Colonel William A. Phillips

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The 1833 Mississippi gubernatorial election was held on May 6, 1833, to elect the governor of Mississippi. Hiram Runnels, a Jacksonian Democrat won against incumbent Governor Abram Scott, a National Republican.[1][2][a]

Background

With the passing of the Mississippi Constitution of 1832, the legislature scheduled elections for May instead of November, the typical month for elections prior. This was done to facilitate the transtition from the old constitution to the new one.[2]

Results

Despite Runnels winning the election in May, he was not inaugurated until November because of confusion of when his term began. During this confusion, Governor Scott died in June from cholera, resulting in Charles Lynch, the senate president, to assume office. Once the legislature met in a special session in November, Runnels was inaugurated and he assumed office. Constitutionally, Runnels was supposed to take office in January 1834, causing an irregularity at the end of his two-year term.[2]

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1833[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hiram Runnels 6,705 52.3%
National Republican Abram M. Scott 6,117 47.7%
Total votes 12,822 100.00
Democratic gain from National Republican

Notes

  1. ^ Glashan 1979 labels Scott as both an Independent Republican or National Republican, whereas John Raimo and Robert Sobel 1978 label him a National Republican.[3]

References

  1. ^ Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. pp. 168–169.
  2. ^ a b c Busbee, Westley F. (2014). Mississippi: A History. Wiley. pp. 89–90. ISBN 9781118822722.
  3. ^ Sobel, Robert; Raimo, John (1978). Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Meckler Books. p. 803. ISBN 978-0-930466-00-8.
  4. ^ Dublin, Michael J. (2011). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860 : The Official Results by State and County. McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers. p. 129. ISBN 9780786453245.