1848 Maine gubernatorial election

1848 Maine gubernatorial election

← 1847 September 11, 1848 1849 →

Nominee John W. Dana Elijah Hamlin Samuel Fessenden Party Democratic Whig Liberty Electoral vote (Elected) Popular vote 38,720 29,738 11,484 Percentage 48.10% 36.94% 14.27%

County results Dana:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hamlin:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election John W. Dana Democratic Elected Governor John W. Dana Democratic

The 1848 Maine gubernatorial election, was held on September 11, 1848, in the state of Maine to elect the state's next governor.

The incumbent Democrat John W. Dana was re-elected to a third term, defeating Whig candidate Elijah Hamlin and Liberty Party candidate Samuel Fessenden. Maine law at the time required that in order to win the election a candidate must receive a majority of the votes. Since none of the candidates did so, the legislature held a contingent election in which they selected Dana as the winner.

Candidates

• John W. Dana, incumbent governor (Democrat)^[1]
• Elijah Hamlin, lawyer, state representative, brother of future Vice President of the United States Hannibal Hamlin (Whig)^[2][3]
• Samuel Fessenden, lawyer, abolitionist, and former member of the Massachusetts and Maine state legislatures, nominee for governor in 1845, 1846, and 1847 (Liberty)^[4][5]

Results

1848 Gubernatorial Election, Maine^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John W. Dana (incumbent)	38,720	48.10	3.09
	Whig	Elijah Hamlin	29,738	36.94	0.19
	Liberty	Samuel Fessenden	11,484	14.27	3.01
Total votes			79,942	100.00	22.42
	Democratic hold

Notes

1. "John Winchester Dana". National Governors Association. January 5, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
2. Elijah Hamlin Political Graveyard bio
3. "Elijah L. Hamlin - Legislator Profile". history.mainelegislature.org. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
4. "Samuel Fessenden - Legislator Profile". history.mainelegislature.org. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
5. Johnson, Rossiter (1906). Biographical dictionary of America . Robarts - University of Toronto. Boston, American Biographical Society. p. 89.
6. "Our Campaigns – Me Governor Race – Sep 11, 1848".