The1844Chicago mayoral elections is the first of only two instances in which a Chicago mayoral election was declared invalid (the other beingthe disputed April 1876 mayoral election).
As a result of theCommon Council declaring the result of the city's March 1844 mayoral election null and void, a second election was held in April.
While the result of the March election had been a victory for incumbent mayorAugustus Garrett, Garrett was defeated in the April election byAlson Sherman, who had not been a candidate in March.
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In theChicago mayoral election of March 1844,DemocratAugustus Garrett was reelected, defeatingWhig nomineeGeorge W. Dole by a margin of only seven votes out of 1,796 votes cast.[1][2][3]
In February incumbent mayorAugustus Garrett was unanimously nominated by the Democratic Party to run for reelection.[4]George W. Dole was the Whig Party nominee.[4] Also running was abolitionist Henry Smith,[4] making this the third consecutive Chicago mayoral election he competed in.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Augustus Garrett (incumbent) | 805 | 44.82 | |
| Whig | George W. Dole | 798 | 44.43 | |
| Liberty | Henry Smith | 193 | 10.75 | |
| Turnout | 1,796 | |||
Had the results of this election not been overturned, Garrett would have become the first individual to be elected to two consecutive terms as mayor of Chicago. This accolade instead went toJames H. Woodworth in1849.
TheCommon Council investigated allegations that the Democrats had conductedelectoral fraud in the mayoral election.[2] Whigs alleged that the Democrats had bought votes, violated the secrecy of ballots in two wards (the 3rd and 5th), and altering the clocks at election places. The Common Council assembled an investigating committee which heard more than two weeks of testimony from more than thirty witnesses.[2] While the committee ignored many allegations, the Common Council, nevertheless, ordered for a new election to be conducted on the grounds that clerks in wards had been unqualified to vote.[2][5]
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In theChicago mayoral election of April 1844, Independent DemocratAlson Sherman defeated Democratic incumbentAugustus Garrett and Liberty Party nominee Henry Smith by a 9 point margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Democrat | Alson Sherman | 837 | 50.51 | |
| Democratic | Augustus Garrett (incumbent) | 694 | 41.88 | |
| Liberty | Henry Smith | 126 | 7.60 | |
| Turnout | 1,657 | |||
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1 tenure as acting officeholder. 2 Election declared null and void. | ||
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