William Irwin

Governor
Born
July 12, 1827
Died
March 15, 1886
Age at death
58
Home state
California
Party
Democratic
On the ballot
1875
1-0
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Irwin61,509
Opponents61,074
1
Elections run

William Irwin (1827–1886), a Democratic politician from California, ran once for U.S. office, winning the 1875 governor election in California with 61,509 votes (50.03%), defeating Timothy Guy Phelps and John Bidwell.

Browse every governor election in California or all 1875 governor races.

How many votes has William Irwin received?

William Irwin has received 61,509 popular votes across 1 U.S. election, with a career record of 1–0.

Election history

William Irwin’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1875GovernorCaliforniaWon61,50950.03%Timothy Guy Phelps
John Bidwell
Identity & sources. Identity verified against Wikidata (Q881348). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “William Irwin: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/william-irwin-california-governor. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.