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 County results Hartranft: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Buckalew: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1872 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election occurred on October 8, 1872. Incumbent governorJohn W. Geary, a Republican, was not a candidate for re-election.
Republican candidateJohn F. Hartranft defeated Democratic candidateCharles R. Buckalew to becomeGovernor of Pennsylvania.George Washington Cass,William McClelland, andHendrick Bradley Wright unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination.
Hartranft had become an important figure in the history of theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States during theAmerican Civil War. A colonel in theUnion Army who was awarded the U.S.Medal of Honor for the valor he displayed on July 21, 1861, during theFirst Battle of Bull Run, he rose through the ranks to become amajor general, and was also theUnited States Army officer who read the death warrant toMary Surratt,George Atzerodt,David Herold, andLewis Powell before they were executed on July 7, 1865, for conspiring to assassinate American PresidentAbraham Lincoln.[1] Post-war, he was elected twice as Pennsylvania's auditor general before choosing to run for the governor's office.[2][3]
After winning the 1872 gubernatorial election, Hartranft was inaugurated as Pennsylvania's 17th governor on January 21, 1873.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John F. Hartranft | 353,287 | 52.55 | |
| Democratic | Charles R. Buckalew | 317,700 | 47.26 | |
| Prohibition | Salmon B. Chase | 1,250 | 0.19 | |
| Independent | Winthrop W. Ketchum | 1 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 672,238 | 100.00 | ||
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