The Vermont Republic gubernatorial election of 1789 took place in September. Though incumbent Governor

Thomas Chittenden Thomas Chittenden (January 6, 1730August 25, 1797) was an American politician from Vermont, who was a leader of the territory for nearly two decades. Chittenden was the first and third governor of the state of Vermont, serving from 1778 to 1789 ...

won a plurality of the popular vote over his main competitor,

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

Chief Justice

Moses Robinson Moses Robinson (March 22, 1741 – May 26, 1813) was a prominent Vermont political figure. When Vermont was an independent republic, he was its first chief justice and served a one-year term as governor. As governor he superintended the negoti ...

, the Vermont Constitution required that the legislature choose if no candidate won a majority. The

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

met in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

on October 8 to count the votes of the freemen for governor of the Republic of Vermont, lieutenant governor,

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

, and members of the governor's council. Joseph Marsh was easily re-elected as lieutenant governor, and

Samuel Mattocks Samuel Mattocks (December 30, 1739 – January 18, 1804) was a Connecticut and Vermont Continental Army officer and political figure who served as Vermont State Treasurer during the state's early years. Early life Samuel Mattocks was born in M ...

was chosen for another term as treasurer. For the first time since the founding of the Vermont Republic in 1778, Chittenden found himself in political difficulty. Shortly before the election, he had granted

Ira Allen Ira Allen (April 21, 1751 – January 7, 1814) was one of the founders of the U.S. state of Vermont and a leader of the Green Mountain Boys during the American colonial period. He was the younger brother of Ethan Allen. Biography Ira Allen w ...

title to the town of Woodbridge (now

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

) but had neglected to first obtain the approval of the governor's council. Chittenden was accused of malfeasance for supposedly favoring a clique led by the Allen family with respect to land grants. As a result of the controversy, On October 9, the legislature chose Robinson, the first time Chittenden had not been elected governor. Robinson served a one-year term, but the controversy over the Woodbridge land grant abated, and Chittenden was returned to office in 1790.

Results

References

{{reflist Vermont gubernatorial elections 1789 in Vermont 1789 elections in North America