In the Connecticut gubernatorial election, James English secured the seat for the Democratic Party, taking it from the Republicans who had held the governor's mansion since 1857.  English's victory was a narrow one; he garnered 50,52% of the vote while his opponent, sitting governor Joseph R. Hawley, received 49.48%, for a margin of 978 votes.  James English had gained fame whilst in the U.S. Congress when he had cast a vital Democrat affirmative vote for the Thirteenth Amendment. He served two terms as Connecticut governor.  (By John Osborne)

Source Citation

Michael J. Dubin, United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861–1911: The Official Results by State and County (Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2010), 4.

    Date Certainty
    Exact
    Type
    Campaigns/Elections

    How to Cite This Page: "Democrat James English defeats the sitting Republican governor in the Connecticut elections.," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hddev.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/47761.