1952 United States presidential election in Alabama explained

See main article: 1952 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1952 United States presidential election in Alabama
Country:Alabama
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1948 United States presidential election in Alabama
Previous Year:1948
Next Election:1956 United States presidential election in Alabama
Next Year:1956
Votes For Election:All 11 Alabama votes to the Electoral College
Election Date:November 4, 1952[1]
Image1:AdlaiEStevenson1900-1965.jpg
Nominee1:Adlai Stevenson
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:Illinois
Running Mate1:John Sparkman
Electoral Vote1:11
Popular Vote1:275,075
Percentage1:64.55%
Nominee2:Dwight D. Eisenhower
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:New York[2]
Running Mate2:Richard Nixon
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:149,231
Percentage2:35.02%
Map Size:300px
President
Before Election:Harry S. Truman
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Dwight D. Eisenhower
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1952 United States presidential election in Alabama took place on November 4, 1952, as part of the 1952 United States presidential election. Alabama voters chose eleven[3] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. In Alabama, voters voted for electors individually instead of as a slate, as in the other states.

Since the 1890s, Alabama had been effectively a one-party state ruled by the Democratic Party. Disenfranchisement of almost all African-Americans and a large proportion of poor whites via poll taxes, literacy tests[4] and informal harassment had essentially eliminated opposition parties outside of Unionist Winston County and presidential campaigns in a few nearby northern hill counties. The only competitive statewide elections during this period were thus Democratic Party primaries — limited to white voters until the landmark court case of Smith v. Allwright, following which Alabama introduced the Boswell Amendment — ruled unconstitutional in Davis v. Schnell in 1949,[5] although substantial increases in black voter registration would not occur until after the late 1960s Voting Rights Act.

Unlike other Deep South states, soon after black disenfranchisement Alabama’s remaining white Republicans made rapid efforts to expel blacks from the state Republican Party,[6] and under Oscar D. Street, who ironically was appointed state party boss as part of the pro-Taft “black and tan” faction in 1912,[7] the state GOP would permanently turn “lily-white”, with the last black delegates at any Republican National Convention serving in 1920.[6] However, with two exceptions the Republicans were unable to gain from their hard lily-white policy. The first was when they exceeded forty percent in the 1920 House of Representatives races for the 4th, 7th and 10th congressional districts,[8] and the second was 1928 presidential election when Senator James Thomas Heflin embarked on a nationwide speaking tour, partially funded by the Ku Klux Klan, against Roman Catholic Democratic nominee Al Smith and supported Republican Herbert Hoover,[9] who went on to lose the state that year by only seven thousand votes.

Following Smith, Alabama’s loyalty to the national Democratic Party would be broken when Harry S. Truman, seeking a strategy to win the Cold War against the radically egalitarian rhetoric of Communism,[10] launched the first Civil Rights bill since Reconstruction. Southern Democrats became enraged and for the 1948 presidential election, Alabama’s Democratic presidential elector primary chose electors who were pledged to not vote for incumbent President Truman,[11] while the state Supreme Court ruled that any statute requiring party presidential electors to vote for that party's national nominee was void, with the result that Truman was entirely excluded from the Alabama ballot[12] despite a “Loyalist” group petitioning incumbent governor "Big Jim" Folsom to allow Truman electors on the ballot alongside the “Democratic” electors pledged to States’ Rights nominee Strom Thurmond.[13]

After Thurmond, running as the “Democratic” nominee, carried Alabama by a margin only slightly smaller than Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four victories, Dixiecrats would lose control of the state party to loyalists in 1950. For 1952, these loyalists would pledge state Democrats to support the national nominees, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson and running mate state Senator John Sparkman,[14] whilst unlike the other three states who voted for Thurmond, few Alabama Democrats would support Republican nominees Columbia University President Dwight D. Eisenhower and California Senator Richard Nixon.[15] Despite this, Eisenhower did briefly visit the state during September, and gained some public support over issues of taxation and the stalemated Korean War.[16]

