1856 United States presidential election in Indiana
November 4, 1856
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| Elections in Indiana |
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A presidential election was held in Indiana on November 4, 1856, as part of the 1856 United States presidential election. The Democratic ticket of the U.S. minister to Great Britain James Buchanan and the former U.S. representative from Kentucky's 8th congressional district John C. Breckinridge defeated the Republican ticket of the former U.S. senator from California John C. Frémont and the former U.S. senator from New Jersey William L. Dayton by a margin of 10.3%. The Know Nothing ticket of former president Millard Fillmore and the former U.S. envoy to Prussia Andrew J. Donelson finished third.[1] Buchanan defeated Frémont in the national election with 174 electoral votes.[2]
General election
Summary
Indiana chose 13 electors on a statewide general ticket. Nineteenth-century election laws required voters to elect each member of the Electoral College individually, rather than as a group. This sometimes resulted in small differences in the number of votes cast for electors pledged to the same presidential candidate, if some voters did not vote for all the electors nominated by a party.[3] This table reflects the statewide popular vote as calculated by Michael J. Dubin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Buchanan John C. Breckinridge |
118,670 | 50.41 | 1.52 | |
| Republican | John C. Frémont William L. Dayton |
94,375 | 40.09 | 40.09 | |
| Know Nothing | Millard Fillmore Andrew J. Donelson |
22,386 | 9.51 | 9.51 | |
| Total votes | 235,431 | 100.00 | |||
Results by county
| County | James Buchanan
Democratic |
John C. Frémont
Republican |
Millard Fillmore
Know Nothing |
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 847 | 63.73% | 413 | 31.08% | 69 | 5.19% | 1,329 |
| Allen | 3,211 | 64.88% | 1,593 | 32.19% | 145 | 2.93% | 4,949 |
| Bartholomew | 1,844 | 56.25% | 1,292 | 39.41% | 142 | 4.33% | 3,278 |
| Benton | 217 | 40.19% | 315 | 58.33% | 8 | 1.48% | 540 |
| Blackford | 404 | 58.64% | 238 | 34.54% | 47 | 6.82% | 689 |
| Boone | 1,493 | 51.97% | 1,299 | 45.21% | 81 | 2.82% | 2,873 |
| Brown | 681 | 74.10% | 148 | 16.10% | 90 | 9.79% | 919 |
| Carroll | 1,344 | 51.16% | 1,261 | 48.00% | 22 | 0.84% | 2,627 |
| Cass | 1,539 | 49.92% | 1,504 | 48.78% | 40 | 1.30% | 3,083 |
| Clark | 1,950 | 55.46% | 492 | 13.99% | 1,074 | 30.55% | 3,516 |
| Clay | 1,108 | 62.63% | 365 | 20.63% | 296 | 16.73% | 1,769 |
| Clinton | 1,364 | 51.30% | 1,261 | 47.42% | 34 | 1.28% | 2,659 |
| Crawford | 735 | 57.97% | 24 | 1.89% | 509 | 40.14% | 1,268 |
| Daviess | 1,115 | 53.61% | 26 | 1.25% | 939 | 45.14% | 2,080 |
| Dearborn | 2,619 | 58.34% | 1,573 | 35.04% | 297 | 6.62% | 4,489 |
| Decatur | 1,639 | 47.95% | 1,718 | 50.26% | 61 | 1.78% | 3,418 |
| DeKalb | 1,247 | 51.55% | 1,097 | 45.35% | 75 | 3.10% | 2,419 |
