1861 Maryland gubernatorial election

1861 Maryland gubernatorial election

← 1857 November 6, 1861 1864 →
 
Nominee Augustus Bradford Benjamin Chew Howard
Party Union Democratic
Popular vote 57,472 26,045
Percentage 68.8% 31.2%

County results
Bradford:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80–90%
Howard:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80–90%

Governor before election

Thomas Holliday Hicks
Know Nothing

Elected Governor

Augustus Bradford
Union

The 1861 Maryland gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1861. It was held amid the early phases of the American Civil War and was contested between the Union Party's Augustus Bradford and the Democratic Party's Benjamin Chew Howard. Bradford supported the maintenance of the Union while Howard advocated for a peace treaty with the Confederacy. Concerned about pro-secession elements in the state, the federal government sent troops to supervise the vote and ordered electors to take an oath of loyalty to the Union. The election was won by Bradford with 68.8% of the votes.