| Election Name: | 1863 Mississippi gubernatorial election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Previous Election: | 1861 Mississippi gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1861 |
| Next Election: | 1865 Mississippi gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1865 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Election Date: | October 5, 1863 |
| Image1: | Charles_Clark.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Charles Clark |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 16,428 |
| Percentage1: | 70.5% |
| Nominee2: | Absolom M. West |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 4,863 |
| Percentage2: | 20.9% |
| Map Size: | x250px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | John J. Pettus |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Benjamin G. Humphreys |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Nominee3: | Reuben Davis |
| Popular Vote3: | 2,009 |
| Percentage3: | 8.6% |
| Image3: | File:Reuben_Davis.jpg |
| Party3: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1863 Mississippi gubernatorial election was held on October 5, 1863, to elect the governor of Mississippi. Charles Clark, a Democrat, won against Democrat A. M. West and Fire-Eater Democrat Reuben Davis.[1]
The elections of 1863 in Mississippi marked a shift towards peace during the American Civil War, as Governor Pettus, a fire-eating secessionist, became ineligible for a consecutive third term. Reuben Davis, an outspoken prowar Democrat and Pettus's political ally, was expected to succeed him but faced opposition from Charles Clark, a Delta Whig-turned-Democrat and war supporter. Clark, a veteran of the War with Mexico, had opposed secession in the 1850s but rose to the rank of brigadier general in the state and Confederate armies. Another candidate, Absalom West, a Democrat of "Whiggish bent" who had been a Unionist before the war, represented the peace movement.[2] While Davis was an initial favorite, he lost his popularity from a failed military campaign in Kentucky in 1861 and criticizing Confederate war policy.[3]
Despite being on crutches due to war wounds, Clark won the gubernatorial election, signaling a victory for conservatives turning away from earlier fire-eater ideologies. The election results were seen as indicative of a growing desire for peace in the midst of the Civil War.[4] However, compared to earlier elections, turnout rates dropped as the 1863 campaign was considered "unlively."