1788 Virginia gubernatorial election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on December 3, 1788.[1] The president of the Council of State Beverley Randolph defeated the member of the Virginia House of Delegates Benjamin Harrison V.[2]
.svg)
| |||||||||||
December 3, 1788
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
.jpg)
The incumbent governor of Virginia Edmund Randolph did not seek re-election. Speculation centered on Beverley Randolph, Richard Henry Lee, and William Grayson as potential successors as early as September 1788; by October, the race had narrowed to between Beverley Randolph and Harrison. John Dawson wrote James Madison in late October that Harrison was popular among the backcountry members in the House of Delegates.[3]
Edmund Randolph resigned his office on November 12, 1788, following his election to the House of Delegates from Williamsburg.[4] Beverley Randolph as president of the Council acted as governor between Edmund Randolph's resignation and his election.[5]
The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session. Beverley Randolph was selected by a majority of four votes.[2] The official record of the proceedings did not record the votes cast for each candidate.[1]
General election
| Party | Candidate | First ballot | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percent | |||
| Nonpartisan | Beverley Randolph | ** | ||
| Nonpartisan | Benjamin Harrison V | ** | ||
Total |
** |
100.00 | ||