1904 United States presidential election in Georgia explained

See main article: 1904 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1904 United States presidential election in Georgia
Country:Georgia (U.S. state)
Flag Year:1902
Type:presidential
Vote Type:Popular
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1900 United States presidential election in Georgia
Previous Year:1900
Next Election:1908 United States presidential election in Georgia
Next Year:1908
Image1:AltonBParker.png
Nominee1:Alton Parker
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:New York
Running Mate1:Henry G. Davis
Electoral Vote1:13
Popular Vote1:83,466
Percentage1:63.72%
Nominee2:Theodore Roosevelt
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:New York
Running Mate2:Charles W. Fairbanks
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:24,004
Percentage2:18.33%
Image3:Tom E Watson.jpg
Nominee3:Thomas E. Watson
Party3:Populist Party (United States)
Home State3:Georgia
Running Mate3:Thomas Tibbles
Electoral Vote3:0
Popular Vote3:22,635
Percentage3:17.28%
Map Size:290px
President
Before Election:Theodore Roosevelt
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
Posttitle:Elected President
After Election:Theodore Roosevelt
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1904 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 8, 1904, as part of the wider United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Following Reconstruction, Georgia would be the first former Confederate state to substantially disenfranchise its newly enfranchised freedmen, doing so in the early 1870s.[1] This largely limited the Republican Party to a few North Georgia counties with substantial Civil War Unionist sentiment – chiefly Fannin but also to a lesser extent Pickens, Gilmer and Towns.[2] The Democratic Party served as the guardian of white supremacy against a Republican Party historically associated with memories of Reconstruction, and the main competition became Democratic primaries, which state laws restricted to whites on the grounds of the Democratic Party being legally a private club.[3]

However, politics after the first demobilization by a cumulative poll tax was chaotic. Third-party movements, chiefly the Populist Party, gained support amongst poor whites and the remaining black voters in opposition to the planter elite.[4] The fact that Georgia had already substantially reduced its poor white and black electorate two decades ago, alongside pressure from urban elites in Atlanta,[4] and the decline of isolationism due to the success of the Spanish–American War,[5] meant the Populist movement substantially faded in the late 1890s.[6] However, Populism would revive in 1904 when it became clear a conservative would be nominated by the Democratic Party,[7] whilst Watson did not find it difficult to get a somewhat demoralized party’s nomination over William V. Allen.

Georgia was won by the Democratic nominees, former Chief Judge of New York Court of Appeals Alton B. Parker and his running mate, former US Senator Henry G. Davis of West Virginia. They defeated the Republican nominees, incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt of New York and his running mate Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana. Parker won the state by a landslide margin of 45.39%.

Populist candidate and Georgia native Thomas E. Watson would campaign in the state in August, but as Georgia had not voted Republican even during Reconstruction neither major party candidate visited the state. Watson would collapse from his campaigning at the end of September,[8] No polls were taken until October 29, by which time the state was naturally viewed as certain for Parker.[9] Parker would eventually win Georgia with over five-eighths of the vote, although he declined by about three percent from William Jennings Bryan’s performance four years previously. Incumbent Republican President Theodore Roosevelt and Watson ran a very close race for second, with the President edging the Populist for this position. Watson's 17.28% of the vote in Georgia was the largest percentage the Populists won in a state during the 1904 presidential election.[10]

Results

1904 United States presidential election in Georgia[11]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
DemocraticAlton B. Parker83,46663.72%13
RepublicanTheodore Roosevelt (incumbent)24,00418.33%0
People'sThomas E. Watson22,63517.28%0
ProhibitionSilas C. Swallow6850.52%0
SocialistEugene V. Debs1960.15%0

