1851 Connecticut gubernatorial election
April 7, 1851
 
Nominee Thomas H. Seymour Lafayette S. Foster
Party Democratic Whig
Electoral vote 122 121
Popular vote 30.077 28,856
Percentage 48.94% 46.95%
Governor before election

Thomas H. Seymour
Democratic

 Elected Governor

Thomas H. Seymour
Democratic

The 1851 Connecticut gubernatorial election was held on April 7, 1851.[1] It was a rematch of the 1850 Connecticut gubernatorial election. Incumbent governor and Democratic Party nominee Thomas H. Seymour defeated former state legislator and Whig nominee Lafayette S. Foster with 48.94% of the vote.

Seymour won a plurality of the vote, but he did not receive a majority. As a result, the Connecticut General Assembly elected the governor, per the state constitution. The Whig Party had a majority in the Connecticut State house, but they were divided over their choice. Seymour won the vote over Foster by a mere one-vote margin, 122 to 121, in the General Assembly, and became the governor.[2]

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

  • Thomas H. Seymour, Democratic
  • Lafayette S. Foster, Whig

Minor party candidates

  • John Boyd, Free Soil

Results

1851 Connecticut gubernatorial election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Thomas H. Seymour (incumbent) 30,077 48.94%
Whig Lafayette S. Foster 28,856 46.95%
Free Soil John Boyd 2,530 4.12%
Plurality 1,221
Turnout
1851 Connecticut gubernatorial election, contingent General Assembly election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Thomas H. Seymour (incumbent) 122 50.21%
Whig Lafayette S. Foster 121 49.79%
Majority 1
Democratic hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ "Correspondence of The Republic". The republic. Washington, D.C. April 5, 1851. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Memorial Sketch of Lafayette S. Foster", Franklin Press (1881),
  3. ↑ Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. p. 24. ISBN 9780786414390.


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