1850 Iowa gubernatorial election

Iowa gubernatorial election

← 1846

August 5, 1850

1854 →


Nominee	Stephen P. Hempstead	James L. Thompson
Party	Democratic	Whig
Popular vote	13,486	11,403
Percentage	52.94%	44.76%

Governor before election

Ansel Briggs
Democratic

Elected Governor

Stephen P. Hempstead
Democratic

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The 1850 Iowa gubernatorial election was held on August 5, 1850.^[1]

Incumbent Democratic Governor Ansel Briggs declined to stand for re-election.^[2]^[3]

Democratic nominee Stephen P. Hempstead defeated Whig nominee James L. Thompson and Free Soil nominee William Penn Clark with 52.94% of the vote.

General election

Candidates

William Penn Clark, Free Soil, lawyer, former newspaper editor^[4]^[5]
Stephen P. Hempstead, Democratic, former President of the Iowa Territory Legislative Council^[6]
James L. Thompson, Whig, Methodist preacher^[7]^[8]

Results

1850 Iowa gubernatorial election^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[a]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen P. Hempstead	13,486	52.94%
	Whig	James L. Thompson	11,403	44.76%
	Free Soil	William Penn Clark	575	2.26%
	Scattering		11	0.04%
Majority			2,083	8.18%
Turnout			25,475
	Democratic hold		Swing

Notes

^ Some sources give the result as Thompson's vote as 11,452.^[16]^[17]^[18] The result given is taken from the Iowa Senate Journal.

References

^ "The Election". The miners' express. Dubuque, Iowa. August 7, 1850. p. 2. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ "Gov. Ansel Briggs". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ "Ansel Briggs – The Stagecoach Driver Who Became Governor". Our Iowa Heritage. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ Aldrich, Charles, ed. (1903–1905). The Annals of Iowa. A Historical Quarterly. Vol. Six. Des Moines: Historical Department of Iowa. p. 77.
^ "William Penn Clarke – Iowa City's Abolitionist". Our Iowa Heritage. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ "Gov. Stephen Hempstead". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ "Father Thompson". Burlington hawk-eye. Burlington, Iowa. June 27, 1850. p. 4. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ "Since "Father Thompson's" nomination". Des Moines courier. Ottumwa, Iowa. July 26, 1850. p. 2. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. p. 51. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
^ Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
^ Kallenbach, Joseph E.; Kallenbach, Jessamine S., eds. (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Vol. I. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications, Inc. p. 183. ISBN 0-379-00665-0.
^ Journal of the Senate of the Third General Assembly of the State of Iowa. Iowa City: Palmer & Paul State Printers. 1850. p. 29.
^ Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington County, Iowa. Chicago: Acme Publishing Company. 1887. p. 116.
^ Gue, Benjamin F. (1903). History of Iowa from the earliest times to the beginning of the twentieth century. Vol. I. New York City: The Century History Company. p. 263.
^ Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Story County, Iowa. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1890. p. 66.
^ "IA Governor, 1850". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
^ Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. pp. 92–93. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
^ Brewer, Guy S.; Jamieson, John M. (1907). The Iowa Official Register for the Years 1907-1908 (PDF). Des Moines: Emory H. English, State Printer. p. 526.