1888 South Carolina Democratic gubernatorial convention

← 1886 November 6, 1888 1890 →

Nominee John Peter Richardson III Joseph Haynsworth Earle Party Democratic Democratic Delegate count 190 116 Percentage 61.7% 37.9%

Governor before election John Peter Richardson III Democratic Elected Governor John Peter Richardson III Democratic

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v t e

The 1888 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1888, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. John Peter Richardson III was renominated by the Democrats and was reelected for a second two-year term.

In 1886, an amendment was added to the constitution of the South Carolina Democratic Party that mandated candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor to have at least one meeting in every congressional district with the voters. Benjamin Tillman, an upstate demagogue, engaged Governor Richardson at the meetings in 1888 and soundly trounced him on the stump.

Confident of his support in the state, Tillman sought to name the next governor of South Carolina and told his henchmen to nominate Joseph H. Earle at the Democratic convention. Earle refused the nomination, but Tillman's men nominated him nevertheless stating that "This is a case of the office seeking the man, and not the man seeking the office."^[1] A friend of Earle's from Sumter County rose to withdraw his name and Earle's brother declared that Earle would not serve if elected. However, many delegates still voted for Earle and Tillman's growing strength in the Democratic party became evident when his candidate for governor obtained almost 40% of the vote, despite publicly disavowing any candidacy.

The general election was held on November 6, 1888, and John Peter Richardson III was reelected as governor of South Carolina without opposition. There were very few contested races and turnout increased for this election over the previous election solely because of a presidential election on the ballot.

• Governor of South Carolina
• List of governors of South Carolina
• South Carolina gubernatorial elections

• Cooper, William J. Jr. (2005). The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 182–185. ISBN 1-57003-597-0.
• "Supplemental Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina." Reports and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume I. Columbia, SC: James H. Woodrow, 1889, p. 569.

• SCIway Biography of Governor John Peter Richardson III