The 1969 Maryland gubernatorial special election was not a direct election, but a vote in the Maryland General Assembly to determine who would assume the governorship of Maryland after Spiro Agnew's resignation, following his election to the U.S. vice presidency. At this time Maryland didn't have a position of

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and state law did not designate a person who would assume the office of governor in case of vacancy (unlike most states, when there is always a designated person such as lieutenant governor, Senate President or Secretary of State). In case of vacancy, the General Assembly would choose a governor. In 1969 the Assembly had a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

majority, so it was clear that Republican Agnew's successor would be a Democrat. The election was held on January 7, 1969. State representative

Marvin Mandel Marvin Mandel (April 19, 1920 – August 30, 2015) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th Governor of Maryland from January 7, 1969, to January 17, 1979, including a one-and-a-half-year period when Lt. Governor Blair L ...

was elected governor. He took office that same day, upon Agnew's resignation.

Candidates

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

William S. James William Smith James (February 14, 1914 – April 17, 1993) was a Maryland state politician. James was first elected to office as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Harford County, Maryland, Harford County in 1946, and a ...

(D) * State Representative Francis X. Gallagher (D) * State Representative

(D) *

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Rogers Morton (R)

Vote

* Mandel (D) – 126 (70.00%): * Morton (R) – 26 (14.44%) * Gallagher (D) – 15 (8.33%) * James (D) – 13 (7.22%) Although there were three Democrats and only one Republican on the ballot, Mandel was elected easily. He was elected in regular direct election in 1970 and re-elected in 1974.

References

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

Maryland Gubernatorial Maryland special gubernatorial election Maryland 1969 Gubernatorial Indirect elections {{Maryland-election-stub