United States Senate election in South Carolina, 1902
Encyclopedia
The 1902 South Carolina United States Senate election was a Democratic Party
primary election
held on August 26, 1902 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. Tillmanite Democrat
Asbury Latimer
won the Democratic primary and was elected by the General Assembly for a six-year term.
, the Conservatives were without a candidate so in 1902 four candidates vied for the support of Conservatives: Dan S. Henderson, William Elliott
, George Johnstone
and John J. Hemphill
. The two remaining candidates in the race, Representative Asbury Latimer
and former Governor
John Gary Evans
, were strong Tillmanites. However, both were strongly opposed to each other and a duel almost ensued between the two while campaigning at St. George
on July 12. A fight did indeed break out between Latimer and Hemphill when they were campaigning in Gaffney
on August 14. Latimer took offence to an accusation by Hemphill and struck him. Hemphill was unable to strike back because Latimer quickly left the scene.
On August 26, Latimer and Evans emerged as the top two candidates in the field and were to face each other in a runoff election
on September 9. The Conservative candidates had garnered more votes combined than the combined vote of Latimer and Evans, but their inability to coalesce around a single candidate prevented a Conservative from winning the election. Evans was widely disliked by Conservatives in the state so they threw their support behind Latimer and he easily won the runoff election.
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, 1902 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. Tillmanite 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...
Asbury Latimer
Asbury Latimer
Asbury Churchwell Latimer was a United States Representative and Senator from South Carolina. Born near Lowndesville, South Carolina, he attended the common schools, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in 1880 moved to Belton, South Carolina and devoted his time to farming.Latimer was elected as...
won the Democratic primary and was elected by the General Assembly for a six-year term.
Democratic primary
In the special election of 1897United States Senate special election in South Carolina, 1897
The 1897 South Carolina United States Senate special election was a Democratic Party primary election held on August 31, 1897 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...
, the Conservatives were without a candidate so in 1902 four candidates vied for the support of Conservatives: Dan S. Henderson, William Elliott
William Elliott (politician)
William Elliott was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina.Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, Elliott attended Beaufort College and Harvard University....
, George Johnstone
George Johnstone (politician)
George Johnstone) was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district. He served for one term from 1891 to 1893.- External links :...
and John J. Hemphill
John J. Hemphill
John James Hemphill was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina, cousin of William Huggins Brawley, nephew of John Hemphill and great-uncle of Robert Witherspoon Hemphill....
. The two remaining candidates in the race, Representative Asbury Latimer
Asbury Latimer
Asbury Churchwell Latimer was a United States Representative and Senator from South Carolina. Born near Lowndesville, South Carolina, he attended the common schools, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in 1880 moved to Belton, South Carolina and devoted his time to farming.Latimer was elected as...
and former Governor
Governor 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...
, were strong Tillmanites. However, both were strongly opposed to each other and a duel almost ensued between the two while campaigning at St. George
St. George, South Carolina
Saint George is a town in Dorchester County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,092 at the 2000 census. It has been the county seat of Dorchester County since the latter's formation from Colleton County in 1897....
on July 12. A fight did indeed break out between Latimer and Hemphill when they were campaigning in Gaffney
Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is also sometimes referred to as the Peach capital of South Carolina. The population was 12,414 at the 2010 census...
on August 14. Latimer took offence to an accusation by Hemphill and struck him. Hemphill was unable to strike back because Latimer quickly left the scene.
On August 26, Latimer and Evans emerged as the top two candidates in the field and were to face each other 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...
on September 9. The Conservative candidates had garnered more votes combined than the combined vote of Latimer and Evans, but their inability to coalesce around a single candidate prevented a Conservative from winning the election. Evans was widely disliked by Conservatives in the state so they threw their support behind Latimer and he easily won the runoff election.
| Democratic Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic Primary Runoff | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Asbury Latimer Asbury Latimer Asbury Churchwell Latimer was a United States Representative and Senator from South Carolina. Born near Lowndesville, South Carolina, he attended the common schools, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in 1880 moved to Belton, South Carolina and devoted his time to farming.Latimer was elected as... |
53,890 | 59.7 | +35.6 |
| 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... |
36,371 | 40.3 | +21.4 |
See also
- List of United States Senators from South Carolina
- United States Senate elections, 1902United States Senate elections, 1902The United States Senate election of 1902 was an election which had the Republican Party and the Democratic Party each gain one seat in the United States Senate....
- United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1902United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1902The 1902 South Carolina United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 4, 1902 to select seven Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. Four incumbents were re-elected and the three open seats were retained by the Democrats...
- South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1902South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1902The 1902 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1902 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Duncan Clinch Heyward won the Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election to become the 88th governor of South Carolina.-Democratic primary:The South...