1804 Kentucky gubernatorial election
August 6–8, 1804
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 County results; Greenup received every recorded vote | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 Government |
The 1804 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held from August 6 through August 8, 1804, to elect the governor of Kentucky. Democratic-Republican candidate Christopher Greenup, a former United States representative and the runner-up in the 1800 Kentucky gubernatorial election, was the only candidate recorded in the surviving returns. He received 25,917 votes and was elected Kentucky's third governor.[1][2]
Incumbent governor James Garrard was ineligible to seek another consecutive term under the Kentucky Constitution of 1799. The election therefore produced an open governorship while continuing the dominance of the state's Jeffersonian Republicans.[3]
Background
Greenup was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and had participated in several of the conventions that preceded Kentucky's separation from Virginia and admission to the Union. After statehood, he served in the first Kentucky Senate and represented Kentucky in the United States House from November 1792 until March 1797. He later served in the Kentucky House of Representatives, as clerk of the state Senate and, beginning in 1802, as a circuit-court judge.[4]
Greenup had previously sought the governorship in 1800, Kentucky's first gubernatorial election decided by direct popular vote. In that four-candidate contest, Garrard won 8,390 votes and Greenup placed second with 6,745, followed by Benjamin Logan and Thomas Todd.[5] Garrard subsequently appointed Greenup to the circuit court. Greenup resigned from the bench in June 1804 to make another campaign for governor.[3]
Kentucky's 1799 constitution made a governor ineligible to serve again for seven years after completing a term. A transitional provision had allowed Garrard to stand for reelection in 1800, but he could not run for a third consecutive term in 1804. Greenup entered the resulting open contest with extensive military, legislative, congressional and judicial experience. No opposing candidate appeared on the certified returns, and election histories describe him as having run unopposed.[1][2][3]
Election
Voting took place over three days, from August 6 through August 8. The returns compiled by A New Nation Votes record votes for Greenup in each of Kentucky's 44 counties and no votes for another candidate. Greenup's largest county totals were 1,441 votes in Bourbon County, 1,401 in Fayette County, 1,274 in Mercer County, 1,179 in Montgomery County and 1,114 in Lincoln County.[2]
Results
| Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Greenup | Democratic-Republican | 25,917 | 100.00 |
| Total | 25,917 | 100.00 | |
Aftermath
Greenup's gubernatorial term began on September 5, 1804, and continued until September 1, 1808.[6] His administration advocated public education and reforms to the militia, courts, revenue system and penal system, although much of that program was not enacted. During his term, the state organized the Bank of Kentucky and chartered the Ohio Canal Company to promote a canal around the Falls of the Ohio.[3][6]
Greenup's administration also coincided with the Burr conspiracy. After allegations linked him to Aaron Burr's plans, Greenup publicly denied involvement and ordered Kentucky militia units to the Ohio River in response to federal requests to stop Burr's expedition.[3][7] Greenup completed his constitutionally limited term in 1808 and was succeeded by Charles Scott, the winner of the 1808 Kentucky gubernatorial election.
References
- 1 2 Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776–1860: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland & Company. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
- 1 2 3 4 Lampi, Philip (2012). "Kentucky 1804 Governor". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787–1825. American Antiquarian Society and Tufts Archival Research Center. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Harrison, Lowell H., ed. (2004). Kentucky's Governors. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 14–17. ISBN 978-0-8131-2921-1.
- ↑ "GREENUP, Christopher (1750–1818)". Office of the Historian and Office of Art and Archives, United States House of Representatives. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ Lampi, Philip (2012). "Kentucky 1800 Governor". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787–1825. American Antiquarian Society and Tufts Archival Research Center. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- 1 2 "Gov. Christopher Greenup". National Governors Association. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ Military History of Kentucky (PDF) (Report). Kentucky National Guard. p. 160. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
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