1880 United States presidential election in Tennessee

1880 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Turnout	15.77% of the total population 1.93 pp
Hancock 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90%	Garfield 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90%
President before election; Rutherford B. Hayes ; Republican	Elected President; James Garfield ; Republican

Last updated March 23, 2024

The 1880 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 2, 1880, as part of the 1880 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 12 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.^[2]

For over a century after the Civil War, Tennessee's white citizenry was divided according to partisan loyalties established in that war. Unionist regions covering almost all of East Tennessee, Kentucky Pennyroyal-allied Macon County, and the five West Tennessee Highland Rim counties of Carroll, Henderson, McNairy, Hardin and Wayne ^[3] voted Republican – generally by landslide margins – as they saw the Democratic Party as the “war party” who had forced them into a war they did not wish to fight.^[4] Contrariwise, the rest of Middle and West Tennessee who had supported and driven the state's secession was equally fiercely Democratic as it associated the Republicans with Reconstruction.^[5]

In 1868, Ulysses S. Grant easily carried the state due to disfranchisement of former confederates and the Ku Klux Klan Act.^[6] However, in the year after that election, Tennessee was the first state where Reconstruction was ended, and with the aid of the resurgent Klan, white Democrats rewrote the state's constitution to regain some of their lost power.^[7] Nevertheless, blacks and Unionist whites forged adequate support for the GOP to create a competitive political system during that decade,^[8] although the Democratic Party won all statewide elections. However, at the beginning of the 1880s, a divide in the Democratic Party on this issue of payment of state debt allowed the GOP to claim the governor's mansion,^[8] but this did not seriously alter presidential voting and Tennessee was won by General Winfield Scott Hancock (D–Pennsylvania), running with former Representative William Hayden English, with 53.26 percent of the popular vote, against Representative James A. Garfield (R-Ohio), running with the 10th chairman of the New York State Republican Executive Committee Chester A. Arthur, with 44.26 percent of the vote.^[2]

This would be the last time a Democratic presidential candidate carried Unionist Pennyroyal Macon County until Bill Clinton in 1992.^[9]

Results

1880 United States presidential election in Tennessee^[2]
Party		Candidate	Running mate	Popular vote		Electoral vote
Party		Candidate	Running mate	Count	%	Count	%
	Democratic	Winfield Scott Hancock of Pennsylvania	William Hayden English of Indiana	129,569	53.26%	12	100.00%
	Republican	James A. Garfield of Ohio	Chester A. Arthur of New York	107,677	44.26%	0	0.00%
	Greenback	James B. Weaver of Iowa	Barzillai J. Chambers of Texas	6,017	2.47%	0	0.00%
Total				243,263	100.00%	12	100.00%

