1908 West Virginia gubernatorial election

The 1908 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 3, concurrently with the Presidential election. Republican nominee William E. Glasscock was elected Governor of West Virginia, defeating Democratic nominee Louis Bennett Sr.

For related races, see 1908 United States gubernatorial elections.

1908 West Virginia gubernatorial election
November 3, 1908
 
GovernorGlasscock.gif
Nominee William E. Glasscock Louis Bennett Sr.
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 130,807 118,909
Percentage 50.70% 46.09%
County results
Governor before election

William M. O. Dawson
Republican

 Elected Governor

William E. Glasscock
Republican

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Democratic nomination

Candidates

Convention

Louis Bennett Sr. was nominated on the first ballot on July 30. His competitor, Adam B. Littlepage, was nominated for the position of Secretary of State.[2]

By a wide margin,[lower-alpha 1] the convention adopted two planks calling for the continuation of disenfranchisement of black voters and segregation of train cars.[1][3] The adoption of the planks was opposed by former Governor William A. MacCorkle, who warned that they would cause the party's defeat in the general election.[3]

Republican nomination

Candidates

Campaign and conventions

The Republican Party of West Virginia's nomination process in this period was a patchwork of indirect primaries and conventions, all taking place over several months.[8]

Early in the race, Hearne touted that he would go to the convention with the full support of the Northern Panhandle. He was awarded the full slate of delegates from his home state of Ohio County, owing to no other candidates contesting the race. However, after losing the Marshall County primary to Scherr, Hearne dropped out. After the Ohio County Republican Party's executive committee selected a slate of delegates supportive of Scherr, Hearne re-entered the race, demanding to select his own delegates. On July 7, the state party's executive committee ruled in favor of Hearne, leading Scherr's supporters to bolt the convention.[8]

Scherr's supporters, going by the title "Lincoln Republicans", adopted a platform demanding primary elections and nominated a separate set of candidates for statewide office.[9] Within a week, four of the statewide nominees had left the Lincoln Republican ticket - Thomas C. Miller and John T. Harris repudiating the convention that they had attended, James K. Hall and John T. Harris having been nominated by friends without their knowledge.[10]

Compromise

Scherr, Swisher, and presidential nominee William Howard Taft, among other party leaders, held a conference in Hot Springs, Virginia for several days in August.[11] Taft refused to side with either faction.[12][13]

On September 23, the regular Republicans and Lincoln Republicans agreed to both support William E. Glasscock, as a compromise. Additionally, changes to the nomination process was made, with delegates apportioned based on the county rather than the district, and requiring either a primary or a district convention to be held.[14]

