The 1868 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held for three days from April 14 to April 16, 1868 to select the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. The election for statewide offices was held simultaneously with the vote on the South Carolina Constitution of 1868.

Robert Kingston Scott Robert Kingston Scott (July 8, 1826August 12, 1900) was an American Republican politician, the 74th governor of South Carolina, and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1891 he built a Queen Anne Italianate Victorian ho ...

won the election largely by the support of the newly franchised

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

voters and became the 74th governor of South Carolina.

Campaign

The

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

was formed in South Carolina in 1867 to contest the elections of 1868. Members were chiefly composed of

former slaves A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of the ...

, and much of their support was derived from the Union League. They nominated

, an Ohioan and assistant commissioner of the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was an agency of early Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South. It was established on March 3, 1865, and operated briefly as a ...

, as their nominee for governor. The platform of the state Republican party for the election was to enact Radical Republican

reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

of the state. Reorganizing for the election were the Democrats who had not been active in state politics since the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. They nominated

William D. Porter William David Porter (10 March 1808 – 1 May 1864) was a flag officer of the United States Navy. He was the son of Commodore David Porter (1780–1843) and brother of Admiral David Dixon Porter (1813–1891) as well as foster brother of Ad ...

for governor, although he declined the nomination and instead pressed for the voters to simply vote against the constitution. Nonetheless, he remained a Democratic candidate on the ballot. The Democratic platform for the election called for maintaining a policy of

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...

and disapproval of the Constitution of 1868.

General election

The general election was held for three days from April 14 to April 16, 1868 and

was elected as the first Republican

governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

. The huge vote by the blacks of the state enabled Scott to cruise to a comfortable win over the Democratic nominee, William Porter. , - , , colspan=5 , Republican gain , -

References

* *

External links

SCIway Biography of Governor Robert Kingston Scott
{{DEFAULTSORT:South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1868 1868 United States gubernatorial elections

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

April 1868 events

Campaign

General election

See also

References

External links