1863 Mississippi gubernatorial election explained

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]

General election

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."

Notes and References

  1. Book: Glashan, Roy R. . American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978 . Meckler Books . Westport, CT . 1979 . 168–169.
  2. Book: Yearns, W. Buck . The Confederate Governors . University of Georgia Press . 2010 . 9780820335575 . 127.
  3. Wade, John Coleman Jr., "Charles Clark: Confederate General and Mississippi Governor" (1949). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1973.
  4. Book: Busbee, Westley F. . Mississippi: A History . John Wiley and Sons . 2015 . 1st . 201–202.