| Election Name: | 1956 Oregon gubernatorial special election |
| Country: | Oregon |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1954 Oregon gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1954 |
| Next Election: | 1958 Oregon gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1958 |
| Election Date: | November 6, 1956 |
| Image1: | File:Robert D. Holmes.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Robert D. Holmes |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 369,439 |
| Percentage1: | 50.5% |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 361,840 |
| Percentage2: | 49.5% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Governor | |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Robert D. Holmes |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1956 Oregon gubernatorial special election took place on November 6, 1956. Democratic state senator Robert D. Holmes narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Elmo Smith to win the election.
On January 31, 1956, Governor Paul L. Patterson, who was elected in the 1954 gubernatorial election, died in office of a coronary occlusion.[1] Patterson's death elevated Oregon State Senate President Elmo Smith to governor and a special election for November was called to fill the position for the final two years of Patterson's term.[2] The succession law was changed in 1972 so that the Oregon Secretary of State is first in line to succeed the governor.[3] Lew Wallace unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination.
| 1956 Oregon gubernatorial special election (by county) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Robert Denison Holmes Democratic | Elmo Everett Smith Republican | Margin | Total 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" | % | |||||||
| Baker | 3,554 | 50.71% | 3,455 | 49.29% | 99 | 1.41% | 7,009 | ||||||||
| Benton | 5,217 | 39.89% | 7,862 | 60.11% | -2,645 | -20.22% | 13,079 | ||||||||
| Clackamas | 23,431 | 51.28% | 22,264 | 48.72% | 1,167 | 2.55% | 45,695 | ||||||||
| Clatsop | 7,928 | 61.41% | 4,981 | 38.59% | 2,947 | 22.83% | 12,909 | ||||||||
| Columbia | 6,185 | 63.02% | 3,629 | 36.98% | 2,556 | 26.04% | 9,814 | ||||||||
| Coos | 12,130 | 60.24% | 8,005 | 39.76% | 4,125 | 20.49% | 20,135 | ||||||||
| Crook | 1,848 | 49.93% | 1,853 | 50.07% | -5 | -0.14% | 3,701 | ||||||||
| Curry | 2,162 | 50.91% | 2,085 | 49.09% | 77 | 1.81% | 4,247 | ||||||||
| Deschutes | 4,441 | 46.33% | 5,145 | 53.67% | -704 | -7.34% | 9,586 | ||||||||
| Douglas | 13,516 | 52.62% | 12,171 | 47.38% | 1,345 | 5.24% | 25,687 | ||||||||
| Gilliam | 505 | 38.52% | 806 | 61.48% | -301 | -22.96% | 1,311 | ||||||||
| Grant | 1,313 | 42.44% | 1,781 | 57.56% | -468 | -15.13% | 3,094 | ||||||||
| Harney | 1,171 | 43.26% | 1,536 | 56.74% | -365 | -13.48% | 2,707 | ||||||||
| Hood River | 2,618 | 47.08% | 2,943 | 52.92% | -325 | -5.84% | 5,561 | ||||||||
| Jackson | 13,445 | 45.26% | 16,261 | 54.74% | -2,816 | -9.48% | 29,706 | ||||||||
| Jefferson | 1,131 | 45.88% | 1,334 | 54.12% | -203 | -8.24% | 2,465 | ||||||||
| Josephine | 5,423 | 42.60% | 7,308 | 57.40% | -1,885 | -14.81% | 12,731 | ||||||||
| Klamath | 8,956 | 49.81% | 9,026 | 50.19% | -70 | -0.39% | 17,982 | ||||||||
| Lake | 1,285 | 44.62% | 1,595 | 55.38% | -310 | -10.76% | 2,880 | ||||||||
| Lane | 33,241 | 53.12% | 29,335 | 46.88% | 3,906 | 6.24% | 62,576 | ||||||||
| Lincoln | 5,149 | 52.08% | 4,738 | 47.92% | 411 | 4.16% | 9,887 | ||||||||
| Linn | 11,807 | 51.91% | 10,936 | 48.09% | 871 | 3.83% | 22,743 | ||||||||
| Malheur | 3,011 | 37.51% | 5,016 | 62.49% | -2,005 | -24.98% | 8,027 | ||||||||
| Marion | 19,255 | 42.87% | 25,655 | 57.13% | -6,400 | -14.25% | 44,910 | ||||||||
| Morrow | 882 | 45.07% | 1,075 | 54.93% | -193 | -9.86% | 1,957 | ||||||||
| Multnomah | 129,273 | 53.04% | 114,446 | 46.96% | 14,827 | 6.08% | 243,719 | ||||||||
| Polk | 4,724 | 45.39% | 5,683 | 54.61% | -959 | -9.21% | 10,407 | ||||||||
| Sherman | 415 | 38.53% | 662 | 61.47% | -247 | -22.93% | 1,077 | ||||||||
| Tillamook | 4,055 | 50.93% | 3,907 | 49.07% | 148 | 1.86% | 7,962 | ||||||||
| Umatilla | 8,376 | 48.88% | 8,761 | 51.12% | -385 | -2.25% | 17,137 | ||||||||
| Union | 4,272 | 53.45% | 3,720 | 46.55% | 552 | 6.91% | 7,992 | ||||||||
| Wallowa | 1,755 | 53.17% | 1,546 | 46.83% | 209 | 6.33% | 3,301 | ||||||||
| Wasco | 4,522 | 52.73% | 4,053 | 47.27% | 469 | 5.47% | 8,575 | ||||||||
| Washington | 15,976 | 44.51% | 19,917 | 55.49% | -3,941 | -10.98% | 35,893 | ||||||||
| Wheeler | 540 | 46.59% | 619 | 53.41% | -79 | -6.82% | 1,159 | ||||||||
| Yamhill | 5,927 | 43.40% | 7,731 | 56.60% | -1,804 | -13.21% | 13,658 | ||||||||
| Total | 369,439 | 50.52% | 361,840 | 49.48% | 7,599 | 1.04% | 731,279 | ||||||||