1851 Connecticut gubernatorial election

← 1850

April 7, 1851

1852 →


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%

County Results
Seymour: 40–50% 50–60%
Foster: 40–50%

Governor before election

Thomas H. Seymour
Democratic

Elected Governor

Thomas H. Seymour
Democratic

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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

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