1842 Virginia gubernatorial election

none January 2025 December 2025 ly 1842 Virginia gubernatorial election Virginia File:Flag of the United States (1837–1845).svg Presidential no 1840 Virginia gubernatorial election 1840 1845 Virginia gubernatorial election 1845 February 11–12, 1842 (first attempt)December 15, 1842 (second attempt) 150x150px 1st ballot 9th ballot File:James McDowell (3x4 cropped).jpg James McDowell Democratic Party (United States) 1 110 File:3x4.svg William P. Taylor Democratic Party (United States) 79 9 File:3x4.svg Edward Watts Whig Party (United States) 80 8 Governor John Munford Gregory (acting) Whig Party (United States) James McDowell Democratic Party (United States) Gubernatorial elections were held in Virginia on February 11–12 and December 15, 1842.Virginia 1841a 139–45 Virginia 1842a 32 The Democratic former member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Rockbridge County James McDowell defeated the Democratic former U.S. representative from Virginia's 9th congressional district William P. Taylor and the Whig commonwealth attorney for Roanoke County Edward Watts.Bodie 2023 133 Prillaman 2007 26 The previous governor of Virginia Thomas Walker Gilmer resigned on March 20, 1841. John M. Patton, John Rutherfoord, and John Munford Gregory succeeded to office in turn in their capacities as the senior member of the Executive Council and acted as governor until the election of a successor.Sobel Raimo 1978 1,639–40 The 1841 state elections resulted in split control of the legislature, with a Whig majority in the House of Delegates and a Democratic majority in the Virginia Senate. The powerful Richmond Junto was believed to favor the former speaker of the United States House of Representatives Andrew Stevenson as Gilmer's successor. Allies of the U.S. senator from South Carolina John C. Calhoun suspected Stevenson of using the governorship as a stepping stone to secure the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1844 and determined to oppose his election. McDowell had the most support of the potential Democratic candidates, having narrowly lost the 1840 Virginia gubernatorial election to Gilmer after eight consecutive ballots.Dent 1974 297, 299–300 The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session.Virginia 1841a 139 During the voting on February 11–12, the Democratic Senate majority repeatedly prevented the election of a governor.Dent 1974 299 After eight consecutive ballots, the Senate adjourned, and the election was postponed indefinitely.Virginia 1841a 145 Democrats controlled both chambers of the legislature following the 1842 state elections, which resulted in a landslide defeat for the Whigs. The elections did nothing to increase the influence of the Richmond Junto, which had steadily declined since 1837. Unable to prevent McDowell's nomination by the Democratic legislative caucus, Thomas Ritchie, the leader of the Junto and editor of the Richmond Enquirer, endorsed McDowell in hopes of averting an intra-party split. McDowell easily prevailed in the caucus, an outcome that represented the end of the Junto's leadership of the Virginia Democratic Party.Dent 1974 300–1 The newly-elected General Assembly met in joint session on December 15, 1842. McDowell was elected with a majority on the first ballot.Virginia 1842a 32 General election February 11 + 1842 Virginia gubernatorial electionVirginia 1841a 139–41 Virginia 1841b 108–9 Party Candidate Ballot 1st 2nd Whig Edward Watts 80 81 Democratic William P. Taylor 79 81 Democratic Henley Chapman 2colspan=7 Democratic James McDowell 1 1 Whig John Howe Peyton 1 Democratic Andrew Stevenson 1 1 Total 164 164 February 12 + 1842 Virginia gubernatorial electionVirginia 1841a 142–45 Virginia 1841b 111–16 Party Candidate Ballot 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Democratic William P. Taylor 78colspan=5 Whig Edward Watts 56 4 3 1 1 Whig Lewis Summers 26 68 71 68colspan=2 Whig William B. Preston 4 3 6 41 41 66 Democratic James McDowell 2 2 