1866 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election

none April 2026 April 2026 ly 1866 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election Texas Presidential no 1863 1869 June 25, 1866 George Washington Jones (Texas Congressman).jpg George Washington Jones Democratic Party (United States) 48,908 84.27% 3x4.svg Livingston Lindsay Republican Party (United States) 8,714 15.02% Lieutenant Governor Vacant George Washington Jones Democratic Party (United States) The 1866 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on June 25, 1866, in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Texas. Democratic candidate George Washington Jones defeated Republican candidate Livingston Lindsay by an overwhelming margin. General election This was the first statewide election in Texas following the end of the American Civil War. Members of the Confederate administration of the state had either fled to MexicoWooster Ralph A. 1952 Pendleton Murrah: The Last Governor of Texas During the Civil War https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/murrah-pendleton 2026-04-21 Texas State Historical Association en or had been removed from office by military officials and replaced by some, like Andrew Hamilton, to lead the state on an interim basis. The election was held concurrently with a vote on the ratification of the newly drafted state Constitution of 1866. The document abolished slavery in the state as was a condition of readmittance to the Union and protected their property and legal rights, but still barred freedmen from participation in the political sphere.Elliot Claude 1952 The Texas Constitutional Convention of 1866: A Historical Overview https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/constitutional-convention-of-1866 2026-04-20 Texas State Historical Association en The document also lengthened the term of the governor and lieutenant governor from two years to four years.McKay S. S. 1952 Overview of the Constitutional Convention of 1866 https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/constitution-of-1866 2026-04-20 Texas State Historical Association en Candidates George Washington Jones, delegate at the 1866 constitutional convention, Lieutenant Colonel in the 17th Texas Infantry, former district attorney of Bastrop County (Democrat)May 19, 1866 Hon. B. H. Epperson Withdrawn. https://www.newspapers.com/image/168217784/ The Dallas Herald April 20, 2026 Newspapers.com en-US 2May 19, 2026 Col. Wash. Jones. https://www.newspapers.com/image/168217628/ The Dallas Herald 1 Newspapers.comCutrer Thomas W. 1952 George Washington Jones: A Political Biography https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/jones-george-washington 2026-04-21 Texas State Historical Association en Livingston Lindsay, lawyer from La Grange (Republican)Thompson John D. 1952 Livingston Lindsay: Life and Legacy of a Texas Justice https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lindsay-livingston 2026-04-21 Texas State Historical Association en Benjamin Holland Epperson, president of the Memphis, El Paso and Pacific Railroad, candidate for the United States Senate in 1866, candidate for governor in 1851, former state representative (Republican) (withdrawn)April 7, 1866 2 The Galveston Daily News The Tickets Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/21488415/ April 20, 2026 en-USJune 15, 1866 Letter from B. H. Epperson https://www.newspapers.com/image/21494669/ April 21, 2026 The Galveston Daily News 2 Newspapers.comWooster Ralph A. 1976 Benjamin Holland Epperson: East Texas Lawyer and Politician https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/epperson-benjamin-holland 2026-04-21 Texas State Historical Association en Results Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1866 August 8, 1866 Journal of the Texas House of Representatives https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/HouseJournals/11/H_11_0.pdf April 20, 2026 12-16 Democratic Party (United States) George W. Jones 48,908 84.27 Republican Party (United States) Livingston Lindsay 8,714 15.02 Scattering 413 0.72 58,035 100.00 Democratic Party (United States) Aftermath While the Constitution of 1866 was adopted by the people by a vote of 28,119 to 23,400, Congress did not approve of the document as Radical Republicans did not believe the document went far enough with incorporating and expanding the rights of freedmen. In 1867, the southern states would be placed under martial law in the form of five military districts. A few months later, the military governor of the 5th district, General Philip H. Sheridan removed Governor James W. Throckmorton and Lieutenant Governor Jones from office for being an "impediment to reconstruction". While the military restructuring resulted in the losing candidate in the 1866 gubernatorial election being appointed to the position, the same was not true for the lieutenant governor as Livingston Lindsay was appointed to a seat on the Supreme Court of Texas instead. References Category:1866 Texas elections Category:Texas lieutenant gubernatorial elections Category:November 1866 in the United States Category:Government of Texas