1844_New_Jersey_gubernatorial_election References

1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election
	Blue represents counties won by John Renshaw Thomson and Yellow represents counties won by Charles C. Stratton
Governor before election; Daniel Haines; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Charles C. Stratton; Whig

The 1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on October 8, 1844. Whig nominee Charles C. Stratton defeated Democratic nominee John Renshaw Thomson with 50.94% of the vote.

Background

This was the first election held under the New Jersey Constitution of 1844, which was adopted on June 29 and reformed the state government, notably establishing an independent executive branch. Before 1844, New Jersey Governors were elected by a majority of the New Jersey Legislative Council and held office as a member of that body.^[1] Although the new constitution formally lifted the constitutional property requirement for suffrage, it added race and sex requirements; only white males over the age of 21 were eligible to vote in this election.^[2]

General election

Candidates

Charles C. Stratton, former U.S. Representative from Swedesboro (Whig)
John Renshaw Thomson, businessman and delegate to the 1844 Constitutional Convention from Princeton (Democratic)

Results

1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Charles C. Stratton	37,985	50.94%
	Democratic	John Renshaw Thomson	36,581	49.06%
Majority			1,404	1.88%
Turnout
	Whig gain from Democratic

References

^ "1776 State Constitution". Retrieved May 10, 2021.
^ "1844 State Constitution". Retrieved May 10, 2021.
^ Kalb, Deborah (December 24, 2015). Guide to U.S. Elections. CQ Press. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved February 17, 2016.

[1] "1776 State Constitution". Retrieved May 10, 2021.

[2] "1844 State Constitution". Retrieved May 10, 2021.

[3] Kalb, Deborah (December 24, 2015). Guide to U.S. Elections. CQ Press. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved February 17, 2016.

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