1788 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

1788 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

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Nominee John Hancock Elbridge Gerry Party Federalist [a] Anti-federalist Popular vote 17,856 4,145 Percentage 80.53% 18.70%

County results Hancock:      50-60%     60-70%     70-80%     80-90%     90-100% No Data/Vote:

Governor before election John Hancock Nonpartisan Elected Governor John Hancock Nonpartisan

A gubernatorial election was held in Massachusetts on April 7, 1788. John Hancock, the incumbent governor, defeated Elbridge Gerry, a former delegate to the United States Constitutional Convention. ^{[1] [2]}

The election took place in the immediate aftermath of a narrow vote to ratify the United States Constitution, which Hancock supported and Gerry opposed. A political moderate, Hancock's public endorsement of the Constitution was decisive in Massachusetts: although too ill to take his seat as president of the Massachusetts ratifying convention, his speech recommending adoption of the Constitution with amendments persuaded the closely-divided assembly to vote in favor of ratification. ^[3] In recognition of his importance to the pro-ratification cause, the "friends of the Constitution" decided to promote the popular Hancock as the federalist candidate for governor; meanwhile, Gerry was put forward by the anti-federalists who remained skeptical of the incoming federal government. ^[4] Gerry had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, but refused to sign the final document in protest of the Three-Fifths Clause, which inflated the representation of the slave states in the United States House of Representatives, and the lack of a bill of rights. ^[5] Although Gerry publicly accepted the outcome of the ratification vote, the issue of the Constitution loomed large in the gubernatorial campaign. Despite the significant opposition to ratification, Gerry was ultimately unable to overcome Hancock's immense personal popularity and was defeated by more than 12,000 votes. ^[6]

Results

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1788

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Federalist [a]	John Hancock (incumbent)	17,856	80.53%	+5.44
	Anti-federalist	Elbridge Gerry	4,145	18.70%	New
	Federalist	James Bowdoin	102	0.46%	−21.46
	Anti-federalist	James Warren	35	0.16%	+0.15
	Federalist	Benjamin Lincoln	16	0.07%	−2.01
	Federalist	Samuel Adams	3	0.01%	+0.01
	Federalist	Nathaniel Gorham	2	0.01%	−0.32
	Federalist	John Adams	1	0.00%	New
		Daniel Bimby	1	0.00%	New
		Charles Chauncey	1	0.00%	New
		Job Cushing	1	0.00%	New
	Federalist	William Cushing	1	0.00%	New
		Solomon Freeman	1	0.00%	New
		Joseph Lefert	1	0.00%	New
		Nehemiah Pratt	1	0.00	New
	Federalist	James Sullivan	1	0.00	New
	Federalist	Artemas Ward	1	0.00%	New
		Abraham White	1	0.00%	New
Blank ballots			2	0.01%	+0.01
Total votes			22,172	100.00%
	Federalist [a] hold

By county

	John Hancock Federalist [a]		Elbridge Gerry Anti-federalist		Scattering		County total
County	Votes	Percent	Votes	Percent	Votes	Percent
Barnstable	334	80.87	75	18.16	4 [b]	0.97	413
Berkshire	923	66.02	471	33.69	4 [c]	0.29	1,398
Bristol	875	50.23	863	49.54	4 [d]	0.23	1,742
Cumberland	707	95.93	20	2.71	10 [e]	1.36	737
Dukes	91	100.00	—		—		91
Essex	2,268	82.35	481	17.46	5 [f]	0.22	2,754
Hampshire	2,129	69.48	892	29.11	43 [g]	1.40	3,064
Lincoln	778	83.93	142	15.32	7 [h]	0.76	927
Middlesex	2,560	89.45	292	10.20	10 [i]	0.35	2,862
Nantucket	No votes recorded						—
Plymouth	1,068	89.37	103	8.62	24 [j]	2.01	1,195
Suffolk	2,841	97.43	48	1.65	27 [k]	0.92	2,916
Worcester	2,866	79.61	708	19.67	26 [l]	0.72	3,600
York	416	87.95	50	10.57	7 [m]	1.48	473
TOTAL	17,856	80.53	4,145	18.70	171	0.77	22,172

References

1. Hancock belonged to the "federalist" political faction in Massachusetts favoring ratification of the United States Constitution, not to be confused with the later Federalist Party.
2. Bowdoin 2, John Adams 1, Lincoln 1. Manuscript returns transcribed by Lampi show single votes for Adams in both Barnstable and Hampshire counties, but only one vote for Adams in the statewide tally; meanwhile, Solomon Freeman is awarded one vote in the statewide tally, but no recorded votes in any county. This appears to be a transcription error, in which case either the vote in Barnstable County or the vote in Hampshire County was likely cast for Freeman.
3. Bowdoin 3, Warren 1
4. Bowdoin 2, Pratt 1, Warren 1
5. Bowdoin 7, Samuel Adams 1, Blank 2
6. Bowdoin 2, Lincoln 2, Bimby 1
7. Warren 20, Bowdoin 19, Lincoln 3, John Adams 1. Manuscript returns transcribed by Lampi show single votes for Adams in both Barnstable and Hampshire counties, but only one vote for Adams in the statewide tally; meanwhile, Solomon Freeman is awarded one vote in the statewide tally, but no recorded votes in any county. This appears to be a transcription error, in which case either the vote in Barnstable County or the vote in Hampshire County was likely cast for Freeman.
8. Warren 7
9. Bowdoin 5, Lincoln 2, Samuel Adams 1, Gorham 1, Warren 1
10. Bowdoin 17, Warren 3, Lincoln 2, William Cushing 1, Lefert 1
11. Bowdoin 23, Lincoln 3, White 1
12. Bowdoin 17, Lincoln 3, Samuel Adams 1, Job Cushing 1, Gorham 1, Sullivan 1, Ward 1, Warren 1
13. Bowdoin 5, Chauncey 1, Warren 1

1. Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 100. ISBN   0786414391.
2. Lampi, Philip J. "Massachusetts 1788 Governor". A New Nation Votes. American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
3. Fowler, William M. (1980). The Baron of Beacon Hill: A Biography of John Hancock. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 268–71.
4. "The Commonwealth, on the subject of the federal Constitution ..." The New-Hampshire Spy. June 3, 1788.
5. Finkelman, Paul (1987). "Slavery and the Constitutional Convention: Making a Covenant With Death". In Beeman, Richard R. (ed.). Beyond Confederation: Origins of the Constitution and American National Identity. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 224–25.
6. A New Nation Votes