The 1928
gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1928.
Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor
Frank G. Allen was elected to a two-year term, defeating Democrat Charles H. Cole.
The 1928 election represents a major turning point in Massachusetts political history.
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928.
The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...
's
victory in the state's presidential contest and the competitive gubernatorial election marked a departure from decades of Republican dominance.
Republican primary
Governor
Candidates
*
Frank G. Allen, Lieutenant Governor
*
Frank A. Goodwin, Registrar of Motor Vehicles
Results
Lieutenant Governor Frank Allen was nominated over Frank A. Goodwin.
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
*George A. Bacon, former Chairman of the
Massachusetts Republican Party
The Massachusetts Republican Party (MassGOP) is the Massachusetts branch of the U.S. Republican Party.
In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 52, the party is governed by a state committee which consists of one man and one woma ...
*
Charles L. Burrill, former
Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
The Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts (commonly called the "treasurer") is an executive officer, elected statewide every four years.
The Treasurer oversees the Office of Abandoned Property, escheated accounts, the State Retirement ...
(1915–1920)
*
Pehr G. Holmes
Pehr Gustaf Holmes (April 9, 1881 – December 19, 1952) was a United States representative from Massachusetts.
Early life
Holmes was born in Mölnbacka in Forshaga Municipality in Värmland, Sweden. In 1886, when he was 4 years old, Holm ...
, member of the
Massachusetts Executive Council and former Mayor of Worcester (1917–1920)
*
John C. Hull, Speaker of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
since 1925
*
Robert M. Leach, former U.S. Representative from
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
(1924–1925)
*Wycliffe C. Marshall
*John H. Sherburne
*
William S. Youngman,
Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
The Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts (commonly called the "treasurer") is an executive officer, elected statewide every four years.
The Treasurer oversees the Office of Abandoned Property, escheated accounts, the State Retirement ...
since 1925
Results
Treasurer
William S. Youngman won the highly competitive primary election by 21,099 votes over Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
John C. Hull.
Democratic primary
Governor
Candidates
*
Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
Charles H. Cole, former
Adjutant General of Massachusetts
The Adjutant General of Massachusetts is the highest-ranking military official in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is subordinate to the Governor of Massachusetts. The Adjutant General is a member of the Governor's Cabinet and advises the Gov ...
and Commissioner of the Boston Fire and Police Departments
* John J. Cummings, candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1922 and 1924
Results
Brigadier General Charles Cole easily defeated John J. Cummings for the Democratic nomination.
Lt. Governor
Candidates
*John F. Malley, resident of
Chestnut Hill
*Charles S. Murphy, resident of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
Results
General election
Candidates
*
Frank G. Allen, incumbent Governor (Republican)
* Chester W. Bixby, founding member of the Communist Party of the United States of America (Workers)
*
Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
Charles H. Cole, former
Adjutant General of Massachusetts
The Adjutant General of Massachusetts is the highest-ranking military official in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is subordinate to the Governor of Massachusetts. The Adjutant General is a member of the Governor's Cabinet and advises the Gov ...
and Commissioner of the Boston Fire and Police Departments (Democratic)
*
Washington Cook
Washington Cook (February 22, 1873 – October 12, 1955) was an American politician who served one term on the Massachusetts Governor's Council. He was the brother of Massachusetts State Auditor Alonzo B. Cook.
Early life
Cook was born on Febr ...
, brother of
Alonzo B. Cook and independent candidate for United States Senate in 1922 and 1926 (Vigorous Prohibition Enforcement)
* Mary Donovan Hapgood, Secretary of the Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Committee (Socialist)
* Edith Hamilton MacFadden, author (Independent Citizen)
* Stephen Surridge (Socialist Labor)
MacFadden became the first female candidate for Governor in the history of Massachusetts. She ran on a platform of reducing tax exemptions. She is the mother of actor
Hamilton MacFadden
Hamilton MacFadden (April 26, 1901 – January 1, 1977) was an American actor, screenwriter and film director.
MacFadden's parents were Rev. Robert A. MacFadden and Edith Hamilton MacFadden. His father died in 1909, leaving his mother to suppor ...
. She stated that she found "no opposition to a woman aspiring to the executive position of Governor."
Results
See also
*
1927–1928 Massachusetts legislature
References
Bibliography
{{1928 United States elections
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 ...
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
November 1928 events in the United States