1896 Illinois gubernatorial election

The 1896 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896.

Incumbent Democratic Governor John Peter Altgeld was defeated by Republican nominee John Riley Tanner who won 54.10% of the vote.

Democratic nomination[]

Candidates[]

John Peter Altgeld, incumbent Governor

Results[]

The Democratic state convention was held on June 23, 1896, in Peoria.^[1]

Democratic gubernatorial nomination, 1st ballot, 23 June 1896^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Peter Altgeld	acclaimed

Republican nomination[]

Candidates[]

Albert J. Hopkins, incumbent U.S. Congressman for Illinois's 8th congressional district
Dr. Joseph Robbins
John Riley Tanner, former Illinois State Treasurer, chairman of the Illinois State Republican Central Committee in 1894^[3]

Results[]

The Republican state convention was held on April 29 and 30, 1896 at Springfield.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Republican gubernatorial nomination, 1st ballot, 29 April 1896^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[a]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Riley Tanner	1,083	81.12
	Republican	Albert J. Hopkins	183	13.71
	Republican	Joseph Robbins	69	5.17
Total votes			1,335	100.00

General election[]

Candidates[]

John Peter Altgeld, Democratic
John Riley Tanner, Republican
George Washington Gere, Prohibition
William St. John Forman, National Democrat, former U.S. Congressman for Illinois's 18th congressional district
Charles A. Baustian, Socialist Labor
Isaac W. Higgs, National

Results[]

Illinois gubernatorial election, 1896^[23]^[24]^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Riley Tanner	587,637	54.10%
	Democratic	John Peter Altgeld	474,256	43.66%
	Prohibition	George Washington Gere	14,559	1.34%
	National Democratic	William St. John Forman	8,102	0.75%
	Socialist Labor	Charles A. Baustian	985	0.09%
	National Party	Isaac W. Higgs	723	0.07%
	Scattering		10	0.00%
Majority			113,381	10.44%
Turnout			1,086,272	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

References[]

^ "Desperation of Democracy". The San Francisco call. San Francisco, Calif. June 24, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Political". Alexandria gazette. Alexandria, D.C. June 24, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ Bateman, Newton; Selby, Paul, eds. (1918). Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois. I. Chicago: Munsell Publishing Company. p. 518.
^ "Cullom's a Stayer". Wood County reporter. Grand Rapids, Wis. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "M'Kinley The Choice". The copper country evening news. Calumet, Mich. May 2, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Tanner for Governor". Abilene weekly reflector. Abilene, Kan. May 7, 1896. p. 12. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Tanner's Without A Fight". Omaha daily bee. Omaha, Neb. April 30, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Named for Governor". Evening star. Washington, D.C. April 30, 1896. p. 15. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Goldbugs to the very core". The Salt Lake herald. Salt Lake City, Utah. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "In the field of politics". The herald. Los Angeles, Calif. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Inland". Abendblatt. Chicago, Ill. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "The Illinois Republicans". Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Cullom or M'Kinley?". Indianapolis Journal. Indianapolis, Indiana. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Tanner named for Governor". The Norfolk Virginian. Norfolk, Va. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "The Illinois Republicans". The San Francisco call. San Francisco, Calif. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Battle Royal in Illinois". New-York tribune. New York, N.Y. April 30, 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Big fight is in prospect". The daily morning journal and courier. New Haven, Conn. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Slow Work at Springfield". The morning news. Savannah, Ga. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Illinois Republicans". Birmingham state herald. Birmingham, Ala. April 30, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ "Illinois's Great Fight". The sun. New York, N.Y. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ Church, Charles A. (1912). History of the Republican Party in Illinois 1854-1912. Rockford, Ill.: Wilson Brothers Company. p. 179.
^ "IL Governor, 1896 - R Convention". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^ Illinois Official Vote 1896, pp. 7–9.
^ "IL Governor, 1896". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
^ Journal of the Senate of the Fortieth General Assembly of the State of Illinois. Convened at the Capitol, in Springfield, January 6, 1897, and adjourned sine die June 4, 1897. Springfield, Ill.: Phillips Bros., State Printers. 1897. p. 159.

