The 1904 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1904. Incumbent Republican 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� ...

declined to run for re-election to a third term. Clark County State's Attorney Samuel H. Elrod won the Republican nomination to run as Herreid's successor, and he faced Democratic nominee Louis N. Crill, the former President of the State Senate, and former U.S. Congressman

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 ...

, the Socialist nominee. For the first time since

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, the Democratic and Populist Parties nominated separate candidates. Ultimately, the split in the two parties did not prove dispositive; Elrod defeated Crill and the other candidates in a landslide.

Republican convention

In the lead-up to the Republican convention, speculation swirled around several names: Secretary of State O. C. Berg, former Attorney General Coe I. Crawford, State Senator J. E. McDougall, Clark County State's Attorney Samuel H. Elrod, and State Representative H. P. Packard of Spink County. At the convention, however, Elrod emerged as the consensus pick and the other candidates ceased their campaigns. Nonetheless, Crawford was nominated by his supporters and the contest continued; Elrod ended up defeating Crawford, receiving 778 votes to Crawford's 226.

Democratic conventions

At the Democratic convention, former State Senate President Louis N. Crill was nominated by acclamation, receiving his party's nomination. This time, however, the Democratic Party did not fuse with the Populist Party, with the parties nominating separate candidates.

General election

Results

References

{{1904 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 ...

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...

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 1904 events