| Election Name: | 1890 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1890 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1889 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Previous Year: | 1889 |
| Next Election: | 1891 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Next Year: | 1891 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Seats won |
| Seats For Election: | 27 governorships |
| Election Date: | November 4, 1890 |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Seats Before1: | 22 |
| Seats After1: | 28 |
| Seat Change1: | 6 |
| 1Data1: | 8 |
| 2Data1: | 14 |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Seats Before2: | 20 |
| Seats After2: | 16 |
| Seat Change2: | 4 |
| 1Data2: | 17 |
| 2Data2: | 13 |
| Map Size: | 324px |
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1890, in 27 states, concurrent with the House and Senate elections, on November 4, 1890 (except in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming, which held early elections).
In New Hampshire, the newly elected Governor's term began in the January following the election for the first time, rather than in the following June as previously.
Idaho and Wyoming held their first gubernatorial elections on achieving statehood.
| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing candidates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama (held, 4 August 1890) | Thomas Seay | Democratic | Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Democratic victory | Thomas G. Jones (Democratic) 76.12% Benjamin M. Long (Republican) 23.06% L. C. Coulson (Prohibition) 0.75% Scattering 0.06% [1] [2] | |
| Arkansas (held, 1 September 1890) | James Philip Eagle | Democratic | Re-elected, 55.51% | Napoleon B. Fizer (Union Labor) 44.49% [3] | |
| California | Robert Waterman (acting) | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Henry Markham (Republican) 49.55% Edward B. Pond (Democratic) 46.41% John Bidwell (Prohibition) 4.02% Scattering 0.03% [4] [5] | |
| Colorado | Job Adams Cooper | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | John Long Routt (Republican) 50.11% Caldwell Yeaman (Democratic) 42.36% John G. Coy (Farmers Alliance) 6.23% John A. Elett (Prohibition) 1.27% Scattering 0.03% [6] [7] [8] | |
| Connecticut | Morgan Bulkeley | Republican | Lost renomination.[9] [10] Following disputed election, remained in office for following term after legislature failed to resolve election. | Luzon B. Morris (Democratic) 50.01% Samuel E. Merwin (Republican) 47.28% Phineas M. Augur (Prohibition) 2.52% Henry C. Baldwin (Labor) 0.15% Scattering 0.03% [11] | |
| Delaware | Benjamin T. Biggs | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Robert J. Reynolds (Democratic) 50.43% Harry A. Richardson (Republican) 48.89% William T. Kellum (Prohibition) 0.67% [12] [13] | |
| Georgia (held, 1 October 1890) | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | William J. Northen (Democratic) unopposed [14] [15] [16] | ||
| Idaho (held, 1 October 1890) | New state | George L. Shoup (Republican) 56.35% Benjamin Wilson (Democratic) 43.65% [17] | |||
| Kansas | Lyman U. Humphrey | Republican | Re-elected, 39.05% | John F. Willits (Populist) 36.31% Charles L. Robinson (Democratic) 24.22% A. M. Richardson (Prohibition) 0.42% [18] | |
| Maine (held, 8 September 1890) | Edwin C. Burleigh | Republican | Re-elected, 56.42% | William P. Thompson (Democratic) 39.82% Aaron Clark (Prohibition) 2.62% Isaac C. Clark (Labor) 1.14% Scattering 0.01% [19] [20] | |
| Massachusetts | John Q. A. Brackett | Republican | Defeated, 46.04% | William E. Russell (Democratic) 49.21% John Blackmer (Prohibition) 4.75% [21] [22] | |
| Michigan | Cyrus G. Luce | Republican | Retired, Democratic victory | Edwin B. Winans (Democratic) 46.18% James Munroe Turner (Republican) 43.28% Azariah S. Partridge (Prohibition) 7.21% Eugene H. Belden (Industrial) 3.32% Scattering 0.01% [23] [24] | |
| Minnesota | William Rush Merriam | Republican | Re-elected, 36.58% | Thomas Wilson (Democratic) 35.64% Sidney M. Owen (Farmers Alliance) 24.29% James P. Pinkham (Prohibition) 3.50% [25] [26] | |
| Nebraska | John Milton Thayer | Republican | Lost renomination,[27] Democratic victory | James E. Boyd (Democratic) 33.32% J. H. Powers (Populist) 32.78% L. D. Richards (Republican) 32.17% B. L. Paine (Prohibition) 1.72% Scattering 0.01% [28] | |
| Nevada | Frank Bell (acting) | Republican | Roswell K. Colcord (Republican) 53.27% Theodore Winters (Democratic) 46.73% [29] | ||
| New Hampshire | David H. Goodell | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Hiram A. Tuttle (Republican) 49.26% Charles H. Amsden (Democratic) 49.15% Josiah M. Fletcher (Prohibition) 1.58% Scattering 0.01% [30] [31] (Legislative election) (held, 7 January 1891) Hiram A. Tuttle, 185 votes Charles H. Amsden, 150 votes [32] | |
| North Dakota | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Andrew H. Burke (Republican) 52.23% William N. Roach (Democratic) 34.55% Walter Muir (Farmers Alliance) 13.22%[33] [34] | ||
| Oregon (held, 2 June 1890) | Sylvester Pennoyer | Democratic | Re-elected, 53.55% | David P. Thompson (Republican) 46.45% [35] [36] | |
| Pennsylvania | James A. Beaver | Republican | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Robert E. Pattison (Democratic) 50.00% George W. Delamater (Republican) 48.22% John D. Gill (Prohibition) 1.74% T. P. Rynder (Labor) 0.02% Scattering 0.02% [37] [38] | |
| Rhode Island (held, 2 April 1890) | Herbert W. Ladd | Republican | Defeated, 45.07% | John W. Davis (Democratic) 48.77% John H. Larry (Prohibition) 4.32% Arnold B. Chace (Union) 1.78% Scattering 0.05% [39] [40] | |
| South Carolina | John Peter Richardson III | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Benjamin Tillman (Democratic) 79.81% A. C. Haskell (Independent Democrat) 20.00% Scattering 0.18% [41] [42] [43] | |
| South Dakota | Arthur C. Mellette | Republican | Re-elected, 44.46% | H. L. Loucks (Independent) 31.71% Maris Taylor (Democratic) 23.83% [44] [45] [46] [47] | |
| Tennessee | Robert Love Taylor | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | John P. Buchanan (Democratic) 56.57% Lewis T. Baxter (Republican) 37.91% David C. Kelley (Prohibition) 5.52% [48] [49] [50] | |
| Texas | Lawrence Sullivan Ross | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | Jim Hogg (Democratic) 76.45% J. Webster Flanagan (Republican) 22.65% E. C. Heath (Prohibition) 0.72% Scattering 0.18% [51] [52] | |
| Vermont (held, 2 September 1890) | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Carroll S. Page (Republican) 61.71% Herbert F. Brigham (Democratic) 35.59% Edward L. Allen (Prohibition) 2.14% Scattering 0.56% [53] [54] | ||
| Wisconsin | William D. Hoard | Republican | Defeated, 42.71% | George Wilbur Peck (Democratic) 51.86% Charles Alexander (Prohibition) 3.64% Reuben May (Union Labor) 1.76% Scattering 0.03% [55] [56] | |
| Wyoming (held, 11 October 1890) | New state | Francis E. Warren (Republican) 55.38% George W. Baxter (Democratic) 44.62% [57] |