Notes[]

^ Some sources give the result as Tanner 1,106, Hopkins 160, Robbins 69^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20] or as Tanner 1,081, Hopkins 185, Robbins 69^[21]^[22]

Bibliography[]

Compiled and Printed by the Secretary of State (1897). Official vote of the State of Illinois cast at the General Election held November 3, 1896. Springfield, Ill.: Phillips Bros., State Printers.

[1] "Desperation of Democracy". The San Francisco call. San Francisco, Calif. June 24, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[2] "Political". Alexandria gazette. Alexandria, D.C. June 24, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[3] Bateman, Newton; Selby, Paul, eds. (1918). Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois. I. Chicago: Munsell Publishing Company. p. 518.

[4] "Cullom's a Stayer". Wood County reporter. Grand Rapids, Wis. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[5] "M'Kinley The Choice". The copper country evening news. Calumet, Mich. May 2, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[6] "Tanner for Governor". Abilene weekly reflector. Abilene, Kan. May 7, 1896. p. 12. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[7] "Tanner's Without A Fight". Omaha daily bee. Omaha, Neb. April 30, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[8] "Named for Governor". Evening star. Washington, D.C. April 30, 1896. p. 15. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[9] "Goldbugs to the very core". The Salt Lake herald. Salt Lake City, Utah. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[10] "In the field of politics". The herald. Los Angeles, Calif. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[11] "Inland". Abendblatt. Chicago, Ill. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[12] "The Illinois Republicans". Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[13] "Cullom or M'Kinley?". Indianapolis Journal. Indianapolis, Indiana. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[14] "Tanner named for Governor". The Norfolk Virginian. Norfolk, Va. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[15] "The Illinois Republicans". The San Francisco call. San Francisco, Calif. April 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[16] "Battle Royal in Illinois". New-York tribune. New York, N.Y. April 30, 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[17] "Big fight is in prospect". The daily morning journal and courier. New Haven, Conn. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[18] "Slow Work at Springfield". The morning news. Savannah, Ga. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[19] "Illinois Republicans". Birmingham state herald. Birmingham, Ala. April 30, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[20] "Illinois's Great Fight". The sun. New York, N.Y. April 30, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[21] Church, Charles A. (1912). History of the Republican Party in Illinois 1854-1912. Rockford, Ill.: Wilson Brothers Company. p. 179.

[22] "IL Governor, 1896 - R Convention". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

[FOOTNOTEIllinois_Official_Vote_18967–9-24] Illinois Official Vote 1896, pp. 7–9.

[25] "IL Governor, 1896". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 18 November 2020.

[26] Journal of the Senate of the Fortieth General Assembly of the State of Illinois. Convened at the Capitol, in Springfield, January 6, 1897, and adjourned sine die June 4, 1897. Springfield, Ill.: Phillips Bros., State Printers. 1897. p. 159.

[23] Some sources give the result as Tanner 1,106, Hopkins 160, Robbins 69^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20] or as Tanner 1,081, Hopkins 185, Robbins 69^[21]^[22]

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v t Elections in Illinois
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Special	2nd Congressional, 1995 14th Congressional, 2008 5th Congressional, 2009 2nd Congressional, 2013 18th Congressional, 2015 Comptroller, 2016
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Lieutenant Gubernatorial	1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968
Other state executive offices	Attorney General 2018 2022 Secretary of State 2022 Comptroller 2016
State Senate	2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
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Chicago mayoral	1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 (Mar) 1844 (Apr) 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1876 (Apr) 1876 (Jul) 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 (Apr) 1893 (Dec) 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1977 1979 1983 1987 1989 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Chicago City Council	1923 1927 1929 2015 2019
Other municipal	1924 Cicero
Cook County	1946 1980 (State's Attorney) 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

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