1861 Texas gubernatorial election

The 1861 Texas gubernatorial election was held on August 5 1861, to elect the governor of Texas. In a three-way election, former Democratic lieutenant governor Francis Lubbock defeated incumbent Governor Edward Clark and Thomas J. Chambers, a wealthy political gadfly from East Texas. All candidates were staunch secessionists, promising to wage vigorous war upon the North in cooperation with Confederate authorities.^[3]

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1861 Texas gubernatorial election

← 1859 August 5, 1861 1863 â†’

Nominee Francis Lubbock Edward Clark Thomas J. Chambers Party Independent Independent Independent Popular vote 21,854 21,730 13,759 Percentage 38.1% 37.8% 24.0%

County Results[a][1] Lubbock   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   >90% Clark   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   >90% Chambers   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Unknown/No Vote

Governor before election Edward Clark Independent Elected Governor Francis Lubbock Independent

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Clark had elevated himself to the governorship after swearing an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy, following the previous Governor Sam Houston's removal due to his refusal to take such an oath. This move was seen by unionists as an affront to Houston, who did not recognize the validity of his removal. Despite being a secessionist himself, Lubbock was backed by Houston and Unionists in the election, who would rather vote for him than Clark. This backing, along with Lubbock's ability to appeal to former non-voters, particularly non-slaveholders, were the main factors that caused Clark's defeat by a slim margin of 124 votes.^[3]