1848 Boston mayoral election

The 1848 Boston mayoral election saw the election of Whig Party nominee John P. Bigelow. It was held on December 11, 1848. Incumbent Whig mayor Josiah Quincy Jr. was not a nominee for reelection.^[1]

Candidates

John P. Bigelow (Whig Party)^[2] former Massachusetts secretary of the Commonwealth
Edward Brooks (independent candidate)^[2]
John W. James (Democratic Party/Locofoco),^[2] candidate for mayor in 1835 and 1836
Jerome V. C. Smith ("Native American Party" –Know Nothing)^[2]
Bradford Sumner (Free Soil Party),^[2] candidate for mayor in 1839 and 1842 and candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 1838 and 1839

1848 Boston mayoral election^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John P. Bigelow	5,150	66.03
	Democratic	John W. James	1,143	14.65
	Free Soil	Bradford Sumner	929	11.91
	Know Nothing	Jerome V. C. Smith	417	5.35
	Independent	Edward Brooks	132	1.69
	Scattering	Other	29	0.60
Total votes			7,800	100

^ ^a ^b A Catalogue of the City Councils of Boston, 1822-1908, Roxbury, 1846-1867, Charlestown, 1847-1873 and of the Selectmen of Boston, 1634-1822: Also of Various Other Town and Municipal Officers. City of Boston Printing Department. 1909. p. 51. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e
Multiple sources:
- "Boston Municipal Election". Middlebury Register. December 19, 1849. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City Election". The Liberator. December 15, 1848. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Boston". Greenfield Democrat. December 19, 1848 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Votes for Mayor of Boston, from 1841 to 1849". Boston Evening Transcript. November 23, 1849. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.