1908 United States presidential election in Tennessee explained

See main article: 1908 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1908 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Country:Tennessee
Flag Year:1905
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1904 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Previous Year:1904
Next Election:1912 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Next Year:1912
Election Date:November 3, 1908
Image1:Unsuccessful 1908.jpg
Nominee1:William Jennings Bryan
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:Nebraska
Running Mate1:John W. Kern
Electoral Vote1:12
Popular Vote1:135,608
Percentage1:52.73%
Nominee2:William Howard Taft
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:Ohio
Running Mate2:James S. Sherman
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:117,977
Percentage2:45.87%
Map Size:350px
President
Before Election:Theodore Roosevelt
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:William Howard Taft
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1908 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

For over a century after the Civil War, Tennessee was divided according to political loyalties established in that war. Unionist regions covering almost all of East Tennessee, Kentucky Pennyroyal-allied Macon County, and the five West Tennessee Highland Rim counties of Carroll, Henderson, McNairy, Hardin and Wayne[1] voted Republican – generally by landslide margins – as they saw the Democratic Party as the “war party” who had forced them into a war they did not wish to fight.[2] Contrariwise, the rest of Middle and West Tennessee who had supported and driven the state’s secession was equally fiercely Democratic as it associated the Republicans with Reconstruction.[3] After the disfranchisement of the state’s African-American population by a poll tax was largely complete in the 1890s,[4] the Democratic Party was certain of winning statewide elections if united,[5] although unlike the Deep South Republicans would almost always gain thirty to forty percent of the statewide vote from mountain and Highland Rim support.

Tennessee was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana. They defeated the Republican Party nominees, William Howard Taft and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York. Bryan won the state by a margin of 6.86%.

In October of 1908, Taft would in October become the first Republican candidate to tour the South, visiting Tennessee and North Carolina[6] Aided by opposition by developing manufacturers to Bryan’s populism,[6] and by his willingness to accept black disfranchisement[7] Taft gained noticeably given the extremely deep-rooted partisan loyalties established by the Civil War. Whereas Theodore Roosevelt had lost Tennessee by 10.83 percent in 1904, Taft, although doing worse nationally, lost only by 6.86 percentage points.

Bryan had previously won Tennessee against William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900.

Results

1908 United States presidential election in Tennessee[8]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
DemocraticWilliam Jennings Bryan135,60852.73%12
RepublicanWilliam Howard Taft117,97745.87%0
Social DemocraticEugene V. Debs1,8700.73%0
PopulistThomas E. Watson1,0920.42%0
IndependenceThomas L. Hisgen3320.13%0
ProhibitionEugene W. Chafin3010.12%0
Totals257,180100.00%12
Voter turnout

