Contents

1819 Indiana gubernatorial election

Election for Governor of Indiana

1819 Indiana gubernatorial election

← 1816 August 2, 1819 1822 →

Nominee Jonathan Jennings Christopher Harrison Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 9,168 2,007 Percentage 81.45% 17.83%

County results Jennings:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Harrison:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      Unknown      No Vote

Governor before election Jonathan Jennings Nonpartisan Elected Governor Jonathan Jennings Nonpartisan

Elections in Indiana
Federal government Presidential elections 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 1996 2000 2004 2008 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1816 1818 1821 1821 sp 1824 1827 1830 1832 sp 1832 1836 1838 1842 1844 1848 1850 1853 sp 1856 1857 sp 1860 1862 1863 sp 1867 1868 1873 1879 1879 sp 1885 1887 1891 1893 1897 1899 1903 1905 1905 sp 1909 1911 1914 1916 1916 sp 1920 1922 1926 1926 sp 1928 1932 1934 1938 1940 1944 1944 sp 1946 1950 1952 1956 1958 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1986 1988 1990 sp 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 2022 2024 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1816 1817 1818 1820 1822 AL sp 1824 1st sp 1826 1828 1831 1833 1835 1837 6th sp 1839 1840 7th sp 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1852 1854 1856 1857 1st sp 10th sp 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 2nd sp 3rd sp 1878 1880 1882 1883 9th sp 1884 13th sp 1886 1888 1889 1st sp 1890 1892 1894 1896 1897 4th sp 1898 1900 1902 1904 1905 1st 1906 12th sp 1908 13th sp 1910 1912 1914 1916 1917 6th sp 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1935 2nd sp 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1947 10th sp 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1st sp 1984 1986 1988 1989 4th sp 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 7th sp 2010 3rd sp 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2nd sp 2024
State government State elections 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1816 1819 1822 1825 1828 1831 1834 1837 1840 1843 1846 1849 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Secretary of State elections 2010 2014 2018 2022 Attorney General elections 2012 2016 2020 2024 State Treasurer elections 2010 2014 2018 2022 Senate elections 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 House of Representatives elections 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Indianapolis Mayoral elections 1925 1929 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 City-County Council elections 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Other localities Carmel (mayoral) Evansville (mayoral) Fort Wayne (mayoral) Gary (mayoral) South Bend (mayoral) v t e
v t e

The 1819 Indiana gubernatorial election took place August 2, 1819, under the provisions of the Constitution of Indiana. It was the second gubernatorial election in the State of Indiana. Jonathan Jennings, the incumbent governor, was reelected with 81.5% of the vote to 17.8% for his nearest competitor, Lieutenant Governor Christopher Harrison.^[1] The election was held concurrently with elections for lieutenant governor and members of the Indiana General Assembly.^[2]

Jennings had been elected governor in 1816 following ratification of the state's first constitution. His administration pursued policies to promote internal improvements and the development of a state banking system, creation of a state university, and adoption of a personal liberty law to protect free people of color living in Indiana.^[3] In 1818 he became embroiled in a controversy surrounding his acceptance of a federal commission to negotiate the Treaty of St. Mary's. The Indiana constitution specified that no person "holding any office under the United States ... shall exercise the office of governor."^[4] Jennings' political enemies interpreted this to mean he had vacated the governorship by accepting the federal commission. Harrison accepted this interpretation, and declaring himself the rightful governor, appealed to the General Assembly for support. The legislature, however, declined to pursue impeachment proceedings against Jennings, and Jennings forcefully denied that he had relinquished his position as governor. In the general election, Jennings handily defeated Harrison and two other challengers.^[5]

At the time of the election, the Democratic-Republican Party was dominant nationally and politics in the new state operated on a nonpartisan basis. The geographic factionalism of the territorial period had mostly dissipated. Campaigns were conducted through the circulation of handbills and other print materials and public appearances at militia musters, log rollings, and other community events.^[6] As it was considered untoward to advocate directly for one's own election, candidates usually disguised their visits with voters as being personal in nature, claiming private business had brought them to the vicinity en route to some other destination.^[7]

The official returns appear to have been lost.^[10] Unofficial results published in various newspapers in the weeks following the election include figures from most, but not all, counties. Significantly, the sum of the votes for Harrison in the surviving unofficial results is greater than the total recorded in the journal of the Indiana House of Representatives by a factor of 970 votes. The returns from Crawford and Lawrence were rejected by the General Assembly on technical grounds.^[11]

The surviving results, as compiled in A New Nation Votes, are as follows.^[12]

• Riker, Dorothy; Thornbrough, Gayle (1960). Indiana Election Returns: 1816-1851. Indiana Historical Bureau.
• Riker, Dorothy (December 1932). "Jonathan Jennings". Indiana Magazine of History. 28 (4): 223–239.
• Foughty, Trevor. "1819 Indiana General Election Results: Governor". Capitol & Washington. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
• Lampi, Philip. "Indiana 1819 Governor". A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787-1825. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved June 21, 2021.