Jump to content

1910 California gubernatorial election

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1910 California gubernatorial election

← 1906 November 8, 1910 (1910-11-08) 1914 →
 
Nominee Hiram Johnson Theodore Arlington Bell J. Stitt Wilson
Party Republican Democratic Socialist
Popular vote 177,191 154,835 47,819
Percentage 45.94% 40.14% 12.40%

County results
Johnson:      40–50%      50–60%      80–90%
Bell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

James Gillett
Republican

Elected Governor

Hiram Johnson
Republican

The 1910 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1910. Incumbent Republican governor James Gillett opted not to seek re-election to a second term in office. Hiram Johnson defeated Theodore Arlington Bell and J. Stitt Wilson to win the open race.

Primary elections were held on August 16. Johnson won the Republican nomination over three conservative opponents. Bell won the Democratic nomination for a second consecutive race over Thomas J. Geary.

Johnson won the election with 45.9 percent of the popular vote. This was the first gubernatorial election in which Fresno, Modoc, San Benito, Stanislaus, and Tulare counties voted for a Republican candidate. These Republican gains foreshadowed the party's future dominance of California elections, which would persist through 1954 with only one interruption.

Background

[edit]

Incumbent governor James Gillett was elected on the Republican ticket in 1906. Gillett's nomination at the party convention was controversial, and during the general election campaign he was consistently accused of being in the pocket of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Despite this, he had been successful as governor, leading in the creation of the state's highway system and developing parole guidelines.[1] However, he was suffering financially and decided not to seek a second term. He instead opted to pursue private legal practice.[2]

His intentions were made clear on January 30, when he announced through a published letter to the California Republican Party that he would not seek the nomination because, "It is for the best interest of myself and family that I should again resume the practice of my profession, and I can not well afford to continue in the office of governor for another, period of four years."[3]

This was the first election held following the adoption of new primary election laws, which established closed primaries for both major parties.[4]

Republican primary

[edit]

Candidates

[edit]

Withdrew

[edit]

Declined

[edit]

Campaign

[edit]

After Gillett's announcement, there were multiple candidates contending for the Republican nomination. The most prominent was Charles F. Curry, the secretary of state for California and early favorite. Curry was so confident of victory that he predicted he would be the next governor on the same day that Gillett's announcement was made.[5] Oakland mayor Frank K. Mott and Francis J. Heney, who had led the San Francisco graft prosecutions of 1906–08, considered runs. Hiram Johnson, Chester Rowell, and William R. Davis all announced that they were not seeking the nomination.[6]

Lincoln–Roosevelt League endorsement

[edit]

The Lincoln–Roosevelt League, a faction representing progressive elements of the Republican Party, struggled to find a candidate. The league initially tried to draft Hiram Johnson, but he rejected their support, and the League split between supporters of Charles M. Belshaw or former Oakland mayor William Rude Davis.[7] In early February, it was reported that the League was instead split between Belshaw and Davis's successor, Frank K. Mott.[8]

On February 20, Hiram Johnson announced that he would run under the banner of the Lincoln-Roosevelt League.[9] He stated,

"It seems to be my turn to make the sacrifice and I am going to make it. For two months, the utmost pressure has been brought to bear upon me. I had steadfastly refused to become a candidate, but it was placed before me in such a fashion that I was forced to fail in my duty or accept. So I am going ahead, making the fight as a progressive Republican on the Roosevelt lines. I am going to make this fight an endeavor to return the government of California to the people and take it away from the political bureau of the Southern Pacific railway company. If nothing else can be accomplished, we can teach the people the lesson talked by our last president and that is being talked today to the people of the United States by [Wisconsin senator Robert] La Follette."[10]

Shortly after Johnson's announcement, former governor George Pardee endorsed him.[11]

Johnson campaign against conservatives

[edit]

Having secured the support of the progressive faction, Johnson faced three leading opponents (Curry, Alden Anderson, and Phillip A. Stanton) from the conservative wing of the party.

