1796 Virginia gubernatorial election
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| Elections in Virginia |
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A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on November 25 and December 6, 1796.[2] The member of the Council of State James Wood defeated the member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Botetourt County Thomas Madison.[3]
The Democratic-Republican incumbent governor Robert Brooke retired in order to seek election as attorney general of Virginia.[4] The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session.[1] The former governor Patrick Henry defeated Wood on the first ballot, but declined to serve.[5] The General Assembly met again on December 6 and elected Wood with a majority on the second ballot.[3]
General election
| Candidate | First ballot | Second ballot | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percent | Count | Percent | |
| Patrick Henry | 94 | 55.62 | Declined | |
| James Wood | 75 | 44.38 | 115 | 66.09 |
| Thomas Madison | — | 56 | 32.18 | |
| Beverley Randolph | — | 2 | 1.15 | |
| William Clarke | — | 1 | 0.57 | |
Total
|
169
|
100.00
|
174
|
100.00
|
Notes
- ^ Declined
- ^ Lampi does not include information about parties for this election, but lists Wood as a Federalist in 1794. Sobel and Raimo state that Wood was elected and served as a Democratic-Republican.[1]
- ^ a b Sobel & Raimo 1978, p. 1625.
- ^ "On Friday last [...]". Gazette of the United States. December 9, 1796.
- ^ a b Lampi 2012b.
- ^ "On Wednesday last [...]". Gazette of the United States. November 26, 1796.
- ^ Lampi 2012a.
- ^ Lampi 2012a; Lampi 2012b.
Bibliography
- Lampi, Philip J. (2012a). "Virginia 1796 Governor". A New Nation Votes. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- Lampi, Philip J. (2012b). "Virginia 1796 Governor, Ballot 2". A New Nation Votes. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- Sobel, Robert; Raimo, John (1978). Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789–1978. Vol. 4. Westport, CT: Meckler Books.