1856 New York gubernatorial election

none January 2025 January 2025 1856 New York gubernatorial election New York 1778 presidential 1854 New York gubernatorial election 1854 November 4, 1856 1858 New York gubernatorial election 1858 John Alsop King (cropped).jpg John A. King Republican Party (United States) 264,400 44.52% Amasa Junius Parker (1807-1890) in 1856 (3x4 cropped).jpg Amasa J. Parker Democratic Party (United States) 198,616 33.44% Erastus Brooks (cropped).jpg Erastus Brooks Know Nothing 130,870 22.04% 350px 1856 New York gubernatorial election results map by county.svg County results King: #FFC8CD 30–40% #FFB2B2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% Parker: #BDD3FF 30–40% #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% Brooks: #E8CDFF 30–40% #CC91FE 40–50% Governor Myron Clark Whig Party (United States) John Alsop King Republican Party (United States) The 1856 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1856. Incumbent Governor Myron Clark did not run for re-election to a second term in office. In the race to succeed him, John A. King defeated Amasa J. Parker and Erastus Brooks to become the first Republican elected Governor of New York. Democratic nomination Background Barnburners and Hunkers In the 1840s, the New York Democratic Party split between its anti-slavery "Barnburner" wing and its conservative "Hunker" wing, culminating in the nomination of Martin Van Buren for president on a Barnburner "Free Soil" ticket in 1848. Following the Compromise of 1850, the two wings initially reconciled, though there was a further split in the Hunker camp between "Hard Shell" men who opposed reconciliation and "Soft Shell" men, who favored it. After the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed, renewed attention on the issue of slavery broke this fragile truce, and all factions were once again at odds. The Hards, who believed that anti-slavery men no longer had any place in the Democratic Party, broke off to form their own "National Democratic" ticket, while many radical anti-slavery men also broke from the Democrats to join the Anti-Nebraska and Free Soil parties in 1854. Following their disastrous defeat in the 1854 election, the national Democratic Party, led by presidential nominee James Buchanan, urged the wings of the New York party to reconcile once more and unite behind a single candidate. Candidates John W. Brown, Justice of the New York Supreme Court and former U.S. Representative from Newburgh Orestes Brownson, Catholic intellectual Erastus Corning, former mayor of Albany and State Senator Daniel S. Dickinson, former U.S. Senator and Lieutenant Governor Samuel Fowler Addison Gardiner, former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals and Lieutenant Governor (withdrawn following third ballot) Amasa J. Parker, former Justice of the New York Supreme Court and U.S. Representative from Delhi PorterDecember 2024 Henry W. Rogers (withdrawn following first ballot) Augustus Schell, attorney and chair of the Democratic State Committee (withdrawn following third ballot) David L. Seymour, former U.S. Representative from Troy John Vanderbilt, former State Senator from Flatbush Fernando Wood, mayor of New York City (withdrawn following third ballot) Declined to be drafted Horatio Seymour, former Governor (following first ballot) Results The Soft Shell state convention met on July 30 at Market Hall in Syracuse. The Hard Shell Democratic state convention met at the same time at Corinthian Hall in the same city. The Soft delegates adopted a resolution to unite with the Hards and marched to Corinthian Hall where both factions assembled together.The Soft, Hard and Consolidated Shell's state conventions in NYT on July 31, 1856 On the first ballot, Addison Gardiner led with 69 votes against 45 for David L. Seymour. Horatio Seymour received twenty-one votes, but announced that he was not a candidate for nomination and that no possible situation could induce him to accept the nomination. Henry Rogers was also removed from consideration. John Kelly, the boss of Tammany Hall, gave a speech urging the nomination of Fernando Wood, and a motion was passed to require a bare majority of votes to elect a nominee. Gardiner also led the second and third ballots. On the final ballot, the names of Schell, Gardiner and Wood were withdrawn; Gardiner delegates endorsed Parker for the nomination. With the other leading candidates out of the race, Parker received a clear majority on the fourth ballot, and his nomination was made unanimous. Results by ballot1st 2nd 3rd 4thAddison Gardiner697880David L. Seymour466760Amasa J. Parker333939Fernando Wood252622John Vanderbilt211815Horatio Seymour21Augustus Schell112230Erastus Corning93John W. Brown8Henry W. Rogers7Daniel S. Dickinson1Orestes Brownson1Samuel Fowler11Porter1Total254254261 American nominations The American Party state convention met on September 23 and 24 at Rochester, New York. Erastus Brooks, the editor of the New York Express was nominated for Governor by acclamation.The American State Convention in NYT on September 25, 1856 The North American Party, which had seceded from the American Party earlier in the year and which had considered joining the Republicans, met on the same day at the Court House in the same city. In the afternoon, after some debate, they marched to the American convention and re-united, endorsing their ticket and declaring support for the American presidential candidates Millard Fillmore and Andrew Jackson Donelson for the 1856 presidential election.The American and North American state conventions in NYT on September 24, 1856 General election Candidates Erastus Brooks, editor of the New York Express (American) William Goodell, editor of the Radical Abolitionist (Radical Abolitionist)New York State Convention of Radical Abolitionists https://archive.org/details/sim_radical-abolitionist_1856-10_2_3 Radical Abolitionist October 1856 John A. King, former U.S. Representative from Jamaica and son of Rufus King (Republican) Amasa J. Parker, former Justice of the New York Supreme Court and U.S. Representative from Delhi (Democratic)The Democratic Ticket http://www.localarchives.org/assets/0/217/237/C10DA7D0-07A2-4F5F-A369-35E83E61D805.pdf Putnam County Courier September 20, 1856 Results 1854 New York gubernatorial electionDubin Michael J. United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776–1860: The Official Results by State and County 2003 McFarland & Co. Jefferson, NC 179–80 https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesgube0000dubiGreeley Horace Tribune Almanac and Political Register [...] 1857 none Albany 46 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951002271757f&view=1up&seq=132 John A. King Republican Party (United States) 264,400 44.53% N/A Amasa J. Parker Democratic Party (United States) 198,616 33.44% 0.12 Erastus Brooks Know Nothing 130,870 22.04% 3.99 593,886 100.00% See also New York gubernatorial elections 1856 United States elections Notes References Bibliography Dearstyne Bruce W. 2015 The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State's History https://books.google.com/books?id=9tiUBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 Albany, NY State University of New York Press 56 978-1-4384-5659-1 Google Books 1856 New York Gubernatorial election Category:November 1856