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. Burnett was subsequently sworn in as governor on December 20, 1849, with the military governor, Bennet C. Riley, ceding de facto executive authority to him. However, California did not officially become a state until September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850.
Campaign Peter Hardeman Burnett had only arrived in California a year prior to the election of 1849, but was known for his work in Oregon Territory as a judge in their territory's Supreme Court. 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. This committee would work with Bennet C. Riley, the final military governor of California, to establish election procedures, and delegate counts.
Results
Results by district District Peter H. Burnet Winfield S. Sherwood John Sutter John W. Geary William M. Stewart Scattering Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # % # %Los Angeles22465.12%11834.30%00.00%00.00%00.00%20.58%10630.81%344Monterey18147.51%15239.90%3910.24%00.00%41.05%51.31%297.61%381Sacramento2,40842.74%1,92334.13%86115.28%00.00%4427.85%00.00%4858.61%5,634San Diego9338.59%14861.41%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%-55-22.82%241San Francisco1,92561.72%692.21%1,08434.75%00.00%280.90%130.42%84126.96%3,119San Joaquin1,01033.00%41813.66%1825.95%1,35644.30%953.10%00.00%-346-11.30%3,061San Jose51789.76%366.25%162.78%20.35%40.69%10.17%48183.51%576San Luis Obispo00.00%45100.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%00.00%-45-100.00%45Santa Barbara10.54%18398.92%00.00%00.00%00.00%10.54%-182-98.38%185Sonoma42467.62%12820.41%193.03%00.00%467.34%101.59%29647.21%627Total 6,78347.72%3,22022.66%2,20115.49%1,3589.55%6194.36%320.23%3,56325.07%14,213
Notes
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