1860 Arkansas gubernatorial election

none January 2025 December 2025 ly 1860 Arkansas gubernatorial election Arkansas 1860 Flag of the United States (1859–1861).svg gubernatorial no 1856 Arkansas gubernatorial election 1856 1862 Arkansas gubernatorial election 1862 (Confederate) August 6, 1860 125px Henry Rector Independent Democrat 32,048 52.32% 125px Richard H. Johnson Democratic Party (United States) 28,969 47.29% 1860 Arkansas gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 200px Rector: #a9a9a9 50%-60% #8d8d8d 60%-70% #737373 70%-80% #5a5a5a 80%-90% #424242 90%-100%Johnson: #A5B0FF 40%-50% #7996E2 50%-60% #6674DE 60%-70% #584CDE 70%-80% Governor Elias Nelson Conway Democratic Party (United States) Henry Massey Rector Independent Democrat The 1860 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on August 6, 1860, in order to elect the Governor of Arkansas. Incumbent two-term governor Elias Conway, member of the powerful Conway-Johnson family (known as "The Family") which had controlled Arkansas politics since creation of Arkansaw Territory, decided to retire from politics. His chosen successor, Richard H. Johnson, won a Democratic nomination heavily influenced by The Family. But Conway's first cousin and former Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court Henry Rector challenged Johnson as an Independent Democrat and an "outsider" to the Family.https://www.nga.org/governor/henry-massey-rector/ Gov. Henry Massey Rector National Governors Association 2023-12-02 Though the candidates largely agreed on the issues, Johnson's defeat signaled the end of Family control of state politics. Democratic convention The Democratic Party of Arkansas was controlled by the Conway-Johnson family, which had dominated antebellum politics in the state. A state convention in the Arkansas House of Representatives began on April 2, 1860. After five days of heated debate, Richard H. Johnson was nominated. Johnson was editor of the True Democrat newspaper, which had supported the Conway administration. Johnson also had the support of his elder brother, Robert W. Johnson, who Conway had appointed as United States Senator in 1855. Opponents resented the perpetuation of the Conway-Johnson dynasty. The family was a crucial part in all of Arkansas's politics as they were the leading force, and people had to "obey" them as if it were an oligarchy in Arkansas itself."Herndon" 1947 160. American party convention On April 30, the American Party (successors to the Know Nothing movement), as well as a remaining group of Whigs met in Helena, Arkansas. The group passed resolutions opposing secession, endorsing the nominees to be announced at the 1860 Constitutional Union Convention, and nominating Thomas Hubbard, circuit court judge from Hempstead County, as the party's candidate for governor. Given the division created at the Democratic convention, many were optimistic about Hubbard's chances. Rector enters the race Thomas C. Hindman, United States Representative from the Arkansas 1st and an opponent of the Family, urged Rector to enter the race. In May 1860, associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court Henry Rector resigned his seat on the court to run for governor. Despite being a first cousin the incumbent governor Conway, Rector was viewed as an outsider to the Family. Hindman committed his political operation to assist Rector, including newspapers and voting turnout organization, and giving speeches. Whayne Jeannie M. DeBlack Thomas A. Sabo III George Arnold Morris S. Arkansas: A narrative history 1st 2002 The University of Arkansas Press Fayetteville, Arkansas 1-55728-724-4 49029558 157–158 registration https://archive.org/details/arkansasnarrativ0000unse "Narrative" 2002 General election The election was described as "fratricidal war". Hindman's machine painted Rector, an aristocratic lawyer and planter, as the friend of the common man, usurping the position the Family had successfully adopted since Andrew Jackson and Jacksonian democracy. Campaign events and debates across the state provided a lively campaign to a voting public accustomed to the Family dictating winners."Narrative" 2002 157 Hubbard was often left out of the debates. Johnson