The 1876 Illinois gubernatorial election was the sixteenth election for this office. Representative

Shelby Moore Cullom Shelby Moore Cullom (November 22, 1829 – January 28, 1914) was a U.S. political figure, serving in various offices, including the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate and the 17th Governor of Illinois. Life and ca ...

narrowly defeated businessman

Lewis Steward Lewis Steward (November 20, 1824 – August 27, 1896) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Illinois. He also co-founded Marsh, Steward & Company, a company that later merged to become International Harvester. ...

for the Governorship of Illinois. This was the narrowest victory for a Republican Governor since

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voyag ...

, when

William H. Bissell William Henry Bissell (April 25, 1811March 18, 1860) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1857 until his death. He was one of the first successful Republican Party candidates in the U.S., winning the election of 1856 just two ...

narrowly won the office in a plurality. Cullom's victory was the sixth consecutive victory for the Republican Party. Cullom also slightly overperformed Republican candidate

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

in the concurrent Presidential election. Republican

Andrew Shuman Andrew Shuman (November 8, 1830 – May 5, 1890) was an American newspaper editor and politician. A native of New York, Shuman worked at several small local newspapers until he secured a position at the '' Syracuse Journal'' in 1853. He left the ...

was elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. At this time in Illinois history, the Lieutenant Governor was elected on a separate ballot from the governor. This would remain so until the 1970 constitution.

Results

References

Our Campaigns – Illinois Governor Race – Nov 6, 1876
{{Reconstruction Era

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 ...

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Illinois gubernatorial election