1882 Texas gubernatorial election

1882 Texas gubernatorial election

←  1880 November 7, 1882 1884  →

Candidate John Ireland George Washington Jones Party Democratic Independent Alliance Republican Greenback Popular vote 150,809 102,501 Percentage 59.5% 40.4%

County results Ireland:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100% Jones:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100% No Data/Vote:

Governor before election Oran Milo Roberts Democratic Governor-elect John Ireland Democratic

The 1882 Texas gubernatorial election was held to elect the Governor of Texas. John Ireland was elected over U.S. Representative George Washington "Wash" Jones, an independent with Republican and Greenback support.

Ireland was the third consecutive Governor to have been elected from the Texas Supreme Court.

General election

At the time, Texas was a part of the "Solid South" and the Democratic party was overwhelmingly favored in state elections. The previous couple of elections had split opposition support between the Republican and Greenback parties. In an attempt to improve their odds at success, a strategy of electoral fusionism was attempted and both parties endorsed the independent campaign of congressman and former lieutenant governor George Washington Jones for governor. ^[1]

Candidates

• John Ireland, former Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, former state senator and representative (Democratic) ^[2]
• George Washington Jones, U.S. Representative from Bastrop, former lieutenant governor (Independent) ^[3]
• Jerome Bonaparte Robertson, Brigadier General in the Confederate Army, former superintendent of the Texas Bureau of Immigration (Independent Democrat) ^{[4] [5]}

Results

1882 Texas gubernatorial election ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Ireland	150,809	59.46%	6.03
	Independent	George W. Jones	102,501	40.41%	N/A
	Independent Democrat	J.B. Robertson	334	0.13%	N/A
Total votes			253,644	100.00%

References

1. "A Republican Official Invitation and Intimation to Voters". The Waco Examiner. October 27, 1882. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Elliot, Claude (1952). "John Ireland: Governor of Texas and Key Historical Figure". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
3. Cutrer, Thomas W. "TSHA | Jones, George Washington (ca. 1828–1903)" . Retrieved March 3, 2023.
4. Maberry Jr., Robert (1976). "Jerome Bonaparte (Polly) Robertson: A Legacy in Texas History". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
5. "General J. B. Robertson Out as an Independent Candidate on His Own Platform". The Austin Weekly Statesman. May 11, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved April 24, 2026– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Texas Almanac". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2023.