1861 Confederate States presidential election in North Carolina

none 1861 Confederate States presidential election January 2025 1861 Confederate States presidential election in North Carolina North Carolina 1861 presidential no 1860 United States presidential election in North Carolina 1860 (Union) 1868 United States presidential election in North Carolina 1868 (Union) November 6, 1861 x200px President-Jefferson-Davis_(cropped-2).jpg Jefferson Davis Nonpartisan candidate Secessionist Mississippi Alexander H. Stephens 12 27,400 54.95% President-Jefferson-Davis_(cropped-2).jpg Jefferson Davis Nonpartisan candidate Conservative Mississippi Alexander H. Stephens 0 19,507 39.12% 350px County resultsThe full returns of 24 counties were reported in the November 18 issue of the Fayetteville Observer.Hale Edward J. 28 November 1861 Fayetteville Observer https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn84026542/1861-11-18/ed-1/seq-3/ Fayetteville Observer 3 and the return of Johnston County was reported in the November 13 issue of the Weekly State Journal.Spelman John Weekly State Journal https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn85042168/1861-11-13/ed-1/seq-1/ Weekly State Journal 3 start Davis (secessionist slate) #008c21 70–80% #006e1a 80–90% #005113 90–100% break Davis (people's ticket) #8da9e2 50–60% #678cd7 60–70% #4170cd 70–80% #3358a2 80–90% #244079 90–100% break No data #808080 end President Jefferson Davis (Provisional) Nonpartisan candidate Jefferson Davis Nonpartisan candidate A presidential election was held in North Carolina on November 6, 1861 as part of the 1861 Confederate States presidential election. The secessionist ticket led by William B. Rodman defeated the conservative, or people's ticket. Both lists were pledged to the incumbent provisional president Jefferson Davis and the provisional vice president Alexander H. Stephens. Davis won the national election unanimously, beginning a six-year term that would terminate prematurely on May 5, 1865 following the dissolution of the Confederate government. Unlike most Confederate states, where electors were selected by the state legislature, North Carolina selected its 12 electors on a general ticket.McKinney Gordon B. Zeb Vance: North Carolina's Civil War Governor and Gilded Age Political Leader University of North Carolina Press 2005 9780807875933 100Baker Robin E. Class Conflict and Political Upheaval: The Transformation of North Carolina Politics during the Civil War https://www.jstor.org/stable/23520814 The North Carolina Historical Review 69 2 161–163 23520814 Each elector on a slate represented a specific district, and the 12 elector candidates who received the highest number of votes were chosen to represent the state in the Electoral College, where they cast their votes for the president and vice president.Hale Edward J. 28 November 1861 Fayetteville observer https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn84026542/1861-11-28/ed-1/seq-3/ Fayetteville observer 3 Two lists of electors were pledged to Davis, representing developing local factions. The "secessionist slate", led by William B. Rodman, consisted of "original secessionists" who had supported secession from early on. They were opposed by the "people's ticket" made up of former Unionists. Former Unionist William Woods Holden would eventually form the "Conservative" party, a political coalition of former Unionists opposed to Governor Henry Toole Clark, and gave his support to the people's ticket in this election. The election itself was muddy, with supporters of the opposite view appearing on each of the slates, including four who appeared on both slates and two others who were listed on partially different tickets — one of whom had withdrawn but still appeared on several tickets.Spelman John The State Journal https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83025820/1861-11-24/ed-1/seq-3/ The State Journal 3 Nevertheless, the secessionist slate won out, with its best-performing sole elector winning 27,400 votes, beating the people's ticket's 19,507. Background In the aftermath of the 1860 presidential election, despite calls from Governor John Willis Ellis for secession, North Carolinians were reluctant to secede from the Union. Lawmakers in the General Assembly felt that Abraham Lincoln's victory was not a sufficient cause for secession, and the general populace believed that the Constitution would protect their rights from Lincoln's administration. When a vote was held in Februaryr 1861 on whether