Michael Newbold Castle is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 69th Governor of Delaware from 1985 to 1992 and as the U.S. representative from Delaware's at-large congressional district from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.
James Caleb Boggs was an American lawyer and politician from Claymont, Delaware. A liberal Republican, he was commonly known by his middle name, Caleb, frequently shortened to Cale.
David Hazzard was an American merchant and politician from Milton, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, then the National Republican Party, and finally the Whig Party. He served in the Delaware General Assembly, as Governor of Delaware, and as an associate justice of the Delaware Superior Court.
Charles Polk Jr. was an American farmer and politician from Big Stone Beach, in Milford Hundred, Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party, and later the Whig Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and twice as governor of Delaware.
William Henry Harrison Ross was an American politician from Seaford, in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. He was a member of the Democratic Party who served as Governor of Delaware.
Peter Foster Causey was an American merchant and politician from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the American Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.
Charles Thomas was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.
Benjamin Thomas Biggs was an American politician from Middletown in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the Mexican–American War and a member of the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Representative and 46th Governor of Delaware.
The 78th Delaware General Assembly was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government, consisting of the Delaware Senate and the Delaware House of Representatives. Elections were held the first Tuesday after November 1 and terms began in Dover on the first Tuesday in January. This date was January 1, 1875, which was two weeks before the beginning of the first administrative year of Governor John P. Cochran.
The 1896 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896. Shortly after his victory in the 1894 gubernatorial election, Republican Governor Joshua H. Marvil died. State Senate Speaker William T. Watson, a Democrat, became Governor and a new election for a full four-year term was scheduled in 1896. Though Watson was considered a potential candidate for re-election, the Democratic convention instead nominated Ebe W. Tunnell, the 1894 nominee for Governor; despite his protests that he would decline the nomination, Tunnell ultimately accepted it.
The 1900 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1900. Though Governor Ebe W. Tunnell was eligible for re-election under the newly adopted 1897 constitution, the state convention ended up nominating Peter J. Ford, a prominent businessman.
The 1904 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1904. Though incumbent Republican Governor John Hunn was eligible to run for re-election, he declined to do so. Instead, as the intra-party battle in the Republican Party between the Addicks and anti-Addicks factions continued, Hunn stepped aside to avoid additional conflict. The Addicks, or Union Republicans, nominated Henry C. Conrad for Governor, while the anti-Addicks, or Regular Republicans, held out with their own ticket and nominated Joseph H. Chandler for Governor. On October 12, 1904, the two factions united and agreed to jointly nominate industrialist Preston Lea, a favorite of the Regular Republicans.
The 1908 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Though some Republicans had interest in nominating incumbent Governor Preston Lea to a second term, the state convention instead named former State Senator Simeon S. Pennewill as the Republican nominee. In the general election, Pennewill faced Democratic nominee Rowland G. Paynter, a physician. Pennewill ultimately defeated Paynter by a relatively slim margin, continuing the Republican streak in Delaware gubernatorial elections.
The 1912 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1912. Though Republican Governor Simeon S. Pennewill was eligible for re-election, State Senator Charles R. Miller was nominated by the state Republican convention. With the nationwide rise of the Progressive Party, Delaware Republicans were keen to not lose the race due to a strong showing by a Progressive candidate; Miller was seen as amenable to all factions of the Republican Party and to Progressives. In the general election, Miller faced Democratic nominee Thomas M. Monaghan, who had been elected as State Senate President in a majority-Republican chamber as the result of a coalition agreement with Progressives, and Progressive nominee George B. Hynson.
The 1916 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916. Incumbent Republican Governor Charles R. Miller declined to run for re-election. At the time, the Republican Party was in the middle of a schism that had first developed during the 1912 presidential election. However, the schism did not affect the gubernatorial nomination; though there were rumors that the state party convention might seek to nominate Governor Miller for a second term, former State Representative John G. Townsend Jr. was seen as the frontrunner heading into the convention. He received the nomination without much difficulty and the Republican Party solidified around him its gubernatorial nominee. The Democratic Party nominated former Secretary of State James H. Hughes, and both Townsend and Hughes advanced to the general election.
The 1920 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1920. Incumbent Republican Governor John G. Townsend Jr. declined to seek re-election. At the Republican convention, former State Representative William D. Denney, the frontrunner for the nomination, received the Party's endorsement for Governor without difficulty—though some opposition to his candidacy arose before the convention.
The 1924 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1924. Republican Governor William D. Denney declined to seek re-election, and the Republican state convention unanimously named banker Robert P. Robinson as its nominee; Robinson emerged as a compromise selection.
The 1928 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1928. Republican Governor Robert P. Robinson declined to seek a second term so C. Douglass Buck, the Chief Engineer of the State Highway Department, was seen as the likely frontrunner heading into the Republican convention. At the convention, Buck's primary opponent was State Senator I. Dolphus Short, whom he defeated by a wide margin, receiving 104 votes to Short's 54.
The 1932 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1932. Incumbent Republican Governor C. Douglass Buck ran for re-election to a second term. He unanimously won renomination at the Republican state convention. In the general election, Buck faced the Democratic nominee, Landreth L. Layton, the scion of a prominent family in Delaware politics. Despite the nationwide Democratic landslide, Republicans performed well in Delaware; Herbert Hoover narrowly won Delaware over Franklin D. Roosevelt. Accordingly, Buck was able to win re-election, and significantly outpaced Hoover's slim margin; he received 54% of the vote to Layton's 45%.
The 1936 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1936. Incumbent Republican Governor C. Douglass Buck was barred from seeking re-election to a third term, creating an open race. A challenging contest developed on the Republican side to succeed Buck, with Harry L. Cannon, former State Senator I. Dolphus Short and Assistant Motor Vehicle Commissioner George S. Williams all emerging as frontrunners. Cannon, a longtime figure in state politics who served as a member of the State Board of Agriculture and on the University of Delaware Board of Trustees, ultimately won the nomination. Short walked out of the convention, however, and shortly thereafter organized a slate of statewide candidates as Independent Republicans, dividing the party.
