The 1849 Arkansas gubernatorial special election was held on March 13, 1849, in order to elect the Governor of Arkansas for the remainder of Governor Thomas S. Drew's term, following his resignation on January 10, 1849, due to the low salary he received as governor. Democratic nominee and former Speaker of the Arkansas House of RepresentativesJohn Selden Roane defeated Whig nominee Cyrus W. Wilson by only a slim margin of 62 votes, or 0.96%.[1][2]