The 1853 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 14.
Whig Governor John H. Clifford declined to run for a second term in office. Emory Washburn won the race to succeed him. Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, the legislature selected Washburn as the winner.
Washburn was the last governor selected by the legislature; the popular majority requirement was eliminated in 1855. This was also the last election in which the Free Soil Party was a major factor; it was effectively supplanted by the Republican Party in 1854.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives certified the popular returns on January 9. Emory Washburn was the first candidate nominated for Governor with 187 votes. On a second ballot, Bradford Wales was nominated with 156 votes. In the Senate, Washburn defeated Wales with 29 out of 30 votes.[2][a]
^The Senate was composed of 30 members, all of whom were in attendance. However, the source does not make clear whether the remaining Senator cast his vote for Wales or abstained.