United States Senate election in South Carolina, 1896
Encyclopedia
The 1896 South Carolina United States Senate election was a Democratic Party
primary election
held on August 26, 1896 and September 9 to select the U.S. Senator
from the state of South Carolina
. Prior to the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution
, U.S. Senators were elected by the state legislature and not through the direct election by the people of the state. However, the Democratic Party of South Carolina
organized primary elections for the U.S. Senate beginning in 1896 and the General Assembly
would confirm the choice of the Democratic voters. Conservative Democratic
Joseph H. Earle
won the Democratic primary and was elected by the General Assembly for a six-year term.
John Gary Evans
entered the first ever election in the state of South Carolina for the U.S. Senate. He had the backing of Senator Ben Tillman
and much of the farming interests in the state. However, the farmers' movement had largely run its course and the Tillmanite reform movement had angered a considerable number of voters in the state. Conservative Joseph H. Earle
and Newberry
native John T. Duncan announced their candidacy's in opposition to Governor Evans. In the primary on August 26 Evans emerged as the frontrunner, but did not garner over 50% of the vote and was forced to face Earle in a runoff election
. Those who had voted for Duncan threw their support to Earle and it provided him with the margin he needed for victory over Evans.
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...
primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
held on August 26, 1896 and September 9 to select the U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Prior to the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution
Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures...
, U.S. Senators were elected by the state legislature and not through the direct election by the people of the state. However, the Democratic Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Democratic Party
The South Carolina Democratic Party is the South Carolina affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. The Democratic party thrived during the Second Party System between 1832 and the mid-1850s and was one of the causes of the collapse of the Whig Party....
organized primary elections for the U.S. Senate beginning in 1896 and the General Assembly
South Carolina General Assembly
The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and the upper South Carolina Senate. Altogether, the General...
would confirm the choice of the Democratic voters. Conservative 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...
Joseph H. Earle
Joseph H. Earle
Joseph Haynsworth Earle was a United States Senator from South Carolina. Born in Greenville, he attended private schools in Sumter. He was a first year cadet at the South Carolina Military Academy at the outbreak of the Civil War enlisted in the Confederate Army...
won the Democratic primary and was elected by the General Assembly for a six-year term.
Democratic primary
In 1896, Governor of South CarolinaGovernor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
John Gary Evans
John Gary Evans
John Gary Evans was the 85th Governor of South Carolina from 1894 to 1897.-Early life:Evans was born in Cokesbury, South Carolina to an aristocratic and well connected family. His father was Nathan George Evans, a Confederate general, and after his father died in 1868, he went to live in Edgefield...
entered the first ever election in the state of South Carolina for the U.S. Senate. He had the backing of Senator Ben Tillman
Benjamin Tillman
Benjamin Ryan Tillman was an American politician who served as the 84th Governor of South Carolina, from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator, from 1895 until his death in office. Tillman's views were a matter of national controversy.Tillman was a member of the Democratic Party...
and much of the farming interests in the state. However, the farmers' movement had largely run its course and the Tillmanite reform movement had angered a considerable number of voters in the state. Conservative Joseph H. Earle
Joseph H. Earle
Joseph Haynsworth Earle was a United States Senator from South Carolina. Born in Greenville, he attended private schools in Sumter. He was a first year cadet at the South Carolina Military Academy at the outbreak of the Civil War enlisted in the Confederate Army...
and Newberry
Newberry, South Carolina
Newberry is a city in Newberry County, South Carolina, 43 miles west -northwest of Columbia. The charter was adopted in 1894. In 1890, 3,020 people lived in Newberry, South Carolina; in 1900, 4,607; in 1910, 5,028; and in 1940, 7,510. The population was 10,580 at the 2000 census. It is the county...
native John T. Duncan announced their candidacy's in opposition to Governor Evans. In the primary on August 26 Evans emerged as the frontrunner, but did not garner over 50% of the vote and was forced to face Earle in a runoff election
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
. Those who had voted for Duncan threw their support to Earle and it provided him with the margin he needed for victory over Evans.
See also
- List of United States Senators from South Carolina
- United States Senate elections, 1896United States Senate elections, 1896The United States Senate election of 1896 was an election which had the Democratic Party lose six seats in the United States Senate, mostly to minor third parties....
- United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1896United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1896The 1896 South Carolina United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 3, 1896 to select seven Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. Five Democratic incumbents were re-elected, one Republican incumbent was defeated, and the open seat was...
- South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1896South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1896The 1896 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. William Haselden Ellerbe won the Democratic primary and easily won the general election to become the 86th governor of South Carolina.-Democratic primary:A new South...