| Election Name: | 1887 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1877 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1886 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Previous Year: | 1886 |
| Next Election: | 1888 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Next Year: | 1888 |
| Seats For Election: | 6 state governorships |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1887 April 6, 1887 (RI) August 1, 1887 (KY) |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Last Election1: | 22 governorships |
| Seats Before1: | 21 |
| Seats After1: | 22 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Last Election2: | 16 governorships |
| Seats Before2: | 17 |
| Seats After2: | 16 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1887, in six states.
Kentucky and Maryland held their gubernatorial elections in odd numbered years, every 4 years, preceding the United States presidential election year. Massachusetts and Rhode Island both elected their respective governors to a single-year term. They would abandon this practice in 1920 and 1912, respectively. Iowa and Ohio at this time held gubernatorial elections in every odd numbered year.
| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing candidates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | William Larrabee | Republican | Re-elected, 50.17% | T. J. Anderson (Democratic) 45.47% M. J. Cain (Union Labor) 4.23% V. G. Farnham (Prohibition) 0.10% J. M. Anderson 0.01% Scattering 0.01% [1] [2] | |
| Kentucky (held, 1 August 1887) | J. Proctor Knott | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Simon Bolivar Buckner (Democratic) 50.70% William O'Connell Bradley (Republican) 44.78% Fontaine T. Fox (Prohibition) 2.97% A. H. Cardin (Union Labor) 1.57% [3] | |
| Maryland | Henry Lloyd | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | Elihu Emory Jackson (Democratic) 51.12% Walter B. Brooks (Republican) 45.57% Summerfield Baldwin (Prohibition) 2.32% [4] | |
| Massachusetts | Oliver Ames | Republican | Re-elected, 51.12% | Henry B. Lovering (Democratic) 44.50% William H. Earle (Prohibition) 4.11% Charles E. Marks (Union Labor) 0.22% Scattering 0.04% [5] | |
| Ohio | Joseph B. Foraker | Republican | Re-elected, 47.91% | Thomas E. Powell (Democratic) 44.78% Morris Sharp (Prohibition) 3.99% John Seitz (Union Labor) 3.32% [6] [7] | |
| Rhode Island (held, 6 April 1887) | George Peabody Wetmore | Republican | Defeated, 43.01% | John W. Davis (Democratic) 51.50% Thomas H. Peabody (Prohibition) 5.39% Scattering 0.10% [8] |