One major obstacle to the Johnson campaign was the state's new primary law; although popular primaries were a progressive reform, the closed nature of the party primary required voters to register with a party in order to cast a ballot. Johnson supporters worked to convince independents to register as Republicans in order to cast a ballot for him.[4]

Johnson began making plans for a tour of California in late February, intending to visit every part of the state.[12] He launched his campaign in Southern California, where he visited Long Beach, inspected Los Angeles Harbor and hosted an informal Los Angeles reception.[13] Albert Joseph Wallace, the former chair of the Los Angeles City Council committee on finance, was chosen as Johnson's running mate.[14]

On March 20, the Asiatic Exclusion League hosted a candidate forum on the "Japanese question." Curry strongly declared his support, while Anderson and Johnson declined the invitation with regrets.[15]

The conservative faction of the Republican Party was not popular, and the League campaigned on a challenge to the status quo. Johnson's barnstorming tour pulled in huge crowds across the state, while his opponents struggled to consolidate the conservative vote and gain momentum.[16][4] Johnson received support from some Hispanic Americans and was endorsed by Alfonso E. Garcia, president of the Hispano-American Republican League.[17]

By the time of the primary election, newspapers across the state considered Johnson the likely nominee.[18][19]

Results

[edit]

Johnson won the nomination.

Democratic primary

[edit]

Candidates

[edit]

The three main candidates for the Democratic nomination were former runner up and congressman Theodore Arlington Bell, former congressman Thomas J. Geary, and State Senator John B. Sanford.[20]

On March 10, Theodore Bell announced his candidacy for governor in San Francisco. Bell ran on an anti-railroad platform.[21] On May 28, he visited the town of Hanford, California, where he was interviewed by a reporter. In the interview he blamed the Independence Party and William Langdon for splitting the Democratic vote in his loss of the 1906 California gubernatorial election. He also stated he did not believe that anyone would seriously challenge him for the Democratic nomination.[22] Bell was proven correct when it was reported that the California Democratic Committee was not seeing any contests for the major state nominations.[23]

During the primary, Bell was the only candidate who attended the Asiatic Exclusion League candidate forum on March 30 without expressing his support for immigration exclusion.[15]

Results

[edit]

Bell won the primary, and Timothy Spellacy was nominated for lieutenant governor.[24]

Sample ballot for the Republican Party primary in Sacramento, California. 1910

General election

[edit]

Candidates

[edit]

Simone P. Meads of the Prohibition Party ran on a platform supporting the public ownership of utilities, women's suffrage, and the implementation of referendum, reform, and recall ballot measures.[26]

Campaign

[edit]

After both the August 16 primaries, Bell and Johnson emerged as the top two choices for the governorship.[27] Both candidates agreed on the primary issue in the campaign, which was opposition to the Southern Pacific railroad corporation and its influence on politics. Johnson's victory undermined Bell's message, which had been aimed at the incumbent Gillett administration and Johnson's primary opponents.[28][29] Newspapers across California favored Johnson.[30]

Bell and Johnson were challenged by Christian socialist J. Stitt Wilson, who travelled the state in a red automobile nicknamed the "Red Special",[31] a direct reference to the train that party leader Eugene V. Debs had traveled on during the 1908 presidential election.[32] Wilson ran a vigorous campaign relying on his reputation for oratory, and he challenged the other candidates to debate. Debs also visited the state and campaigned for Wilson over two weeks.[33]

Both candidates also agreed on the prevention of Japanese and Chinese immigration. During the primaries, Johnson had declined a request to attend a candidate forum hosted by the Asiatic Exclusion League, expressing regret over his absence. Bell had been the lone candidate in either party to attend but decline to declare his support for the League.[15] Bell made his position clear on the topic during a speech in Watsonville, stating that he wanted to "prevent the invasion of the yellow, brown and Hindu hordes." Bell continued,

"I shall also stand for a state law to prevent Asiatics from gaining ownership of land in this state and, thirdly, I propose to make it impossible for Asiatics to sit in the same schools with your child and my child. I don't care whether it loses me a vote or not, but I'm against the whole bunch of them. I want to see this country for white men and populated by people willing to go out and fight for our flag."[34]

Johnson later proposed and signed the California Alien Land Law of 1913, introducing such restrictions on foreign ownership of California land into law.

Towards the end of the campaign, Bell and Johnson attacked each other for their respective prior relationships with the Southern Pacific and other corporate entities.[35] Days before the election, Johnson supporters alleged that the Southern Pacific had ordered employees to vote for Bell, supporting their claim that Bell would be lenient on the railroad and its allies.[36]

In the final days of the campaign, newspapers predicted that Hiram Johnson would win the election.[37]

Results

[edit]
1910 gubernatorial election, California[38]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Hiram W. Johnson 177,191 45.94% Increase 5.59
Democratic Theodore Arlington Bell 154,835 40.14% Increase 2.43
Socialist J. Stitt Wilson 47,819 12.40% Increase 7.26
Prohibition Simeon P. Meads 5,807 1.51% Decrease 0.85
Scattering 61 0.02%
Majority 22,356 5.80%
Total votes 385,713 100.00%
Republican hold Swing +3.15%

