Governor, 1869 Election
General
| Candidate | Gender | Party | Votes | Percent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Austin | Man | Republican | 27,348 | 50.16 | +3.57 |
| George L. Otis | Man | Democrat | 25,401 | 46.59 | |
| Daniel Cobb | Man | Temperance | 1,764 | 3.24 |
This was the first Minnesota gubernatorial election with a third party candidate on the ballot. The Temperance Party was founded in 1868 and held its first convention in St. Paul on October 6, 1869. It would later be known as the Prohibition Party in the state.
Austin was an attorney from St. Paul and Sixth Judicial District judge (1865-1869). He would later serve as auditor of the U.S. Treasury and Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner (1887-1891).
Otis was an attorney from St. Paul and former member of the state House (HD 02, 1857-1859) and state Senate (SD 21, 1866-1867).
Cobb was a Methodist minister and former Minnesota House chaplain.
Sources
- Journal of the House of Representatives of the Twelfth Session of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota, 1870 (p. 12).