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The1822 Indiana gubernatorial election took place on August 5, 1822. TheU.S. representative fromIndiana's at-large congressional districtWilliam Hendricks was elected virtually without opposition. This was the only unanimousIndiana gubernatorial election and the last before the revival ofparty politics following the1824 United States presidential election.[1]
The incumbentgovernor of IndianaJonathan Jennings was ineligible for re-election due toterm limits established by theConstitution of Indiana. Although Hendricks never formally announced his candidacy, his name was before the public as early as March as an "authorized" candidate for governor. In May, he resigned his congressional seat, indicating his willingness to be elected governor.[2] Hendricks was enormously personally popular, having faced only token opposition in his most recent bid forre-election.[3] No rival candidate emerged to contest the election, and Hendricks was understood to be running unopposed.[2]
TheDemocratic-Republican Party was dominant nationally during theEra of Good Feelings, and the politics of the state were conducted on anonpartisan basis. The factionalism of theterritorial period had all but subsided, and Hendricks drew support from every section of the state. Local meetings in support of Hendricks's candidacy were held in several places, and the candidate enjoyed the backing of most of the press. Hendricks was the overwhelming choice of the voters onElection Day; so unanimous was the verdict that the editor of theVincennesWestern Sun deemed it unnecessary to publish the official returns.[1]
Following the election, Jennings resigned as governor in order to seek the congressional seat vacated by Hendricks, briefly elevating thelieutenant governorRatliff Boon to the governorship.[4]
The original manuscript returns appear to be lost. The journal of theIndiana House of Representatives shows 18,340 votes for Hendricks and none for other candidates.[5] Unofficial results published by theIndianapolis Gazette show two votes for other candidatesMarion County. These are the only know votes cast against Hendricks in any county.[6] The following table quotes the official figures reported by thespeaker of the Indiana House of Representatives.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | William Hendricks | 18,340 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 18,340 | 100.00% | ||
The summary of the election result in the Indiana House Journal omits the county-level data.[5] As Hendricks's election was considered a foregone conclusion, contemporary editors considered it unnecessary to publish a detailed account of the vote in each county.[1]Phil Lampi'sA New Nation Votes project locates unofficial results from two counties, shown below. These are the only surviving county returns for this election.[6]
| County | William Hendricks Nonpartisan | Others | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | ||
| Marion | 315 | 99.37 | 2 | 0.63 | 317 |
| Wayne | 1,113 | 100.00 | — | 1,113 | |
