Fitzhugh Lee's Gubernatorial Campaign

A small calling-card-size (roughly 2 ½ x 3 ½ inches) campaign advertisement for Fitzhugh Lee portrays Gen. Fitz Lee in Confederate uniform. The engraving was made by A. Hoen & Co. in Richmond, Virginia. In 1877 Lee failed to gain the nomination of the Conservative Party (a fusion of Democrats and moderate Whigs) for governor of Virginia. But in 1885—his statewide popularity enhanced by high-profile speaking engagements as a paid employee of the Richmond-based Southern Historical Association—he won both the nomination of the renamed Democratic Party and the general election. His margin of victory was quite narrow: 16,000 votes out of 290,000 cast.