1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election Pennsylvania presidential 1838 10 9 no 1835 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election 1835 1841 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election 1841 File:DavidRittenhousePorter.jpg 150x150px David R. Porter Democratic Party (United States) 127,821 51.10% File:Joseph Ritner-Governor of Pennsylvania.JPG Joseph Ritner Anti-Masonic Party 122,325 48.90% 1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 260px County Results Porter: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% Ritner: #FED463 50–60% #FE9929 60–70% #EC7014 70–80% Governor Joseph Ritner Anti-Masonic Party David R. Porter Democratic Party (United States) The 1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was a statewide contest for the office of Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States.Foley, Edward. Ballot Battles: The History of Disputed Elections in the United States, pp. 79-84. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. Incumbent Governor Joseph Ritner, who was the last governor to serve under Pennsylvania's Constitution of 1790, ran as an Anti-Masonic candidate."Governor Joseph Ritner" (biography). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online December 30, 2022. He was defeated by Jacksonian Democrat David R. Porter by less than 5,500 votes, following a divisive campaign marred by rising public prejudice against Freemasonry and a disinformation campaign that distributed biographical booklets with inaccurate information about Porter."Governor David Rittenhouse Porter" (biography). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online December 30, 2022.Pinsker, Matthew. "Be Kind, Rewind: My Time with Microfilm," in "History 204, 'Introduction to Historical Methods.'" Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College, October 20, 2017 (retrieved online December 30, 2022). Unhappy with the election's outcome, a group of Ritner supporters subsequently challenged the election results, sparking statewide violence that culminated in the Buckshot War."Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission."Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. History The last governor to serve under Pennsylvania's Constitution of 1790, incumbent Governor Joseph Ritner, ran for re-election as an Anti-Masonic candidate against Jacksonian Democrat David R. Porter,"Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission."Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. who as a member of the Huntingdon Lodge of the Freemasons, had risen to the levels of Grand Master of his lodge and Deputy Grand Master of the Masonic district in which his lodge was located.Egle, William Henry. "The Buckshot War," in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 23, No. 2 (1899), pp. 137-156. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press."Remarkable Coincidence," in "Young Men's Convention." Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Examiner & Herald, May 3, 1838, p. 3 (subscription required). The campaign was an unusually divisive one, fueled by disinformation about Porter that was spread by Ritner supporters,Pinsker, "Be Kind, Rewind: My Time with Microfilm," in "History 204, 'Introduction to Historical Methods,'" Dickinson College, October 20, 2017. public prejudice against Freemasonry that had been increasing since the 1833 passage of a new state law which made it illegal for fraternal organizations to require their members to keep their rituals secret from the public,"Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission."Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission."George Wolf Historical Marker." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online December 30, 2022. the rise of anti-abolitionist groups across Pennsylvania whose members were opposed to ending the practice of chattel slavery in America,"To the Democratic Freemen of the City and County of Lancaster." Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Intelligencer, August 14, 1838, p.2 (subscription required). and accusations of voter fraud."David Rittenhouse Porter: The Candidate of the People!" and "Unparralleled [sic] Corruption! An Attempt to Carry the Election by Illegal Votes!" Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Intelligencer, October 9, 1838, p. 2 (subscription required). When Ritner was defeated by Porter by less than 5,500 results, supporters of Ritner challenged the election results, sparking statewide violence that culminated in the Buckshot War,Egle, "The Buckshot War," in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1899. which was finally ended by legislative action, enabling Porter to take office as the first governor under the State Constitution of 1838."Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission."Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Results Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1838Smull John A. Pennsylvania Legislative Handbook State of Pennsylvania Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 1870 207 2027/mdp.39015067301161?urlappend=%3Bseq=203 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015067301161?urlappend=%3Bseq=203 Democratic Party (United States) David R. Porter 127,821 51.10 Anti-Masonic Party Joseph Ritner (incumbent) 122,325 48.90 250,146 100.00 See also Buckshot War References External links "Letter from James Buchanan to Reuel William" (U.S. Senator and future U.S. President James Buchanan discusses the 1838 gubernatorial election in Pennsylvania). Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College, Archives & Special Collections. 1835 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Category:November 1838