1910 Texas gubernatorial election

1910 Texas gubernatorial election

←  1908 November 8, 1910 1912  →

Nominee Oscar Branch Colquitt J. O. Terrell Reddin Andrews Party Democratic Republican Socialist Popular vote 174,596 26,191 11,538 Percentage 79.8% 12.0% 5.3%

County results Colquitt:      30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100% Terrell:      50–60%     60–70%     90–100% No Data/Vote:

Governor before election Oscar Branch Colquitt Democratic Elected Governor Oscar Branch Colquitt Democratic

The 1910 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1910, in order to elect the Governor of Texas. Democrat Oscar Branch Colquitt, a member of the Texas Railroad Commission, won re-election to his first term as Governor of Texas. ^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Oscar Branch Colquitt, member of the Texas Railroad Commission
• Robert Vance Davidson, Texas Attorney General and former State Senator from Galveston ^[2]
• Cone Johnson, Tyler attorney and former State Senator ^[3]
• J. Marion Jones
• William Poindexter, Cleburne judge, prohibition activist, and candidate for U.S. House in 1902 and 1904 ^[4]

In the early 20th century, winning the Democratic primary was tantamount to election, as Texas was a solidly Democratic state. However, before 1918, the primary was conducted under a single-round, first-past-the-post system, meaning that one did not have to achieve a majority of the votes to be nominated; a plurality under 50% was sufficient. ^[5] Colquitt ran against three major opponents in the primary: William Poindexter, Cone Johnson, and R.V. Davidson. Colquitt finished ahead of the other candidates with 41% of the vote and a plurality, securing him the nomination and effectively, the governorship. ^[6]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Oscar Branch Colquitt	146,871	40.97
	Democratic	William Poindexter	80,060	22.33
	Democratic	Cone Johnson	76,268	21.28
	Democratic	R.V. Davidson	53,367	14.89
	Democratic	J. Marion Jones	1,910	0.53
Total votes			358,476	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Reddin Andrews, former president of Baylor University (Socialist)
• Oscar Branch Colquitt, member of the Texas Railroad Commission (Democratic)
• Andrew Jackson Houston, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Texas (Prohibition)
• Carl Schmidt (Socialist Labor)
• J.O. Terrell (Republican)

Campaign

Colquitt faced scattered opposition in the general election, and defeated his opponents with ease, winning just under 80% of the popular vote and keeping the governor's mansion in Democratic hands. ^[7]

Results

Texas Gubernatorial Election, 1910

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Oscar Branch Colquitt	174,596	79.79
	Republican	J.O. Terrell	26,191	11.97
	Socialist	Reddin Andrews	11,538	5.27
	Prohibition	Andrew Jackson Houston	6,052	2.77
	Socialist Labor	Carl Schmidt	436	0.20
Total votes			218,813	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Election of Texas Governors, 1900-1948 | TX Almanac". www.texasalmanac.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
2. Hyman, Carolyn (1952). "Davidson, Robert Vance".
3. Johnson, Doug (1952). "Johnson, Cone".
4. Johnson, Doug (1952). "Poindexter, William".
5. "Election of Texas Governors, 1900-1948 | TX Almanac". www.texasalmanac.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
6. "Our Campaigns - TX Governor - D Primary Race - Jul 23, 1910". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
7. "Our Campaigns - TX Governor Race - Nov 08, 1910". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.