Results by county

1880 United States presidential election in Tennessee by county^[10]^[11]
County	Winfield Scott Hancock Democratic		James Abram Garfield Republican		James Baird Weaver Greenback		Margin		Total votes cast
County	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Anderson	574	35.17%	1,058	64.83%	0	0.00%	-484	-29.66%	1,632
Bedford	2,504	56.82%	1,766	40.07%	137	3.11%	738	16.75%	4,407
Benton	771	56.98%	383	28.31%	199	14.71%	388	28.68%	1,353
Bledsoe	372	42.91%	484	55.82%	11	1.27%	-112	-12.92%	867
Blount	882	35.58%	1,597	64.42%	0	0.00%	-715	-28.84%	2,479
Bradley	665	38.26%	932	53.62%	141	8.11%	-267	-15.36%	1,738
Campbell	314	23.22%	1,038	76.78%	0	0.00%	-724	-53.55%	1,352
Cannon	1,035	67.74%	300	19.63%	193	12.63%	735	48.10%	1,528
Carroll	1,820	44.91%	2,208	54.48%	25	0.62%	-388	-9.57%	4,053
Carter	405	19.77%	1,644	80.23%	0	0.00%	-1,239	-60.47%	2,049
Cheatham	794	67.81%	291	24.85%	86	7.34%	503	42.95%	1,171
Claiborne	967	44.38%	1,212	55.62%	0	0.00%	-245	-11.24%	2,179
Clay	567	63.57%	177	19.84%	148	16.59%	390	43.72%	892
Cocke	906	36.04%	1,608	63.96%	0	0.00%	-702	-27.92%	2,514
Coffee	1,766	84.94%	198	9.52%	115	5.53%	1,568	75.42%	2,079
Cumberland	287	42.33%	371	54.72%	20	2.95%	-84	-12.39%	678
Davidson	7,543	52.24%	6,449	44.66%	448	3.10%	1,094	7.58%	14,440
DeKalb	1,325	60.45%	867	39.55%	0	0.00%	458	20.89%	2,192
Decatur	753	59.90%	413	32.86%	91	7.24%	340	27.05%	1,257
Dickson	1,169	62.58%	497	26.61%	202	10.81%	672	35.97%	1,868
Dyer	1,060	67.39%	248	15.77%	265	16.85%	795^{[lower-alpha 1]}	50.54%	1,573
Fayette	2,247	42.17%	3,082	57.83%	0	0.00%	-835	-15.67%	5,329
Fentress	314	38.06%	511	61.94%	0	0.00%	-197	-23.88%	825
Franklin	2,187	85.43%	357	13.95%	16	0.63%	1,830	71.48%	2,560
Gibson	2,691	61.28%	1,700	38.72%	0	0.00%	991	22.57%	4,391
Giles	2,899	57.80%	2,040	40.67%	77	1.54%	859	17.13%	5,016
Grainger	870	41.39%	1,197	56.95%	35	1.67%	-327	-15.56%	2,102
Greene	2,060	45.74%	2,303	51.13%	141	3.13%	-243	-5.40%	4,504
Grundy	461	87.98%	63	12.02%	0	0.00%	398	75.95%	524
Hamblen	848	43.38%	1,095	56.01%	12	0.61%	-247	-12.63%	1,955
Hamilton	1,595	38.23%	2,460	58.96%	117	2.80%	-865	-20.73%	4,172
Hancock	493	34.21%	948	65.79%	0	0.00%	-455	-31.58%	1,441
Hardeman	1,566	49.56%	1,409	44.59%	185	5.85%	157	4.97%	3,160
Hardin	972	41.84%	1,345	57.90%	6	0.26%	-373	-16.06%	2,323
Hawkins	1,039	28.97%	1,907	53.18%	640	17.85%	-868	-24.21%	3,586
Haywood	1,766	32.38%	3,557	65.22%	131	2.40%	-1,791	-32.84%	5,454
Henderson	1,274	46.23%	1,385	50.25%	97	3.52%	-111	-4.03%	2,756
Henry	2,305	66.18%	1,013	29.08%	165	4.74%	1,292	37.09%	3,483
Hickman	1,157	71.82%	392	24.33%	62	3.85%	765	47.49%	1,611
Houston	522	80.43%	127	19.57%	0	0.00%	395	60.86%	649
Humphreys	1,325	80.69%	245	14.92%	72	4.38%	1,080	65.77%	1,642
Jackson	1,299	88.85%	136	9.30%	27	1.85%	1,163	79.55%	1,462
James	209	32.86%	403	63.36%	24	3.77%	-194	-30.50%	636
Jefferson	693	27.33%	1,807	71.25%	36	1.42%	-1,114	-43.93%	2,536
Johnson	203	15.68%	1,092	84.32%	0	0.00%	-889	-68.65%	1,295
Knox	3,119	41.61%	4,361	58.18%	16	0.21%	-1,242	-16.57%	7,496
Lake	337	84.46%	28	7.02%	34	8.52%	303^{[lower-alpha 1]}	75.94%	399
Lauderdale	1,147	52.02%	971	44.04%	87	3.95%	176	7.98%	2,205
Lawrence	928	71.94%	362	28.06%	0	0.00%	566	43.88%	1,290
Lewis	200	84.03%	37	15.55%	1	0.42%	163	68.49%	238
Lincoln	3,652	78.84%	886	19.13%	94	2.03%	2,766	59.72%	4,632
Loudon	533	34.30%	1,021	65.70%	0	0.00%	-488	-31.40%	1,554
Macon	713	54.59%	559	42.80%	34	2.60%	154	11.79%	1,306
Madison	2,834	54.36%	2,223	42.64%	156	2.99%	611	11.72%	5,213
Marion	740	45.51%	886	54.49%	0	0.00%	-146	-8.98%	1,626
Marshall	2,006	76.04%	548	20.77%	84	3.18%	1,458	55.27%	2,638
Maury	3,306	54.66%	2,742	45.34%	0	0.00%	564	9.33%	6,048
McMinn	1,209	45.25%	1,463	54.75%	0	0.00%	-254	-9.51%	2,672
McNairy	1,135	46.65%	949	39.01%	349	14.34%	186	7.64%	2,433
Meigs	607	60.58%	395	39.42%	0	0.00%	212	21.16%	1,002
Monroe	1,181	56.18%	919	43.72%	2	0.10%	262	12.46%	2,102
Montgomery	2,846	58.26%	2,039	41.74%	0	0.00%	807	16.52%	4,885
Morgan	245	36.08%	434	63.92%	0	0.00%	-189	-27.84%	679
Obion	1,982	71.22%	583	20.95%	218	7.83%	1,399	50.27%	2,783
Overton	1,152	72.59%	430	27.10%	5	0.32%	722	45.49%	1,587
Perry	604	73.04%	223	26.96%	0	0.00%	381	46.07%	827
Polk	653	64.02%	362	35.49%	5	0.49%	291	28.53%	1,020
Putnam	1,040	68.92%	467	30.95%	2	0.13%	573	37.97%	1,509
Rhea	668	61.00%	427	39.00%	0	0.00%	241	22.01%	1,095
Roane	805	33.02%	1,628	66.78%	5	0.21%	-823	-33.76%	2,438
Robertson	2,107	67.55%	951	30.49%	61	1.96%	1,156	37.06%	3,119
Rutherford	3,855	60.10%	2,482	38.70%	77	1.20%	1,373	21.41%	6,414
Scott	127	17.91%	582	82.09%	0	0.00%	-455	-64.17%	709
Sequatchie	224	64.93%	119	34.49%	2	0.58%	105	30.43%	345
Sevier	431	17.36%	2,052	82.64%	0	0.00%	-1,621	-65.28%	2,483
Shelby	6,927	46.24%	7,788	51.99%	264	1.76%	-861	-5.75%	14,979
Smith	1,569	62.16%	705	27.93%	250	9.90%	864	34.23%	2,524
Stewart	1,322	71.58%	488	26.42%	37	2.00%	834	45.15%	1,847
Sullivan	2,264	65.23%	1,207	34.77%	0	0.00%	1,057	30.45%	3,471
Sumner	2,893	72.60%	1,092	27.40%	0	0.00%	1,801	45.19%	3,985
Tipton	1,893	53.78%	1,604	45.57%	23	0.65%	289	8.21%	3,520
Trousdale	793	76.25%	247	23.75%	0	0.00%	546	52.50%	1,040
Union	480	29.63%	1,140	70.37%	0	0.00%	-660	-40.74%	1,620
Van Buren	281	82.40%	60	17.60%	0	0.00%	221	64.81%	341
Warren	1,577	73.52%	482	22.47%	86	4.01%	1,095	51.05%	2,145
Washington	1,576	42.83%	2,104	57.17%	0	0.00%	-528	-14.35%	3,680
Wayne	649	41.76%	905	58.24%	0	0.00%	-256	-16.47%	1,554
Weakley	2,526	63.21%	1,470	36.79%	0	0.00%	1,056	26.43%	3,996
White	1,308	84.01%	173	11.11%	76	4.88%	1,135	72.90%	1,557
Williamson	2,733	63.94%	1,541	36.06%	0	0.00%	1,192	27.89%	4,274
Wilson	2,918	68.34%	1,227	28.74%	125	2.93%	1,691	39.60%	4,270
Totals	129,569	53.26%	107,677	44.26%	6,017	2.47%	21,892	9.00%	243,263

