Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1950
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 1950 was held on November 7. For the twenty-second time in twenty-five elections, the Republican
candidate was victorious, but by a much smaller than usual marign. Superior Court Judge
John S. Fine
defeated Democrat
Richardson Dilworth
, the City Controller of Philadelphia.
Despite the popularity of outgoing governor (and 1950 U.S. Senate candidate) Jim Duff
and the low approval ratings of President Harry Truman, Democrats came into the election with a cautiously optimistic outlook. In Dilworth, they had selected a charismatic candidate with a strong reputation as a reformer after serving as a key figure in the Democratic overthrow of Philadelphia's corrupt Republican political machine
. Furthermore, although Republicans held registration advantages throughout the state, many voters were ambivilant toward their policies due to a 1949-50 recession that impacted crucial heavy industries.http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
In contrast to the energetic Dilworth, the Republican nominee Fine was somewhat uncomfortable in the public eye, after having spent his career as a backroom power player and party boss. Fine had once been a close associate of progressive Governor Gifford Pinchot
and had spent the previous twenty years as Northeastern Pennsylvania
's key political figure. Fine represeted the consistency of the long dominant state political machine and, although he was somewhat more conservative than the outgoing governor, was chosen as Duff's hand picked successor to hold steady a Republican ship that was on cruise control.http://books.google.com/books?id=6SpJJmkNDFEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=pennsylvania+politics+today+and+yesterday&hl=en&ei=WgDyTJSBC4aBlAeK2u3dDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
The election was marked by a variety of brutal personal attacks. First, Fine was forced to wage a contentious primary battle with Jay Cooke, a wealthy Philadelphia banker who was backed by the party's archconservative business wing. Although Fine won by twenty points, the party had difficulty healing their wounds in the general election. In the fall, Fine and Dilworth further toned up the rhetoric. The Philadelphia Democrat portaryed his opponent as a crony who oversaw a Tammany Hall
-style patronage system and asserted that Fine's agenda would "roll back the Twentieth Century." Fine fired back by painting Dilworth as a candidate who would be soft on communism and allow subversives to penetrate state government; he even went so far as to compare state Democrats to a "psychiatric problem." http://books.google.com/books?id=6SpJJmkNDFEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=pennsylvania+politics+today+and+yesterday&hl=en&ei=WgDyTJSBC4aBlAeK2u3dDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
On Election Day, Fine only carried the gubernatorial ticket by only about two points, despite Governor Duff's large win in the Senate race. Although Fine ran well in heavily Republican Central Pennsylvania and limited Dilworth's advantage in the Democratic stronghold of metropolitan Pittsburgh, he lost by a slim margin his home base in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. Furthermore, Dilworth was able to gain 42% of the vote in Philadelphia's four suburban counties, despite only 17% of area residents holding Democratic voter registration.http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate was victorious, but by a much smaller than usual marign. Superior Court Judge
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts, the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Appeal to the Superior Court is generally of right from final decisions of the Court of Common Pleas...
John S. Fine
John S. Fine
John Sydney Fine was the 35th Governor of Pennsylvania from January 16, 1951 until January 18, 1955. He was born in Alden, Pennsylvania near Nanticoke and quickly rose in Luzerne County politics, serving as Republican County Chairman and as a Court Judge...
defeated Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Richardson Dilworth
Richardson Dilworth
Richardson K. Dilworth was an American Democratic Party politician, born in the Pittsburgh area, who served as the 91st Mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962.-Education and early career:...
, the City Controller of Philadelphia.
Despite the popularity of outgoing governor (and 1950 U.S. Senate candidate) Jim Duff
James H. Duff
James Henderson Duff was an American lawyer and politician in the mid-20th century. He served as the 34th Governor of Pennsylvania and U.S...
