1885 United States gubernatorial elections

1885 United States gubernatorial elections

← 1884 November 3, 1885 April 1, 1885 (RI) October 13, 1885 (OH) 1886 →
7 state governorships
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 22 governorships 15 governorships Seats before 22 15 Seats after 22 16 Seat change 1

United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1885, in seven states.

Mississippi and Virginia at this time held their gubernatorial elections in odd numbered years, every 4 years, following the United States presidential election year. New York at this time elected its governors to a three-year term. Massachusetts and Rhode Island both elected its governors to a single-year term, which they would abandon in 1920 and 1912, respectively. Iowa and Ohio at this time held gubernatorial elections in every odd numbered year.

In Ohio, the gubernatorial election was held in October for the last time; the next gubernatorial election would be held on the same day as federal elections.

Results

State	Incumbent	Party	Status	Opposing candidates
Iowa	Buren R. Sherman	Republican	Retired, Republican victory	William Larrabee (Republican) 50.76% Charles E. Whiting (Democratic) 48.73% James Mickelwatt (Prohibition) 0.41% Elias Doty (Greenback) 0.09% Scattering 0.01% [1] [2] [3]
Massachusetts	George D. Robinson	Republican	Re-elected, 53.53%	Frederick O. Prince (Democratic) 43.09% Thomas J. Lothrop (Prohibition) 2.25% James Sumner (Greenback) 1.06% Scattering 0.07% [4] [5]
Mississippi	Robert Lowry	Democratic	Re-elected, 99.01%	Put Darden (Independent) 0.92% Scattering 0.07% [6] [7]
New York	David B. Hill (acting)	Democratic	Re-elected, 48.86%	Ira Davenport (Republican) 47.78% Henry Clay Bascom (Prohibition) 3.01% George O. Jones (Greenback) 0.21% Defective and scattering 0.14% [8] [9] [10] [11]
Ohio (held, 13 October 1885)	George Hoadly	Democratic	Defeated, 46.75%	Joseph B. Foraker (Republican) 49.14% Adna B. Leonard (Prohibition) 3.84% John W. Northrop (Greenback) 0.27% [12] [13]
Rhode Island (held, 1 April 1885)	Augustus O. Bourn	Republican	[ data missing ]	George P. Wetmore (Republican) 56.22% Ziba O. Slocum (Democratic) 38.37% George H. Slade (Prohibition) 5.40% Scattering 0.02% [14] [15]
Virginia	William E. Cameron	Readjuster	Term-limited, Democratic victory	Fitzhugh Lee (Democratic) 52.77% John Sergeant Wise (Republican) 47.22% Scattering 0.01% [16] [17]

References

1. "IA Governor, 1885". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
2. Journal of the Senate of the Twenty-First General Assembly of the State of Iowa, which convened at the Capitol at Des Moines, January 11, 1886. Des Moines: Geo. E. Roberts, State Printer. 1886. p. 16.
3. Whitney, H. N. 1931-32 Official Register (PDF). Vol. 34. Des Moines: The State of Iowa. p. 457.
4. "MA Governor, 1885". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
5. Gifford, S. N.; McLaughlin, Edward A. (1886). Manual for the use of the General Court, &c. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, State Printers. p. 288.
6. "MS Governor, 1885". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
7. Rowland, Dunbar (1908). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi, 1908. Nashville, Tenn.: Press of the Brandon Printing Company. p. 245.
8. "NY Governor, 1885". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
9. Eisenstadt, Peter; Moss, Laura-Eve, eds. (2005). The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 674. ISBN   0-8156-0808-X.
10. Brown, Roscoe C. E. (1922). Smith, Ray B. (ed.). History of the State of New York, Political and Governmental. Vol. III. Syracuse, N.Y.: The Syracuse Press, Inc. p. 319.
11. Spofford, Ainsworth R., ed. (1886). American Almanac and Treasury of Facts, 1886. New York and Washington: The American News Company. p. 241.
12. "OH Governor, 1885". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
13. The Journal of the Senate of the State of Ohio, for the Regular Session of the Sixty-Seventh General Assembly, commencing on Monday, January 4, 1886. Vol. LXXXII. Columbus: Myers Brothers, State Printers. 1886. p. 16.
14. "RI Governor, 1885". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
15. Joshua M. Addeman, Secretary of State (1885). Manual with Rules and Orders for the use of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, 1885-86. Providence. R.I.: E. L. Freeman & Son, Printers to the State. p. 122.
16. "VA Governor, 1885". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
17. Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia: begun and held at the Capitol in the City of Richmond, on Wednesday, December 2, 1885. Richmond: Bush U. Derr, Superintendent of Public Printing. 1885. p. 16.

Bibliography

• Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN   0-930466-17-9.
• Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN   1-56802-396-0.
• Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861-1911: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN   978-0-7864-4722-0.
• McPherson, Edward, ed. (1886). The Tribune Almanac and Political Register for 1886. New York, NY: The Tribune Association.