Florida gubernatorial election, 1916

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Florida gubernatorial election, 1916
Flag of Florida (1900-1985).svg
 1912November 7, 19161920 

  Sidney Johnston Catts in 1916 (cropped).jpg William V Knott 1954.jpg
Nominee Sidney Johnston Catts William V. Knott George W. Allen
Party Prohibition Democratic Republican
Popular vote39,546 30,343 10,333
Percentage47.71% 36.61% 12.47%

Florida gubernatorial election, 1916 results by county.svg

Results by county

Governor before election

Park Trammell
Democratic

Elected Governor

Sidney Johnston Catts
Prohibition

The 1916 Florida Gubernatorial Election was held on November 7, 1916 to determine the Governor for the State of Florida. Democratic incumbent Governor Park Trammell was term-limited and could not run for re-election.

Contents

Sidney J. Catts, a pastor turned insurance salesman, originally entered the Democratic primary as a candidate for Governor. The state Democratic organization was not at all pleased with this challenge from a novice and 'outsider' and the primary campaign was hotly contested. Catts was initially declared the winner of the party's nomination, but the party leadership got the State Supreme Court to authorize a recount—and Catts was 'counted out.' [1] Catts became the first, and so far only, man ever elected to a statewide office as a Prohibitionist. The official Democratic nominee was William V. Knott, the former and future Florida State Treasurer.

William V. Knott American politician

William Valentine Knott was a Florida state politician. He was the Florida State Treasurer from 1928 to 1941.

The 1916 election had a much higher turnout, 82,885 votes compared to 48,465 votes in 1912, due to the chasm in the Democratic Party. This means that even though Trammell and Watts both won nearly similar vote tallies, 569 votes separating the 1912 and 1916 winners, Trammell won by over 80% of the vote in 1912, [2] while Watts got slightly under 48% of the vote. This was the only time a non-Democrat was elected Governor in Florida for the 90 years between the end of Reconstruction in 1877 and the rise of a competitive two party system in the 1960s.

Catts proved to be much more of a colorful personality and a better campaigner then both of his major opponents, his hostile attacks on Roman Catholicism and German-Americans riling voters toward him. Catts himself quickly returned to the Democratic Party and failed thrice to win a party primary (Senate in 1920, Governor in 1924 and 1928), while Knott would serve another decade and a half in his office of State Treasurer.

Results

Florida gubernatorial election, 1916
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Prohibition Sidney Johnston Catts 39,546 47.71% +45.52%
Democratic William V. Knott 27,946 36.61% -43.81%
Republican George W. Allen 10,333 12.47% +7.01%
Socialist C.C. Allen 2,470 2.98% -4.17%
Other Various 193 0.23%
Majority 9,203 11.10% -62.17%
Turnout 82,885 +170.02%
Prohibition gain from Democratic Swing

See also

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

Republican Party (United States) Major political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party is an integral part of the temperance movement. While never one of the leading parties in the United States, it was once an important force in the Third Party System during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It declined dramatically after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. The party's candidate received 518 votes in the 2012 presidential election and 5,617 votes in the 2016 presidential election. The platform of the party is liberal in that it supports environmental stewardship, women's rights and free education, but is conservative on social issues, such as supporting temperance and advocating for a pro-life stance.

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