Results by county

CountyAlton Brooks Parker[12]
Democratic
Theodore Roosevelt
Republican
Thomas Edward Watson
Populist
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %
Appling55462.04%23726.54%9610.75%60.67%31735.50%893
Baker51194.45%81.48%224.07%00.00%48990.39%541
Baldwin49481.65%152.48%9215.21%40.66%40266.45%605
Banks47444.30%19918.60%38836.26%90.84%868.04%1,070
Bartow79159.25%40630.41%1269.44%120.90%38528.84%1,335
Berrien88981.34%686.22%12211.16%141.28%76770.17%1,093
Bibb2,11788.47%2369.86%210.88%190.79%1,88178.60%2,393
Brooks42969.98%10216.64%8113.21%10.16%32753.34%613
Bryan25956.80%12527.41%7115.57%10.22%13429.39%456
Bulloch59671.55%546.48%17120.53%121.44%42551.02%833
Burke65787.02%526.89%425.56%40.53%60580.13%755
Butts53172.64%8010.94%11615.87%40.55%41556.77%731
Calhoun34587.56%194.82%307.61%00.00%31579.95%394
Camden38054.76%31244.96%20.29%00.00%689.80%694
Campbell30854.32%407.05%21037.04%91.59%9817.28%567
Carroll1,18754.13%40018.24%58526.68%210.96%60227.45%2,193
Catoosa28161.22%12026.14%449.59%143.05%16135.08%459
Charlton20786.97%3113.03%00.00%00.00%17673.95%238
Chatham2,64587.52%36312.01%60.20%80.26%2,28275.51%3,022
Chattahoochee10754.87%6231.79%2412.31%21.03%4523.08%195
Chattooga47249.74%37839.83%808.43%192.00%949.91%949
Cherokee62250.78%24620.08%34227.92%151.22%28022.86%1,225
Clarke77376.61%11811.69%11411.30%40.40%65564.92%1,009
Clay27062.36%4710.85%11626.79%00.00%15435.57%433
Clayton33359.25%5910.50%16930.07%10.18%16429.18%562
Clinch28563.19%14131.26%235.10%20.44%14431.93%451
Cobb1,17168.40%22012.85%31618.46%50.29%85549.94%1,712
Coffee57163.16%26729.54%647.08%20.22%30433.63%904
Colquitt44659.23%628.23%23631.34%91.20%21027.89%753
Columbia18956.76%20.60%13841.44%41.20%5115.32%333
Coweta1,07083.27%16012.45%493.81%60.47%91070.82%1,285
Crawford31485.09%41.08%4813.01%30.81%26672.09%369
Dade21773.06%3712.46%4013.47%31.01%17759.60%297
Dawson20737.98%26047.71%6712.29%112.02%-53-9.72%545
De Kalb75957.28%21316.08%34325.89%100.75%41631.40%1,325
Decatur98575.42%18213.94%1309.95%90.69%80361.49%1,306
Dodge68885.79%9812.22%162.00%00.00%59073.57%802
Dooly98681.22%1078.81%1189.72%30.25%86871.50%1,214
Dougherty47591.35%458.65%00.00%00.00%43082.69%520
Douglas23035.71%13320.65%27843.17%30.47%-48-7.45%644
Early46666.95%121.72%21430.75%40.57%25236.21%696
Echols15992.98%127.02%00.00%00.00%14785.96%171
Effingham37074.00%479.40%5410.80%295.80%31663.20%500
Elbert87783.13%60.57%16715.83%50.47%71067.30%1,055
Emanuel51951.74%949.37%38838.68%20.20%13113.06%1,003
Fannin45644.71%50449.41%484.71%121.18%-48-4.71%1,020
Fayette26054.97%5912.47%14731.08%71.48%11323.89%473
Floyd1,69271.15%46619.60%1928.07%281.18%1,22651.56%2,378
Forsyth45542.72%35733.52%24823.29%50.47%989.20%1,065
Franklin48642.11%20717.94%45339.25%80.69%332.86%1,154
Fulton5,78173.66%1,76622.50%2403.06%610.78%4,01551.16%7,848
Gilmer55047.01%61752.74%00.00%30.26%-67-5.73%1,170
Glascock11727.79%112.61%29068.88%30.71%-173-41.09%421
Glynn50158.67%31637.00%323.75%50.59%18521.66%854
Gordon52550.10%32330.82%19218.32%80.76%20219.27%1,048
Greene45149.56%20122.09%25227.69%60.66%19921.87%910
Gwinnett1,21955.23%1325.98%84538.29%110.50%37416.95%2,207
Habersham68159.06%22919.86%22519.51%181.56%45239.20%1,153
Hall1,13557.41%1909.61%63532.12%170.86%50025.29%1,977
Hancock48275.08%314.83%12419.31%50.78%35855.76%642
Haralson34929.65%47740.53%33628.55%151.27%-128-10.88%1,177
Harris68979.75%809.26%9110.53%40.46%59869.21%864
Hart48259.21%9311.43%23328.62%60.74%24930.59%814
Heard36177.80%91.94%8418.10%102.16%27759.70%464
Henry46459.41%648.19%23930.60%141.79%22528.81%781
Houston76888.48%788.99%192.19%30.35%69079.49%868
Irwin65859.87%34231.12%827.46%171.55%31628.75%1,099
