1936 Illinois gubernatorial elections

1936 Illinois gubernatorial election

←  1932 November 3, 1936 1940  →

Nominee Henry Horner C. Wayland Brooks Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,067,861 1,682,685 Percentage 53.13% 43.24%

County results Horner:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Brooks:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election Henry Horner Democratic Elected Governor Henry Horner Democratic

The 1936 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1936. Incumbent first-term governor Henry Horner, a Democrat, won reelection, defeating Republican nominee, future Senator C. Wayland Brooks with 53.13% of the vote.

Democratic primary

The Chicago political machine unsuccessfully ran Chicago Board of Health president Herman Bundesen against the incumbent Henry Horner in retribution for Horner having vetoed a bill that would have allowed bookies to legally operate, a bill favored by Chicago political bosses such as Edward J. Kelly. ^[1]

Candidates

• Herman Bundesen, Chicago Board of Health president and Chicago health commissioner, former Cook County coroner ^[1]
• Henry Horner, incumbent governor
• James Fred Robertson, 1934 U.S. congress candidate and 1935 Chicago mayoral candidate ^[2]

Results

Democratic gubernatorial primary ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry Horner (incumbent)	820,313	54.39
	Democratic	Herman Bundesen	659,221	43.71
	Democratic	James Fred Robertson	28,600	1.90
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			1,508,135	100

Republican primary

Candidates

• C. Wayland Brooks
• Oscar E. Carlstrom, former Illinois attorney general
• George W. Dowell, Progressive nominee for Illinois's 25th congressional district in 1914 ^{[4] [5]}
• Thomas P. Gunning, Illinois state senator
• J. Paul Kuhn
• John G. Oglesby, former lieutenant governor of Illinois (publicly withdrew before primary) ^[3]
• Len Small, former governor of Illinois

Results

Republican gubernatorial primary ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	C. Wayland Brooks	596,446	59.05
	Republican	Len Small	268,903	26.62
	Republican	Oscar E. Carlstrom	53,266	5.27
	Republican	Thomas P. Gunning	31,194	3.09
	Republican	J. Paul Kuhn	29,423	2.91
	Republican	H. Wallace Caldwell	16,079	1.59
	Republican	John G. Oglesby	7,568	0.75
	Republican	George W. Dowell	7,125	0.71
	Write-in	Others	1	0.00
Total votes			1,010,005	100

General election

Challenging both Democratic nominee Henry Horner and Republican nominee Charles W. Brooks, Republican former Chicago mayor William Hale Thompson ran on the Union Progressive Party of Illinois' ballot line. There were also several other minor candidates.

Gubernatorial election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry Horner (incumbent)	2,067,861	53.13
	Republican	C. Wayland Brooks	1,682,685	43.24
	Union Progressive	William Hale Thompson	128,962	0.18
	Socialist	John Fisher	6,966
	Prohibition	Harmon W. Reed	2,896	0.07
	Socialist Labor	O. Alfred Olson	2,602	0.07
	Write-in	Others	4
Total votes			3,891,976	100

References

1. Grossman, Ron (October 20, 2017). "The Chicago public health czar who craved celebrity". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
2. "James Fred Robertson". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. March 24, 1936. p. 11. Retrieved June 19, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
3. "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, NOV. 3, 1936 PRIMARY ELECTIONS GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 14, 1936 PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE, APRIL 14, 1936" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved August 2, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
4. "George W. Dowell of Duquoin, 25th congressional district". The Pearl City News. Pearl City, Illinois. July 16, 1914. p. 7. Retrieved June 19, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Dowell Out For Governor". Perry County Advocate. Pinckneyville, Illinois. January 24, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved June 19, 2022– via Newspapers.com.