The 1853 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on August 1, 1853, in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Texas. Speaker of the Texas House David C. Dickson won a contested race becoming the fourth lieutenant governor of the state.

General election

The incumbent lieutenant governor, James Wilson Henderson, did not run for reelection. There had not been a strong partisan during the Republic period of Texas, but since the 1848 presidential election the Democratic Party had become the most prominent political organization in the state. The Whig Party also had a presence in the state, but it's support was not widespread.[1] However, neither of these parties were particularly organized and even if candidates did identify with a political party, they often ran independent campaigns.[2][3] The Democratic Party leadership attempted to organize a convention to nominate candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, but not enough delegates were able to attend.[4]

Democratic Speaker of the Texas House David C. Dickson won with almost 44% of the vote against his foremost opponents Democratic state senator Jerome B. Robertson and Whig candidate Jared Kirby. The results were certified by the legislature on November 12, 1853, and Dickson was sworn into office on December 21.[5]

Candidates

Results

Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1853[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Catchings Dickson 14,215 43.39
Democratic Jerome B. Robertson 6,868 20.97
Whig Jared E. Kirby 5,967 18.22
Democratic William C. Henry 4,823 14.72
Democratic Richard A. Goode 885 2.70
Total votes 32,758 100.00
Democratic hold

Aftermath

Governor Peter H. Bell, who had been reelected in the 1851 gubernatorial election, resigned from the office in order to fill a vacancy in congress.[11] This led to James Henderson becoming Governor for the final 28 days of Bell's term.

References

  1. ↑ Buenger, Walter L. (1976). "The Rise and Fall of the Whig Party in Texas Politics". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  2. ↑ "TSHA | The Evolution of the Democratic Party in Texas: A Historical Overview". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2026-04-22. Despite sympathy for the Democratic party in the United States, as yet there was no strong party tradition in the Republic of Texas. Before 1848, elections in Texas were conducted without organized political parties. Personality was the dominant political force in the state.
  3. ↑ "Elections of Texas Governors, 1845-2010". texasalmanac.com. Retrieved 2026-04-22. Prior to 1857 most candidates ran independently.
  4. ↑ Winkler, Ernest William (September 20, 1916). Platforms of Political Parties in Texas (PDF). University of Texas. pp. 54–56.
  5. ↑ Journal of the Senate of the State of Texas: Fifth Legislature (PDF). J. W. Hampton. 1853. p. 41.
  6. ↑ Cutrer, Thomas W. (1952). "David Catchings Dickson: Life and Legacy of a Texas Leader". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  7. ↑ "To The Voters of Texas". The Texas Republican. Marchall, TX. July 23, 1853. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-06-18 – via The Portal to Texas History.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Charles Christopher (February 1, 1995). "Jared E. Kirby: A Wealthy Planter in 19th Century Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  9. ↑ Maberry Jr., Robert (1976). "Jerome Bonaparte (Polly) Robertson: A Legacy in Texas History". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  10. ↑ Jones, Anson (1859). Memoranda and official correspondence relating to the Republic of Texas, its history and annexation. Including a brief autobiography of the author. Cornell University Library. New York : D. Appleton and Company. pp. 620–621.
  11. ↑ Hooker, Anne W. (1952). "Peter Hansborough Bell: Governor of Texas and War Hero". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1853_Texas_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election