# 1861 New York City mayoral election

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vte :
An election for Mayor of New York City was held on December 3, 1861.
Incumbent mayor Fernando Wood ran for re-election to a second consecutive term in office. In a close three-way race, Wood finished third behind Republican George Opdyke and Democratic nominee C. Godfrey Gunther. Opdyke was the first Republican elected mayor of New York City.

## Background

Following his defeat in the 1857 election by an alliance of Republicans, Know-Nothings, and former Tammany Hall supporters, Fernando Wood was declared politically dead. However, he purchased the New York Daily News, and, after an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of Tammany Hall, founded his own political society, known as Mozart Hall. In 1859, he defeated William Frederick Havemeyer and Republican nominee George Opdyke to return to office for a third non-consecutive term.

## General election
### Candidates

* C. Godfrey Gunther, fur merchant (Tammany Hall)
* George Opdyke, banker, former Assemblyman, and candidate for mayor in 1859 (Republican)
* Fernando Wood, incumbent mayor since 1860 (Mozart Hall)

### Results

1861 New York City mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | George Opdyke | 25,380 | 34.15% | 6.79 |
| | Democratic | C. Godfrey Gunther | 24,767 | 33.33% | 1.06 |
| | Independent Democratic | Fernando Wood (incumbent) | 24,167 | 32.52% | 5.73 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 74,314 | 100.00% | |