PolitiFinder

1869 Iowa Gubernatorial Election

Iowa · 2 candidates · See every 1869 Governor race

Who won the 1869 Iowa Gubernatorial Election?

Samuel Merrill won the 1869 Iowa Gubernatorial Election. Samuel Merrill received 97,243 popular votes (62.93%). The main challenger was George Gillespie (37.07%).

See the full head-to-head between Merrill and Gillespie

Merrill +25.9 pts · won by 39,956 votes
Samuel MerrillRepublicanWINNER62.93%
97,243 votes
George GillespieDemocratic37.07%
57,287 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.