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 County Results
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The1856 United States House of Representatives election in Florida was held on Monday, October 6, 1856, to elect the singleUnited States Representative from the state ofFlorida, one from the state's singleat-large congressional district, to represent Florida in the35th Congress. The election coincided with the elections of other offices, including thepresidential election, thesenatorial election, thegubernatorial election, and various state and local elections.[1]
The winning candidate would serve a two-year term in theUnited States House of Representatives from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1859.
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Florida's single seat in the House of Representatives had been held by theDemocrats since1852. In the1854 election, theDemocratic Party made key gains in the formerWhig strongholds ofPensacola andJacksonville. By 1856, theWhig Party had collapsed, and they were replaced in the South by theKnow Nothing Party, also known as the American Party, which was serving as a successor to the priorAnti-Masonic Party.
Baker campaigned heavily alongside the Know Nothing candidates for president and governor, former PresidentMillard Fillmore and formerTallahassee MayorDavid S. Walker, respectively.[5] However, Baker fell severely ill during the election and was not able to campaign properly for the last few months, instead relying on Walker to campaign for him. This put Baker, a political unknown, at a severe disadvantage to Hawkins, who was a popular judge throughout the state.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | George Sydney Hawkins | 6,392 | 53.08% | −2.18% | |
| Know Nothing | James McNair Baker | 5,650 | 46.92% | N/A | |
| Majority | 742 | 6.16% | −4.37% | ||
| Turnout | 12,042 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| County[8] | George Sydney Hawkins Democratic | James McNair Baker Know Nothing | Total votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | ||
| Alachua | 337 | 63.83% | 191 | 36.17% | 528 |
| Brevard | 10 | 66.67% | 5 | 33.33% | 15 |
| Calhoun | 112 | 62.57% | 67 | 37.43% | 179 |
| Columbia | 419 | 45.05% | 511 | 54.95% | 930 |
| Dade | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 |
| Duval | 268 | 35.26% | 492 | 64.74% | 760 |
| Escambia | 260 | 52.42% | 236 | 47.58% | 496 |
| Franklin | 178 | 67.17% | 87 | 32.83% | 265 |
| Gadsden | 385 | 49.23% | 397 | 50.77% | 782 |
| Hamilton | 195 | 48.03% | 211 | 51.97% | 406 |
| Hernando | 122 | 58.65% | 86 | 41.35% | 208 |
| Hillsborough | 316 | 67.09% | 155 | 32.91% | 471 |
| Holmes | 44 | 29.93% | 103 | 70.07% | 147 |
| Jackson | 414 | 47.48% | 458 | 52.52% | 872 |
| Jefferson | 374 | 71.37% | 150 | 28.63% | 524 |
| Leon | 438 | 56.88% | 332 | 43.12% | 770 |
| Levy | 57 | 44.53% | 71 | 55.47% | 128 |
| Liberty | 97 | 56.73% | 74 | 43.27% | 171 |
| Madison | 469 | 48.91% | 490 | 51.09% | 959 |
| Manatee | 24 | 42.11% | 33 | 57.89% | 57 |
| Marion | 361 | 58.13% | 260 | 41.87% | 621 |
| Monroe | 235 | 80.20% | 58 | 19.80% | 293 |
| Nassau | 106 | 53.54% | 92 | 46.46% | 198 |
| Orange | 51 | 52.58% | 46 | 47.42% | 97 |
| Putnam | 117 | 50.87% | 113 | 49.13% | 230 |
| Santa Rosa | 206 | 40.71% | 300 | 59.29% | 506 |
| St. Johns | 195 | 74.43% | 67 | 25.57% | 262 |
| Sumter | 93 | 58.13% | 67 | 41.88% | 160 |
| Volusia | 26 | 38.24% | 42 | 61.76% | 68 |
| Wakulla | 155 | 45.72% | 184 | 54.28% | 339 |
| Walton | 177 | 51.60% | 166 | 48.40% | 343 |
| Washington | 151 | 53.08% | 106 | 46.92% | 257 |
| Totals | 6,392 | 53.08% | 5,650 | 46.92% | 12,042 |
