1839 Michigan gubernatorial election
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November 4–5, 1839
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 County results Woodbridge: 50–60% 60–70% Farnsworth: 50–60% 60–70% No Data/Votes: | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Michigan |
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The 1839 Michigan gubernatorial election was held from November 4, 1839, to November 5, 1839. Whig nominee William Woodbridge defeated Democratic nominee Elon Farnsworth with 51.56% of the vote.
This was the most recent election in which neither a Republican or Democrat won.
General election
Candidates
Major party candidates
- William Woodbridge, Whig
- Elon Farnsworth, Democratic
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William Woodbridge | 18,195 | 51.56% | +3.22% | |
| Democratic | Elon Farnsworth | 17,037 | 48.28% | −1.55% | |
| Scattering | 55 | 0.16% | |||
| Majority | 1,158 | 3.28% | |||
| Total votes | 35,287 | 100.00% | |||
| Whig gain from Democratic | Swing | +4.77% | |||
Results By County
No votes were recorded in the following organized counties: Genesee, Livingston, and St. Clair.
| County[1][2] | William Woodbridge Whig |
Elon Farnsworth Democratic |
Scattering Write-in |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Allegan | 217 | 53.45% | 189 | 46.55% | 0 | 0.00% | 28 | 6.90% | 406 |
| Barry | 113 | 56.50% | 87 | 43.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 26 | 13.00% | 200 |
| Berrien | 462 | 54.23% | 389 | 45.66% | 1 | 0.12% | 73 | 8.57% | 852 |
| Branch | 382 | 44.42% | 475 | 55.23% | 3 | 0.35% | -93 | -10.81% | 860 |
| Calhoun | 1,064 | 50.21% | 1,052 | 49.65% | 3 | 0.14% | 12 | 0.57% | 2,119 |
| Cass | 503 | 51.86% | 467 | 48.14% | 0 | 0.00% | 36 | 3.71% | 970 |
| Chippewa | 22 | 34.38% | 42 | 65.63% | 0 | 0.00% | -20 | -31.25% | 64 |
| Clinton | 119 | 46.12% | 139 | 53.88% | 0 | 0.00% | -20 | -7.75% | 258 |
| Eaton | 217 | 58.65% | 153 | 41.35% | 0 | 0.00% | 64 | 17.30% | 370 |
| Hillsdale | 667 | 54.05% | 535 | 43.35% | 32 | 2.59% | 132 | 10.70% | 1,234 |
| Houghton | 578 | 47.69% | 633 | 52.23% | 1 | 0.08% | -55 | -4.54% | 1,212 |
| Ingham | 194 | 50.26% | 190 | 49.22% | 2 | 0.52% | 4 | 1.04% | 386 |
| Ionia | 195 | 47.10% | 218 | 52.66% | 1 | 0.24% | -23 | -5.56% | 414 |
| Jackson | 1,331 | 57.77% | 969 | 42.06% | 4 | 0.17% | 362 | 15.71% | 2,304 |
| Kalamazoo | 879 | 57.30% | 655 | 42.70% | 0 | 0.00% | 224 | 14.60% | 1,534 |
| Kent | 228 | 44.02% | 288 | 55.60% | 2 | 0.39% | -60 | -11.58% | 518 |
| Lapeer | 396 | 54.40% | 332 | 45.60% | 0 | 0.00% | 64 | 8.79% | 728 |
| Lenawee | 1,694 | 50.76% | 1,640 | 49.15% | 3 | 0.09% | 54 | 1.62% | 3,337 |
| Mackinac | 41 | 44.09% | 52 | 55.91% | 0 | 0.00% | -11 | -11.83% | 93 |
| Macomb | 807 | 50.66% | 786 | 49.34% | 0 | 0.00% | 21 | 1.32% | 1,593 |
| Monroe | 755 | 44.67% | 933 | 55.21% | 2 | 0.12% | -178 | -10.53% | 1,690 |
| Oakland | 1,965 | 51.97% | 1,816 | 48.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 149 | 3.94% | 3,781 |
| Ottawa | 24 | 31.17% | 53 | 68.83% | 0 | 0.00% | -29 | -37.66% | 77 |
| Saginaw | 60 | 41.96% | 83 | 58.04% | 0 | 0.00% | -23 | -16.08% | 143 |
| Shiawassee | 198 | 60.55% | 129 | 39.45% | 0 | 0.00% | 69 | 21.10% | 327 |
| St. Joseph | 581 | 45.07% | 708 | 54.93% | 0 | 0.00% | -127 | -9.85% | 1,289 |
| Van Buren | 153 | 47.81% | 167 | 52.19% | 0 | 0.00% | -14 | -4.38% | 320 |
| Washtenaw | 2,352 | 56.15% | 1,836 | 43.83% | 1 | 0.02% | 516 | 12.32% | 4,189 |
| Wayne | 1,998 | 49.71% | 2,021 | 50.29% | 0 | 0.00% | -23 | -0.57% | 4,019 |
| Total | 18,195 | 51.56% | 17,037 | 48.28% | 55 | 0.16% | 1,158 | 3.28% | 35,287 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Whig
Counties that flipped from Whig to Democratic
References
- 1 2 Michigan State Archives, 1839 Election Canvass
- 1 2 Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860 The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 121. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
