1882 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election

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1882 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election
November 7, 1882
 
Nominee Francis Marion Martin E. W. Morton Andrew Young
Party Democratic Independent Independent
Alliance Republican Greenback
Popular vote 171,277 58,504 19,220
Percentage 68.79% 23.50% 7.72%
Lieutenant Governor before election

Leonidas Jefferson Storey
Democratic

 Elected Lieutenant Governor

Francis Marion Martin
Democratic

The 1882 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1882, in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Texas. Democratic candidate Francis Marion Martin defeated independent candidates E. W. Morton and Andrew Young.

General election

The incumbent lieutenant governor, Leonidas J. Storey, did not run for reelection. There were several candidates running to replace him at the Democratic Party Convention. After two days of voting, state senator Francis Marion Martin was selected as the nominee.[1] Storey was put forward as a candidate for state senator, but in a contested convention withdrew his candidacy in favor of George Pfeuffer.[2][3][4]

At the time, Texas was a part of the "Solid South" and the Democratic party was overwhelmingly favored in state elections. The previous couple of elections had split opposition support between the Republican and Greenback parties. In an attempt to improve their odds at success a strategy of electoral fusionism was attempted and both parties endorsed the independent campaign of congressman and former lieutenant governor George Washington Jones for governor.

However, the support for fusionism did not necessarily extend to down ballot races and both the Republican and Greenback parties ended up endorsing separate slates of tickets for nominally independent campaigns. Sometimes these disagreements resulted in the tickets nominating the same person for different offices. This was the case in the race for lieutenant governor as the Greenback endorsed candidate, Dr. Andrew Young, appeared on the Republican backed ticket as the candidate for the Commissioner of the General Land Office.[5][6] There was speculation that either Young or the Republican endorsed candidate Col. E. W. Morton would drop out, but neither did.[7][8]

Candidates

  • Benjamin Marbry Baker, state representative from Panola County (Democrat) (withdrawn)[9]
  • John T. Coffee, lawyer, colonel in the confederate army, former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives (Democrat) (withdrawn)[10][9]
  • Francis Marion Martin, state senator, delegate at the state constitutional convention of 1875, captain in the CSA cavalry (Democrat)[11][12][1]
  • Colonel E. W. Morton[a] (Independent, with support from the Republicans)[14][15]
  • Finis E. Piner, lawyer and former state senator (Democrat) (withdrawn)[9][16]
  • Tillman Smith, former state senator and state representative (Democrat) (withdrawn)[9][1][17]
  • Dr. Andrew Young (Independent, with support of the Greenbacks)[18][15][19]

Results

Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1882[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Francis Marion Martin 171,277 68.79 Increase 4.02
Independent E. W. Morton 58,504 23.50 N/A
Independent Andrew Young[b] 19,220 7.72 N/A
Total votes 266,514 100.00
Democratic hold

Notes

  1. Sources spell his name as both "Morton" and "Morten".[13]
  2. In the results canvassed by the Legislature, Andrew Young's vote total also includes "scattering".

References

  1. "News By Specials. Hon. Marion Martin, of Navarro county, Nominated for Lieutenant Governor - He Refustes Some Charges". The Dallas Daily Herald. July 21, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "County Convention - Senatorial Convention - Cotton - Business". The Galveston Daily News. September 19, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "The Luling Signal comes to the rescue..." San Marcos Free Press. October 12, 1882. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Williamson, Robert Lee (1952). "George Pfeuffer: Merchant, Legislator, and Community Leader in Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  5. "The "independent ticket" has been printed". San Antonio Daily Express. November 5, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-04-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "A Republican Official Invitation and Intimation to Voters". The Waco Examiner. October 27, 1882. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Brief Notes of the State Campaign". The Waco Examiner. October 17, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-04-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Fort Worth: Court Notes-Hog and Sheep-Ranches-Political-Criminal Notes". The Galveston Daily News. October 14, 1882. p. 1.
  9. "The Convention. Judge John Ireland Nominated by Acclamation and With Enthusiasm". The Austin Daily Statesman. July 20, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "At least one rider...for lieutenant governo- Col. John T. Coffee..." San Antonio Daily Express. June 15, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Miller, Worth Robert (1952). "Marion Martin: Life of a Prohibitionist and Populist Leader". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  12. "Democratic Ticket". San Antonio Daily Express. November 5, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-04-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "E. W. Morton For Lieutenant-Governor". The Evening Light. San Antonio, TX. October 3, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  14. "E. W. Morton For Lieutenant-Governor". The Evening Light. San Antonio, TX. October 3, 1882. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  15. "Col. E. W. Martin, of Waco, a republican, is announced as an independent candidate for lieutenant governor". San Antonio Daily Express. October 4, 1882. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Member profile for Finis E. Piner - Texas Legislative Reference Library". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  17. "Member profile for Tillman Smith - Texas Legislative Reference Library". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  18. "Cleburne". The Dallas Weekly Herald. August 5, 1882. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Personal". The Dallas Herald. October 20, 1882. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-04-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Journal of the Texas House of Representatives" (PDF). January 13, 1883. pp. 22–23. Retrieved 2026-04-16.