1850 Connecticut gubernatorial election

The 1850 Connecticut gubernatorial election was held on April 3, 1850. Former congressman and Democratic Party nominee Thomas H. Seymour defeated former state legislator and Whig nominee Lafayette S. Foster with 48.11% of the vote.

1850 Connecticut gubernatorial election

April 3, 1850

Nominee Thomas H. Seymour Lafayette S. Foster Party Democratic Whig Electoral vote 122 108 Popular vote 28,428 27,780 Percentage 48.11% 47.02%

Governor before election Joseph Trumbull Whig Elected Governor Thomas H. Seymour Democratic

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. Seymour won the vote over Foster 122 to 108 in the General Assembly, and became the governor.[1] The constitutional inauguration date was May 1, and Seymour was inaugurated on May 4, possibly due to delays over the state legislature vote.

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[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Thomas H. Seymour	28,428	48.11%
	Whig	Lafayette S. Foster	27,780	47.02%
	Free Soil	John Boyd	2,877	4.87%
Plurality			648
Turnout

1850 Connecticut gubernatorial election, contingent General Assembly election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Thomas H. Seymour	122	53.04%
	Whig	Lafayette S. Foster	108	46.96%
Majority			14
	Democratic gain from Whig		Swing

References

1. "Gov. Thomas H. Seymour", National Governors Association, retrieved 09-15-2020
2. "Our Campaigns". Retrieved 2020-09-15.