1849 California gubernatorial election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1849 California gubernatorial election
| type = presidential
| flag_image = First Bear Flag of California (1846).svg{{!}}border
| previous_election =
| previous_year =
| next_election = 1851 California gubernatorial election
| next_year = 1851
| ongoing = no
| election_date = November 13, 1849
| registered =
| turnout =
| image1 = x160px
| nominee1 = Peter Hardeman Burnett
| party1 = Independent Democrat
| popular_vote1 = 6,783
| percentage1 = 47.72%
| image2 = x160px
| nominee2 = Winfield S. Sherwood
| party2 = Independent Democrat
| popular_vote2 = 3,220
| percentage2 = 22.66%
| image4 = x160px
| nominee4 = John Sutter
| party4 = Independent (United States)
| popular_vote4 = 2,201
| percentage4 = 15.49%
| image5 = x160px
| nominee5 = John W. Geary
| party5 = Independent Democrat
| popular_vote5 = 1,358
| percentage5 = 9.56%
| map_image = 1849 California gubernatorial election results map by election district.svg
| map_size = 300px
| map_alt =
| map =
| map_caption = Election district{{efn|Ten election districts were created for the 1849 election before California had any counties.}} results
Burnett: {{legend0|#7DDDDD|40–50%}} {{legend0|#2AACAC|60–70%}} {{legend0|#008080|80–90%}}
Sherwood: {{legend0|#6674DE|60–70%}} {{legend0|#0D0596|>90%}}
Geary: {{legend0|#87de87|40–50%}}
| title = Governor
| before_election = Bennet C. Riley
{{small|as Military Governor}}
| before_party = Nonpartisan candidate
| after_election = Peter Hardeman Burnett
| after_party = Independent Democrat
}}
{{ElectionsCA}}
The 1849 California gubernatorial election was held on November 13, 1849, to elect the first governor of California. Peter Hardeman Burnett won in a five-way race. Burnett was subsequently sworn in as governor on December 20, 1849, with the military governor, Bennet C. Riley, ceding de facto executive authority to him. However, California did not officially become a state until September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850.
Campaign
Peter Hardeman Burnett had only arrived in California a year prior to the election of 1849, but was known for his work Oregon Territory as a judge in their territory's Supreme Court.{{cite news |title=Dear Mr. Editor |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=CSC18481202.2.6 |access-date=28 January 2024 |issue=26 |publisher=California Star & Californian |date=2 December 1848| volume=2 }} On January 6, 1849, in a meeting of prominent men in Sacramento, he was appointed President of a committee that formally requested a provisional government to be established in California.{{cite news |title=Provisional Government. |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=WAC18490125.2.3 |access-date=28 January 2024 |volume=1 |issue=4 |publisher=Weekly Alta California |date=25 January 1849}} This committee would work with Bennet C. Riley, the final military governor of California, to establish election procedures, and delegate counts.{{cite news |title=To the Public. |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=WAC18490621.2.4 |access-date=28 January 2024 |volume=1 |issue=25 |publisher=Weekly Alta California |date=21 June 1849}}
Results
{{Election box begin no change | title = California gubernatorial election, 1849California State Archives, Aggregate of Votes for Governor, Lt. Governor and Members of Congress
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Independent Democrat
|candidate = Peter Hardeman Burnett
|votes = 6,783
|percentage = 47.72%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Independent Democrat
|candidate = Winfield S. Sherwood
|votes = 3,220
|percentage = 22.66%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Independent (United States)
|candidate = John Sutter
|votes = 2,201
|percentage = 15.49%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Independent Democrat
|candidate = John W. Geary
|votes = 1,358
|percentage = 9.56%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Independent Whig
|candidate = William Morris Stewart
|votes = 619
|percentage = 4.36%
}}
{{Election box candidate no change|
|party =
|candidate = Scattering
|votes = 32
|percentage = 0.23%
}}
{{Election box majority no change|
| votes = 3,563
| percentage = 25.07%
| change =
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 14,213
|percentage = 100.00%
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}
=Results by district=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |
| rowspan="2" |District{{efn|California was not divided into counties in 1849}}
! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Peter H. Burnet ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Winfield S. Sherwood ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| John Sutter ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| John W. Geary ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| William M. Stewart ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Scattering ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Margin |
|---|
| style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| #
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| # ! style="text-align:center;" data-sort-type="number"| % |