Polls

SourceRankingAs of
Lansing State Journal[17] (Flip)September 17, 1952
The Montgomery Advertiser[18] (Flip)October 23, 1952
Lubbock Morning Avalanche(Flip)October 24, 1952
The Salt Lake Tribune[19] (Flip)October 24, 1952
The Greeneville Sun[20] (Flip)October 25, 1952
The Modesto Bee[21] (Flip)October 27, 1952

Results

Party! Pledged to! Elector! Votes
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIMiles C. Allgood275,075
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIDeWitt Carmichael274,971
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIJames J. Mayfield274,930
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIJ. E. Brantley274,915
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IISamuel W. Cleveland274,853
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIRoy Davis McCord274,830
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IILuther Patrick274,828
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIW. W. Malone274,777
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIW. D. Partlow, Jr.274,536
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIFrank Embry274,461
bgcolor=Democratic PartyAdlai Stevenson IIWilliam C. Taylor274,429
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerWilliam E. Brooks, Jr.149,231
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerL. A. Carroll148,994
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerJohn B. Byrd148,976
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerPaul G. Parsons148,936
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerJ. F. Moore148,914
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerJohn A. Posey148,906
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerOffa B. Cosby148,902
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerLeander Isbell148,890
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerArthur South148,872
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerRoberts S. Cartledge148,794
bgcolor=Republican PartyDwight D. EisenhowerCarl Wiegand148,783
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenLeon Browning1,814
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenC. B. Davis1,719
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenW. C. Eubank1,716
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenJ. A. Fields1,713
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenThomas G. Jones1,696
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenJack Moore1,693
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenJ. B. Lockhart1,689
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenCora H. McAdory1,685
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenGlenn V. Tingley1,681
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenEulalia Vess1,678
bgcolor=Prohibition PartyStuart HamblenG. D. Lewis1,677
Total votes426,120

