 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Election results by parish Kellogg: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100% McEnery: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The1872 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1872. This was the second election to take place under theLouisiana Constitution of 1868, which establisheduniversal manhood suffrage in Louisiana as required by theReconstruction Acts. The campaign was marred by terrorist and paramilitary action in support of theDemocratic Party. Democratic candidate John McEnery disputed the official results, which declaredWilliam Pitt Kellogg the winner, but Kellogg's claim was supported byPresident of the United StatesUlysses S. Grant. The Democratic Party sought the overthrow of the Kellogg administration, culminating in theBattle of Liberty Place in 1874, where theWhite League forced Kellogg from office until he was reinstated by federal troops.
This was the last time a Republican won the governorship in Louisiana until1979.
Following the end of theAmerican Civil War andassassination of Abraham Lincoln, PresidentAndrew Johnson pursued a lenient policy of Reconstruction in the Southern United States, recognizing Unionist governments in the South pursuant to Lincoln'sten percent plan over the objections of radical Republicans in Congress. Following the1866 midterm elections, which resulted in sweeping radical gains, Congress passed theReconstruction Acts over Johnson's veto.
Under the Reconstruction Acts, Southern governments would only be recognized if they ratified theFourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and enact a new state constitution approved by Congress.
Louisiana enacted a new constitution in April 1868 in an election largely boycotted by the Democratic Party and former Confederates.Henry C. Warmoth, a young Union Army officer from Missouri, was simultaneously elected Governor under conditions of universal manhood suffrage. Warmoth's victory overJames G. Taliaferro represented the victory of the "carpetbagger" faction of the Republican Party over the faction of native radicals andfree men of color. Despite their abstention from the April election, the former Confederates organized in several paramilitary organizations to resist theReconstruction Acts, terrorizing Republicans, especially freedmen, during thefall presidential campaign. In a surprising reversal attributed to domestic terrorism and voter intimidation, Democratic candidateHoratio Seymour won the state overUlysses S. Grant in a landslide.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Pitt Kellogg | 72,890 | 56.88% |  5.63 | |
| Democratic | John McEnery | 55,249 | 43.12% |  5.63 | |
| Total votes | 128,139 | 100.00% | |||
| Preceded by 1868 Louisiana gubernatorial election | Louisiana gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1876 Louisiana gubernatorial election |
.jpg)
