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 County Results[1]
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The1860 United States House of Representatives election in Florida was held on Monday, October 1, 1860, to elect the singleUnited States Representative from the state ofFlorida, one from the state's singleat-large congressional district, to represent Florida in the37th Congress. The election coincided with thegubernatorial election and various state and local elections.
Democratic nomineeRobert Benjamin Hilton defeatedOpposition nomineeBenjamin F. Allen. Hilton was never seated in Congress, however, as Florida had succeeded from theUnion before Congress convened.[2]
By 1860, the secession of theSouth from theUnion was nearly inevitable. Both Hilton and Allen were secessionists; the only question that remained was what ideology would an independent Florida prefer: theconservatism of theDemocratic Party or theWhiggism of theOpposition Party. Due to Hilton's close ties with Vice PresidentJohn C. Breckinridge, the Democratic nominee for president, it was all but guaranteed that he would ride on Breckinridge'scoattails.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Benjamin Hilton | 7,722 | 59.89% | −2.54% | |
| Opposition | Benjamin F. Allen | 5,172 | 40.11% | N/A | |
| Majority | 2,550 | 19.78% | −5.08% | ||
| Turnout | 12,894 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| County[1] | Robert Benjamin Hilton Democratic | Benjamin F. Allen Opposition | Total votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | ||
| Alachua | 516 | 74.67% | 175 | 25.33% | 691 |
| Brevard | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 |
| Calhoun | 88 | 88.0% | 12 | 12.0% | 100 |
| Clay | 85 | 43.59% | 110 | 51.73% | 195 |
| Columbia | 237 | 48.27% | 254 | 51.73% | 491 |
| Dade | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 |
| Duval | 263 | 53.46% | 229 | 46.54% | 492 |
| Escambia | 173 | 30.73% | 390 | 69.27% | 563 |
| Franklin | 155 | 85.16% | 27 | 14.84% | 182 |
| Gadsden | 387 | 48.99% | 403 | 51.01% | 790 |
| Hamilton | 247 | 58.39% | 176 | 41.61% | 423 |
| Hernando | 216 | 72.0% | 84 | 28.0% | 300 |
| Hillsborough | 347 | 90.36% | 37 | 9.64% | 384 |
| Holmes | 75 | 46.88% | 85 | 53.13% | 160 |
| Jackson | 511 | 51.88% | 474 | 48.12% | 985 |
| Jefferson | 450 | 74.38% | 155 | 25.62% | 605 |
| Lafayette | 110 | 55.56% | 88 | 44.44% | 198 |
| Leon | 427 | 56.26% | 332 | 43.74% | 759 |
| Levy | 181 | 69.35% | 80 | 30.65% | 261 |
| Liberty | 93 | 51.38% | 88 | 48.62% | 181 |
| Madison | 422 | 64.53% | 232 | 35.47% | 654 |
| Manatee | 79 | 94.05% | 5 | 5.95% | 84 |
| Marion | 435 | 73.36% | 158 | 26.64% | 593 |
| Monroe | 156 | 78.0% | 44 | 22.0% | 200 |
| Nassau | 252 | 81.82% | 56 | 18.18% | 308 |
| New River | 211 | 61.34% | 133 | 38.66% | 344 |
| Orange | 58 | 36.02% | 103 | 63.98% | 161 |
| Putnam | 162 | 63.28% | 94 | 36.72% | 256 |
| Santa Rosa | 251 | 44.27% | 316 | 55.73% | 567 |
| St. Johns | 202 | 67.79% | 96 | 32.21% | 298 |
| Sumter | 108 | 59.67% | 73 | 40.33% | 181 |
| Suwannee | 135 | 49.63% | 137 | 50.37% | 272 |
| Taylor | 86 | 50.59% | 84 | 49.41% | 170 |
| Volusia | 49 | 69.01% | 22 | 30.99% | 71 |
| Wakulla | 173 | 54.75% | 143 | 45.25% | 316 |
| Walton | 210 | 51.98% | 194 | 48.02% | 404 |
| Washington | 172 | 67.45% | 83 | 32.55% | 255 |
| Totals | 7,722 | 59.89% | 5,172 | 40.11% | 12,894 |
Florida seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861, meaning Hilton was not able to take his seat in Congress. However, Hilton won election to theConfederate States House of Representatives later in 1861, representingFlorida's 2nd congressional district.[9]
