Election Name: | 1790 New Hampshire gubernatorial election |
Country: | New Hampshire |
Type: | Presidential |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 1789 New Hampshire gubernatorial election |
Previous Year: | 1789 |
Next Election: | 1791 New Hampshire gubernatorial election |
Next Year: | 1791 |
Election Date: | 9 March 1790 |
Nominee1: | Josiah Bartlett |
Party1: | Anti-Federalist |
Popular Vote1: | 1,676 |
Percentage1: | 21.59% |
Nominee2: | John Pickering |
Popular Vote2: | 3,189 |
Percentage2: | 41.09% |
Nominee3: | Joshua Wentworth |
Popular Vote3: | 2,369 |
Percentage3: | 30.52% |
President | |
Before Election: | John Sullivan |
Before Party: | Federalist Party |
After Election: | Josiah Bartlett |
After Party: | Anti-Federalist |
The 1790 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on 9 March 1790 in order to elect the President of New Hampshire. (The office would be renamed to Governor in 1792.) Third time Anti-Federalist candidate Josiah Bartlett defeated former Acting President John Pickering, Joshua Wentworth and former delegate to the Continental Congress Nathaniel Peabody. Since no candidate received a majority in the popular vote, Bartlett was elected by the New Hampshire General Court per the state constitution, despite placing third in the popular vote.[1]
On election day, 9 March 1790, former Acting President John Pickering won the popular vote by a margin of 820 votes against his foremost opponent Joshua Wentworth. But because no candidate received a majority of the popular vote, a separate election was held by the New Hampshire General Court, which chose Anti-Federalist candidate Josiah Bartlett as the winner, despite Bartlett having only received 21.59% of the vote and having placed third. Bartlett thereby gained Anti-Federalist control over the office of President. Bartlett was sworn in as the fourth President of New Hampshire on 5 June 1790.[2]