and the low approval ratings of President Harry Truman, Democrats came into the election with a cautiously optimistic outlook. In Dilworth, they had selected a charismatic candidate with a strong reputation as a reformer after serving as a key figure in the Democratic overthrow of Philadelphia's corrupt Republican political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
. Furthermore, although Republicans held registration advantages throughout the state, many voters were ambivilant toward their policies due to a 1949-50 recession that impacted crucial heavy industries.http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
In contrast to the energetic Dilworth, the Republican nominee Fine was somewhat uncomfortable in the public eye, after having spent his career as a backroom power player and party boss. Fine had once been a close associate of progressive Governor Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
and had spent the previous twenty years as Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
's key political figure. Fine represeted the consistency of the long dominant state political machine and, although he was somewhat more conservative than the outgoing governor, was chosen as Duff's hand picked successor to hold steady a Republican ship that was on cruise control.http://books.google.com/books?id=6SpJJmkNDFEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=pennsylvania+politics+today+and+yesterday&hl=en&ei=WgDyTJSBC4aBlAeK2u3dDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
The election was marked by a variety of brutal personal attacks. First, Fine was forced to wage a contentious primary battle with Jay Cooke, a wealthy Philadelphia banker who was backed by the party's archconservative business wing. Although Fine won by twenty points, the party had difficulty healing their wounds in the general election. In the fall, Fine and Dilworth further toned up the rhetoric. The Philadelphia Democrat portaryed his opponent as a crony who oversaw a Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
-style patronage system and asserted that Fine's agenda would "roll back the Twentieth Century." Fine fired back by painting Dilworth as a candidate who would be soft on communism and allow subversives to penetrate state government; he even went so far as to compare state Democrats to a "psychiatric problem." http://books.google.com/books?id=6SpJJmkNDFEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=pennsylvania+politics+today+and+yesterday&hl=en&ei=WgDyTJSBC4aBlAeK2u3dDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
On Election Day, Fine only carried the gubernatorial ticket by only about two points, despite Governor Duff's large win in the Senate race. Although Fine ran well in heavily Republican Central Pennsylvania and limited Dilworth's advantage in the Democratic stronghold of metropolitan Pittsburgh, he lost by a slim margin his home base in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. Furthermore, Dilworth was able to gain 42% of the vote in Philadelphia's four suburban counties, despite only 17% of area residents holding Democratic voter registration.http://books.google.com/books?id=1J_9q-lIWRkC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=1998+ridge+itkin&source=bl&ots=AK6b-Ut25d&sig=ln8QefiZodyBTkRiIzEYxTt21Ro&hl=en&ei=cPjETOLTOoOglAenj8EH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBQ#v=snippet&q=fine&f=false
Democratic
- Richardson DilworthRichardson DilworthRichardson K. Dilworth was an American Democratic Party politician, born in the Pittsburgh area, who served as the 91st Mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962.-Education and early career:...
, Philadelphia City Controller- runningmate: Michael MusmannoMichael MusmannoMichael Angelo Musmanno was an American jurist, politician, and naval officer of Italian heritage.Musmanno was born in Stowe Township, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, an industrial neighborhood a few miles west of Pittsburgh.Musmanno rose to the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy...
, Court of Common Pleas Judge (from Allegheny CountyAllegheny County, PennsylvaniaAllegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
)
- runningmate: Michael Musmanno
Republican
- John FineJohn S. FineJohn Sydney Fine was the 35th Governor of Pennsylvania from January 16, 1951 until January 18, 1955. He was born in Alden, Pennsylvania near Nanticoke and quickly rose in Luzerne County politics, serving as Republican County Chairman and as a Court Judge...
, Superior Court Judge (from Luzerne CountyLuzerne County, Pennsylvania- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
)- runningmate: Lloyd WoodLloyd H. WoodLloyd H. Wood was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955. He previously served as a State Senator from the Montgomery County-based 12th district from 1947-50.-External links:*...
, State Senator (from Montgomery CountyMontgomery County, PennsylvaniaMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
)
- runningmate: Lloyd Wood
Results
| Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1978 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
John Fine John S. Fine John Sydney Fine was the 35th Governor of Pennsylvania from January 16, 1951 until January 18, 1955. He was born in Alden, Pennsylvania near Nanticoke and quickly rose in Luzerne County politics, serving as Republican County Chairman and as a Court Judge... |
Lloyd Wood Lloyd H. Wood Lloyd H. Wood was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955. He previously served as a State Senator from the Montgomery County-based 12th district from 1947-50.-External links:*... |
1,796,119 | 50.7% | |
| Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Richardson Dilworth Richardson Dilworth Richardson K. Dilworth was an American Democratic Party politician, born in the Pittsburgh area, who served as the 91st Mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962.-Education and early career:... |
Michael Musmanno Michael Musmanno Michael Angelo Musmanno was an American jurist, politician, and naval officer of Italian heritage.Musmanno was born in Stowe Township, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, an industrial neighborhood a few miles west of Pittsburgh.Musmanno rose to the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy... |
1,710,355 | 48.3% | |
| Prohibition Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement... |
Richard Blews | 12,282 | .3% | ||
| G.I.'s Against Communism | Reggie Naugle | 7,715 | .2% | ||
| Progressive | Tom Fitzpatrick | 6,097 | .1% | ||
| Socialist | Robert Wilson | 5,005 | .1% | ||
| Independent | George Taylor | 1,645 | <.1% | ||
| Totals | 3,540,029 | 100.00% | |||