1876 Texas gubernatorial election

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1876 Texas gubernatorial election
February 15, 1876
 
Candidate Richard Coke William Chambers
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 150,581 50,030
Percentage 75.1% 24.9%
County results
Coke:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100%
Chambers:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
No Data/Vote:      
Governor before election

Richard Coke
Democratic

 Governor-elect

Richard Coke
Democratic

The 1876 Texas gubernatorial election was held to elect the Governor of Texas. Incumbent Governor Richard Coke was elected to a second term in office over William Chambers, a judge of the First Judicial District.[1] The election took place simultaneously with the vote to ratify a newly drafted state constitution that Coke had championed.

General election

Candidates

Results

1876 Texas gubernatorial election[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard Coke (incumbent) 150,581 75.06%
Republican William Chambers 50,030 24.94%
Total votes 200,611 100.00%

Aftermath

The new constitution was ratified by a vote of 136,606 to 56,652.[4] coupled with the election of Democrats statewide established a new political system in the state, helping the Democratic party became the dominant political party for approximately 100 years.

The new constitution reversed many of the changes that had been brought about through Reconstruction. Among these changes was the shortening of the term length of the governor and lieutenant governor from four years to two, reverting it to the term length that existed prior to the Civil War.[4]

In December 1876, Governor Coke, having succeeded in his core campaign issue, resigned the governorship in order to take a seat in the United States Senate.

References

  1. Johnston, Julianne; Wooster, Robert. "TSHA | Chambers, William Morton (1821–1892)". Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  2. Payne, Jr., John W. (1976). "Richard Coke: Texas Governor and U.S. Senator". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  3. "Texas Almanac". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  4. Ericson, Joe; Wallace, Ernest (1952). "The Texas Constitution of 1876: A Historical Overview". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 24, 2026.