was a poor speaker, and there was little daylight between the candidates on the issues. Instead, the campaign was largely focused on personalities, the Family's highhanded selection of Johnson, and mudslinging. Both candidates agreed on the expansion of slavery into new territories, and both left Arkansas's secession from the United States on the table if necessary. The election took place on August 6, 1860, but it took two weeks to tabulate the final results."Narrative" 2002 158. Independent Democratic candidate Henry Massey Rector won the election by a margin of 3,079 votes against his opponent Democratic nominee Richard H. Johnson, thereby gaining Independent Democratic control over the office of Governor. Rector was sworn in as the 6th Governor of Arkansas on November 15, 1860.https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=192988 AR Governor ourcampaigns.com March 7, 2007 2023-12-02 The election marked the beginning of the end of Family influence in Arkansas politics. Results 1860 Arkansas gubernatorial electionArkansas. General Assembly. Senate. http://archive.org/details/esrp871033625 Journal of the Senate of Arkansas : reformatted from the original and including, Journals of the ... session of the General Assembly of the Territory of Arkansas ... Independent Democrat Henry Rector 32,048 52.32 Democratic Party (United States) Richard H. Johnson 28,969 47.29 Know Nothing Thomas Hubbard 220 0.36 Write-in Scattering 18 0.03 61,017 100.00 Independent Democrat Democratic Party (United States) Results by county +Results by countyCountyHenry Massey RectorRichard H. JohnsonThomas HubbardScatteringTotalVotes%Votes%Votes%Votes%Arkansas46957.76%34342.24%00.00%00.00%812Ashley41141.81%56357.27%90.92%00.00%983Benton91456.04%71743.96%00.00%00.00%1631Bradley75062.45%45137.55%00.00%00.00%1201Calhoun32552.00%29847.68%20.32%00.00%625Carroll71149.34%73050.66%00.00%00.00%1441Chicot12628.44%31671.33%00.00%10.23%443Clark66543.89%84755.91%30.20%00.00%1515Columbia88151.49%83048.51%00.00%00.00%1711Conway72562.55%43437.45%00.00%00.00%1159Craighead49478.04%13921.96%00.00%00.00%633Crawford53145.85%62654.06%00.00%10.09%1158Crittenden21934.98%40765.02%00.00%00.00%626Dallas50852.70%45647.30%00.00%00.00%964Desha44762.78%26537.22%00.00%00.00%712Drew86564.75%47135.25%00.00%00.00%1336Franklin72666.67%35532.60%00.00%80.73%1089Fulton33751.85%31348.15%00.00%00.00%650Greene82786.96%12413.04%00.00%00.00%951Hempstead80046.08%88651.04%502.88%00.00%1736Hot Spring34837.26%58662.74%00.00%00.00%934Independence116957.47%86242.38%30.15%00.00%2034Izard44037.01%74962.99%00.00%00.00%1189Jackson112073.59%39726.08%00.00%50.33%1522Jefferson91853.59%78946.06%30.18%30.18%1713Johnson57448.44%61151.56%00.00%00.00%1185Lafayette20326.68%50566.36%536.96%00.00%761Lawrence61237.45%101962.36%30.18%00.00%1634Madison86171.57%34228.43%00.00%00.00%1203Marion52556.94%39242.52%50.54%00.00%922Mississippi23559.64%15940.36%00.00%00.00%394Monroe37148.43%38049.61%151.96%00.00%766Montgomery16426.84%44773.16%00.00%00.00%611Newton40170.85%16529.15%00.00%00.00%566Ouachita82050.74%79649.26%00.00%00.00%1616Perry9425.20%27974.80%00.00%00.00%373Phillips62446.60%71553.40%00.00%00.00%1339Pike37257.50%27242.04%30.46%00.00%647Poinsett44894.12%285.88%00.00%00.00%476Polk22936.64%39663.36%00.00%00.00%625Pope49441.65%69258.35%00.00%00.00%1186Prairie85460.70%55339.30%00.00%00.00%1407Pulaski75648.03%81851.97%00.00%00.00%1574Randolph53052.89%47247.11%00.00%00.00%1002Saline57248.72%60251.28%00.00%00.00%1174Scott55661.71%34538.29%00.00%00.00%901Searcy49261.35%31038.65%00.00%00.00%802Sebastian103861.06%66238.94%00.00%00.00%1700Sevier56340.80%80658.41%110.80%00.00%1380St. Francis69156.09%54143.91%00.00%00.00%1232Union48237.48%74457.85%604.67%00.00%1286Van Buren42846.72%48853.28%00.00%00.00%916Washington130557.39%96942.61%00.00%00.00%2274White75350.67%73349.33%00.00%00.00%1486Yell27526.22%77473.78%00.00%00.00%1049Total3204852.32%2896947.29%2200.36%180.03%61255 References Annals of Arkansas 1947 Herndon Dallas T. 1–4 The Historical Record Association Hopkinsville, Kentucky 978-1-56546-450-6 48002456 3920841 "Herndon" 1947 Category:Arkansas gubernatorial elections Arkansas Gubernatorial Category:August 1860 in the United States