On election day, October 3, 1859,
John J. Pettus won the election by a margin of 24,251 votes against his opponent
Harvey W. Walter. Retaining democratic control of the office of governor and being sworn in as the 23rd Governor of Mississippi on November 21, 1859. Pettus' election by such a large margin, indicated that secession was becoming increasingly popular among Mississippians, as Pettus had campaigned as a strong supporter of secession of the
South from the United States. Which he would end up fulfilling as Governor in 1861, marking this election as the final one before the outbreak of the
American Civil War, which saw
Mississippi become part of the
Confederate States of America.[2]
On election day, October 3, 1859,
John J. Pettus won the election by a margin of 24,251 votes against his opponent
Harvey W. Walter. Retaining democratic control of the office of governor and being sworn in as the 23rd Governor of Mississippi on November 21, 1859. Pettus' election by such a large margin, indicated that secession was becoming increasingly popular among Mississippians, as Pettus had campaigned as a strong supporter of secession of the
South from the United States. Which he would end up fulfilling as Governor in 1861, marking this election as the final one before the outbreak of the
American Civil War, which saw
Mississippi become part of the
Confederate States of America.[2]