Results by county

CountyAdlai Stevenson
Democratic		Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican		Stuart Hamblen
Prohibition		MarginTotal votes cast
%%%%
Autauga1,50565.21%78734.10%160.69%71831.11%2,308
Baldwin3,38651.17%3,17948.04%520.79%2073.13%6,617
Barbour2,25073.77%79826.16%20.07%1,45247.61%3,050
Bibb1,97171.18%78428.31%140.51%1,18742.87%2,769
Blount3,16164.67%1,72035.19%70.14%1,44129.48%4,888
Bullock91867.50%44232.50%00.00%47635.00%1,360
Butler2,44069.16%1,08730.81%10.03%1,35338.35%3,528
Calhoun8,02371.68%3,06427.37%1060.95%4,95944.31%11,193
Chambers6,15585.61%99013.77%450.63%5,16571.84%7,190
Cherokee2,66482.96%53916.79%80.25%2,12566.17%3,211
Chilton2,26946.84%2,56352.91%120.25%-294-6.07%4,844
Choctaw1,58372.45%59327.14%90.41%99045.31%2,185
Clarke3,12170.53%1,30329.45%10.02%1,81841.08%4,425
Clay1,97262.33%1,18337.39%90.28%78924.94%3,164
Cleburne1,55766.14%79233.64%50.21%76532.50%2,354
Coffee3,91984.83%69915.13%20.04%3,22069.70%4,620
Colbert5,92081.01%1,38118.90%70.10%4,53962.11%7,308
Conecuh1,67868.27%74930.47%311.26%92937.80%2,458
Coosa1,50165.52%78834.40%20.09%71331.12%2,291
Covington4,95675.57%1,58124.11%210.32%3,37551.46%6,558
Crenshaw2,48581.96%54417.94%30.10%1,94164.02%3,032
Cullman5,25460.62%3,39139.13%220.25%1,86321.49%8,667
Dale2,66970.93%1,07328.51%210.56%1,59642.42%3,763
Dallas2,08244.95%2,55055.05%00.00%-468-10.10%4,632
DeKalb5,20956.52%3,99743.37%110.12%1,21213.15%9,217
Elmore4,19976.10%1,31523.83%40.07%2,88452.27%5,518
Escambia3,38573.86%1,18725.90%110.24%2,19847.96%4,583
Etowah10,99770.06%4,63429.52%660.42%6,36340.54%15,697
Fayette2,28760.52%1,48139.19%110.29%80621.33%3,779
Franklin3,46158.73%2,42441.13%80.14%1,03717.60%5,893
Geneva2,70373.93%95025.98%30.08%1,75347.95%3,656
Greene67461.00%43038.91%10.09%24422.09%1,105
Hale1,21061.36%75838.44%40.20%45222.92%1,972
Henry1,96682.19%42117.60%50.21%1,54564.59%2,392
Houston3,77959.38%2,51739.55%681.07%1,26219.83%6,364
Jackson3,67774.15%1,27225.65%100.20%2,40548.50%4,959
Jefferson38,11153.85%32,25445.58%4010.57%5,8578.27%70,766
Lamar2,51280.56%60519.40%10.03%1,90761.16%3,118
Lauderdale7,09778.62%1,91021.16%200.22%5,18757.46%9,027
Lawrence2,65176.49%80923.34%60.17%1,84253.15%3,466
Lee2,80363.22%1,62636.67%50.11%1,17726.55%4,434
Limestone3,84487.24%54912.46%130.30%3,29574.78%4,406
Lowndes80956.06%63143.73%30.21%17812.33%1,443
Macon1,45770.08%62129.87%10.05%83640.21%2,079
Madison8,21682.82%1,62316.36%810.82%6,59366.46%9,920
Marengo1,79056.79%1,36243.21%00.00%42813.58%3,152
Marion2,85065.55%1,48934.25%90.21%1,36131.30%4,348
Marshall6,01174.22%2,06925.55%190.23%3,94248.67%8,099
Mobile14,47350.40%14,15349.29%890.31%3201.11%28,715
Monroe2,58780.07%63719.72%70.22%1,95060.35%3,231
Montgomery9,23452.68%8,10246.22%1931.10%1,1326.46%17,529
Morgan7,02974.94%2,33524.89%160.17%4,69450.05%9,380
Perry1,35264.02%75635.80%40.19%59628.22%2,112
Pickens1,51962.20%90537.06%180.74%61425.14%2,442
Pike2,54672.45%96527.46%30.09%1,58144.99%3,514
Randolph2,96473.77%1,04726.06%70.17%1,91747.71%4,018
Russell3,56480.38%86719.55%30.07%2,69760.83%4,434
St. Clair2,32659.31%1,59040.54%60.15%73618.77%3,922
Shelby2,47353.34%2,15646.51%70.15%3176.83%4,636
Sumter89455.91%70243.90%30.19%19212.01%1,599
Talladega5,02858.18%3,58841.52%260.30%1,44016.66%8,642
Tallapoosa5,05580.89%1,18719.00%70.11%3,86861.89%6,249
Tuscaloosa7,67765.50%3,87233.04%1711.46%3,80532.46%11,720
Walker6,86265.78%3,49033.45%800.77%3,37232.33%10,432
Washington1,97775.83%62323.90%70.27%1,35451.93%2,607
Wilcox98857.64%72542.30%10.06%26315.34%1,714
Winston1,39040.69%2,01759.05%90.26%-627-18.36%3,416
Totals275,07564.55%149,23135.02%1,8140.43%125,84429.53%426,120

Analysis

Much as polls suggested, Alabama was won by Stevenson with 64.55 percent of the popular vote, against Eisenhower’s 35.02 percent.[22] [23] Eisenhower, although not to the same degree as in Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, did gain substantial support from Black Belt whites who could no longer accept the position of the national Democratic Party on civil rights, although this was largely confined to the central part of that region.[24] Eisenhower’s victory in Dallas County was the first Republican victory in this county since Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876.[25]

In contrast, the northern hill country remained very loyal to Stevenson, and in some counties with traditionally substantial Republican votes like Winston and DeKalb Eisenhower actually did worse than Thomas E. Dewey in 1948.