Results by county

[edit]
County Hiram W. Johnson
Republican
Theodore A. Bell
Democratic
J. Stitt Wilson
Socialist
Simeon P. Meads
Prohibition
Scattering
Write-in
Margin Total votes cast[38]
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Alameda 15,826 49.46% 9,821 30.69% 5,743 17.95% 610 1.91% 0 0.00% 6,005 18.77% 32,000
Alpine 65 87.84% 9 12.16% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 56 75.68% 74
Amador 1,000 46.64% 1,100 51.31% 40 1.87% 4 0.19% 0 0.00% -100 -4.66% 2,144
Butte 2,692 46.17% 2,507 43.00% 549 9.42% 78 1.34% 4 0.07% 185 3.17% 5,830
Calaveras 1,037 43.74% 1,127 47.53% 187 7.89% 20 0.84% 0 0.00% -90 -3.80% 2,371
Colusa 649 32.53% 1,313 65.81% 27 1.35% 6 0.30% 0 0.00% -664 -33.28% 1,995
Contra Costa 2,603 46.45% 2,319 41.38% 639 11.40% 43 0.77% 0 0.00% 284 5.07% 5,604
Del Norte 390 51.18% 316 41.47% 49 6.43% 7 0.92% 0 0.00% 74 9.71% 762
El Dorado 810 40.72% 1,072 53.90% 102 5.13% 5 0.25% 0 0.00% -262 -13.17% 1,989
Fresno 6,200 47.54% 5,455 41.83% 1,185 9.09% 201 1.54% 0 0.00% 745 5.71% 13,041
Glenn 585 36.86% 955 60.18% 35 2.21% 12 0.76% 0 0.00% -370 -23.31% 1,587
Humboldt 3,050 49.89% 1,688 27.61% 1,324 21.66% 47 0.77% 4 0.07% 1,362 22.28% 6,113
Imperial 1,106 47.55% 801 34.44% 366 15.74% 53 2.28% 0 0.00% 305 13.11% 2,326
Inyo 582 41.51% 634 45.22% 157 11.20% 29 2.07% 0 0.00% -52 -3.71% 1,402
Kern 2,680 40.19% 3,410 51.13% 548 8.22% 31 0.46% 0 0.00% -730 -10.95% 6,669
Kings 1,500 50.05% 1,149 38.34% 305 10.18% 43 1.43% 0 0.00% 351 11.71% 2,997
Lake 570 39.97% 744 52.17% 83 5.82% 29 2.03% 0 0.00% -174 -12.20% 1,426
Lassen 622 54.04% 437 37.97% 87 7.56% 5 0.43% 0 0.00% 185 16.07% 1,151
Los Angeles 30,513 45.78% 23,051 34.58% 11,129 16.70% 1,929 2.89% 34 0.05% 7,462 11.19% 66,656
Madera 750 44.75% 777 46.36% 140 8.35% 9 0.54% 0 0.00% -27 -1.61% 1,676
Marin 1,955 46.60% 1,897 45.22% 335 7.99% 8 0.19% 0 0.00% 58 1.38% 4,195
Mariposa 403 39.78% 562 55.48% 41 4.05% 7 0.69% 0 0.00% -159 -15.70% 1,013
Mendocino 2,119 44.63% 2,259 47.58% 338 7.12% 32 0.67% 0 0.00% -140 -2.95% 4,748
Merced 1,212 43.29% 1,311 46.82% 217 7.75% 59 2.11% 1 0.04% -99 -3.54% 2,800
Modoc 635 50.56% 590 46.97% 25 1.99% 6 0.48% 0 0.00% 45 3.58% 1,256
Mono 230 55.29% 156 37.50% 28 6.73% 1 0.24% 1 0.24% 74 17.79% 416
Monterey 2,580 55.16% 1,839 39.32% 159 3.40% 98 2.10% 1 0.02% 741 15.84% 4,677
Napa 1,629 38.46% 2,372 56.00% 212 5.00% 23 0.54% 0 0.00% -743 -17.54% 4,236
