1869 Virginia gubernatorial election

A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on July 6, 1869. The Conservative Republican candidate Gilbert C. Walker defeated the Radical Republican candidate Henry H. Wells.

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1869 Virginia gubernatorial election

← 1863 July 6, 1869 1873 â†’

Nominee Gilbert Carlton Walker Henry H. Wells Party Conservative Republican Radical Republican Popular vote 119,502 101,184 Percentage 54.15% 45.85%

County results Walker:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Wells:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election Henry H. Wells Radical Republican Elected Governor Gilbert C. Walker Conservative Republican

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The election took place during the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War. Concurrent elections for the Virginia General Assembly resulted in 21 African Americans elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and six to the Virginia Senate. Some candidates were so-called "carpetbaggers," Union Army officers politicians from the Northern United States who relocated to the former Confederacy following the end of the war. Thomas Bayne was a party leader among the African-American group, although he lost the election when a White Republican ran against him in the same election, splitting the vote and allowing a Democrat to win.^[1]