1900 Kentucky gubernatorial special election

1900 Kentucky gubernatorial special election

←  1899 November 6, 1900 1903  →

Nominee J. C. W. Beckham John W. Yerkes Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 233,052 229,363 Percentage 49.88% 49.09%

County results Congressional district results Beckham:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Yerkes:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%

Governor before election J. C. W. Beckham Democratic Elected Governor J. C. W. Beckham Democratic

The 1900 Kentucky gubernatorial special election was held on November 6, 1900. Incumbent Democratic governor J. C. W. Beckham was elected to complete William Goebel's term with 49.88% of the vote.

Background

In the 1899 Kentucky gubernatorial election, J. C. W. Beckham was the running mate of Democratic nominee William Goebel, ^[1] who lost the election to Republican nominee William S. Taylor. ^[2] On January 31, 1900, Democrats in the Kentucky General Assembly successfully overturned the election results, handing the governorship to Goebel. ^[3] However, having been shot the day before, ^[4] he died three days later, ^[5] so Beckham ascended to the governorship. ^[6]

General election

Candidates

• J. C. W. Beckham, Democratic, incumbent governor
• John W. Yerkes, Republican, member of the Republican National Committee, ^[7] former Republican state chairman, ^[8] former collector of internal revenue for Kentucky's 8th district ^{[9] [10]}
• A. H. Cardin, Populist, farmer, ^[11] chairman of the Kentucky state central committee, ^[12] Union Labor candidate for governor in 1887
• James Doyle, Socialist Labor
• Walter T. Roberts, Social Democrat, physician ^[13]
• John D. White, Prohibition, lawyer, former U.S. representative

Campaign

Due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the 1899 election, a special election was held on November 6, 1900, to determine who would complete Goebel's unexpired term. ^[6] Beckham won the election over Republican John W. Yerkes by 3,689 votes. ^[2]

Results

1900 Kentucky gubernatorial special election ^{[14] [15] [a]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	J. C. W. Beckham (incumbent)	233,052	49.88%
	Republican	John W. Yerkes	229,363	49.09%
	Prohibition	John D. White	2,269	0.49%
	Populist	A. H. Cardin	1,666	0.36%
	Social Democratic	Walter T. Roberts	456	0.10%
	Socialist Labor	James Doyle	408	0.09%
Majority			3,689	0.79%
Turnout			467,214
	Democratic hold		Swing

Notes

1. Some sources give the result as Beckham 233,197, Yerkes 229,468, White 2,130, Cardin 1,705, Roberts 593, Doyle 357. The result given here is that given in the 1902 Kentucky State Manual. ^{[16] [17]} Contemporary sources also mention a number of scattering votes. ^{[18] [19]}

References

1. Burckel 1978, p. 288.
2. Harrison 1992, p. 65.
3. Klotter 1977, p. 104.
4. Klotter 1977, p. 100.
5. Klotter 1977, p. 108.
6. "Kentucky Governor John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
7. Hardin 1902, p. 115.
8. "The Campaign in Kentucky". The Times-Picayune . June 6, 1895. p. 2. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
9. "Yates and Yerkes". Rock Island Argus. November 19, 1900. p. 2. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
10. Edwards, Brenda (September 6, 2017). "John W. Yerkes was a well-respected gentleman and politician". The Advocate-Messenger . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
11. "Gum Grove Farm". Crittenden Press. August 9, 1894. p. 10. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
12. "State Ticket Selected". The Indianapolis Journal . February 23, 1900. p. 8. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
13. "Wednesday, July, 11 1900". The Breckenridge News. July 11, 1900. p. 4. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
14. Glashan 1979, pp. 108–109; Dubin 2010, p. 23; Hardin 1902, p. 116–119; Harrison 1992, p. 65; Harrison 2004, p. 138.
15. "Official Kentucky Vote". The Indianapolis Journal . December 6, 1900. p. 5. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
16. "KY Governor, 1900 - Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 17, 2024.^{[ unreliable source? ]}
17. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 53; Kallenbach & Kallenbach 1977, p. 211.
18. "Duty Performed". Hopkinsville Kentuckian. December 7, 1900. p. 1. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
19. "The Official Count". The Central Record. December 13, 1900. p. 1. Retrieved March 17, 2024.

Bibliography

• Gubernatorial Elections, 1787–1997. Congressional Quarterly. 1998. ISBN   978-1-56802-396-0.
• Burckel, Nicholas C. (1978). "From Beckham to McCreary: The Progressive Record of Kentucky Governors". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society . 76 (4): 285–306. JSTOR   23378562.
• Dubin, Michael J. (2010). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861–1911: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-0-7864-4722-0.
• Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775–1978. Vol. 1. Meckler Books. ISBN   978-0-930466-17-6.
• Hardin, Pauline Helm (1902). Official Manual for the Use of the Courts, State and County Officials and General Assembly of the State of Kentucky. Geo. G. Fetter Printing Co.
• Harrison, Lowell H. (1992). Kleber, John E. (ed.). The Kentucky Encyclopedia . University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   978-0-8131-1772-0.
• Harrison, Lowell H., ed. (2004). Kentucky's Governors (PDF). University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   978-0-8131-2326-4.
• Kallenbach, Joseph E.; Kallenbach, Jessamine S., eds. (1977). American State Governors, 1776–1976. Vol. 1. Oceana Publications. ISBN   978-0-379-00665-0.
• Klotter, James C. (1977). William Goebel: The Politics of Wrath. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   978-0-8131-0240-5.