1860 election
In 1860 the population of Albemarle County, which included the Town of Charlottesville, was 26,625 – consisting of whites (12,103); blacks (13,916); and free blacks (606).[1] Western Piedmont’s Albemarle County (52.3 percent enslaved).
Local election
Presidential election
The 1860 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on Tuesday, November 6, 1860, as part of the 1860 United States presidential election. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. In a four-way contest, the Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin won a national popular plurality. Lincoln's election thus served as the main catalyst of the states that would become the Confederacy seceding from the Union.
Virginia was the only one of the eleven Southern states, that would later declare their secession from the Union and be controlled by Confederate armies, where any ballots for Abraham Lincoln were distributed. In alliance with 121 of the state's then-145 counties, Lincoln received no votes at all in Albemarle County, which included the Town of Charlottesville.
Virginia was one of only three states to vote for the Constitutional Union candidate, former U.S. Senator John Bell, over the Southern Democratic candidate, Vice President John C. Breckinridge, and the Democratic candidate, U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas.
Virginia eventually seceded from the United States on April 17, 1861, and did not participate in the United States presidential election of 1864 and 1868.
1860 Presidential Election Returns
| Ward | Pct | A. Lincoln (Republican) | J. Bell (Union) | J. Breckinridge (Democrat) | S. Douglas (Democrat) | Total Votes Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | Albemarle County (included Town of Charlottesville) | 0 | 1,317 | 1,056 | 97 | |
| VIRGINIA TOTALS |
Source: Richmond Daily Enquirer, 24 December 1860