The 1861 Vermont gubernatorial election for governor of Vermont was held on Tuesday, September 3. In keeping with the " Mountain Rule", incumbent Republican Erastus Fairbanks, who had also served as governor from 1852 to 1853, was not a candidate for a third one-year term. The Republican nominee was

Frederick Holbrook Frederick Holbrook (February 15, 1813 – April 28, 1909) was an American farmer, businessman, and Governor of the State of Vermont. Active in politics and government, first as a Whig, and later as a Republican, he was most notable for his serv ...

, a former member of the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

. With the Democratic Party split nationally over the issue of slavery during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Andrew Tracy Andrew Tracy (December 15, 1797 – October 28, 1868) was an American politician, teacher and lawyer. He served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Vermont. Early life Tracy was born in Hartford, Vermont, to Ja ...

, a former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, appeared on the ballot as a pro-Union Democrat. Benjamin H. Smalley was on the ballot as a "Peace Democrat," Democrats who favored a compromise with the states that had formed the Confederacy. Vermont continued to oppose slavery and support the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, which was reflected in its support of Republican candidates. Holbrook easily defeated both Democrats and won a one-year term that began on October 15. Illness confined Holbrook at home for most of October, and he delayed traveling to Montpelier to take his oath of office until October 22.

General election

Results

References

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1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

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 ...

October 1861 events