 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
The1861 Texas gubernatorial election was held on August 5 1861, to elect thegovernor of Texas. In a three-way election, formerDemocraticlieutenant governorFrancis Lubbock defeated incumbent GovernorEdward Clark and Thomas J. Chambers, a wealthy politicalgadfly fromEast Texas. All candidates were staunch secessionists, promising to wage vigorous war upon the North in cooperation with Confederate authorities.[3]
Clark had elevated himself to the governorship after swearing an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy, following the previous GovernorSam Houston's removal due to his refusal to take such an oath. This move was seen by unionist as an affront to Houston, who did not recognize the validity of his removal. Despite being a secessionist himself, Lubbock was backed by Houston and Unionists in the election, who would rather vote for him than Clark. This backing, along with Lubbock's ability to appeal to former non-voters, particularly non-slaveholders, were the main factors that caused Clark's defeat by a slim margin of 124 votes.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Francis Lubbock | 21,854 | 38.05% | |
| Independent | Edward Clark (incumbent) | 21,730 | 37.84% | |
| Independent | Thomas J. Chambers | 13,759 | 23.96% | |
| No Party | Write-ins | 85 | 0.15% | |
| Total votes | 57,428 | 100.00% | ||
| Independenthold | ||||
