Governor, 1859 Election

General

Date:	October 11, 1859
Cycle:	1859
Office:	Governor
State:	Minnesota
District:	Statewide

Candidate	Gender	Party	Votes	Percent	Margin
Alexander Ramsey	Man	Republican	21,335	54.82	+9.64
George L. Becker	Man	Democrat	17,582	45.18

Ramsey was a former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania (1843-1847), Territorial Governor of Minnesota (1849-1853), Mayor of St. Paul (1855), and Republican nominee for Governor in 1857.

Becker was a lawyer from St. Paul, former St. Paul City Councilman (1854-1856) and former Mayor of St. Paul (1856). Becker was also a candidate in 1857 for one of an expected three at-large U.S. House seats and placed third, but when Minnesota received only two seats in 1858, the top three finishers drew lots and Becker came up short.

Related Reports

Jeff Johnson and a History of 2nd-Chance Minnesota Gubernatorial Candidates (May 14, 2017)

Sources

Journal of the House of Representatives of the Second Legislature of the State of Minnesota, 1859 (p. 39).