89% 158 28.11% 562
Montgomery 113 72.90% 42 27.10% 155
Morgan 110 44.53% 137 55.47% 247
Orange 205 25.22% 608 74.78% 813
Owen 91 27.33% 242 72.67% 333
Parke 268 75.92% 85 24.08% 353
Perry 106 38.27% 171 61.73% 277
Pike 43 21.82% 154 78.18% 197
Posey 40 5.85% 644 94.15% 684
Putnam unknown unknown unknown
Randolph unknown unknown unknown
Ripley 445 81.20% 103 18.80% 548
Rush 386 76.28% 120 23.72% 506
Scott[lower-alpha 1] unknown unknown unknown
Shelby 203 62.46% 122 37.54% 325
Spencer 337 82.20% 73 17.80% 410
Sullivan[lower-alpha 2] unknown unknown unknown
Switzerland 687 83.78% 133 16.22% 820
Union 600 80.00% 150 20.00% 750
Vanderburgh 218 77.86% 62 22.14% 280
Vermillion unknown unknown unknown
Vigo 271 53.03% 240 46.07% 511
Warrick 275 93.22% 20 6.78% 295
Washington 994 65.87% 515 34.13% 1,509
Wayne 1,187 66.24% 595 33.76% 1,782

Notes

  1. ↑ Scott County gave Ray a majority of 20 votes over Blackford.
  2. ↑ Sullivan County gave Ray a majority of 472 votes over Blackford.

References

  1. ↑ Riker and Thornbrough, p. 138
  2. ↑ Riker and Thornbrough, p. 161
  3. ↑ Carmony, p. 80
  4. ↑ Riker and Thornbrough, p. 127
  5. ↑ Carmony, p. 82
  6. ↑ Indiana Historical Bureau
  7. ↑ Carmony, pp. 82-84
  8. ↑ Carmony, pp. 83-84
  9. ↑ Carmony, p. 85
  10. ↑ Riker and Thornbrough, p. 139
  11. ↑ Capitol & Washington
  12. ↑ Riker and Thornbrough, pp. 138-39

Bibliography

  • Carmony, Donald Francis (1998). Indiana 1816-1850: the Pioneer Era. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. ISBN 0-87195-125-8.
  • Foughty, Trevor (23 May 2019). "1825 Indiana General Election Results: Governor". Capitol & Washington. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  • "Indiana Governor James Brown Ray (1794 - 1848)". Indiana Historical Bureau. 15 December 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  • Riker, Dorothy; Thornbrough, Gayle (1960). Indiana Election Returns: 1816-1851. Indiana Historical Bureau.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.