The 1865 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on September 5, 1865.[1] In keeping with the "
Mountain Rule",[2] incumbent Republican
J. Gregory Smith, who had served two one-year terms, was not a candidate for reelection as
governor of Vermont.[3] With the election taking during the
American Civil War, Dillingham ran as a pro-
Union Republican.[4] The Democratic nomination was won by
Charles N. Davenport of
Wilmington, an attorney and founder of the Brattleboro Reformer newspaper.[5] In the general election, Dillingham was easily elected to a one-year term as governor.[6]