The 1924 Wyoming special gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1924.
William B. Ross
William Bradford Ross (December 4, 1873 – October 2, 1924) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Wyoming, 12th governor of Wyoming as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat.
Life
William Bradford Ross was bor ...
, the Democratic Governor of Wyoming, died in office on October 2, 1924, temporarily elevating Republican Secretary of State
Frank Lucas
Frank Lucas (September 9, 1930 – May 30, 2019) was an American drug trafficker who operated in Harlem, New York City, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly ...
to the governorship. A special election was held to fill the remainder of Ross's term and his widow,
Nellie Tayloe Ross
Nellie Davis Tayloe Ross (November 29, 1876 – December 19, 1977) was an American educator and politician who served as the 14th governor of Wyoming from 1925 to 1927, and as the 28th and first female director of the United States Mint from 193 ...
, defeated Republican nominee E. J. Sullivan by a wide margin.
Campaign
Following Governor Ross's death on October 2, 1924, Secretary of State Frank Lucas ascended to the governorship. On October 6, Lucas issued a proclamation for a special election, but ambiguities in the law prompted him to seek a formal opinion from the state attorney general as to how candidates would be selected and how the election would be conducted. On October 9, the attorney general issued an opinion clarifying that candidates could be nominated by petition (in which case they would be listed as "independent" on the ballot) or by political party conventions. Accordingly, the Democratic and Republican parties scheduled conventions for October 14.
Democratic convention
As the Democratic convention convened in
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
on October 14, speculation swirled around four potential candidates:
Nellie Tayloe Ross
Nellie Davis Tayloe Ross (November 29, 1876 – December 19, 1977) was an American educator and politician who served as the 14th governor of Wyoming from 1925 to 1927, and as the 28th and first female director of the United States Mint from 193 ...
, the widow of Governor Ross; Attorney General David J. Howell; former Assistant Secretary of the Interior Samuel G. Hopkins; and Charles D. Carey, the son of former Governor
Joseph M. Carey
Joseph Maull Carey (January 19, 1845February 5, 1924) was an American lawyer, rancher, judge, and politician, who was active in Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by ...
.
Ross was reported to be the favorite of the convention's delegates and it was considered a "not entirely remote" possibility that if the Democratic Party nominated her, the Republican Party would, too.
As the convention started, however, it was unclear if Ross would be a candidate. By her own account, she was uncertain whether she would accept the nomination:
The state party chairman relayed this uncertainty, saying that Ross had informed him that she might not accept a nomination. At the beginning of the convention, Hopkins withdrew from consideration and the race apparently narrowed to Carey and Howell.
However, Carey's reluctance to accept the nomination pushed the convention to adjourn for several hours.
When the convention returned, delegates put Ross's name, and that of former State Senator Patrick J. O'Connor, into consideration. O'Connor withdrew and the convention unanimously nominated Ross.
Ross was informed that she had been nominated and had just 45 minutes to accept or decline it prior to the filing deadline. She reported that she was "overwhelmed" by the "warm protestations of loyalty and confident predictions of victory of those faithful friends," and "the first thing I knew, I was committed."
Republican convention
On the Republican side, speculation about potential candidates circled around three men: former State Representative Eugene J. Sullivan; acting Governor Lucas; and C. Watt Brandon, an official with the
Coolidge presidential campaign.
Though former Governor
Robert D. Carey was favored by many of the convention delegates, he ultimately declined to run.
During the course of the convention, Brandon, Lucas, and Sullivan were all nominated, as were attorney George Brimmer; former State Senator H.J. Chassell, and banker S. A. Nelson.
After several rounds of balloting, Sullivan emerged as the presumptive nominee, winning the support of 17 out of 22 committee members, who then moved to nominate him unanimously.
General election
Results
County results
Source
References
{{1924 United States elections
1924 Wyoming elections
1924
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
Wyoming 1924