1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

The 1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was a statewide contest for the office of Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States.^[1]

1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

← 1835 October 9, 1838 (1838-10-09) 1841 →

Nominee David R. Porter Joseph Ritner Party Democratic Anti-Masonic Popular vote 127,821 122,325 Percentage 51.1% 48.9%

County Results Porter:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Ritner:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

Governor before election Joseph Ritner Anti-Masonic Elected Governor David R. Porter Democratic

Incumbent Governor Joseph Ritner, who was the last governor to serve under Pennsylvania's Constitution of 1790, ran as an Anti-Masonic candidate.^[2] He was defeated by Jacksonian Democrat David R. Porter by less than 5,500 votes, following a divisive campaign marred by rising public prejudice against Freemasonry and a disinformation campaign that distributed biographical booklets with inaccurate information about Porter.^[3][4]

Unhappy with the election's outcome, a group of Ritner supporters subsequently challenged the election results, sparking statewide violence that culminated in the Buckshot War.^[5][6]

History

The last governor to serve under Pennsylvania's Constitution of 1790, incumbent Governor Joseph Ritner, ran for re-election as an Anti-Masonic candidate against Jacksonian Democrat David R. Porter,^[7][8] who as a member of the Huntingdon Lodge of the Freemasons, had risen to the levels of Grand Master of his lodge and Deputy Grand Master of the Masonic district in which his lodge was located.^[9][10]

The campaign was an unusually divisive one, fueled by disinformation about Porter that was spread by Ritner supporters,^[11] public prejudice against Freemasonry that had been increasing since the 1833 passage of a new state law which made it illegal for fraternal organizations to require their members to keep their rituals secret from the public,^[12][13][14] the rise of anti-abolitionist groups across Pennsylvania whose members were opposed to ending the practice of chattel slavery in America,^[15] and accusations of voter fraud.^[16] When Ritner was defeated by Porter by less than 5,500 results, supporters of Ritner challenged the election results, sparking statewide violence that culminated in the Buckshot War,^[17] which was finally ended by legislative action, enabling Porter to take office as the first governor under the State Constitution of 1838.^[18][19]

Results

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1838^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David R. Porter	127,821	51.10
	Anti-Masonic	Joseph Ritner (incumbent)	122,325	48.90
Total votes			250,146	100.00

See also

• Buckshot War

References

1. Foley, Edward. Ballot Battles: The History of Disputed Elections in the United States, pp. 79-84. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.
2. "Governor Joseph Ritner" (biography). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online December 30, 2022.
3. "Governor David Rittenhouse Porter" (biography). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online December 30, 2022.
4. Pinsker, Matthew. "Be Kind, Rewind: My Time with Microfilm," in "History 204, 'Introduction to Historical Methods.'" Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College, October 20, 2017 (retrieved online December 30, 2022).
5. "Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
6. "Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
7. "Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
8. "Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
9. Egle, William Henry. "The Buckshot War," in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 23, No. 2 (1899), pp. 137-156. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.
10. "Remarkable Coincidence," in "Young Men's Convention." Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Examiner & Herald, May 3, 1838, p. 3 (subscription required).
11. Pinsker, "Be Kind, Rewind: My Time with Microfilm," in "History 204, 'Introduction to Historical Methods,'" Dickinson College, October 20, 2017.
12. "Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
13. "Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
14. "George Wolf Historical Marker." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, retrieved online December 30, 2022.
15. "To the Democratic Freemen of the City and County of Lancaster." Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Intelligencer, August 14, 1838, p.2 (subscription required).
16. "David Rittenhouse Porter: The Candidate of the People!" and "Unparralleled [sic] Corruption! An Attempt to Carry the Election by Illegal Votes!" Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Intelligencer, October 9, 1838, p. 2 (subscription required).
17. Egle, "The Buckshot War," in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1899.
18. "Governor Joseph Ritner, " Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
19. "Governor David Rittenhouse Porter," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
20. Smull, John A. (1870). Pennsylvania Legislative Handbook. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: State of Pennsylvania. p. 207. hdl:2027/mdp.39015067301161.

External links

• "Letter from James Buchanan to Reuel William" (U.S. Senator and future U.S. President James Buchanan discusses the 1838 gubernatorial election in Pennsylvania). Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College, Archives & Special Collections.