Nevada 1,398 43.20% 1,290 39.86% 531 16.41% 17 0.53% 0 0.00% 108 3.34% 3,236
Orange 3,026 46.94% 2,695 41.80% 467 7.24% 259 4.02% 0 0.00% 331 5.13% 6,447
Placer 1,560 46.06% 1,603 47.33% 187 5.52% 36 1.06% 1 0.03% -43 -1.27% 3,387
Plumas 622 56.04% 423 38.11% 61 5.50% 4 0.36% 0 0.00% 199 17.93% 1,110
Riverside 3,026 51.64% 1,914 32.66% 690 11.77% 228 3.89% 2 0.03% 1,112 18.98% 5,860
Sacramento 5,217 42.44% 6,033 49.08% 994 8.09% 49 0.40% 0 0.00% -816 -6.64% 12,293
San Benito 915 48.59% 874 46.42% 74 3.93% 20 1.06% 0 0.00% 41 2.18% 1,883
San Bernardino 4,111 45.06% 3,611 39.58% 1,025 11.23% 377 4.13% 0 0.00% 500 5.48% 9,124
San Diego 4,514 47.62% 2,966 31.29% 1,870 19.73% 129 1.36% 0 0.00% 1,548 16.33% 9,479
San Francisco 25,528 43.13% 24,065 40.66% 9,476 16.01% 113 0.19% 0 0.00% 1,463 2.47% 59,182
San Joaquin 3,969 45.32% 3,851 43.98% 851 9.72% 86 0.98% 0 0.00% 118 1.35% 8,757
San Luis Obispo 2,121 50.95% 1,285 30.87% 726 17.44% 31 0.74% 0 0.00% 836 20.08% 4,163
San Mateo 2,389 49.42% 1,828 37.82% 599 12.39% 17 0.35% 1 0.02% 561 11.61% 4,834
Santa Barbara 2,334 49.24% 1,995 42.09% 366 7.72% 43 0.91% 2 0.04% 339 7.15% 4,740
Santa Clara 7,078 49.66% 5,416 38.00% 1,513 10.62% 240 1.68% 5 0.04% 1,662 11.66% 14,252
Santa Cruz 2,508 54.63% 1,706 37.16% 291 6.34% 86 1.87% 0 0.00% 802 17.47% 4,591
Shasta 1,723 46.02% 1,606 42.90% 398 10.63% 16 0.43% 1 0.03% 117 3.13% 3,744
Sierra 542 55.53% 385 39.45% 47 4.82% 2 0.20% 0 0.00% 157 16.09% 976
Siskiyou 1,630 42.78% 1,910 50.13% 251 6.59% 19 0.50% 0 0.00% -280 -7.35% 3,810
Solano 2,301 39.13% 2,919 49.63% 611 10.39% 50 0.85% 0 0.00% -618 -10.51% 5,881
Sonoma 3,976 43.66% 4,178 45.88% 876 9.62% 76 0.83% 0 0.00% -202 -2.22% 9,106
Stanislaus 1,992 45.14% 1,798 40.74% 324 7.34% 297 6.73% 2 0.05% 194 4.40% 4,413
Sutter 845 51.68% 746 45.63% 32 1.96% 12 0.73% 0 0.00% 99 6.06% 1,635
Tehama 1,094 43.48% 1,184 47.06% 211 8.39% 27 1.07% 0 0.00% -90 -3.58% 2,516
Trinity 484 49.74% 388 39.88% 100 10.28% 0 0.00% 1 0.10% 96 9.87% 973
Tulare 3,113 46.92% 2,877 43.36% 574 8.65% 71 1.07% 0 0.00% 236 3.56% 6,635
Tuolumne 1,080 44.72% 1,179 48.82% 136 5.63% 20 0.83% 0 0.00% -99 -4.10% 2,415
Ventura 1,696 48.82% 1,545 44.47% 192 5.53% 41 1.18% 0 0.00% 151 4.35% 3,474
Yolo 1,466 41.40% 1,804 50.95% 233 6.58% 38 1.07% 0 0.00% -338 -9.55% 3,541
Yuba 940 44.72% 1,090 51.86% 63 3.00% 8 0.38% 1 0.05% -150 -7.14% 2,102
Total 177,191 45.94% 154,835 40.14% 47,819 12.40% 5,807 1.51% 61 0.02% 22,356 5.80% 385,713

