Lewis Heisler Ball was an American physician and politician from Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party and served as U.S. Representative from Delaware and two terms as U.S. Senator from Delaware. He was known by his middle name.
John Hunn was an American businessman and politician from Camden, Delaware. The first governor elected after a reform of Delaware's state constitution and a compromise candidate, Hunn served from 1901 until 1905 and became the first of a multi-decade string of elected Republican Delaware governors.
Preston Lea was an American businessman and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served as Governor of Delaware.
Simeon Selby Pennewill was an American farmer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.
James Frank Allee was an American merchant and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S. Senator from Delaware. He was known by his middle name.
The 1960 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1960.
The 1948 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1948.
The 1886 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1886. Incumbent Democratic Governor Charles C. Stockley was barred from seeing a second consecutive term in office. Former Congressman Benjamin T. Biggs won the Democratic nomination to succeed Stockley. The Republican Party, which was weak and practically nonexistent in the state at the time, did not run a candidate for Governor. As a result, the Temperance Reform Party briefly supplanted the Republican Party as the primary opposition to the Democratic Party. Former State Representative and Smyrna Town Treasurer John H. Hoffecker, a former Democrat, emerged as the Temperance Reform nominee. However, the Democratic Party remained strong in the state; with no Republican opponent and only weak opposition, Biggs won in a landslide.
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 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.
The 1940 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Democratic Governor Richard McMullen originally ran for re-election to a second term, and was renominated by the Democratic Party. However, less than a month before the election, McMullen suffered a heart attack and he dropped out of the race. The state party named Secretary of State Josiah Marvel Jr., as McMullen's replacement on the ballot. On the Republican side, Wilmington Mayor Walter W. Bacon was nominated by the Republican Party for Governor.
Joseph Laws Cahall was an American lawyer and politician. A Republican, he attended the University of Pennsylvania and became a practicing attorney in the 1880s. He started serving with the local county government in 1890 and later became an active member of the Union Republican faction of the Republican Party. Appointed as Secretary of State of Delaware in 1905, he served until 1909 in the position. Afterwards, Cahall remained active in local politics and continued practicing law until his death in 1937.