Jackson96443.11%331.48%1,23355.14%60.27%-269-12.03%2,236
Jasper61385.02%506.93%588.04%00.00%55576.98%721
Jefferson37937.94%48948.95%12112.11%101.00%-110-11.01%999
Johnson25738.13%598.75%35552.67%30.45%-98-14.54%674
Jones49879.68%8914.24%365.76%20.32%40965.44%625
Laurens87856.87%39025.26%27217.62%40.26%48831.61%1,544
Lee28561.82%6313.67%11324.51%00.00%17237.31%461
Liberty24238.54%24539.01%14122.45%00.00%-3-0.48%628
Lincoln19554.47%00.00%16345.53%00.00%328.94%358
Lowndes88872.91%28923.73%342.79%70.57%59949.18%1,218
Lumpkin52563.18%25330.45%536.38%00.00%27232.73%831
Macon46563.87%18024.73%8211.26%10.14%28539.15%728
Madison73377.90%495.21%15416.37%50.53%57961.53%941
Marion24754.53%5111.26%15434.00%10.22%9320.53%453
McDuffie19640.50%40.83%28358.47%10.21%-87-17.98%484
McIntosh14442.86%19056.55%20.60%00.00%-46-13.69%336
Meriwether76568.30%988.75%25322.59%40.36%51245.71%1,120
Miller17459.39%10.34%11840.27%00.00%5619.11%293
Milton26358.84%255.59%15835.35%10.22%10523.49%447
Mitchell51163.01%14517.88%15519.11%00.00%35643.90%811
Monroe46269.47%365.41%16324.51%40.60%29944.96%665
Montgomery59369.03%12114.09%14116.41%40.47%45252.62%859
Morgan51279.50%6710.40%446.83%213.26%44569.10%644
Murray27043.90%25240.98%8613.98%71.14%182.93%615
Muscogee1,52288.28%1649.51%60.35%321.86%1,35878.77%1,724
Newton92868.14%35425.99%735.36%70.51%57442.14%1,362
Oconee19836.07%9918.03%24544.63%71.28%-47-8.56%549
Oglethorpe71986.11%50.60%10112.10%101.20%61874.01%835
Paulding40232.90%34127.91%47939.20%00.00%-77-6.30%1,222
Pickens34727.80%81064.90%876.97%40.32%-463-37.10%1,248
Pierce35469.82%7314.40%7715.19%30.59%27754.64%507
Pike66268.32%929.49%21422.08%10.10%44846.23%969
Polk65343.07%68945.45%17411.48%00.00%-36-2.37%1,516
Pulaski60587.94%294.22%547.85%00.00%55180.09%688
Putnam57396.63%30.51%162.70%10.17%55793.93%593
Quitman11969.59%3520.47%179.94%00.00%8449.12%171
Rabun36474.44%12124.74%40.82%00.00%24349.69%489
Randolph55178.05%8712.32%689.63%00.00%46465.72%706
Richmond1,81665.82%1746.31%75427.33%150.54%1,06238.49%2,759
Rockdale43462.63%13319.19%12417.89%20.29%30143.43%693
Schley24366.94%5515.15%6417.63%10.28%17949.31%363
Screven43064.47%253.75%21031.48%20.30%22032.98%667
Spalding90584.90%14213.32%131.22%60.56%76371.58%1,066
Stewart42967.67%15524.45%507.89%00.00%27443.22%634
Sumter91882.04%15914.21%413.66%10.09%75967.83%1,119
Talbot48482.74%7412.65%264.44%10.17%41070.09%585
Taliaferro37754.48%18426.59%13018.79%10.14%19327.89%692
Tattnall62154.05%17114.88%35030.46%70.61%27123.59%1,149
Taylor30956.80%6311.58%17031.25%20.37%13925.55%544
Telfair78192.54%445.21%141.66%50.59%73787.32%844
Terrell63081.29%779.94%678.65%10.13%55371.35%775
Thomas86253.81%37423.35%35722.28%90.56%48830.46%1,602
Towns33836.34%41744.84%17418.71%10.11%-79-8.49%930
Troup89178.23%201.76%22019.32%80.70%67158.91%1,139
Twiggs37888.52%307.03%194.45%00.00%34881.50%427
Union41941.69%46646.37%11411.34%60.60%-47-4.68%1,005
Upson46856.66%779.32%28033.90%10.12%18822.76%826
Walker85859.42%51235.46%714.92%30.21%34623.96%1,444
Walton87758.43%24516.32%37324.85%60.40%50433.58%1,501
Ware63578.20%15819.46%40.49%151.85%47758.74%812
Warren22042.15%7514.37%22142.34%61.15%-1-0.19%522
Washington97657.41%19511.47%52931.12%00.00%44726.29%1,700
Wayne41773.81%8915.75%549.56%50.88%32858.05%565
Webster16565.22%5320.95%3513.83%00.00%11244.27%253
White29742.80%17925.79%21831.41%00.00%7911.38%694
Whitfield56944.63%42733.49%21717.02%624.86%14211.14%1,275
Wilcox50167.98%19426.32%395.29%30.41%30741.66%737
Wilkes62274.94%60.72%19823.86%40.48%42451.08%830
Wilkinson53980.69%375.54%9013.47%20.30%44967.22%668
Worth52950.53%27225.98%24123.02%50.48%25724.55%1,047
Totals83,77264.11%23,79418.21%22,22017.01%8810.67%59,97845.90%130,667

