1859 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election

none June 2026 June 2026 1859 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election Texas presidential no 1857 1861 August 1, 1859 0.45 Edward clark.png Edward Clark Independent 31,458 50.9% Francis lubbock.jpg Francis Lubbock Democratic Party (United States) 30,325 49.1% Lieutenant Governor Francis Lubbock Democratic Party (United States) Elected Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark Independent The 1859 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on August 1, 1859, to elect the lieutenant governor of Texas. Independent candidate Edward Clark defeated the Democratic incumbent Francis R. Lubbock to become the seventh lieutenant governor of the state. Background Since the 1848 election, the Democratic Party had become the dominant political apparatus in the state.https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/democratic-party The Evolution of the Democratic Party in Texas: A Historical Overview tshaonline.org April 22, 2026 The party continued with the nominating convention process that had been developed in the previous election and at the 1859 convention the incumbents for statewide office were renominated, including Francis Lubbock for lieutenant governor.Winkler Ernest William https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Platforms_of_political_parties_in_Texas_%28IA_platformsofpolit00winkrich%29.pdf?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=index&utm_content=original Platforms of Political Parties in Texas September 20, 1916 University of Texas 77-80 en The state Democratic party increasing embrased the rhetoric of sectionalist fire eaters who threatened secession should the federal government interfere with the institution of slavery. This radical rhetoric was concerning to southern unionists in the state and Sam Houston announced that he would attempt another independent campaign for governor.Kreneck Thomas H. 1952 Sam Houston: A Legacy of Leadership in Texas History https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/houston-sam 2026-06-23 Texas State Historical Association en Houston's allies put forward Edward Clark, a Democratic state official, to join the Houston campaign as his lieutenant governor.Wooster Ralph A. 1976 Edward Clark: Governor of Texas and Civil War Leader https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/clark-edward 2026-06-22 Texas State Historical Association en Campaign The gubernatorial race dominated the headlines and as such the lieutenant gubernatorial race was more closely contested from lower turnout and ticket splitting. In addtiton to the personal nature of the gubernatorial candidates, protection from Indian raids and the question of reopening the trans-atlantic slave trade were the two of the most pressing issues of the campaign. The Houston ticket also attracted former Know Nothings to his campaign.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1324&context=ethj Politics and Society: the Popular Response to Political Rhetoric in Texas,1857-1860 Sfasu.org 2023-08-10 2023-08-10https://www.news-journal.com/opinion/craddock-the-time-sam-houston-lost-an-election/article_50f63d3a-3701-11e9-bfc8-d7e63fe6c11e.html The Time Sam Houston lost an Election 2023-08-10 News.Journal.com 2023-08-10 General election On election day, Clark narrowly defeated Lubbock with just under 51% of the vote. The legislature certified the election on November 11, 1859 and Lubbock was sworn into office on December 21, 1859.https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/SenateJournals/8/S_8_0.pdf Journal of the Senate of Texas, Eighth Legislature. 1860 Austin : John Marshall & Co. 44-47 en Candidates Edward Clark, lawyer, state commissioner of claims, former Texas Secretary of State, veteran of the Mexican-American War, former state senator and representative, delegate at the Constitutional Convention of 1845 (Independent)July 14, 1859 E.M. Pease Nominates for Lieut. Governor to the Sam Houston Ticket Ed Clark... https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth78331/m1/3/ The Democratic Platform. Austin 3 Francis Lubbock, rancher, incumbent lieutenant governor (Democrat)Mitchell Louis 1952 Francis R. Lubbock: Governor of Texas and Confederate Leader https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lubbock-francis-richard 2026-06-22 Texas State Historical Association en Results Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1859https://lrl.texas.gov/scanned/SenateJournals/8/S_8_0.pdf Journal of the Senate of Texas, Eighth Legislature. 1860 Austin : John Marshall & Co. 44-47 en Edward Clark Independent 31,458 50.90 Francis Lubbock (incumbent) Democratic Party (United States) 30,325 49.06 "Scattering" 24 0.00 61,807 100.00 Independent Democratic Party (United States) Aftermath Despite Houston's position as a staunch unionist, following the election of Abraham Lincoln, the Texas became involved in the Secession crisis as fire eaters remained in control of the legislature. There was a campaign for Texas to call a convention to vote on the issue, but only the Governor can call a special session of the legislature. Governor Sam Houston was a unionist and refused. A secession convention was organized without government approval and Houston called for a special legislative session in January 1861 in the hopes that the legislature would declare the rogue convention illegal. This plan backfired and a convention was legalized which approved a Ordinance of Secession. When secession was approved by referendum, Houston refused to swear an oath of loyalty to the newly formed Confederate States of America. The legislature in turn removed Houston from office and Clark was sworn in as governor.Timmons Joe T. October 1973 The Referendum in Texas on the Ordinance of Secession, February 23, 1861: The Vote https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1278&context=ethj East Texas Historical Journal 11 2Sam Houston, 1859–1861 https://txfgm.org/governors/sam-houston-1859-1861/ 2025-12-29 Friends of the Governor's Mansion en-USBuenger Walter L. 1952 Texas Secession Convention of 1861: A Historical Overview https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/secession-convention 2026-06-22 Texas State Historical Association en References Category:Texas lieutenant gubernatorial elections Category:1859 Texas elections Category:August 1859