Results by county

1908 United States presidential election in Tennessee by county[9]
CountyWilliam Jennings Bryan
Democratic
William Howard Taft
Republican
Eugene Victor Debs
Socialist
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" %data-sort-type="number" data-sort-type="number" %
Anderson63223.64%2,02275.65%150.56%20.07%20.07%-1,390-52.00%2,673
Bedford1,99657.91%1,44641.95%30.09%20.06%00.00%55015.96%3,447
Benton1,22157.06%86040.19%60.28%532.48%00.00%36116.87%2,140
Bledsoe29540.75%42558.70%10.14%30.41%00.00%-130-17.96%724
Blount84724.67%2,56874.80%00.00%00.00%180.52%-1,721-50.13%3,433
Bradley62036.17%1,06362.02%181.05%90.53%40.23%-443-25.85%1,714
Campbell53021.99%1,80674.94%301.24%60.25%381.58%-1,276-52.95%2,410
Cannon90457.18%67242.50%00.00%40.25%10.06%23214.67%1,581
Carroll1,80243.10%2,29054.77%180.43%711.70%00.00%-488-11.67%4,181
Carter45912.70%3,15287.19%00.00%00.00%40.11%-2,693-74.50%3,615
Cheatham1,20669.55%52630.33%20.12%00.00%00.00%68039.22%1,734
Chester70350.79%57741.69%100.72%946.79%00.00%1269.10%1,384
Claiborne97136.96%1,63762.31%00.00%140.53%50.19%-666-25.35%2,627
Clay76454.07%63444.87%40.28%100.71%10.07%1309.20%1,413
Cocke68827.93%1,74971.01%60.24%110.45%90.37%-1,061-43.08%2,463
Coffee1,65470.50%65627.96%301.28%10.04%50.21%99842.54%2,346
Crockett1,22650.43%1,20549.57%00.00%00.00%00.00%210.86%2,431
Cumberland47932.17%1,01067.83%00.00%00.00%00.00%-531-35.66%1,489
Davidson8,30973.98%2,72124.23%1571.40%180.16%270.24%5,58849.75%11,232
DeKalb1,28446.66%1,46453.20%20.07%10.04%10.04%-180-6.54%2,752
Decatur84546.87%95853.13%00.00%00.00%00.00%-113-6.27%1,803
Dickson1,49960.76%89936.44%562.27%110.45%20.08%60024.32%2,467
Dyer1,78671.87%67227.04%200.80%70.28%00.00%1,11444.83%2,485
Fayette1,84998.88%40.21%30.16%140.75%00.00%1,83598.13%1,870
Fentress33226.95%89472.56%60.49%00.00%00.00%-562-45.62%1,232
Franklin2,16874.71%71624.67%150.52%10.03%20.07%1,45250.03%2,902
Gibson3,17369.39%1,36929.94%30.07%260.57%20.04%1,80439.45%4,573
Giles3,04265.87%1,57134.02%00.00%50.11%00.00%1,47131.85%4,618
Grainger67333.77%1,30965.68%00.00%50.25%60.30%-636-31.91%1,993
Greene1,88648.08%2,02751.67%10.03%20.05%70.18%-141-3.59%3,923
Grundy57658.72%26126.61%13413.66%101.02%00.00%31532.11%981
Hamblen79544.34%99155.27%10.06%30.17%30.17%-196-10.93%1,793
Hamilton4,56450.08%4,25046.64%2082.28%120.13%790.87%3143.45%9,113
Hancock37020.95%1,39679.05%00.00%00.00%00.00%-1,026-58.10%1,766
Hardeman1,56872.32%55325.51%140.65%331.52%00.00%1,01546.82%2,168
Hardin72037.72%1,13259.30%90.47%422.20%60.31%-412-21.58%1,909
Hawkins1,15240.49%1,69359.51%00.00%00.00%00.00%-541-19.02%2,845
Haywood1,21584.91%18913.21%271.89%00.00%00.00%1,02671.70%1,431
Henderson90043.48%1,14855.46%00.00%00.00%221.06%-248-11.98%2,070
Henry2,36968.15%1,06930.75%180.52%100.29%100.29%1,30037.40%3,476
Hickman1,28554.15%1,06544.88%180.76%40.17%10.04%2209.27%2,373
Houston66568.00%28829.45%252.56%00.00%00.00%37738.55%978
Humphreys1,30165.25%67934.05%140.70%00.00%00.00%62231.19%1,994
Jackson1,40459.14%96640.69%20.08%20.08%00.00%43818.45%2,374
James21726.27%60873.61%10.12%00.00%00.00%-391-47.34%826
Jefferson66225.00%1,96274.09%00.00%40.15%200.76%-1,300-49.09%2,648
Johnson2329.74%2,14890.21%00.00%00.00%10.04%-1,916-80.47%2,381
Knox4,09039.77%5,81756.56%1591.55%390.38%1801.75%-1,727-16.79%10,285
Lake46471.27%17827.34%91.38%00.00%00.00%28643.93%651
Lauderdale1,31570.85%51927.96%221.19%00.00%00.00%79642.89%1,856
Lawrence1,59147.78%1,72551.80%120.36%00.00%20.06%-134-4.02%3,330
Lewis46556.64%35443.12%20.24%00.00%00.00%11113.52%821
Lincoln2,31175.03%69222.47%40.13%642.08%90.29%1,61952.56%3,080
Loudon44430.62%98668.00%50.34%50.34%100.69%-542-37.38%1,450
Macon68429.67%1,59469.15%30.13%241.04%00.00%-910-39.48%2,305
