1906 Georgia gubernatorial election

1906 Georgia gubernatorial election

←  1904 3 October 1906 1908  →

Nominee Hoke Smith J. B. Osburn Party Democratic Socialist Popular vote 94,223 148 Percentage 99.84% 0.16%

Governor before election Joseph M. Terrell Democratic Elected Governor Hoke Smith Democratic

The 1906 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on 3 October 1906 in order to elect the Governor of Georgia. Democratic nominee and former United States Secretary of the Interior Hoke Smith defeated Socialist Party nominee J. B. Osburn in a landslide. ^[1]

Democratic primary

Smith defeated The Atlanta Constitution publisher Clark Howell in the Democratic gubernatorial primary on August 22, 1906. ^[2] Going into the primary, Smith led Howell by a slim margin. Other candidates in the primary were:

• J. H. Estell, publisher of the Savannah Morning News
• Richard B. Russell
• James M. Smith, land owner and farmer
• G. A. Nunnally ^{[3] [4]}

General election

On election day, 3 October 1906, Democratic nominee Hoke Smith won the election with a margin of 94,075 votes against his opponent Socialist Party nominee J. B. Osburn, thereby holding Democratic control over the office of Governor. Smith was sworn in as the 58th Governor of Georgia on 29 June 1907. ^[5]

Results

Georgia gubernatorial election, 1906

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Hoke Smith	94,223	99.84
	Socialist	J. B. Osburn	148	0.16
Total votes			94,371	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Gov. Hoke Smith". National Governors Association . Retrieved January 5, 2024.
2. "HOKE SMITH FOR GOVERNOR.; Carries Majority of the Counties In the Georgia Primaries". The New York Times. August 23, 1906. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 18, 2025.
3. Burns, Rebecca (August 15, 2011). Rage in the Gate City: The Story of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot. University of Georgia Press. ISBN   978-0-8203-4291-7.
4. Garrett, Franklin M. (March 1, 2011). Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s. University of Georgia Press. ISBN   978-0-8203-3904-7.
5. "GA Governor". ourcampaigns.com. February 9, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2024.