1857 Tennessee gubernatorial election

The 1857 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on August 6, 1857, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Governor Andrew Johnson, was seriously injured in a train accident and was unable to run for re-election.^[1] Democrat Robert H. Hatton was nominated as his replacement. In the general election, Hatton ran for a full term and defeated Know Nothing candidate Robert H. Hatton with 54.34% of the vote.^[2]

1857 Tennessee gubernatorial election

← 1855 August 6, 1857 1859 →

Nominee Isham G. Harris Robert H. Hatton Party Democratic Know Nothing Popular vote 71,178 59,807 Percentage 54.34% 45.66%

County results Harris:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Hatton:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      No data/No votes

Governor before election Andrew Johnson Democratic Elected Governor Isham G. Harris Democratic

Harris's 11,000 vote victory was relatively large, considering his predecessor, Johnson, had won by just over 2,000 votes in both 1853 and 1855.^[3]

Aftermath

Harris's victory was not only the death knell for the state's Know Nothings,^[4] who had briefly risen to prominence following the collapse of the national Whig Party, but also represented a shift in Tennessee politics toward the Democratic Party. During the previous two decades, Whigs and Democrats had been evenly matched statewide, with Whigs controlling East Tennessee, Democrats controlling Middle Tennessee, and the two parties evenly split in West Tennessee. The nationwide debate over the Kansas–Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott case pushed the issue of slavery to the forefront in the mid-1850s, and the balance in West Tennessee was tipped in favor of the Democrats.^[5]

General election

1857 Tennessee gubernatorial election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Isham G. Harris	71,178	54.34%
	Know Nothing	Robert H. Hatton	59,807	45.66%
Total votes			130,985	100.00%

See also

• 1857 United States gubernatorial elections

References

1. Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 128, 134, 140–146, 150–154, 176.
2. Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 128, 134, 140–146, 150–154, 176.
3. Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 128, 134, 140–146, 150–154, 176.
4. Stanley Folmsbee, Robert Corlew, and Enoch Mitchell, Tennessee: A Short History (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1969), pp. 238–239, 314.
5. Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 128, 134, 140–146, 150–154, 176.
6. "Our Campaigns - TN - Governor Race - Aug 06, 1857". www.ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2024-02-28.