1962 Alabama gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1962 United States gubernatorial elections.

1962 Alabama Democratic gubernatorial primary election runoff

←  1958 May 29, 1962 1966  →

Nominee George Wallace Ryan deGraffenried Sr. Party Democratic Democratic Popular vote 340,730 269,122 Percentage 55.9% 44.1%

County results Wallace:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% deGraffenried:      50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election John Malcolm Patterson Democratic Elected Governor George Wallace Democratic

The 1962 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1962. Incumbent Democrat John Malcolm Patterson was term limited and could not seek a second consecutive term.

Democratic Party nomination

At this time Alabama was de facto one-party state. Every Democratic Party nominee felt safe. The real contest for governor took place during this party's primaries.

Incumbent Governor John M. Patterson was barred from seeking a second consecutive term.

Candidates

• Albert Boutwell, Lieutenant Governor
• Bull Connor, Birmingham Public Safety Commissioner
• Jim Folsom, former Governor
• Ryan DeGraffenried Sr., State Representative
• MacDonald Gallion, Attorney General
• J. Bruce Henderson
• Wayne Jennings
• George Wallace, former Circuit Judge and former State Representative

Among three main contenders – Folsom, DeGraffenried and Wallace – the former two were considered to be progressive or moderate. Folsom, who served as Governor from 1947 to 1951 and again from 1955 to 1959, was one of the first Southern chief executives who spoke out in favor of desegregation and voting rights for any African Americans, which led to him frequently clashing with the Legislature on a number of issues. ^{[1] [2]} DeGraffenried also ran as a moderate, especially on the race issues. ^[3]

Wallace, who lost a close primary to Patterson in 1958, ran that year as a Folsom-style moderate (he was indeed a close Folsom ally), and even received the official NAACP endorsement, while Patterson ran as a strong segregationist, accepting the official Ku Klux Klan endorsement. ^[4]

After he lost in 1958, Wallace adopted a strong segregationist stance as well in order to secure votes. ^[5]

Results

In the primary, held on May 1, Wallace finished first but failed to win a majority. Folsom and DeGraffenried split the moderate vote, and DeGraffenried, as the second-place finisher, faced Wallace in the runoff. Many believed that a controversial TV appearance, in which Folsom appeared to be seriously drunk, cost him the election.

Democratic primary results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Wallace	207,062	32.49
	Democratic	Ryan DeGraffenried Sr.	160,704	25.22
	Democratic	Jim Folsom	159,640	25.05
	Democratic	MacDonald Gallion	80,374	12.61
	Democratic	Bull Connor	23,019	3.61
	Democratic	J. Bruce Henderson	3,666	0.58
	Democratic	Wayne Jennings	1,946	0.31
	Democratic	Albert Boutwell	862	0.14
Total votes			637,273	100

Wallace defeated DeGraffenried in the runoff, held on May 29. ^[6]

Democratic runoff results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Wallace	340,730	55.87
	Democratic	Ryan DeGraffenried Sr.	269,122	44.13
Total votes			609,852	100

Other nominations

The Republican Party did not field a candidate.

Wallace's sole rival was Frank P. Walls, an independent who was later an Alabama Conservative Party congressional candidate.

General election

As expected, Wallace won in a landslide.

1962 Alabama gubernatorial election ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	George Wallace	303,987	96.27	+8.05%
	Independent	Frank P. Walls	11,789	3.73	N/A
Majority			292,198	92.54
Turnout			315,776
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Alabama Department of Archives and History: Alabama Governors--James Elisha "Big Jim" Folsom". Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
2. "James e. "Big Jim" Folsom Sr. (1947-51, 1955-59)".
3. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Ryan de Graffenried".
4. "The American Experience | George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire | Program Transcript". PBS . Archived from the original on August 20, 2000.
5. "Racism to Redemption: The Path of George Wallace". Archived from the original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
6. "Our Campaigns - AL Governor - D Runoff Race - May 29, 1962".
7. "AL Governor, 1962". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 17, 2021.