1859 Texas gubernatorial election
August 1, 1859
 
Nominee Sam Houston Hardin R. Runnels
Party Independent Democratic
Popular vote 36,227 27,500
Percentage 56.8% 43.1%
County Results [1]

Governor before election

Hardin R. Runnels
Democratic
Elected Governor

Sam Houston
Independent

The 1859 Texas gubernatorial election was held on August 1, 1859, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic Governor Hardin Richard Runnels was running for reelection, but was defeated by Sam Houston, who received 57% of the vote.

Runnels was the only person to defeat Sam Houston in a political campaign, beating him in the previous election of 1857 on a Democratic ticket. Indian attacks, the border raids of Juan Cortina, and sectional factionalism were likely factors which lead to Runnels defeat in 1859.[2] During the election, Houston attacked Runnels by criticizing the latter's inadequate protection of the frontier, highlighting Runnels’ wishes to see the slave trade reopened, and reminding voters of the governor's preference for secession. Sam Houston's victory in the race was hailed as a tribute to Unionism as it occurred in one of the most pro-slavery states in the Union.[3] Unfortunately, it was Houston's last political position as in 1861 he was removed from the governorship by the new Secessionist government.

Results

General Election Results [4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Sam Houston 36,227 56.79%
Democratic Hardin Richard Runnels (incumbent) 27,500 43.11%
No Party Write-ins 61 0.10%
Total votes 63,788 100.00%
Independent gain from Democratic

References

  1. ↑ "OurCampaigns". Archived from the original on August 8, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Texas Governor Hardin Richard Runnels Records: An Inventory of Governor Hardin Richard Runnels Records at the Texas State Archives, 1857-1859". TARO Texas Archival Resources Online. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Texas Early History Slideshow". Slideplayer.com. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Texas Almanac". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.


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