The 1849 California gubernatorial election was held on November 13, 1849, to elect the first governor of California. Peter Hardeman Burnett won in a five-way race.
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Peter Hardeman Burnett had only arrived in California a year prior to the election of 1849, but was known for his work Oregon Territory as a judge in their territory's Supreme Court.[1] On January 6, 1849, in a meeting of prominent men in Sacramento, he was appointed President of a committee that formally requested a provisional government to be established in California.[2] This committee would work with Bennet C. Riley the final military governor of California, to establish election procedures, and delegate counts.[3]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Democrat | Peter Hardeman Burnett | 6,783 | 47.72 | |
Nonpartisan | Winfield S. Sherwood | 3,220 | 22.66 | |
Nonpartisan | John Sutter | 2,201 | 15.49 | |
Nonpartisan | John W. Geary | 1,358 | 9.56 | |
Nonpartisan | William Morris Stewart | 619 | 4.36 | |
Other | Write-ins | 32 | 0.23 | |
Total votes | 14,213 | 100 |