The 1819 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on September 20âÂÂ21, 1819, to elect the first governor of Alabama. Democratic-Republican candidate William Wyatt Bibb defeated fellow Democratic-Republican candidate Marmaduke Williams with 53.82% of the vote. The debate over where Alabama's permanent capital should be was reportedly an important issue in the race - Williams supported Tuscaloosa while Bibb proposed Cahawba. After the election, Cahawba was made capital, but it was moved to Tuscaloosa in 1825.