April 1831 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

April 1831 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

April 14, 1831 (1831-04-14)

Nominee Levi Lincoln Jr. Marcus Morton Party National Republican Democratic Popular vote 31,875 12,694 Percentage 65.19% 25.96%

County results Lincoln:      40–50%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Morton:      40–50%      50–60% Write-in:      70–80%

Governor before election Levi Lincoln Jr. National Republican Elected Governor Levi Lincoln Jr. National Republican

The first 1831 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on April 14.

National Republican Governor Levi Lincoln Jr. was re-elected to a seventh term in office over Democrat Marcus Morton. This was the final regular Massachusetts election scheduled for April before the schedule changed to November, where it remains as of 2024. Lincoln was elected to a reduced term of eight months expiring in January, instead of the typical year-long term ending in May.

General election

Candidates

• Heman Lincoln (Anti-Masonic)
• Levi Lincoln Jr., incumbent Governor since 1825 (National Republican)
• Marcus Morton, Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, former acting Governor and nominee since 1828 (Democratic)
• Henry Shaw, former U.S. Representative from Lanesborough (Independent)

Campaign

Though the newly established Anti-Masonic Party was not strong enough to nominate a governor, Heman Lincoln and Henry Shaw both ran as independents appealing to Anti-Masonic voters.

Results

The two Anti-Masons carried twenty-eight towns in the central part of the state; Democrats lost ground.

April 1831 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Republican	Levi Lincoln Jr. (incumbent)	31,875	65.19%	0.33
	Democratic	Marcus Morton	12,694	25.96%	4.65
	Write-in		2,120	4.34%	0.47
	Anti-Masonic	Heman Lincoln (write-in)	1,110	2.27%	N/A
	Independent	Henry Shaw	1,096	2.24%	N/A
Total votes			47,173	100.00%

See also

• 1830–1831 Massachusetts legislature