1829 Maine gubernatorial election

1829 Maine gubernatorial election

← 1828 September 14, 1829 1830 →

Nominee Jonathan G. Hunton Samuel E. Smith Party National Republican Democratic Popular vote 23,315 22,991 Percentage 50.08% 49.39%

County results Hunton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Smith:      50–60%      70–80%

Governor before election Enoch Lincoln Democratic-Republican Elected Governor Jonathan G. Hunton National Republican

The 1829 Maine gubernatorial election took place on September 14, 1829. Incumbent Democratic-Republican Governor Enoch Lincoln did not run for re-election. National Republican candidate Jonathan G. Hunton defeated Democratic candidate Samuel E. Smith in an extremely close election. Hunton defeated Smith by just 324 votes, one of the narrowest margins in Maine gubernatorial history.

Results

Candidates

• Jonathan G. Hunton, lawyer, member of Maine's Executive Council (National Republican)^[1]
• Samuel E. Smith, lawyer, associate justice for the Maine Court of Common Pleas, former state representative (Democratic)^[2]

1829 Maine gubernatorial election^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	National Republican	Jonathan G. Hunton	23,315	50.08%
	Democratic	Samuel E. Smith	22,991	49.39%
	Write-in		245	0.53%
Majority			324	0.69%
Total votes			46,551	100.00%
	National Republican gain from Democratic-Republican

Aftermath

Governor Lincoln died in Augusta, Maine, on October 8, 1829, prior to the expiration of his term. Maine does not have a lieutenant governor so under the rules of succession the Presidents of the Maine Senate Nathan Cutler was sworn into office.^[9] However Cutler's term as President of the Senate expired on January 6, 1830 and the Maine Supreme Court ruled that Cutler's term as governor also expired.^[10] The election for a new President of the Senate was protracted due to several vacancies and an equal split of Democrats and National Republicans. Joshua Hall was elected to serve the remainder of the term until Hunton was sworn in on February 9, 1830.^[11]

References

1. "Jonathan Glidden Hunton". National Governors Association. January 5, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
2. "Samuel Emerson Smith". National Governors Association. January 5, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
3. "ME Governor, 1829". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
4. Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. pp. 124–125. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
5. Guide to US Elections, Fifth Edition, Volume II. CQ Press. 2005. p. 1497. ISBN 978-1-56802-981-8. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
6. A History of the Proceedings and Extraordinary Measures of the Legislature of Maine, for the Year 1830. Portland. 1830. p. 108.
7. Compiled by Samuel L. Harris (1841). The Maine Register, and National Calendar, for the Year 1841. Portland: A. Shirley, Printer. p. 105.
8. Documents Printed by Order of the Legislature of the State of Maine. 1864 (PDF). Augusta: Stevens & Sayward, Printers to the State. 1864. p. 163.
9. "Nathan Cutler". National Governors Association. January 5, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
10. "Joshua Hall". National Governors Association. January 5, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
11. "1830 Joshua Hall". www.maine.gov. Archived from the original on November 5, 2004. Retrieved July 8, 2026.