1856 Illinois gubernatorial election

The 1856 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1856. Democratic governor Joel Aldrich Matteson did not seek re-election. Former Democratic U.S. representative William Henry Bissell was nominated by the newly formed Republican Party at the Bloomington Convention. Former Chicago mayor Buckner S. Morris was nominated on the Know-Nothing Party ticket. Bissell was the first Republican and the first Catholic to be elected governor in Illinois history. == General election == === Candidates === William Henry Bissell, former Democratic U.S. representative from Belleville (Republican) Buckner Stith Morris, former Whig mayor of Chicago (American) William Alexander Richardson, U.S. representative from Quincy (Democratic) === Campaign === The Democratic campaign focused upon Bissell's involvement in a duel with future Confederate States president Jefferson Davis, which purportedly disqualified him from state office, while the Republican campaign emphasized opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Despite Bissell's victory, Republican presidential nominee John C. Frémont failed to carry the state in the concurrent presidential election. === Results === == See also == 1856 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election == References == Illinois Blue Book 1899