1878 Texas gubernatorial election
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The 1878 Texas gubernatorial election was held to elect the Governor of Texas. Democratic candidate and Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court Oran Milo Roberts defeated Greenback William H. Hamman and Republican Anthony Banning Norton by a wide margin.
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November 5, 1878
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 County results Roberts: 30â40% 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% 80â90% 90â100% Hamman: 30â40% 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% Norton: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 80â90% Tie: 30â40% No Data/Vote: | |||||||||||||||||||||
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General election
Following the adoption of the 1876 state constitution, Texas became a part of the "Solid South" and the Democratic party was overwhelmingly favored in state elections. At the state convention in July, incumbent governor Richard B. Hubbard competed against former governor James Throckmorton both failed to secure a nomination due to the rules of the convention. Justice Oran Roberts was selected as the compromise candidate by a conference committee.[1][2]
The newly formed Greenback Party, a populist agrarian party focused on monetary issues, ran their first ticket for state offices and nominated William H. Hamman of Robertson County to be their nominee for governor.[3]
Candidates
- William H. Hamman, oil pioneer and former Confederate brigadier general (Greenback)[4][3]
- Anthony Banning Norton, postmaster of Dallas, newspaper publisher, and former state representative (Republican)[5][6]
- Oran Milo Roberts, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, president of the 1861 Secession Convention (Democratic)[7]
- James W. Throckmorten, congressman from the 3rd district, former governor, delegate at the 1861 Secession Convention (Democratic) (withdrawn)[8]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Oran Milo Roberts | 158,302 | 66.76% |  8.4 | |
| Greenback | William H. Hamman | 55,002 | 21.20% | N/A | |
| Republican | Anthony Banning Norton | 23,712 | 10.00% |  14.9 | |
| Write-in | 99 | 0.04% | 0.04 | ||
| Total votes | 237,115 | 100.00% | |||
