| Election Name: | 1956 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Flag Year: | 1912 |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1955 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Previous Year: | 1955 |
| Next Election: | 1957 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Next Year: | 1957 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Seats won |
| Seats For Election: | 30 governorships |
| Election Date: | November 6, 1956; September 10, 1956 (ME) |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Seats Before1: | 27 |
| Seats After1: | 29 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| 1Data1: | 14 |
| 2Data1: | 16 |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Seats Before2: | 21 |
| Seats After2: | 19 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| 1Data2: | 16 |
| 2Data2: | 14 |
| Map Size: | 324px |
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1956, in 30 states, concurrent with the House, Senate elections and the presidential election, on November 6, 1956 (September 10 in Maine). The special election in Oregon was due to the death of incumbent governor Paul L. Patterson on January 31.[1]
This was the last time Colorado, Maine, and Ohio elected their governors to 2-year terms, all switching to 4-years from the 1958 election.
| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing candidates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Ernest McFarland | Democratic | Re-elected, 59.55% | Horace B. Griffen (Republican) 40.45% [2] | |
| Arkansas | Orval Faubus | Democratic | Re-elected, 80.65% | Roy Mitchell (Republican) 19.35% [3] | |
| Colorado | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | Stephen McNichols (Democratic) 51.34% Donald G. Brotzman (Republican) 48.66% [4] | ||
| Delaware | J. Caleb Boggs | Republican | Re-elected, 51.95% | J. H. T. McConnell (Democratic) 48.05% [5] | |
| Florida | LeRoy Collins | Democratic | Re-elected, 73.69% | William A. Washburne Jr. (Republican) 26.31% [6] | |
| Illinois | William Stratton | Republican | Re-elected, 50.34% | Richard B. Austin (Democratic) 49.48% Edward C. Gross (Socialist Labor) 0.18% [7] | |
| Indiana | Republican | Term-limited, Republican victory | Harold W. Handley (Republican) 55.61% Ralph Tucker (Democratic) 43.98% J. Ralston Miller (Prohibition) 0.35% Merle N. Miller (Socialist Labor) 0.06%[8] | ||
| Iowa | Republican | Defeated, 48.78% | Herschel C. Loveless (Democratic) 51.22% [9] | ||
| Kansas | Republican | Defeated in Republican primary, Democratic victory | George Docking (Democratic) 55.42% Warren W. Shaw (Republican) 42.16% Harry O. Lytle Jr. (Prohibition) 2.41% [10] | ||
| Maine (held, 10 September 1956) | Edmund Muskie | Democratic | Re-elected, 59.17% | Willis A. Trafton (Republican) 40.83% [11] | |
| Massachusetts | Republican | Retired, Democratic victory | Foster Furcolo (Democratic) 52.76% Sumner G. Whittier (Republican) 46.87% Henning A. Blomen (Socialist Labor) 0.25% Mark R. Shaw (Prohibition) 0.12% [12] | ||
| Michigan | G. Mennen Williams | Democratic | Re-elected, 54.65% | Albert Cobo (Republican) 45.13% Alfred T. Halsted (Prohibition) 0.21% [13] | |
| Minnesota | Orville Freeman | Re-elected, 51.41% | Ancher Nelsen (Republican) 48.18% Rudolph Gustafson (Industrial Government) 0.41% [14] | ||
| Missouri | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | James T. Blair Jr. (Democratic) 52.07% Lon Hocker (Republican) 47.93% [15] | ||
| Montana | J. Hugo Aronson | Republican | Re-elected, 51.37% | Arnold Olsen (Democratic) 48.63% [16] | |
| Nebraska | Victor E. Anderson | Republican | Re-elected, 54.28% | Frank Sorrell (Democratic) 40.15% George Morris (Independent) 5.56% [17] | |
| New Hampshire | Lane Dwinell | Republican | Re-elected, 54.73% | John Shaw (Democratic) 45.27% [18] | |
| New Mexico | Democratic | Defeated, 47.77% | Edwin L. Mechem (Republican) 52,23% [19] | ||
| North Carolina | Luther H. Hodges | Democratic | Re-elected, 66.95% | Kyle Hayes (Republican) 33.05% [20] | |
| North Dakota | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | John E. Davis (Republican) 58.46% Wallace E. Warner (Democratic-NPL) 41.54% [21] | ||
| Ohio | Democratic | Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victory | C. William O'Neill (Republican) 56.04% Michael DiSalle (Democratic) 43.96% [22] | ||
| Oregon (special) | Republican | Defeated, 49.48% | Robert D. Holmes (Democratic) 50.52% [23] | ||
| Rhode Island | Dennis J. Roberts | Democratic | Re-elected, 50.09% | Christopher Del Sesto (Republican) 49.91% [24] | |
| South Dakota | Joe Foss | Republican | Re-elected, 54.39% | Ralph Herseth (Democratic) 45.61% [25] | |
| Texas | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | Price Daniel (Democratic) 78.35% William R. Bryant (Republican) 15.16% W. Lee O'Daniel (write-in) (Independent) 6.39% Scattering 0.11% [26] | ||
| Utah | Republican | Defeated in Republican primary, ran as an Independent, Republican victory | George Dewey Clyde (Republican) 38.20% L. C. "Rennie" Romney (Democratic) 33.43% J. Bracken Lee (Independent) 28.37% [27] | ||
| Vermont | Joseph B. Johnson | Republican | Re-elected, 57.46% | E. Frank Branon (Democratic) 42.53% Scattering 0.01% [28] | |
| Washington | Republican | Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Democratic victory | Albert Rosellini (Democratic) 54.63% Emmett T. Anderson (Republican) 45.00% Henry Killman (Socialist Labor) 0.37% [29] | ||
| West Virginia | Democratic | Term-limited, Republican victory | Cecil H. Underwood (Republican) 53.88% Bob Mollohan (Democratic) 46.13% [30] | ||
| Wisconsin | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Vernon Wallace Thomson (Republican) 51.89% William Proxmire (Democratic) 48.11% Scattering 0.01% [31] |