1842 Connecticut gubernatorial election

The 1842 Connecticut gubernatorial election was held on April 4, 1842.^[1][2] Former Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives and Democratic nominee Chauncey Fitch Cleveland was elected, defeating incumbent governor and Whig nominee William W. Ellsworth with 49.94% of the vote.

1842 Connecticut gubernatorial election

← 1841 April 4, 1842 1843 →

Nominee Chauncey Fitch Cleveland William W. Ellsworth Party Democratic Whig Electoral vote 139 68 Popular vote 25,564 23,790 Percentage 49.94% 46.29%

County results Municipality results Cleveland:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Ellsworth:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      Tie

Governor before election William W. Ellsworth Whig Elected Governor Chauncey Fitch Cleveland Democratic

Cleveland won a plurality of the vote, but fell just short of a majority, by 107 votes. The state constitution at the time required the Connecticut General Assembly decide the election if no candidate won a majority of the vote. The state legislature voted 139 to 68 to elect Cleveland the governor.^[3]

This was the first appearance of the Liberty Party in a Connecticut governor's race, and the first of Francis Gillette's ten attempts at seeking the governorship.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

• Chauncey Fitch Cleveland, Democratic
• William W. Ellsworth, Whig

Minor party candidates

• Francis Gillette, Liberty

Results

1842 Connecticut gubernatorial election^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Chauncey Fitch Cleveland	25,564	49.79%
	Whig	William W. Ellsworth (incumbent)	23,790	46.34%
	Liberty	Francis Gillette	1,319	2.57%
	Conservative	Luther Loomis	612	1.20%
Plurality			1,774
Turnout

1842 Connecticut gubernatorial election, contingent General Assembly election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Chauncey Fitch Cleveland	139	67.15%
	Whig	William W. Ellsworth (incumbent)	68	32.85%
Majority			71
	Democratic gain from Whig		Swing

References

1. "The State election in Connecticut". Herald of the times. Newport, R.I. April 7, 1842. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
2. "Connecticut election". The Madisonian. Washington, D.C. April 7, 1842. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
3. "https://www.nga.org/governor/chauncey-fitch-cleveland/ Gov. Chauncey Fitch Cleveland", National Governors Association, retrieved 09-17-2020
4. "Votes for Governor April 1842". State of Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved November 16, 2022.