1778 North Carolina gubernatorial election

1778 North Carolina gubernatorial election

April 18, 1778

Members of the General Assembly
Majority of votes needed to win
 
Nominee Richard Caswell
Party RadicalModerate

Governor before election

Richard Caswell
RadicalModerate

Elected Governor

Richard Caswell
RadicalModerate

A gubernatorial election was held in North Carolina on April 18, 1778.[1] The incumbent governor of North Carolina Richard Caswell was re-elected.[2]

Caswell led a coalition of Western radicals and Cape Fear River moderates that dominated North Carolina politics during the late 1770s. Caswell remained personally popular in 1778 despite rising factionalism that pitted the governor's allies against the conservative minority in the legislature.[3]

The election was conducted by the North Carolina General Assembly in joint session. Caswell was elected unanimously on the first ballot.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Clark 1895, p. 569.
  2. ^ Smith 1980, p. 388.
  3. ^ Smith 1980, p. 364, 388.

Bibliography

  • Clark, Walter, ed. (1895). The State Records of North Carolina. Vol. 12, 1777–78. Winston, NC.
  • Smith, Penelope Sue (1980). Creation of an American State: Politics in North Carolina, 1765–1789 (PhD thesis). Houston: Rice University.