1825 Indiana gubernatorial election

← 1822 August 1, 1825 1828 →

Nominee James B. Ray Isaac Blackford Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 13,852 12,165 Percentage 53.24% 46.76%

County results Ray:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100% Blackford:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100% No Vote/Data:

Governor before election James B. Ray Nonpartisan Elected Governor James B. Ray Nonpartisan

The1825 Indiana gubernatorial election took place on August 1, 1825, under the provisions of theConstitution of Indiana. It was the fourthgubernatorial election in theState of Indiana.James B. Ray, the incumbent governor following the resignation ofWilliam Hendricks, was reelected to a full term, defeatingIsaac Blackford, thechief justice of theIndiana Supreme Court.^[1] The election took place concurrently with elections forlieutenant governor and members of theIndiana General Assembly.^[2]

William Hendricks won the1822 Indiana gubernatorial election without facing any significant opposition and remains the onlygovernor of Indiana to be elected unanimously.^[3] Rather than seek reelection to a second three-year term, Hendricks ran for theUnited States Senate and was elected on the fourth ballot of the General Assembly by a narrow majority of two votes.^[4] He formally resigned the governorship on February 12, 1825, the last day of the state legislative session. As the elected lieutenant governor,Ratliff Boon, had resigned his office the previous year following his election to theUnited States House of Representatives, thepresident pro tempore of theIndiana Senate, James B. Ray, became acting governor.^[5]

There was some controversy as to whether Ray could lawfully continue as governor for the remainder of Hendricks' term, with some arguing he must forfeit the office following the end of his senatorial term in August. Others questioned whether Ray, who was a few days shy of thirty when Hendricks resigned, was constitutionally eligible to serve as governor. Article IV§4 of the Indiana Constitution required the governor be "at least thirty years of age, and shall have been a citizen of the united States ten years, and have resided in the State five years next preceding his Election." ARichmond paper asserted Ray was only twenty-eight years old and described his ascension as "an usurpation, which should not be tolerated by the people of the state". The issue of Ray's age and the legality of his governorship persisted as the 1825 gubernatorial campaign commenced.^[6][7]

Despite the bitterly polarizingpresidential election only the previous year, the campaign was conducted on a nonpartisan basis. Ray announced his candidacy in May and received the support of the IndianapolisGazette and other newspapers, who praised his legislative experience, humility, and diligence. In addition to Ray, Chief Justice Blackford, JusticesJesse Lynch Holman and James Scott of the state supreme court, and State Representative David H. Maxwell were mentioned as potential candidates. By spring, Blackford has emerged as the main opposition to Ray. Both campaigns praised their candidate's experience and moral attributes, while disparaging their opponent as a craven office-seeker. While Blackford was rebuked for seeking the governorship while serving on the state supreme court, Ray came under criticism for campaigning for a seat in Congress while still a member of the State Senate in 1824. Both campaigns likewise sought to portray their candidate as aman of the people, in contrast to the opponent's perceivedelitism. Blackford was endorsed by theIndiana Journal, whose editor nevertheless conceded Ray had competently carried out his duties as acting governor, while there were few important policy differences between the candidates.^[8]

Ray defeated Blackford decisively, polling strongest in the eastern counties.^[9] The county returns, provided below, are incomplete: in his inaugural message to the General Assembly, Ray noted that eleven communities had failed to make returns for the gubernatorial election.^[10]

• Carmony, Donald Francis (1998).Indiana 1816-1850: the Pioneer Era. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society.ISBN 0-87195-125-8.
• Foughty, Trevor (May 23, 2019)."1825 Indiana General Election Results: Governor".Capitol & Washington. RetrievedJuly 27, 2021.
• "Indiana Governor James Brown Ray (1794 - 1848)".Indiana Historical Bureau. December 15, 2020. RetrievedJuly 27, 2021.
• Riker, Dorothy; Thornbrough, Gayle (1960).Indiana Election Returns: 1816-1851. Indiana Historical Bureau.

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• 1825 Indiana elections
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