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Cleveland: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Ellsworth: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Tie | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Connecticut |
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The 1842 Connecticut gubernatorial election was held on April 4, 1842.[1][2] Former Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives and Democratic nominee Chauncey Fitch Cleveland was elected, defeating incumbent governor and Whig nominee William W. Ellsworth with 49.94% of the vote.
Cleveland won a plurality of the vote, but fell just short of a majority, by 107 votes. The state constitution at the time required the Connecticut General Assembly decide the election if no candidate won a majority of the vote. The state legislature voted 139 to 68 to elect Cleveland the governor.[3]
This was the first appearance of the Liberty Party in a Connecticut governor's race, and the first of Francis Gillette's ten attempts at seeking the governorship.