PolitiFinder

1839 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election

Tennessee · 2 candidates · See every 1839 Governor race

Who won the 1839 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election?

James K. Polk won the 1839 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election. James K. Polk received 54,062 popular votes (51.27%). The main challenger was Newton Cannon (48.73%).

See the full head-to-head between Polk and Cannon

Polk +2.5 pts · won by 2,675 votes
James K. PolkDemocraticWINNER51.27%
54,062 votes
Newton CannonWhig Party48.73%
51,387 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.