The 1888 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1888 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 ...

of the state of

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 = ...

John Peter Richardson III John Peter Richardson III (September 25, 1831 – July 6, 1899) was the 83rd governor of South Carolina from 1886 to 1890. Richardson was born in Clarendon County, South Carolina to John Peter Richardson II, a former Governor of South Carol ...

was renominated by the Democrats and was reelected for a second two-year term.

Democratic Convention

In 1886, an amendment was added to the constitution of the

South Carolina Democratic Party The South Carolina Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. History The Democratic Party thrived during the Second Party System between 1832 ...

that mandated candidates for

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 ...

and

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

to have at least one meeting in every congressional district with the voters.

Benjamin Tillman Benjamin Ryan Tillman (August 11, 1847 – July 3, 1918) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator from 1895 until his death in 1918. A whit ...

, an upstate

demagogue A demagogue (from Greek , a popular leader, a leader of a mob, from , people, populace, the commons + leading, leader) or rabble-rouser is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, e ...

, engaged Governor

Richardson Richardson may refer to: People * Richardson (surname), an English and Scottish surname * Richardson Gang, a London crime gang in the 1960s * Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962) Places Australia * Richardson, Australian Cap ...

at the meetings in 1888 and soundly trounced him on the stump. Confident of his support in the state, Tillman sought to name the next governor of South Carolina and told his henchmen to nominate

Joseph H. Earle Joseph Haynsworth Earle (April 30, 1847May 20, 1897) was a United States Senate, United States Senator from South Carolina. Biography Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville, he attended private schools in Sumter, South Carolina, Sumter. ...

at the Democratic convention. Earle refused the nomination, but Tillman's men nominated him nevertheless stating that "This is a case of the office seeking the man, and not the man seeking the office."Cooper, p184 A friend of Earle's from Sumter County rose to withdraw his name and Earle's brother declared that Earle would not serve if elected. However, many delegates still voted for Earle and Tillman's growing strength in the Democratic party became evident when his candidate for governor obtained almost 40% of the vote, despite publicly disavowing any candidacy.

General election

The general election was held on November 6, 1888 and John Peter Richardson III was reelected as

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 ...

without opposition. There were very few contested races and turnout increased for this election over the previous election solely because of a

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

on the ballot. , - , , colspan=5 , Democratic hold , -

Notes

References

* *"Supplemental Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina." ''Reports and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina''. Volume I. Columbia, SC: James H. Woodrow, 1889, p. 569.

External links

SCIway Biography of Governor John Peter Richardson III
{{South Carolina elections

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

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 ...

November 1888 events

Democratic Convention

General election

See also

Notes

References

External links