The 1896 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896. Incumbent Republican Governor

Charles H. Sheldon Charles Henry Sheldon (September 12, 1840October 20, 1898) was the second Governor of South Dakota. Biography Charles Henry Sheldon was born in Johnson, Vermont, the third of four children of Gresham and Mary (Brown) Sheldon. After the death ...

declined to run for re-election to a third term. Former Secretary of State Amund O. Ringsrud was nominated as Sheldon's replacement at the Republican convention. Ringrud's main opponent was businessman

Andrew E. Lee Andrew Ericson Lee (March 18, 1847 – March 19, 1934) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of South Dakota, third Governor of South Dakota. Biography Lee was born near Bergen, Norway, Bergen in Norway and at a young ag ...

, who was nominated by a makeshift coalition of

Populists Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

, Free Silver Republicans, and Democrats. In the general election, Lee narrowly defeated Ringsrud, the first defeat for the Republican Party in a gubernatorial election since statehood.

Republican convention

In the lead-up to the Republican convention, which took place in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

on July 8, 1896, several candidates either announced their candidacies for Governor or were seen as likely candidates: former Secretary of State Amund O. Ringsrud, Lieutenant Governor

Charles N. Herreid Charles Nelson Herreid (October 20, 1857 – July 6, 1928) was the fourth Governor of South Dakota. Biography Charles Herreid was born in Dane County, Wisconsin. His parents, Nels Olson Herreid (1832–1902) and Thone Kittelson Herreid (1833� ...

, former State Representative Millard F. Greeley from

Deuel County Deuel County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Deuel County, Nebraska: named for Harry Porter Deuel, a long time railroad official who resided in Omaha, NE * Deuel County, South Dakota Deuel County ( ) is a county in the U.S. ...

, and F. G. Hale, a member of the

South Dakota Board of Regents The South Dakota Board of Regents (also known as SDBOR) is a governing board that controls six public universities in the U.S. state of South Dakota. These include Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, So ...

. As the convention approached, Ringsrud emerged as the frontrunner, and ultimately won the nomination.

People's Party convention

After three straight elections in which the left-leaning vote in South Dakota was split, a fusion finally took place. The coalition was precipitated by the exodus of Free Silver Republicans from the

Republican Party of South Dakota The South Dakota Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in South Dakota. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling South Dakota's at-large U.S. House seat, both U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, and has ...

, led by U.S. Senator

Richard F. Pettigrew Richard Franklin Pettigrew (July 23, 1848October 5, 1926) was an American lawyer, surveyor, and land developer. He represented the Dakota Territory in the U.S. Congress and, after the Dakotas were admitted as States, he was the first U.S. Senato ...

. Pettigrew and the Silver Republicans joined forces with the Populist Party at its convention, which started on July 15, 1896, in

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...

. In the months preceding the convention, there was much speculation about whether prominent businessman

would be the Populist nominee for Governor, or whether another candidate—like F. M. Goodykoontz or former territorial legislator H. B. Wynn—would replace him. But when Pettigrew's forces joined with the Populists, Pettigrew began negotiating with Henry A. Loucks, a prominent leader in the Farmers' Alliance. The tentative agreement between Pettigrew and Loucks was to name Wynn as their nominee for Governor, and if this failed, to name Lee for Governor and Wynn for Treasurer. But Wynn's refusal to accept a position other than Governor, and Lee's refusal to accept any deal with Wynn, ultimately led the convention to nominate Lee for Governor. Shortly after the convention, the Democratic Party endorsed the Populist slate of candidates, declining to hold its own convention. As a result, the People's Party was formed to contest the 1896 election.

Campaign

Populist candidates

John Edward Kelley John Edward Kelley (March 27, 1853 – August 5, 1941) was a newspaperman and a politician from South Dakota who served one term in the United States House of Representatives. Biography John E. Kelley was born near Portage, Wisconsin on March 2 ...

and

Freeman Knowles Freeman Tulley Knowles (October 10, 1846 – June 1, 1910) was a veteran of the American Civil War, lawyer, journalist and social activist. From 1897 to 1899, he served one term in the United States House of Representatives as a Populist. Biograp ...

also won both of South Dakota's seats in the concurrent U.S. House election.

General election

Results

References

Works cited

* {{1896 United States elections

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...

Gubernatorial 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 ...

November 1896 events