1836 United States presidential election in Tennessee explained

See main article: 1836 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1836 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1832 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Previous Year:1832
Next Election:1840 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Next Year:1840
Election Date:November 3 – December 7, 1836
Image1:HLWhite.jpg
Nominee1:Hugh Lawson White
Party1:Whig Party (United States)
Home State1:Tennessee
Running Mate1:John Tyler
Electoral Vote1:15
Popular Vote1:36,027
Percentage1:57.92%
Nominee2:Martin Van Buren
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:New York
Running Mate2:Richard Mentor Johnson
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:26,170
Percentage2:42.08%
Map Size:350px
President
Before Election:Andrew Jackson
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Martin Van Buren
Colour1:800080

The 1836 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place between November 3 and December 7, 1836, as part of the 1836 United States presidential election. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.

The Whig Party, unable to agree on a candidate, ran four candidates against Democratic nominee Martin Van Buren: Hugh Lawson White, William Henry Harrison, Daniel Webster, and Willie Person Mangum. Tennessee Senator Hugh Lawson White was the Whig Party nominee in Tennessee.

During the campaign trail, Andrew Jackson actively campaigned against White in Tennessee and accused him of being a federalist who was opposed to states' rights.[1]

In spite of opposition from Jackson, Tennessee Whig nominee White won Tennessee, defeating Democratic nominee Van Buren, by a margin of 15.84%.

White also won Georgia, giving him 26 electoral votes, the third highest total behind Van Buren's 170, and Harrison's 73.[2]

Background

The 1835 Democratic National Convention chose a ticket of Van Buren (President Andrew Jackson's handpicked successor) and U.S. Representative Richard Mentor Johnson of Kentucky. The Whig Party, which had only recently emerged and was primarily united by opposition to Jackson, was not yet sufficiently organized to agree on a single candidate. Hoping to compel a contingent election in the House of Representatives by denying the Democrats an electoral majority, the Whigs ran multiple candidates. Most Northern and border state Whigs supported the ticket led by former Senator William Henry Harrison of Ohio, while most Southern Whigs supported the ticket led by Senator Hugh Lawson White of Tennessee. Two other Whigs, Daniel Webster and Willie Person Mangum, carried Massachusetts and South Carolina respectively on single-state tickets.

Notes and References

  1. Nancy Scott, A Memoir of Hugh Lawson White (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Company, 1856).
  2. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1836 Election of 1836