| Delaware | 992 | 35.94% | 1,736 | 62.90% | 32 | 1.16% | 2,760 |
| Dubois | 1,191 | 82.25% | 21 | 1.45% | 236 | 16.30% | 1,448 |
| Elkhart | 1,651 | 45.36% | 1,971 | 54.15% | 18 | 0.49% | 3,640 |
| Fayette | 1,002 | 44.91% | 1,189 | 53.29% | 40 | 1.79% | 2,231 |
| Floyd | 1,767 | 54.25% | 228 | 7.00% | 1,262 | 38.75% | 3,257 |
| Fountain | 1,588 | 49.16% | 1,606 | 49.72% | 36 | 1.11% | 3,230 |
| Franklin | 2,259 | 60.45% | 1,437 | 38.45% | 41 | 1.10% | 3,737 |
| Fulton | 835 | 50.12% | 822 | 49.34% | 9 | 0.54% | 1,666 |
| Gibson | 1,286 | 53.21% | 365 | 15.10% | 766 | 31.69% | 2,417 |
| Grant | 1,035 | 40.93% | 1,395 | 55.16% | 99 | 3.91% | 2,529 |
| Greene | 1,129 | 55.32% | 379 | 18.57% | 533 | 26.11% | 2,041 |
| Hamilton | 1,185 | 39.89% | 1,748 | 58.84% | 38 | 1.28% | 2,971 |
| Hancock | 1,343 | 57.66% | 962 | 41.31% | 24 | 1.03% | 2,329 |
| Harrison | 1,681 | 52.91% | 873 | 27.48% | 623 | 19.61% | 3,177 |
| Hendricks | 1,378 | 44.00% | 1,680 | 53.64% | 74 | 2.36% | 3,132 |
| Henry | 1,229 | 30.58% | 2,741 | 68.20% | 49 | 1.22% | 4,019 |
| Howard | 686 | 38.63% | 1,057 | 59.52% | 33 | 1.86% | 1,776 |
| Huntington | 1,181 | 47.79% | 1,232 | 49.86% | 58 | 2.35% | 2,471 |
| Jackson | 1,700 | 67.59% | 299 | 11.89% | 516 | 20.52% | 2,515 |
| Jasper | 548 | 44.05% | 633 | 50.88% | 63 | 5.06% | 1,244 |
| Jay | 880 | 48.43% | 883 | 48.60% | 54 | 2.97% | 1,817 |
| Jefferson | 1,936 | 41.41% | 2,314 | 49.50% | 425 | 9.09% | 4,675 |
| Jennings | 1,159 | 44.17% | 1,293 | 49.28% | 172 | 6.55% | 2,624 |
| Johnson | 1,608 | 56.30% | 1,095 | 38.34% | 153 | 5.36% | 2,856 |
| Knox | 1,512 | 58.06% | 557 | 21.39% | 535 | 20.55% | 2,604 |
| Kosciusko | 1,075 | 39.09% | 1,662 | 60.44% | 13 | 0.47% | 2,750 |
| LaGrange | 640 | 31.19% | 1,406 | 68.52% | 6 | 0.29% | 2,052 |
| Lake | 346 | 27.20% | 923 | 72.56% | 3 | 0.24% | 1,272 |
| LaPorte | 2,239 | 46.49% | 2,532 | 52.57% | 45 | 0.93% | 4,816 |
| Lawrence | 1,126 | 49.69% | 480 | 21.18% | 660 | 29.13% | 2,266 |
| Madison | 1,603 | 54.05% | 1,309 | 44.13% | 54 | 0.82% | 2,966 |
| Marion | 3,738 | 48.93% | 3,696 | 48.38% | 205 | 2.68% | 7,639 |
| Marshall | 1,039 | 52.85% | 927 | 47.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,966 |
| Martin | 769 | 64.35% | 76 | 6.36% | 350 | 29.29% | 1,195 |
| Miami | 1,513 | 51.45% | 1,390 | 47.26% | 38 | 1.29% | 2,941 |
| Monroe | 1,191 | 57.23% | 498 | 23.93% | 392 | 18.84% | 2,081 |
| Montgomery | 2,088 | 50.43% | 1,910 | 46.14% | 142 | 3.13% | 4,140 |
| Morgan | 1,528 | 48.22% | 1,573 | 49.64% | 63 | 2.15% | 3,164 |
| Noble | 1,198 | 47.86% | 1,257 | 50.22% | 48 | 1.92% | 2,503 |
| Ohio | 505 | 51.11% | 104 | 10.53% | 379 | 38.36% | 988 |
| Orange | 1,207 | 64.82% | 49 | 2.63% | 606 | 32.55% | 1,862 |
| Owen | 1,239 | 53.59% | 487 | 21.06% | 586 | 25.35% | 2,312 |
| Parke | 1,284 | 43.23% | 1,494 | 50.30% | 192 | 6.46% | 2,970 |
| Perry | 1,066 | 59.42% | 96 | 5.35% | 632 | 35.23% | 1,794 |
