1886 South Carolina gubernatorial election

1886 South Carolina Democratic convention

← 1884 August 4, 1886 1888 →

Nominee John Peter Richardson III John Calhoun Sheppard Party Democratic Democratic Delegate count 172 50

Governor before election John Calhoun Sheppard Democratic Elected Governor John Peter Richardson III Democratic

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The 1886 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1886 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. John Peter Richardson III was nominated by the Democrats and became the 83rd governor of South Carolina.

Democratic Convention[]

Ben Tillman, an upstate demagogue, sought to increase his political strength statewide by entering in a union with the editor of The News and Courier, . They united behind the candidacy of Governor John Calhoun Sheppard for reelection, although Sheppard refused to accept Tillman's agriculture program. The News and Courier ran articles leading up to the convention describing the growing strength of Sheppard's campaign and by beginning of the state Democratic convention held in Columbia on August 4, the newspaper had proclaimed that Sheppard was in the lead.^[1]

On the morning of August 4, Tillman gathered the delegates from the Democratic convention who were supporters of the Farmers' Association at the Richland County courthouse and tried to bind them to a resolution to support Sheppard. The effort failed and the farmers instead adopted a resolution stating that they would not endorse any candidate for governor.

When it became public that Tillman tried to coerce support for Sheppard, a delegate from Richland County went to the floor after the initial call of the third ballot and changed his vote from Sheppard to John Peter Richardson III, a planter from Clarendon County. Immediately a stampede of other delegates changed their vote and a second call of the third ballot was taken. After this tally, Richardson received 172 votes and was declared the nominee for governor, having passed the required threshold of 159.

General election[]

The general election was held on November 2, 1886 and John Peter Richardson III was elected as governor of South Carolina without opposition. Being a non-presidential election and few contested races, turnout was the lowest for a gubernatorial election since the election of 1865.

1886 South Carolina gubernatorial election map, by percentile by county.

  65+% won by Richardson

See also[]

• Governor of South Carolina
• List of governors of South Carolina
• South Carolina gubernatorial elections

Notes[]

References[]

• Cooper, Jr., William J. (2005). The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877–1890. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1-57003-597-0.
• "The Summary". The News and Courier. 5 August 1886. p. 1.

External links[]

• SCIway Biography of Governor John Peter Richardson III