1812 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

April 6, 1812

1813 →


Nominee	Caleb Strong	Elbridge Gerry
Party	Federalist	Democratic-Republican
Popular vote	52,696	51,326
Percentage	50.60%	49.28%

Governor before election

Elbridge Gerry
Democratic-Republican

Elected Governor

Caleb Strong
Federalist

Federal government

U.S. President
1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 Dem 2004 Dem 2008 Dem GOP 2012 2016 Dem GOP 2020 Dem GOP 2024 Dem GOP
U.S. Senate
Class 1: 1788 1790 1796 (S) 1796 1798 1800 (S) 1803 1808 (S) 1810 (S) 1811 1813 (S) 1815 1815 (S) 1816 (S) 1818 (S) 1820 1820 (S) 1822 1826 1827 1829 (S) 1833 1839 February 1841 (S) 1845 1851 1851 (S) 1857 1863 1869 1874 (S) 1875 1881 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1958 1962 (S) 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2010 (S) 2012 2018 2024 Class 2: 1788 1793 1796 1800 (S) 1803 (S) 1805 1810 1811 (S) 1816 1822 (S) 1826 (S) 1828 1835 January 1841 (S) 1841 1845 (S) 1847 1853 1855 (S) 1859 1865 1871 1873 (S) 1877 1883 1889 1895 1901 1905 (S) 1907 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1942 1944 (S) 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2013 (S) 2014 2020
U.S. House
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State government

Governor
1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 Apr. 1831 Nov. 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
State Senate
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State House
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2020 2022
Governor's Council
2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Ballot measures
1980: Proposition 2½ 2002: English Language Education in Public Schools 2006: 2008 Greyhound Protection Sensible Marijuana Policy State Income Tax Repeal 2010: No Sales Tax for Alcohol Sales Tax Relief Comprehensive Permits and Regional Planning 2012: Right to Repair Death with Dignity Medical Marijuana 2014: Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal Expansion of Bottle Deposits Casino Repeal Paid Sick Days 2016: Expand Slot Machine Gaming Charter School Expansion Farm Animal Confinement Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana 2018: Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination 2020: pending

Boston

Mayor
1822 1823 1824 Apr 1825 Dec 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844–45 Dec 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853–54 Dec 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1910 1914 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
City council
1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023

The 1812 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on April 6, 1812.

Incumbent Democratic-Republican Governor Elbridge Gerry was defeated by Federalist nominee Caleb Strong.

General election

Candidates

Elbridge Gerry, Democratic-Republican, incumbent Governor
Caleb Strong, Federalist, former Governor

Results

1812 Massachusetts gubernatorial election^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Federalist	Caleb Strong	52,696	50.60%
	Democratic-Republican	Elbridge Gerry (incumbent)	51,326	49.28%
	Scattering		124	0.12%
Majority			1,370	1.32%
Turnout			104,146
	Federalist gain from Democratic-Republican		Swing

Commentary

On May 30, 1812, Nathaniel Ames wrote in his diary that "Strong declared Governor by majority of 600! and not near so many as the illegal vote of Boston."^[10]^[a]

Notes

References

^ "MA Governor, 1812". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
^ Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. p. 57. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
^ Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. xxv. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
^ Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. pp. 140–141. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
^ Kallenbach, Joseph E.; Kallenbach, Jessamine S., eds. (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Vol. I. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications, Inc. p. 273. ISBN 0-379-00665-0.
^ "Massachusetts 1812 Governor". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
^ Burdick, Charles (1814). The Massachusetts Manual: or Political and Historical Register, for the Political Year from June 1814 to June 1815. Vol. I. Boston: Charles Callender. p. 26.
^ The Massachusetts Register and United States Calendar; for the Year of Our Lord 1814, &c., &c. Boston: John West & Co. 1814. p. 36.
^ Hayward, John (1847). A Gazetteer of Massachusetts, &c., &c. Boston: John Hayward. p. 417.
^ Warren, Charles (1931). Jacobin and Junto: Or, Early American Politics as Viewed in the Diary of Dr. Nathaniel Ames, 1758-1822. Harvard University Press. p. 249.
^ ^a ^b Warren 1931, p. 248.

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v t e State elections in Massachusetts
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Gov.'s Council	2002 2006 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
"s/" = Special election See also: Political party strength in Massachusetts For federal elections, see Template:Federal elections in Massachusetts footer.