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 Results by parish Hahn: 50-60% 60-70% 90-100% Fellows: 40-50% 60-70% 70-80% 90-100% Flanders: 30-40% No data/vote: | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The1864 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on February 22 undermartial law in Union-controlled territory pursuant to theProclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. As a result of the election,Michael Hahn becamecivilian governor of the recognized Union government of Louisiana, replacing military governorGeorge F. Shepley. Hahn was the first German-born and first ethnically Jewish governor of any U.S. state.
According to historianMark W. Summers, the 1864 election set the stage for the post-war political struggle over Reconstruction by establishing three factions of Unionists and alienating immigrants, slave owners, and secessionists, none of whom were permitted to participate in the military government and who would together form the basis of the post-war Louisiana Democratic Party.
In December 1863, along with his annual message to Congress, PresidentAbraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring that whenever the voters of a state which had declared secession re-established a loyal state government, it should be recognized by the United States government. Under Lincoln's so-calledten percent plan, an election would be recognized if ten percent of the voting population in the state as of 1860 signed an oath pledging allegiance to the United States.[1]
Following the capture ofNew Orleans byBenjamin Butler in 1862, the Union Army had quickly captured several parishes along theMississippi River and established martial law.[2] Under the military government, led by commander of the Department of the GulfNathaniel P. Banks, Unionists revived their citizenship and rebel leadership fled. Therefore, loyalty to the Union was not an issue that any political faction could capitalize on. Instead, factions were divided primarily by their positions on emancipation and racial equality. While Union forces did emancipate many slaves in Louisiana,[citation needed] they were not given the right to vote or hold office.[2]
HistorianMark W. Summers identified three political factions in Union-controlled Louisiana, each of which nominated a candidate for Governor in 1864:
Hahn campaigned by purchasing theNew Orleans True Delta, a pro-slavery newspaper, and converting it into a platform for moderate Reconstruction and abolition. He was opposed byBenjamin Franklin Flanders, a Radical critic of the Lincoln plan, and J.Q.A. Fellows, a Conservative. By steering a middle path between the Conservatives and Radicals, the Free State ticket of Hahn andJ. Madison Wells won the election.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free State Republican | Michael Hahn | 6,158 | 57.42% | |
| Conservative Union | J. Q. A. Fellows | 2,720 | 25.36% | |
| Radical Republican | Benjamin Flanders | 1,847 | 17.22% | |
| Total votes | 10 725 | 100.00% | ||
Hahn was inaugurated as governor on March 4, in an elaborate ceremony funded by General Banks which received national attention as a symbol of Reconstruction and reunion.[4]
On March 28, General Banks summoned a new constitutional convention on orders from President Lincoln, consistent with theten percent plan. The convention began on April 9 atGallier Hall in New Orleans, the site ofthe secession convention of 1861, and lasted until July 25. The convention was dominated by the Free State faction and noted for absenteeism, free liquor and cigars, and other extravagances, resulting in total costs of over $250,000.[2][4] Hahn played a leading role in the convention, but he was opposed byStephen A. Hurlbut, who had replaced Banks as commander of the Department of the Gulf.
The resultingLouisiana Constitution of 1864 abolished slavery in Louisiana, granted suffrage to all white males, allocated tax revenues to the education of both black and white children, separately, and established a minimum wage and nine-hour workday.[4] However, it did not address voting or civil rights for newly freed people and only applied within the territory controlled by the Union Army at the time. At the insistence of General Banks, the new constitution allowed the legislature to consider the issue of universal suffrage.[2][5] The constitution was designed to appeal to the conservative and working-class groups of New Orleans, where political power within Union-controlled territory rested, but excluded immigrants, slave owners, and secessionists, who had no power under the Union military government and would form the basis of the post-war Democratic Party.[2]
General Hurlbut further declined to recognize the new Constitution or Hahn's authority as civilian governor. After one year in office, Hahn resigned on March 4, 1865 to accept election to theUnited States Senate and was succeeded by Lieutenant GovernorJames Madison Wells. The radicalUnited States Congress, which opposed Lincoln's moderate plan, particularly after his assassination in April, refused to seat Hahn or any other Senator from a readmitted Confederate state.
| Preceded by 1863 Louisiana gubernatorial election (Confederate) | Louisiana gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1865 Louisiana gubernatorial election |