1colspan=2 55 Democratic Andrew Stevenson 2 78 79 82 80 22 Whig Robert Eden Scott 2colspan=3 1 Whig John F. May 2 1colspan=3 Whig James M. Garnett 2 2 3 1 1 Democratic Isaac S. Pennybacker 1colspan=4 Whig Robert W. Cartercolspan=2 1colspan=3 Whig John M. Pattoncolspan=2 1 1colspan=2 Whig John Howe Peytoncolspan=2 1colspan=2 4 Democratic Richard H. Baptistcolspan=2 1colspan=3 Whig Oscar M. Crutchfieldcolspan=3 1colspan=2 Whig Vincent Witchercolspan=4 39 5 Whig David McComascolspan=4 1 Democratic George W. Munfordcolspan=4 1 1 Democratic William F. Gordoncolspan=4 1 Whig William M. McCartycolspan=5 1 Whig Robert M. T. Huntercolspan=5 1 Total 164 162 164 164 163 159 House of Delegates: 7th ballot The House of Delegates proceeded to a seventh ballot immediately after the sixth, with the following result. The Senate, however, adjourned rather than continue voting, and the election was postponed indefinitely.Virginia 1841a 145 Virginia 1841b 116 + 1842 Virginia gubernatorial election: House of DelegatesVirginia 1841a 145 Party Candidate Seventh ballot Count Percent Democratic James McDowell 55 44.72 Whig William B. Preston 53 43.09 Democratic John Winston Jones 3 2.44 Democratic Andrew Stevenson 3 2.44 Whig John Howe Peyton 2 1.63 Whig Robert Eden Scott 2 1.63 Whig Charles P. Dorman 1 0.81 Whig William Kinney 1 0.81 Democratic Thomas Ritchie 1 0.81 Democratic Littleton Waller Tazewell 1 0.81 Whig Vincent Witcher 1 0.81 Total 123 100.00 December 15 + 1842 Virginia gubernatorial electionVirginia 1842a 32 Virginia 1842b 24 Party Candidate First ballot Count Percent Democratic James McDowell 110 68.75 Democratic William P. Taylor 9 5.62 Whig Edward Watts 8 5.00 Democratic John Winston Jones 4 2.50 Whig Benjamin Watkins Leigh 4 2.50 Whig Robert Eden Scott 4 2.50 Democratic Andrew Stevenson 4 2.50colspan=2 William Garnett 3 1.88 Whig William M. Peyton 3 1.88colspan=2 Samuel C. Anderson 2 1.25 Democratic John Y. Mason 2 1.25colspan=2 James W. Pegram 2 1.25 Whig Oscar M. Crutchfield 1 0.62 Whig James Lyons 1 0.62 Whig William B. Preston 1 0.62 Whig Samuel Watts 1 0.62 Whig Vincent Witcher 1 0.62 Total 160 100.00 References Bibliography Bodie Charles A. James McDowell of Virginia: The Perils of an Antebellum Southern Reformer 2023 Lexington Books Lanham, MD 133 https://www.google.com/books/edition/James_McDowell_of_Virginia/4JGhEAAAQBAJ Dent Lynwood Miller 1974 The Virginia Democratic Party, 1824-1847. (Volumes I and II) https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/2660/ PhD [Baton Rouge] Louisiana State University Prillaman Hellen R. A Place Apart: A Brief History of the Early Williamson Road and North Roanoke Valley Residents and Places 2007 Clearfield Baltimore https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Place_Apart/SFZRO7bGDcsC Sobel Robert Raimo John Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789–1978 4 1978 Meckler Books Westport, CT https://archive.org/details/biographicaldire0004unse Virginia Journal of the House of Delegates [...] 1841a none Richmond https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.78113454&seq=1 Virginia Journal of the House of Delegates [...] 1842a none Richmond https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.78113512&seq=1 Virginia Journal of the Senate [...] 1841b none Richmond https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112108214237&seq=1 Virginia Journal of the Senate [...] 1842b none Richmond https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044005624028&seq=1 Further reading For a list of members of the Virginia General Assembly by party, see Simms Henry H. The Rise of the Whigs in Virginia, 1824–1840 1929 William Byrd Press Richmond 167–192 https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Rise_of_the_Whigs_in_Virginia_1824_1/Etn0OdyZl9YC Gubernatorial Category:Virginia gubernatorial elections Virginia Category:December 1842 Category:Indirect gubernatorial elections in the United States Category:Single-candidate gubernatorial elections in Virginia