The second 1831 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 14. National Republican Governor

Levi Lincoln Jr. Levi Lincoln Jr. (October 25, 1782 – May 29, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician from Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the 13th Governor of Massachusetts (1825–1834) and represented the state in the U.S. Congress (1834–1841). Linc ...

was re-elected to an eighth term in office over Democrat

Marcus Morton Marcus Morton (1784 – February 6, 1864) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Taunton, Massachusetts. He served two terms as Governor of Massachusetts and several months as Acting Governor following the death in 1825 of Willia ...

and Anti-Mason

Samuel Lathrop Samuel Lathrop (May 1, 1772 – July 11, 1846) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Biography Samuel Lathrop was born on May 1, 1772, on the western side of Springfield (which would later be incorporated as a separate town in 177 ...

. This was the first regular Massachusetts election scheduled for November after the schedule changed from April. This was also the first election featuring the organized involvement of the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry, but later aspired to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. After ...

General election

Candidates

, former U.S. Representative and State Senator from West Springfield (Anti-Masonic) *

, incumbent Governor since 1825 (National Republican) *

, Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, former acting Governor and nominee since 1828 (Democratic)

Campaign

After John Quincy Adams declined their nomination, the Anti-Masons announced their support for

, an Adams supporter and former Federalist nominee for Governor. Their campaign was largely conducted by

Benjamin F. Hallett Benjamin Franklin Hallett (December 2, 1797 – September 30, 1862) was a Massachusetts lawyer and Democratic Party activist, most notable as the first chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Benjamin Franklin Hallett was born in Barnst ...

through his journal the Boston ''Free Press and Advocate''. On the Democratic side,

made no active opposition to Lathrop's candidacy, and the leading Jacksonian journal, the ''Statesman'', folded in August. Charles G. Greene of the ''Statesman'' started a new small paper, the ''Morning Post'', to replace it. ''Statesman'' owner and collector of the Port of Boston David Henshaw remained in control of the Massachusetts Jacksonians, and the ''Morning Post'' continued to advocate against the Bank of the United States and in favor of anti-masonry, temperance, and the abolition of slavery. The change in name may have been necessitated by the ''Statesmans association with

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...

, who broke fully with the Jackson administration. The National Republicans primarily campaigned on Lincoln's record as governor.

Results

Lincoln again won a safe majority, albeit his smallest by far. Turnout increased, likely due to the Anti-Masonic fervor, which made large gains among the rural eastern towns and carried Franklin and Hampshire counties. The result was a transition of rural National Republicans and old Federalists to Anti-Masonry. The new Democrats, failing to make Masonry a political issue, lost support to the Anti-Masons.

References

Governor

1831 Events January–March * January 1 – William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing '' The Liberator'', an anti-slavery newspaper, in Boston, Massachusetts. * January 10 – Japanese department store, Takashimaya in Kyoto establ ...

Massachusetts November 1831 events {{Massachusetts-election-stub

General election

Candidates

Campaign

Results

See also

References