1855 Texas gubernatorial election

The 1855 Texas gubernatorial election was held on August 6, 1855, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Governor Elisha M. Pease was reelected to a second term, winning 57% of the vote.

In 1855 the nativistic American (Know-Nothing) Party burst into Texas with the suddenness of a thunderstorm, stirred the state politically. Prior to 1855 few ripples had disturbed the quiet surface of Lone Star politics. But beneath the surface currents moved. As the state elections of 1855 neared, Know-Nothings prepared to challenge Democratic supremacy.

Democrats remained disjointed going into the election even as their own newspaper men called on them to organize, The hasty convention that was organized renominated incumbent governor Elisha M. Peace but astonishingly only 12 county representatives arrived, and were mainly split between states rights and unionist factions.

Meanwhile, posing as a river improvement convention the American party nominated D.C Dickson, the incumbent lieutenant governor, the convention also put forth a number of other candidates for statewide office. Some think that Dickson's opposition to internal improvements is what got him the nomination.

Word of the Know-Nothing convention swept the state, alarming the Democratic party and prompting a "bombshell" convention which met on June 16. Governor Pease attended the convention and waived his views on the state system of internal improvements, vaguely promising to cooperate with the people. Some members of the convention denounced all secret political factions, specifically condemning the Know-Nothings as enemies of the government.

The Know-Nothings had their strongest performances in East Texas where the internal improvements advocated by Pease were unpopular as it was thought that the east was paying for the bulk of the price.

General election

Candidates

• David C. Dickson, Lieutenant Governor of Texas (American)
• Middleton T. Johnson (Democratic)
• Elisha M. Pease, incumbent Governor since 1853 (Democratic)
• George Tyler Wood, former Governor of Texas (Democratic)

Results

References