| Pike | 772 | 54.14% | 80 | 5.61% | 574 | 40.25% | 1,426 |
| Porter | 614 | 41.74% | 847 | 57.58% | 10 | 0.68% | 1,471 |
| Posey | 1,819 | 66.15% | 306 | 11.13% | 625 | 22.73% | 2,750 |
| Pulaski | 557 | 60.22% | 341 | 36.86% | 27 | 2.92% | 925 |
| Putnam | 1,882 | 51.56% | 1,345 | 36.85% | 423 | 11.59% | 3,650 |
| Randolph | 1,253 | 37.36% | 2,042 | 60.88% | 59 | 1.76% | 3,354 |
| Ripley | 1,661 | 50.80% | 1,425 | 43.58% | 184 | 5.63% | 3,270 |
| Rush | 1,685 | 49.38% | 1,644 | 48.18% | 83 | 2.43% | 3,412 |
| St. Joseph | 1,509 | 45.36% | 1,812 | 54.46% | 6 | 0.18% | 3,327 |
| Scott | 693 | 56.11% | 278 | 22.51% | 264 | 21.38% | 1,235 |
| Shelby | 2,075 | 55.67% | 1,510 | 40.52% | 142 | 3.81% | 3,727 |
| Spencer | 1,260 | 54.71% | 235 | 10.20% | 808 | 35.08% | 2,303 |
| Starke | 155 | 56.57% | 112 | 40.88% | 7 | 2.55% | 274 |
| Steuben | 553 | 30.95% | 1,215 | 67.99% | 19 | 1.06% | 1,787 |
| Sullivan | 1,650 | 71.61% | 257 | 11.15% | 397 | 17.23% | 2,304 |
| Switzerland | 1,121 | 46.92% | 228 | 9.54% | 1,040 | 43.53% | 2,389 |
| Tippecanoe | 2,307 | 44.97% | 2,778 | 54.15% | 45 | 0.88% | 5,130 |
| Tipton | 738 | 56.86% | 546 | 42.06% | 14 | 1.08% | 1,298 |
| Union | 710 | 47.59% | 763 | 51.14% | 19 | 1.27% | 1,492 |
| Vanderburgh | 1,880 | 60.80% | 372 | 12.03% | 840 | 27.17% | 3,092 |
| Vermillion | 824 | 46.55% | 866 | 48.93% | 80 | 4.52% | 1,770 |
| Vigo | 1,808 | 46.89% | 1,165 | 30.21% | 883 | 22.90% | 3,856 |
| Wabash | 1,096 | 36.67% | 1,785 | 59.72% | 108 | 3.61% | 2,989 |
| Warren | 767 | 38.16% | 1,167 | 58.06% | 76 | 3.78% | 2,010 |
| Warrick | 1,506 | 71.95% | 107 | 5.11% | 480 | 22.93% | 2,093 |
| Washington | 1,778 | 63.50% | 331 | 11.82% | 691 | 24.68% | 2,800 |
| Wayne | 1,958 | 34.08% | 3,688 | 64.18% | 100 | 1.74% | 5,746 |
| Wells | 931 | 55.65% | 726 | 43.40% | 16 | 0.96% | 1,673 |
| White | 746 | 50.03% | 703 | 47.15% | 42 | 2.82% | 1,491 |
| Whitley | 851 | 49.91% | 797 | 46.74% | 57 | 3.34% | 1,705 |
| Totals | 118,670 | 50.41% | 94,375 | 40.09% | 22,356 | 9.50% | 235,401 |
See also
Notes
- ^ Dubin 2002, p. 135.
- ^ "1856 Electoral College Results". National Archives. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ Lampi n.d.; Ratcliffe 2014, p. 57.
- ^ Dubin 2002, p. 35.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - IN US President Race - Nov 04, 1856". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
Bibliography
- "1856 Electoral College Results". National Archives. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2002). United States Presidential Elections, 1788-1860. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. ISBN 978-0-7864-6422-7.
- Lampi, Philip J. (n.d.). "Electoral College". A New Nation Votes. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
- Ratcliffe, Donald J. (Spring 2014). "Popular Preferences in the Presidential Election of 1824". Journal of the Early Republic. 34 (1): 45–77. JSTOR 24486931.