1851 Boston mayoral election

The 1851 Boston mayoral election saw the election of Benjamin Seaver, a former president of the Boston Common Council, as mayor of Boston. The election took three votes, as no candidate secured the needed majority in the first two attempts. In the third attempt, Seaver won the required majority by the margin of a single vote. Incumbent Whig mayor John P. Bigelow was not a nominee for reelection.

1851 Boston mayoral election

Dec. 8, 1851 (1st vote) Dec. 17, 1851 (2nd vote) Dec. 24, 1851 (3rd vote)

Candidate Benjamin Seaver John H. Wilkins Party Whig Whig First vote Did not contest 4,423 45.13% Second vote 3,970 47.31% Did not contest Third vote 3,990 50.05% Did not contest   Candidate Jerome V. C. Smith Adam W. Thaxter Jr. Party KN Democratic First vote 2,672 27.26% 1,250 21.95% Second vote 2,680 31.94% 1,290 15.37% Third vote 2,736 34.32% 1,024 12.84%

Mayor before election John P. Bigelow Whig Elected Mayor Benjamin Seaver Whig

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Boston Mayor 1822 1823 1824 Apr 1825 Dec 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844–45 Dec 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853–54 Dec 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1910 1914 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 City council 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021
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Ward 12 Democratic Party ticket from the 1851 election