1952 would mark the last time Montgomery and Jefferson counties would vote Democratic in a presidential election until 1996 and 2008 respectively,[25] as both would become epicenters of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: United States Presidential election of 1952 — Encyclopædia Britannica. July 25, 2017.
  2. Web site: U.S. presidential election, 1952 . Facts on File . October 24, 2013 . Eisenhower, born in Texas, considered a resident of New York, and headquartered at the time in Paris, finally decided to run for the Republican nomination . https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195323/http://www.fofweb.com/History/HistRefMain.asp?iPin=EAPPE0334&SID=2&DatabaseName=American+History+Online&InputText=%22presidential+election+1952%22&SearchStyle=&dTitle=U.S.+presidential+election%2C+1952&TabRecordType=Subject+Entry&BioCountPass=0&SubCountPass=1&DocCountPass=0&ImgCountPass=0&MapCountPass=0&FedCountPass=&MedCountPass=0&NewsCountPass=0&RecPosition=1&AmericanData=Set . October 29, 2013 . dead .
  3. Web site: 1952 Election for the Forty-Second Term (1953-57). July 25, 2017.
  4. Book: Perman, Michael . Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888–1908 . University of North Carolina Press . Chapel Hill, NC . 2001 . Introduction.
  5. Book: Stanley, Harold Watkins. Voter mobilization and the politics of race: the South and universal suffrage, 1952-1984. 1987. 100. 0275926737.
  6. Book: Heersink. Jenkins. Boris. Jeffery A.. Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968. 251–253. 9781107158436. 2020.
  7. Book: Casdorph, Paul D.. Republicans, Negroes, and Progressives in the South, 1912-1916. The University of Alabama Press. 1981. 70, 94–95. 0817300481.
  8. Book: [[Kevin Phillips (political commentator)|Phillips]], Kevin P.. The Emerging Republican Majority. 255. 1969. 0870000586.
  9. Book: Chiles . Robert . The Revolution of ‘28: Al Smith, American Progressivism, and the Coming of the New Deal . 2018 . Cornell University Press . 9781501705502 . 115.
  10. Book: Geselbracht. Raymond H.. The Civil Rights Legacy of Harry S. Truman. 53. 1931112673.
  11. Book: Jenkins, Ray. Blind Vengeance: The Roy Moody Mail Bomb Murders. 38. 0820341010. 2012.
  12. Key, V.O. junior; Southern Politics in State and Nation; p. 340
  13. Book: Barnard, William D.. Dixiecrats and Democrats: Alabama Politics 1942-50. 123. 0817302557.
  14. Barnard. Dixiecrats and Democrats. p. 142
  15. Book: Perman, Michael. Pursuit of Unity: A Political History of the American South. 2009. University of North Carolina Press. 274. 080783324X.
  16. News: Cornell. Douglas B.. Most Southern States Continue to Back Demos Despite Sizeable Republican Inroads — GOP Has Even Chance to Carry Virginia, Texas, Florida. Lubbock Morning Avalanche. Lubbock, Texas. 1952-10-24. 11.
  17. News: Cornell. Douglas B.. September 17, 1952. Ike Given 50–50 Chance To Break into Solid South. 7, 16. Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan.
  18. News: Simms. Leroy. October 23, 1952. State Tagged for Democrats: Adlai Given 67 to 33 Advantage over Ike . 2–A. The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama.
  19. News: Cornell. Douglas B.. October 24, 1952. Journalists Bet 50–50 Ike Will Dent South. 1–2. The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City.
  20. News: October 25, 1952 . US Poll Shows — Eisenhower Leading Stevenson in Electoral Votes, but Governor Has More States in His Column. 1, 8. The Greeneville Sun. Greeneville, Tennessee. Princeton Research Service.
  21. News: October 27, 1952. NY Times Survey Indicates Close Election Tuesday. 8. The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California.
  22. Web site: 1952 Presidential General Election Results – Alabama. July 25, 2017.
  23. Web site: The American Presidency Project — Election of 1952. July 25, 2017.
  24. Strong . Donald S. . August 1955 . The Presidential Election in the South, 1952 . The Journal of Politics . 17 . 3 . 343–389.
  25. Book: Menendez, Albert J.. 2005. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. 146–147. 0786422173.

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