Notes

1 2 In this county where Weaver ran second ahead of Garfield, margin given is Hancock vote minus Weaver vote and percentage margin Hancock percentage minus Weaver percentage.

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References

↑ "1880 Presidential Election Results Tennessee Total Population Turnout".
1 2 3 "1880 Presidential Election Results Tennessee".
↑ Wright, John K.; ‘Voting Habits in the United States: A Note on Two Maps’; Geographical Review, vol. 22, no. 4 (October 1932), pp. 666-672
↑ Key (Jr.), Valdimer Orlando; Southern Politics in State and Nation (New York, 1949), pp. 282-283
↑ Lyons, William; Scheb (II), John M. and Stair Billy; Government and Politics in Tennessee, pp. 183-184 ISBN 1572331410
↑ Bergeron, Paul H.; Ash, Stephen V. and Keith, Jeanette; Tennesseans and Their History, p. 175 ISBN 1572330562
↑ Bergeron; Ash, and Keith; Tennesseans and Their History, pp. 176-178
1 2 Kousser, J. Morgan; The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South, 1880-1910, p. 104 ISBN 0-300-01973-4
↑ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 298-304 ISBN 0786422173
↑ "Presidential election of 1880 Popular Vote". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €15)
↑ "Presidential election of 1880 Popular Vote for James B. Weaver". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €15)

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[WeaverdGarfield-12] 1 2 In this county where Weaver ran second ahead of Garfield, margin given is Hancock vote minus Weaver vote and percentage margin Hancock percentage minus Weaver percentage.

[1] "1880 Presidential Election Results Tennessee Total Population Turnout".

[auto-2] 1 2 3 "1880 Presidential Election Results Tennessee".

[3] Wright, John K.; ‘Voting Habits in the United States: A Note on Two Maps’; Geographical Review, vol. 22, no. 4 (October 1932), pp. 666-672

[4] Key (Jr.), Valdimer Orlando; Southern Politics in State and Nation (New York, 1949), pp. 282-283

[5] Lyons, William; Scheb (II), John M. and Stair Billy; Government and Politics in Tennessee, pp. 183-184 ISBN 1572331410

[6] Bergeron, Paul H.; Ash, Stephen V. and Keith, Jeanette; Tennesseans and Their History, p. 175 ISBN 1572330562

[7] Bergeron; Ash, and Keith; Tennesseans and Their History, pp. 176-178

[shaping104-8] 1 2 Kousser, J. Morgan; The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South, 1880-1910, p. 104 ISBN 0-300-01973-4

[9] Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 298-304 ISBN 0786422173

[GeoelectionsI-10] "Presidential election of 1880 Popular Vote". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €15)

[GeoelectionsII-11] "Presidential election of 1880 Popular Vote for James B. Weaver". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €15)

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