See also

Notes and References

  1. Mickey, Robert W.; Paths Out of Dixie: The Democratization of Authoritarian Enclaves in America's Deep South, 1944-1972, p. 76
  2. [Kevin Phillips (political commentator)|Phillips, Kevin P.]
  3. Springer, Melanie Jean; How the States Shaped the Nation: American Electoral Institutions and Voter Turnout, 1920-2000, p. 155
  4. Mickey, Robert W.; ‘The Beginning of the End for Authoritarian Rule in America: Smith v. Allwright and the Abolition of the White Primary in the Deep South, 1944-1948’; Studies in American Political Development, Vol. 22 (Fall 2008), pp. 143-182.
  5. Coleman, Kenneth; Georgia History in Outline, p. 85
  6. Perman, Michael; Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888-1908; p. 274
  7. Woodward, Comer Vann; Tom Watson: Agrarian Rebel (1963), p. 357
  8. See ‘The Fireman and Elks’; Passaic Daily News, September 30, 1904, p. 4
  9. ‘Forecasts of Presidential Election’; Montgomery Advertiser, October 29, 1904, pp. 13-14
  10. Web site: 1904 Presidential Election Statistics. Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. 2018-03-05.
  11. Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 1904 Presidential General Election Results – Georgia
  12. Géoelections; Popular Vote at the Presidential Election for 1904 (.xlsx file for €15)