The 1855 Connecticut gubernatorial election was held on April 2, 1855. Former state legislator and American Party nominee William T. Minor defeated former congressman and Democratic nominee

Samuel Ingham Samuel Ingham (September 5, 1793 – November 10, 1881) was a two-term Congressman from Connecticut. He is not to be confused with the former Secretary of the Treasury Samuel D. Ingham. He was born in Hebron, Connecticut, Hebron on Septemb ...

and incumbent

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and Whig nominee

Henry Dutton Henry Dutton may refer to: * Henry Dutton (politician) (1796–1869), American politician, governor of Connecticut * Henry Dutton (pastoralist) (1844–1914), pastoralist in South Australia * Henry Hampden Dutton (1879–1932), his son, South Austra ...

with 43.51% of the vote. The results reflected the national transition from the

Second Party System Historians and political scientists use Second Party System to periodize the political party system operating in the United States from about 1828 to 1852, after the First Party System ended. The system was characterized by rapidly rising levels ...

to the

Third Party System In the terminology of historians and political scientists, the Third Party System was a period in the history of political parties in the United States from the 1850s until the 1890s, which featured profound developments in issues of American na ...

. The Know Nothings would win the first of two such elections, and the incumbent Whig Party's vote share collapsed, with Dutton finishing a distant third. Although Minor won a plurality of the vote, he did not receive a majority. As a result, the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

elected the governor, per the state constitution. Minor won the vote over Ingham, 117 to 70, in the General Assembly, and became the governor.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates *William T. Minor, American or Know Nothing *Samuel Ingham, Democratic *Henry Dutton, Whig

Results

References

1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city. * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

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