1865 Louisiana gubernatorial election

The 1865 Louisiana gubernatorial special election was held on November 7. Acting Governor James Madison Wells was elected to a full term in office over former Confederate-recognized governor Henry Watkins Allen, who was in exile in Mexico City and did not consent to his candidacy. This was the first election to take place under the Louisiana Constitution of 1864.

Historian Mark W. Summers framed the 1865 election as an example of the failure of moderate Reconstruction, which led to the split between radical Reconstruction at the federal level and secessionist resistance at the local and state level throughout the South. Although the moderate Wells was re-elected with the support of both the Democratic and Conservative Union parties, his margin of victory despite running effectively unopposed was disappointing. Wells later speculated that if Allen had actively consented to his candidacy, Allen would have easily won. Downballot, former Confederates nearly swept the election, leading to a constitutional crisis, civil unrest and federal intervention culminating in Wells's removal from office in 1867.