Madison2,40961.98%1,35734.91%451.16%751.93%10.03%1,05227.06%3,887
Marion84243.18%1,07455.08%291.49%30.15%20.10%-232-11.90%1,950
Marshall1,54474.77%44021.31%40.19%713.44%60.29%1,10453.46%2,065
Maury2,32477.91%62020.78%110.37%220.74%60.20%1,70457.12%2,983
McMinn92640.90%1,32058.30%00.00%130.57%50.22%-394-17.40%2,264
McNairy1,05744.10%1,30054.23%00.00%371.54%30.13%-243-10.14%2,397
Meigs46450.16%45749.41%00.00%40.43%00.00%70.76%925
Monroe1,40643.38%1,82756.37%80.25%00.00%00.00%-421-12.99%3,241
Montgomery2,96160.17%1,90338.67%170.35%280.57%120.24%1,05821.50%4,921
Moore67786.35%10313.14%00.00%30.38%10.13%57473.21%784
Morgan49628.54%1,23671.12%10.06%00.00%50.29%-740-42.58%1,738
Obion2,25875.52%71123.78%100.33%00.00%110.37%1,54751.74%2,990
Overton1,40156.63%1,00840.74%652.63%00.00%00.00%39315.89%2,474
Perry75652.28%67846.89%120.83%00.00%00.00%785.39%1,446
Pickett39143.06%51756.94%00.00%00.00%00.00%-126-13.88%908
Polk74738.87%1,17561.13%00.00%00.00%00.00%-428-22.27%1,922
Putnam1,63253.35%1,41946.39%50.16%00.00%30.10%2136.96%3,059
Rhea88346.74%99552.67%40.21%20.11%50.26%-112-5.93%1,889
Roane59526.23%1,52467.20%1134.98%180.79%180.79%-929-40.96%2,268
Robertson2,41875.85%75523.68%60.19%70.22%20.06%1,66352.16%3,188
Rutherford2,76469.27%1,22630.73%00.00%00.00%00.00%1,53838.55%3,990
Scott1908.85%1,93289.99%251.16%00.00%00.00%-1,742-81.14%2,147
Sequatchie39461.28%24938.72%00.00%00.00%00.00%14522.55%643
Sevier2918.50%3,13091.44%20.06%00.00%00.00%-2,839-82.94%3,423
Shelby7,41168.90%3,06928.53%2392.22%140.13%230.21%4,34240.37%10,756
Smith1,63859.13%1,05638.12%00.00%692.49%70.25%58221.01%2,770
Stewart1,47564.49%71531.26%974.24%00.00%00.00%76033.23%2,287
Sullivan2,39356.16%1,83643.09%20.05%110.26%190.45%55713.07%4,261
Sumner2,34376.97%67322.11%110.36%120.39%50.16%1,67054.86%3,044
Tipton1,66260.99%1,04138.20%30.11%180.66%10.04%62122.79%2,725
Trousdale47670.00%19829.12%00.00%60.88%00.00%27840.88%680
Unicoi677.23%86092.77%00.00%00.00%00.00%-793-85.54%927
Union49622.72%1,68477.14%30.14%00.00%00.00%-1,188-54.42%2,183
Van Buren32964.64%17634.58%40.79%00.00%00.00%15330.06%509
Warren1,57367.51%72931.29%190.82%20.09%70.30%84436.22%2,330
Washington1,57441.04%2,25458.77%40.10%10.03%20.05%-680-17.73%3,835
Wayne45124.21%1,41175.74%00.00%00.00%10.05%-960-51.53%1,863
Weakley2,97661.42%1,81237.40%170.35%290.60%110.23%1,16424.02%4,845
White1,57264.88%83534.46%160.66%00.00%00.00%73730.42%2,423
Williamson1,92875.28%60523.62%50.20%230.90%00.00%1,32351.66%2,561
Wilson2,21270.99%90228.95%00.00%20.06%00.00%1,31042.04%3,116
Totals135,60452.73%117,97745.87%1,8700.73%1,0920.42%6330.25%17,6276.85%257,176

See also

Notes and References

  1. Wright, John K.; ‘Voting Habits in the United States: A Note on Two Maps’; Geographical Review, vol. 22, no. 4 (October 1932), pp. 666-672
  2. [Valdimer Orlando Key|Key (Jr.), Valdimer Orlando]
  3. Lyons, William; Scheb (II), John M. and Stair Billy; Government and Politics in Tennessee, pp. 183-184
  4. [Kevin Phillips (political commentator)|Phillips, Kevin P.]
  5. Grantham, Dewey W.; ‘Tennessee and Twentieth-Century American Politics’; Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Fall 1995), pp. 210-229
  6. Tindall, George B.; ‘Southern Strategy: A Historical Perspective’; North Carolina Historical Review; vol. 48, no. 2 (April 1971), pp. 126-141
  7. de Santis, Vincent P.; ‘Republican Efforts to “Crack” the Democratic South’; The Review of Politics, vol. 14, no. 2 (April 1952), pp. 244-264
  8. Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; Presidential General Election Results – Tennessee
  9. Web site: Géoelections. Popular Vote at the Presidential Election for 1908. (.xlsx file for €30 including full minor party figures)