1857 Georgia gubernatorial election

none January 2025 January 2025 1857 Georgia gubernatorial election Georgia (U.S. state) Presidential 1855 Georgia gubernatorial election 1855 1859 Georgia gubernatorial election 1859 October 5, 1857 125px Joseph E. Brown Democratic Party (United States) 57,631results Including returns from Clay and Webster County that were not included in the official count. 55.19% 125px Benjamin Harvey Hill Know Nothing 46,796results 44.81% 1857 Georgia gubernatorial election results map by county.svg Results by CountyDubin Michael J. United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776 1860: The Official Results By State And County McFarland 2003 9780786414390 43–44Brown: #8da9e2 50–60% #678cd7 60–70% #4170cd 70–80% #3358a2 80–90%Hill: #c88fe4 50–60% #b368d9 60–70% #9d40cc 70–80% #7c31a2 80–90% Governor Herschel V. Johnson Democratic Party (United States) Joseph E. Brown Democratic Party (United States) The 1857 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on October 5, 1857, in order to elect the Governor of Georgia. Democratic nominee and state circuit court judge Joseph E. Brown defeated Know Nothing (Sam) nominee and State legislator Benjamin Harvey Hill. Brown was a relatively unknown figure in Georgia politics before his governorship, with his victory over John H. Lumpkin, a close associate of former governor Howell Cobb,Collins Bruce 1987 Governor Joseph E. Brown, Economic Issues, and Georgia's Road to Secession, 1857–59 https://www.jstor.org/stable/40581658 The Georgia Historical Quarterly 71 2 197–199 40581658 for the Democratic nomination shocking many people, with Robert Toombs reportedly asking "who the devil is Joe Brown" upon hearing his nomination.Hay Thomas 1929 Joseph Emerson Brown, Governor of Georgia, 1857–1865 https://www.jstor.org/stable/40575998 The Georgia Historical Quarterly 13 2 89–90 40575998 Brown grew up poor and was not a planter, only owning 13 slaves. A self-made man, he went Yale University to study law and became a lawyer in Canton. Over half his assets came in stock and bonds (including railroad securities) and less than a fourth of his wealth resulted from his ownership of slaves. Additionally, the district that had elected him was in the mountain region of Georgia where very few owned slaves. In Georgia the Know Nothing Party was called "Sam" by the local Democratic party. Its use was so widespread that even some Know-Nothings adopted it. According to Royce McCrary, the origins of the term are obscure. Sam was a term applied to the raw Irish immigrants in the 1850s. Apparently the Democrats, in a mocking way, meant to imply that the anti-Irish Know-Nothings were actually Irish.McCrary Royce 1977 John Macpherson Berrien and the Know-Nothing Movement in Georgia https://www.jstor.org/stable/40580341 The Georgia Historical Quarterly 61 1 41 40580341 Brown's victory over Hill in the general election, as commented by one writer, "was in its moral effect similar to the accession of Andrew Jackson to the Presidency in 1828 - a shock to the aristocratic regime in Georgia." General election On election day, October 5, 1857, Democratic nominee Joseph E. Brown won the election by a margin of 10,835 votes against Know Nothing (Sam)Sam In Georgia the Know Nothing Party was called "Sam" by the local Democratic party. Its use was so widespread that even some Know-Nothings adopted it. According to Royce McCrary, the origins of the term are obscure. Sam was a term applied to the raw Irish immigrants in the 1850s. Apparently the Democrats, in a mocking way, meant to imply that the anti-Irish Know-Nothings were actually Irish.McCrary Royce 1977 John Macpherson Berrien and the Know-Nothing Movement in Georgia https://www.jstor.org/stable/40580341 The Georgia Historical Quarterly 61 1 41 40580341 nominee Benjamin Harvey Hill, thereby continuing Democratic control over the office of Governor. Johnson was sworn in for his first of four terms on November 6, 1857.Our Campaigns – GA Governor Race – Oct 05, 1857 https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=204943 2024-03-29 www.ourcampaigns.com Results Georgia gubernatorial election, 1855 Democratic Party (United States) Joseph E. Brown 57,631 55.19 Know Nothing Benjamin Harvey Hill 46,889 44.81 104,427 100.00 Notes References Category:Georgia (U.S. state) gubernatorial elections Georgia Gubernatorial Category:October 1857 Category:1857 in Georgia (U.S. state)