1863 New York City mayoral election

none March 2026 March 2026 1863 New York City mayoral election Presidential no 1861 New York City mayoral election 1861 1865 New York City mayoral election 1865 December 1, 1863 Charles Godfrey Gunther (cropped).jpg C. Godfrey Gunther Independent Democratic McKeon Democracy 29,121 40.96% 3x4.svg Francis I. A. Boole Democratic Party (US) Tammany HallMozart Hall 22,597 31.78% 3x4.svg Orison Blunt National Union Party (US) 19,383 27.26% Mayor George Opdyke Republican Party (US) C. Godfrey Gunther Democratic Party (US) The 1863 New York City mayoral election took place on December 1st, 1863, to elect the 78th Mayor of New York City. C. Godfrey Gunther, a fur merchant and former candidate for mayor in 1861, beat fellow Democrat Francis I. A. Boole and Union candidate Orison Blunt.In New York City elections, Independent Democrat C. Godfrey Gunther wins the mayor's race https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/41353 House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College Background After his assistance in both suppressing the July 1863 New York City draft riots and enacting conscription throughout the city, Republican Mayor George Opdyke's re-election prospects were effectively dead. So damaged was his political reputation that he wasn't even re-nominated.George Opdyke (1805-1880) https://www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org/new-yorkers/george-opdyke-1805-1880/index.html Mr. Lincoln and New York The Republicans and Unionists, now at a serious political disadvantage, nominated Orison Blunt, a gun-maker and member of the Board of Aldermen. Tammany Hall meanwhile nominated Francis I. A. Boole, a War Democrat and rather corrupt city official notable for heading the street cleaning department. Gustavus Myers dubbed he was, "considered as nauseating a type of the politician as Tammany could bring forth."The Project Gutenberg eBook, The History of Tammany Hall, by Gustavus Myers https://www.gutenberg.org/files/53115/53115-h/53115-h.htm#CHAPTER_XXII Project Gutenberg Mozart Hall decided to back his nomination, however he received little if any support from them, with its founder former Mayor Fernando Wood having refused to speak at the meeting called to ratify his nomination. With the machine-Democrats nominating such a weak candidate and at a time where popularity for the Civil War was at an all-time low, rebels from both parties, as well as former Wood supporters (mostly European minorities) split to form a temporary coalition of working class Irish and Germans. After strong backing from the city's German newspapers, C. Godfrey Gunther, a German himself and a Copperhead Democrat, emerged as a third-party candidate.Mayor Charles Godfrey Gunther, Coney Island-bound https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2009/08/know-your-mayors-charles-godfrey.html August 20, 2009 The Bowery Boys General election Candidates C. Godfrey Gunther, fur merchant and Tammany Hall candidate for mayor in 1861. Francis I. A. Boole, City Inspector, member of the Board of Aldermen from the 11th ward (Lower East Side area), and brother of Rev. William H. Boole. Orison Blunt, gun-maker, member of the Board of Aldermen from the 15th ward (Greenwich Village area), and independent candidate for New York's 6th congressional district in 1862. Results 1863 New York City Mayoral ElectionThe Tribune almanac and political register 1860 - 1864 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t9v129v9d&seq=377 HathiTrustManual of the corporation of the city of New York 1864 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015048900594&seq=506 HathiTrust Independent Democratic C. Godfrey Gunther 29,121 40.96% Democratic Party (US) Francis I. A. Boole 22,597 31.78% National Union Party (US) Orison Blunt 19,383 27.26% 71,101 100.00% Democratic Party (US) Republican Party (US) Analysis The result was widely considered an upset for Boole. Ward results showed that in the 17th, 18th, and 21st wards (the Midtown area), where the Draft Riots had concentrated, there was a huge loss of support for Tammany Hall, likely due to Boole's simpathy for the Union and support of Black suffrage.THE CHARTER ELECTION https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030213/1863-12-02/ed-1/?sp=4&q=&r=-0.315,0.11,1.773,1.099,0 December 2, 1863 Library of Congress In the aftermath, Boole soon lost favor with the public and was legislated out of office. Reportedly after that he then became insane and ill-minded, being transferred to the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum, then the Lunatic Asylum at Utica, where he would remain until his death in September 1869.Obituary - Francis I. A. Boole https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83025925/1869-09-03/ed-1/?sp=8&q=&r=0.209,0.41,0.533,0.33,0 September 3, 1869 Library of CongressThe Memorial History of the City of New-York - Page 511 https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Memorial_History_of_the_City_of_New/f1UOAAAAIAAJ?q=&gbpv=1#f=false 1893 James Grant Wilson Google Books References 1863 New York City New York City mayoral Category:Tammany Hall Category:December 1863 in the United States New York City mayoral election