| Election Name: | 1930 Oregon gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Oregon |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1926 Oregon gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1926 |
| Next Election: | 1934 Oregon gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1934 |
| Election Date: | November 4, 1930 |
| Nominee1: | Julius Meier |
| Party1: | Independent (politician) |
| Popular Vote1: | 135,608 |
| Percentage1: | 54.5% |
| Nominee2: | Edward F. Bailey |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 62,434 |
| Percentage2: | 25.1% |
| Nominee3: | Phil Metschan Jr. |
| Party3: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote3: | 46,480 |
| Percentage3: | 18.8% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | A. W. Norblad |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Julius Meier |
| After Party: | Independent (politician) |
The 1930 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1930 to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Oregon. The Oregon Republican Party, at the time dominant in Oregon politics, initially nominated George W. Joseph, but the nominee died prior to the general election. Joseph's former law partner Julius Meier entered the race as an independent, and defeated replacement Republican nominee Phil Metschan, Jr., Democrat Edward F. Bailey, and Socialist Albert Streiff to become the first and only Independent politician to be elected Governor of Oregon.
George W. Joseph won the Republican nomination, but died shortly after. The Republican Party selected Phil Metschan, Jr., son of former Oregon State Treasurer Phil Metschan, as a replacement nominee. Unlike Joseph, Metschan opposed public development of hydroelectric power along the Columbia River.[1] The Democrats selected State Senator Edward F. Bailey of Lane County.[2] [3]
With a key platform of Joseph's campaign now directly opposed by the replacement nominee, Julius Meier, Joseph's former law partner, friend, and general manager of the Meier and Frank department store, agreed to enter the race as an Independent candidate with Joseph's platform. Although opposed by the state's largest newspaper, The Oregonian,[4] Meier won a resounding victory over Metschan and Bailey.[1] [5] Meier's victory was viewed as indicating strong public support for public hydropower development.[6]