1863 Virginia gubernatorial elections

1863 Virginia gubernatorial elections

Governor before election disputed Elected Governor disputed

In 1863, amid the American Civil War (in which the state of Virginia was disputed between the United States and the breakaway Confederate States of America), two gubernatorial elections were held as a result of this dispute, a Confederate election and a Union election.

Confederate election

1863 Virginia gubernatorial election (Confederate)

May 28, 1863

Nominee William Smith Thomas Flournoy George W. Munford Party Democratic Democratic Democratic Popular vote 28,613 23,543 7,478 Percentage 47.77% 39.16% 12.49%

County results[a][1] Smith:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Flournoy:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Munford:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      Unknown/No Votes

Governor before election John Letcher (disputed) Democratic Elected Governor William Smith (disputed) Democratic

The 1863 Virginia Confederate gubernatorial election was held on May 28, 1863, to elect the Confederate governor of Virginia. At the time, the governorship of the state was disputed as a result of the American Civil War.

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1863 (Confederate)^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William Smith	28,613	47.77%
	Democratic	Thomas Flournoy	23,453	39.16%
	Democratic	George W. Munford	7,478	12.49%
	Write-ins		353	0.59%
Total votes			59,987	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Union election

1863 Virginia gubernatorial election (Union)

May 28, 1863

Nominee Francis Harrison Pierpont Party Republican Popular vote 3,755 Percentage 100.00%

Governor before election Francis Harrison Pierpont (disputed) Republican Elected Governor Francis Harrison Pierpont (disputed) Republican

The 1863 Virginia Union gubernatorial election was held on May 28, 1863, to elect the Union governor of Virginia. At the time, the governorship of the state was disputed as a result of the American Civil War, and disputed incumbent Republican/Unionist Francis Harrison Pierpont ran unopposed.

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1863 (Union)^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Francis Harrison Pierpont (incumbent)	3,755	100.00%
Total votes			3,755	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic

Notes

1. The returns of Pittsylvania and Prince George were rejected. The Counties of Culpeper, Page, Pendleton, and Shenandoah reportedly made no returns. The above county returns represent approximately half of all possible returns.

References

1. Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861-1911: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland & Company. pp. 584–585. ISBN 9780786456468. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
2. Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2010). Guide to U.S. Elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1655. ISBN 978-1-60426-536-1.