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1839 Chicago mayoral election

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Chicago mayoral election, 1839
← 1838 March 5, 1839 1840 →
 
Candidate Benjamin Wright Raymond James Curtiss
Party Whig Democratic
Popular vote 353 212
Percentage 62.48% 37.52%

Mayor before election

Buckner Stith Morris
Whig

Elected mayor

Benjamin Wright Raymond
Whig

The 1839 Chicago mayoral election saw Whig nominee Benjamin Wright Raymond defeat Democratic nominee James Curtiss by a landslide 25 point margin.

The election was held on March 5.[1]

Campaign

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With the nation enduring a difficult economic recession, many citizens believed that successful merchant Benjamin Raymond would be a wise choice for the city's next mayor. However, Raymond was initially not amenable to the prospect of serving as mayor. When former mayor William B. Ogden attempted to persuade him at his dry goods store to run for mayor, Raymond initially, "leaped over the counter and knocked Mr. Ogden prostrate with a bolt of factory-cloth." However, Raymond was nonetheless eventually persuaded to run for mayor.[2]

Results

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1839 Chicago mayoral election[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Benjamin Wright Raymond 353 62.48
Democratic James Curtiss 212 37.52
Turnout 565

References

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  1. ^ "Mayor Benjamin Wright Raymond Biography". www.chipublib.org.
  2. ^ 10 things you might not know about Chicago mayoral elections Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer March 10, 2015
  3. ^ "Chicago Mayors, 1837-2007". www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  4. ^ Andreas, A.T. (1884), History of Chicago: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, vol. 1, Chicago, IL: A.T. Andreas