to call a secession convention, the proposal was rejected by voters.Beckel Deborah Radical Reform: Interracial Politics in Post-Emancipation North Carolina University of Virginia Press 2011 9780813930527 24–26 Despite this, both secessionist and Unionist factions remained active throughout the state, holding meetings to rally support. Governor Ellis, anticipating conflict, began organizing military training camps and preparing troops. Unionists, meanwhile, held out hope that Lincoln would avoid direct interference in the South, which they believed would lead to the Confederacy disbanding. William Woods Holden, a prominent Unionist, warned that secession could result in military occupation and the abolition of slavery, advocating for the creation of a local Constitutional Union Party. At a major Unionist meeting in Randolph County, citizens called for North Carolina to remain neutral and proposed the formation of a "Central Confederacy" of border states. Following the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, Lincoln called for volunteer militiamen to subdue the rebellion. This action alarmed many white men and caused most Unionists to shift their stance, leading to the state withdrawing from the Union at the May 1861 secession convention. Initially, there was a brief moment of unity among the state's political leaders, but politicians quickly fractured into two camps: enthusiastic Confederates and reluctant Confederates. Early secessionist leaders, having taken control of the state government, excluded former Unionists from public offices and military positions. This exclusion caused resentment and deepened divisions among the state's leaders. Reflecting this partisan divide, early secessionists and former Unionists, such as Holden and Zebulon Vance, organized separate slates of electors for the 1861 Confederate States presidential election, despite both groups endorsing the same ticket. Results The election itself was muddly with supporters of the opposite view appearing on each of the slates, including four that appeared on both slates and two others that were listed partially on different tickets — one of whom having withdrawn but still appeared on several tickets. There was also an issue with the method of counting. One candidate, who appeared on both slates, represented different districts on each. When tallying the votes, Governor Henry Toole Clark combined the results from both districts, ensuring an easy victory for that candidate. While this may not have disenfranchised voters in this instance, it had the potential to do so. Ultimately, the secessionist slate prevailed, with its best-performing sole elector receiving 27,400 votes, compared to the people's ticket's 19,507. In addition to the votes cast for the two Davis slates, there were also 2,960 scattering votes, though no individual scattering candidate got more than 250.Clark Henry T. A Proclamation by His Excellency, Henry T. Clark, Governor Ex Officio of the State of N.C. https://www.newspapers.com/image/168596245/ North Carolina Standard 3 The secessionist slate won most of its votes from Breckinridge Democrats and secessionists, while the "people's ticket" won most of its votes from Douglas supporters, Bell supporters, and Unionist. The secessionist voters turned out at a higher rate than the unionists, most likely due to the excitement created by the coming of war and the fact that both tickets represented the same man. This political apathy among the Unionists possibly caused the defeat of the people's ticket. General election results Jefferson Davis (secessionist slate) Nonpartisan candidate 27,400 54.95 Jefferson Davis (people's ticket) Nonpartisan candidate 19,507 39.12 Scattering 2960 5.94 Results by elector Slate/Ticket Both L. W. Humphrey 46390 Both John Pool 46141 Both Alfred G. Foster 45953 Both David Settle Reid 45449 Secessionist Nicholas W. Woodfin 27400 Secessionist Henry F. Bond 27378 Secessionist Anderson Mitchell 27159 Secessionist Weldon Edwards 27077 Secessionist William B. Rodman 27039 Secessionist John M. Long 26947 Secessionist Haywood W. Guion 26804 Partially on both William McL. McKay 24489 Partially on both Jesse G. Shepherd 20947 People's Council Wooten 19507 People's Tod Caldwell 19316 People's John Walker 19270 People's Augustus Merrimon 19174 People's Bedford Brown 19169 People's Thomas Bragg 19162 People's William Graham 18919 Scattering 2960 Notes References Category:1861 North Carolina elections Category:Politics of the Confederate States of America