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|Los Angeles | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|224 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|65.12% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|118 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|34.30% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|0 | {{party shading/Whig}}|0.00% | {{party shading/None}}|2 | {{party shading/None}}|0.58% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|106 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|30.81% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|344 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|Monterey | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|181 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|47.51% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|152 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|39.90% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|39 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|10.24% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|4 | {{party shading/Whig}}|1.05% | {{party shading/None}}|5 | {{party shading/None}}|1.31% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|29 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|7.61% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|381 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|Sacramento | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|2,408 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|42.74% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|1,923 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|34.13% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|861 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|15.28% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|442 | {{party shading/Whig}}|7.85% | {{party shading/None}}|0 | {{party shading/None}}|0.00% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|485 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|8.61% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|5,634 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| bgcolor="#6674DE"|San Diego | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|93 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|38.59% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|148 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|61.41% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|0 | {{party shading/Whig}}|0.00% | {{party shading/None}}|0 | {{party shading/None}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#6674DE" |
| 55
| bgcolor="#6674DE" |
| 22.82%
| bgcolor="#6674DE"|241 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|San Francisco | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|1,925 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|61.72% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|69 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|2.21% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|1,084 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|34.75% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|28 | {{party shading/Whig}}|0.90% | {{party shading/None}}|13 | {{party shading/None}}|0.42% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|841{{efn|Margin over Sutter}} | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|26.96% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|3,119 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| bgcolor="#87de87"|San Joaquin | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|1,010 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|33.00% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|418 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|13.66% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|182 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|5.95% | bgcolor="#87de87"|1,356 | bgcolor="#87de87"|44.30% | {{party shading/Whig}}|95 | {{party shading/Whig}}|3.10% | {{party shading/None}}|0 | {{party shading/None}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#87de87" |
| 346
| bgcolor="#87de87" |
| 11.30%
| bgcolor="#87de87"|3,061 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|San Jose | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|517 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|89.76% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|36 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|6.25% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|16 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|2.78% | bgcolor="#87de87"|2 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.35% | {{party shading/Whig}}|4 | {{party shading/Whig}}|0.69% | {{party shading/None}}|1 | {{party shading/None}}|0.17% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|481 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|83.51% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|576 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| bgcolor="#6674DE"|San Luis Obispo | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|0 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|45 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|100.00% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|0 | {{party shading/Whig}}|0.00% | {{party shading/None}}|0 | {{party shading/None}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#6674DE" |
| 45
| bgcolor="#6674DE" |
| 100.00%
| bgcolor="#6674DE"|45 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| bgcolor="#6674DE"|Santa Barbara | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|1 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|0.54% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|183 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|98.92% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|0.00% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|0 | {{party shading/Whig}}|0.00% | {{party shading/None}}|1 | {{party shading/None}}|0.54% | bgcolor="#6674DE" |
| 182
| bgcolor="#6674DE" |
| 98.38%
| bgcolor="#6674DE"|185 |
| style="text-align:center;"
| {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|Sonoma | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|424 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|67.62% | bgcolor="#6674DE"|128 | bgcolor="#6674DE"|20.41% | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|19 | {{party shading/Nonpartisan}}|3.03% | bgcolor="#87de87"|0 | bgcolor="#87de87"|0.00% | {{party shading/Whig}}|46 | {{party shading/Whig}}|7.34% | {{party shading/None}}|10 | {{party shading/None}}|1.59% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|296 | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|47.21% | {{party shading/Independent Democratic}}|627 |
| style="text-align:center;"
!Total !!6,783!!47.72%!!3,220!!22.66%!!2,201!!15.49%!!1,358!!9.55%!!619!!4.36%!!32!!0.23%!!3,563!!25.07%!!14,213 |
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{California elections}}
{{California-election-stub}}