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

[edit]

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

[edit]

Counties that flipped from Independence to Democratic

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "James Gillett". The Governors Gallery. California State Library. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Gov. James Norris Gillett". National Governors Association. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  3. ^ "Gillett Not a Candidate for a Second Term". San Francisco Call. January 30, 1910. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "SHALL THE "DECLINE TO STATE" VOTER "STAND PAT" OR "TURN REPUBLICAN" IN ORDER TO "HELP OUT" JOHNSON — This Matter Ought to Be Carefully Considered and the Facts of the Situation as Here Set Forth Should Be Carefully Weighed by the Good Government People". San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram. July 1, 1910. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "Curry Thinks His Nomination and Election Are Now Certain". San Francisco Call. January 30, 1910. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "Governor's Letter Starts Hot Race for Nomination". Ventura Free Press. January 31, 1910. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  7. ^ "League Fails to Agree on a Candidate". San Francisco Call. February 8, 1910. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  8. ^ "Trouble in the League – Much Mystery and Lack of Harmony in the Camp of the Lincoln-Roosevelt Reformers". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. February 19, 1910. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "Johnson Agrees to Lead Battle of the League". San Francisco Call. February 20, 1910. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  10. ^ "Fight to Rescue State". San Francisco Call. February 20, 1910. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  11. ^ "Pardee Favors Hiram Johnson for Governor". Los Angeles Herald. February 22, 1910. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  12. ^ Van Smith, George A. (March 1, 1910). "Johnson Outlines Sizzling Campaign". San Francisco Call. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "JOHNSON FLAYS BOARD; SAYS TAX BURDEN OUTRAGE". Los Angeles Herald. March 12, 1910. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "JOHNSON OPENS HIS GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN 452 HEAR CANDIDATES SPEAK AT THE GARRICK URGES FOLLOWERS TO FIGHT LIKE SOLDIERS DOWN WITH BOSSES, SLOGAN OF NEW PARTY LEADER Appeals to San Diegans to Lift Yoke and Gain Owner-ship of Harbor Confident of Victory, Will Tour Entire State by Means of Automobile". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. March 15, 1910. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "CANDIDATE SPEAK TO THE EXCLUSION LEAGUE- Alden Anderson Sends Regrets, and Stanton and Johnson Ignore the Invitation - Santa Clara Orchardists Plan to Change Time of Vacation". San Jose Mercury-news. March 22, 1910. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "MACHINE REGULARS ARE FACING CRISIS". Los Angeles Herald. March 20, 1910. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "SPANISH-AMERICANS READ LEAGUE APPEAL". Los Angeles Herald. August 16, 1910. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "JOHNSON VICTORY IS NOW ASSURED". Los Angeles Herald. August 12, 1910. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  19. ^ "LANDSLIDE FOR HIRAM JOHNSON PREDICTED". San Jose Mercury-news. August 14, 1910. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  20. ^ "The Gubernatorial Whirlpool". Newcastle News. March 2, 1910. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  21. ^ "BELL FORMALLY ANNOUNCES HIS CANDIDACY FOR GOVERNOR". Los Angeles Herald. March 11, 1910. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  22. ^ "Theodore Bell Here – Interviewed About His Candidacy — Was Here on Legal Business". Hanford Sentinel. June 2, 1910. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "Democratic Candidates – State Central Committee Will Circulate Petitions". Union Democrat. June 4, 1910. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Insurgents Win Overwhelmingly; Down Old Guard". Los Angeles Herald. August 17, 1910. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "Simeon P. Meads, Pioneer Oakland Educator, Dies". Oakland Tribune. October 2, 1940. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Prohibition Party Has Adopted A Good Platform". Fresno Evening Herald. The Associated Press. September 8, 1910. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  27. ^ "Bell and Johnson Win Nominations". Los Angeles Herald. August 17, 1910. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  28. ^ "DEMOCRATS PLAN TO BEGIN BATTLE". Los Angeles Herald. August 20, 1910. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  29. ^ "JOHNSON'S VICTORY". Amador Ledger-Dispatch. August 26, 1910. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "NO CHANCE FOR BELL". Marin Journal. September 15, 1910. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  31. ^ "Socialist Candidate to Campaign in Red Auto". Los Angeles Herald. May 30, 1910. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  32. ^ "Eugene V. Debs looking out window of the "Red Special" train, 1908". Indiana State University Library. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  33. ^ "Wilson Will Have a Say In This City Socialist Candidate tor Governor is Preparing for a Vigorous Campaign". San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram. June 28, 1910. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  34. ^ "BELL PURPOSES TO EXCLUDE ASIATICS". San Francisco Call. September 22, 1910. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  35. ^ "Johnson's Victory Is Assured". San Francisco Call. October 31, 1910. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  36. ^ "Hiram Johnson Is Greeted As Conquering hero - Southern Pacific Employes Are Ordered to Vote for Bell - VOTERS ARE WARNED AGAINST LATE ATTACKS". San Francisco Call. November 5, 1910. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  37. ^ "JOHNSON IS LOCAL FAVORITE: NO TAKERS OF COLLINS MONEY REPUBLICANS SURE OF VICTORY". Visalia Morning Delta. November 8, 1910. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  38. ^ a b California Secretary of State. Statement of the Vote of California at the General Election, Held November 8, 1910. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 2. Retrieved July 18, 2024.