General election

Results
West Virginia gubernatorial election, 1908[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William E. Glasscock 130,807 50.70
Democratic Louis Bennett Sr. 118,909 46.09
Independent E. W. Miller 4,967 1.93
Socialist I. W. Houston 3,308 1.28
Total votes 257,991 100
Republican hold
Official results, as published in The Charleston Mail on December 2.[16][lower-alpha 2]
County William E. Glasscock
Republican		 Louis Bennett Sr.
Democratic		 Edward Mills
Prohibition		 Harold W. Houston
Socialist
#  % #  % #  % #  %
Barbour 2,012 54.4% 1,685 45.6%
Berkeley 2,641 50.3% 2,606 49.7%
Boone 995 49.1% 1,032 50.9%
Braxton 2,365 47.9% 2,573 52.1%
Brooke 1,310 53.3% 1,147 46.7%
Cabell 4,738 50.4% 4,665 49.6%
Calhoun 975 44.0% 1,243 56.0%
Clay 1,317 61.3% 832 38.7%
Doddridge 1,720 62.2% 1,045 37.8%
Fayette 5,594 57.8% 4,082 42.2%
Gilmer 918 36.6% 1,587 63.5%
Grant 1,220 74.3% 421 25.7%
Greenbrier 2,366 46.3% 2,742 53.7%
Hampshire 561 22.7% 1,910 77.3%
Hancock 1,179 61.7% 733 38.3%
Hardy 593 31.6% 1,284 68.4%
Harrison 4,542 50.8% 4,404 49.2%
Jackson 2,579 56.4% 1,994 43.6%
Jefferson 1,235 32.9% 2,519 67.1%
Kanawha 9,018 54.3% 7,585 45.7%
Lewis 2,028 49.4% 2,081 50.6%
Lincoln 2,183 55.2% 1,750 44.8%
Logan 723 33.9% 1,409 66.1%
Marion 4,095 49.1% 4,251 50.9
Marshall 3,415 54.5% 2,855 45.5%
Mason 3,063 60.4% 2,009 39.6%
McDowell 5,598 69.2% 2,491 30.8%
Mercer 3,787 52.2% 3,468 47.8%
Mineral 1,893 53.9% 1,619 46.1%
Mingo 2,028 56.6% 1,554 43.4%
Monongalia 2,908 59.6% 1,972 40.4%
Monroe 1,480 49.5% 1,507 50.5%
Morgan 1,116 66.3% 567 33.7%
Nicholas 1,763 49.7% 1,781 50.3
Ohio 6,381 45.8% 7,550 54.2%
Pendleton 884 42.3% 1,204 57.7%
Pleasants 970 50.9% 936 49.1%
Pocahontas 1,615 54.2% 1,366 45.8%
Preston 3,748 69.5% 1,643 30.5%
Putnam 2,073 54.1% 1,760 45.9%
Raleigh 2,414 54.3% 2,033 45.7%
Randolph 2,220 44.0% 2,829 56.0%
Ritchie 2,181 60.4% 1,430 39.6%
Roane 2,309 54.8% 1,907 45.2%
Summers 1,856 45.7% 2,207 54.3%
Taylor 1,901 51.9% 1,772 48.1%
Tucker 1,783 56.4% 1,380 43.6%
Tyler 2,032 58.5% 1,441 41.5%
Upshur 2,502 72.8% 933 27.2%
Wayne 2,392 47.8% 2,610 52.2%
Webster 914 42.9% 1,216 57.1%
Wetzel 2,179 42.5% 2,953 57.5%
Wirt 1,013 48.9% 1,060 51.1%
Wood 4,238 48.8% 4,439 51.2%
Wyoming 1,244 59.8% 837 40.1%
Totals130,80750.7%118,90946.1%4,9671.9%3,3081.3%

Notes
  1. Contemporary newspapers cite the numbers as 710 for, 412 against,[3][4] while Tucker 2008 lists the numbers as 712 for, 411 against.
  2. Totals for Mills and Houston were not printed. By-county percentages are based only on major party votes.[16]

References
  1. Tucker 2008, p. 28.
  2. "WEST VIRGINIA TICKET.; Louis Bennett Nominated for Governor by the Democrats". The New York Times. July 31, 1908. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  3. "Louis Bennett Only Nominee". The Daily Telegram. Charleston. July 30, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "The Democrats Declare for Jim Crow Cars and Negro Disenfranchisement". The Advocate. Charleston. July 31, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Tucker 2008, pp. 19–20.
  6. Men of West Virginia 1903, pp. 426–427.
  7. Men of West Virginia 1903, pp. 489–490.
  8. Tucker 2008, p. 21.
  9. Tucker 2008, p. 22.
  10. "Scherr is Deserted". The Daily Telegram. July 13, 1908. p. 4. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "WILL CONFER WITH TAFT.; West Virginians Seek Decision in Their Factional Fight". The New York Times. August 10, 1908. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  12. "TAFT NOT TO MIX IN STATE CONTESTS; Announces Hands-Off Policy After Conference with Chairman Hitchcock". The New York Times. August 13, 1908. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  13. Tucker 2008, pp. 19–23.
  14. "Rival Republican Candidates Out and Agreement on W.E. Glasscock". The New York Times. September 24, 1908. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  15. "Our Campaigns - WV Governor Race - Nov 03, 1908". Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  16. Dubin, Michael J. (2010). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861-1911. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. pp. 608–609.
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