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1916 Florida gubernatorial election

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1916 Florida gubernatorial election

← 1912 November 7, 1916 1920 →
 
Nominee Sidney Johnston Catts William V. Knott George W. Allen
Party Prohibition Democratic Republican
Popular vote 39,546 30,343 10,333
Percentage 47.71% 36.61% 12.47%


Governor before election

Park Trammell
Democratic

Elected Governor

Sidney Johnston Catts
Prohibition

The 1916 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916, to determine the Governor for the State of Florida. Democratic incumbent Governor Park Trammell was term-limited and could not run for re-election.

Sidney J. Catts, a pastor turned insurance salesman, originally entered the Democratic primary as a candidate for Governor. The state Democratic organization was not at all pleased with this challenge from a novice and 'outsider' and the primary campaign was hotly contested. Catts was initially declared the winner of the party's nomination, but the party leadership got the State Supreme Court to authorize a recount—and Catts was 'counted out.'[1] Catts instead decided to run for governor on the Prohibition Party ticket and became the first, and so far only, man ever elected to a statewide office as a Prohibitionist. The official Democratic nominee was William V. Knott, the former and future Florida State Treasurer.

The 1916 election had a much higher turnout, 82,885 votes compared to 48,465 votes in 1912, due to the chasm in the Democratic Party. This means that even though Trammell and Catts both won nearly similar vote tallies, 569 votes separating the 1912 and 1916 winners, Trammell won by over 80% of the vote in 1912,[2] while Catts got slightly under 48% of the vote. This was the only time a non-Democrat was elected Governor in Florida for the 90 years between the end of Reconstruction in 1877 and the rise of a competitive two party system in the 1960s.

Catts proved to be much more of a colorful personality and a better campaigner than both of his major opponents, his hostile attacks on Roman Catholicism and German-Americans winning the support of the state's conservative voters. Catts himself quickly returned to the Democratic Party and failed thrice to win a party primary (Senate in 1920, Governor in 1924 and 1928), while Knott would serve another decade and a half in his office of State Treasurer.

Results

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1916 Florida gubernatorial election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Prohibition Sidney Johnston Catts 39,546 47.71% +45.52%
Democratic William V. Knott 30,343 36.61% −43.81%
Republican George W. Allen 10,333 12.47% +7.01%
Socialist C.C. Allen 2,470 2.98% −4.17%
Other Various 193 0.23%
Majority 9,203 11.10% −62.17%
Turnout 82,885 +170.02%
Prohibition gain from Democratic Swing

County results

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County William V. Knott
Democratic
George W. Allen
Republican
C.C. Allen
Socialist
Sidney J. Catts
Prohibition
Totals[3]
# % # % # % # %
Alachua 1,128 44.06% 332 12.97% 33 1.29% 1,067 41.68% 2,560
Baker 92 14.70% 87 13.90% 8 1.28% 439 70.13% 626
Bay 399 34.76% 170 14.81% 73 6.36% 506 44.08% 1,148
Bradford 515 31.44% 106 6.47% 10 0.61% 1,007 61.48% 1,638
Brevard 467 53.13% 151 17.18% 27 3.07% 234 26.62% 879
Broward 152 22.65% 32 4.77% 43 6.41% 444 66.17% 671
Calhoun 227 22.02% 69 6.69% 55 5.33% 680 65.96% 1,031
Citrus 224 32.28% 29 4.18% 6 0.86% 435 62.68% 694
Clay 158 27.92% 56 9.89% 23 4.06% 329 58.13% 566
Columbia 314 28.04% 185 16.52% 25 2.23% 596 53.21% 1,120
Dade 854 29.99% 465 16.33% 111 3.90% 1,418 49.79% 2,848
DeSoto 598 23.31% 245 9.55% 78 3.04% 1,644 64.09% 2,565
Duval 3,834 49.67% 815 10.56% 174 2.25% 2,896 37.52% 7,719
Escambia 1,359 47.15% 224 7.77% 48 1.67% 1,251 43.41% 2,882
Franklin 180 37.89% 51 10.74% 11 2.32% 233 49.05% 475
Gadsden 530 50.96% 20 1.92% 8 0.77% 482 46.35% 1,040
Hamilton 274 31.24% 81 9.24% 13 1.48% 509 58.04% 877
Hernando 182 33.58% 24 4.43% 8 1.48% 328 60.52% 542
Hillsborough 3,079 42.05% 436 5.95% 175 2.39% 3,633 49.61% 7,323
Holmes 323 20.88% 91 5.88% 34 2.20% 1,099 71.04% 1,547
Jackson 1,068 40.62% 220 8.37% 34 1.29% 1,307 49.71% 2,629
Jefferson 314 40.20% 101 12.93% 9 1.15% 357 45.71% 781
Lafayette 290 31.56% - 0.00% 10 1.09% 619 67.36% 919
Lake 494 36.40% 217 15.99% 34 2.51% 612 45.10% 1,357
Lee 261 23.71% 110 9.99% 36 3.27% 694 63.03% 1,101
Leon 629 48.76% 265 20.54% 10 0.78% 386 29.92% 1,290
Levy 240 24.64% 116 11.91% 10 1.03% 608 62.42% 974
Liberty 131 34.56% 15 3.96% 5 1.32% 228 60.16% 379
Madison 350 43.70% 13 1.62% 4 0.50% 434 54.18% 801
Manatee 428 28.33% 235 15.55% 59 3.90% 789 52.22% 1,511
Marion 975 41.99% 444 19.12% 95 4.09% 808 34.80% 2,322
Monroe 169 9.87% 978 57.13% 125 7.30% 440 25.70% 1,712
Nassau 372 55.27% 62 9.21% 11 1.63% 228 33.88% 673
Okaloosa 338 34.42% 135 13.75% 27 2.75% 482 49.08% 982
Orange 897 48.17% 251 13.48% 51 2.74% 663 35.61% 1,862
Osceola 159 13.71% 371 31.98% 67 5.78% 563 48.53% 1,160
Palm Beach 535 39.63% 257 19.04% 105 7.78% 453 33.56% 1,350
Pasco 328 28.15% 121 10.39% 23 1.97% 693 59.48% 1,165
Pinellas 726 32.17% 421 18.65% 101 4.47% 1,009 44.71% 2,257
Polk 1,070 30.64% 400 11.45% 147 4.21% 1,875 53.69% 3,492
Putnam 590 36.81% 387 24.14% 51 3.18% 575 35.87% 1,603
Santa Rosa 712 63.12% 54 4.79% 27 2.39% 335 29.70% 1,128
Seminole 364 37.49% 130 13.39% 41 4.22% 436 44.90% 971
St. Johns 800 43.50% 306 16.64% 75 4.08% 658 35.78% 1,839
St. Lucie 416 40.15% 71 6.85% 42 4.05% 507 48.94% 1,036
Sumter 359 48.19% 44 5.91% 5 0.67% 337 45.23% 745
Suwannee 554 37.95% 57 3.90% 76 5.21% 773 52.95% 1,460
Taylor 255 39.11% 29 4.45% 10 1.53% 358 54.91% 652
Volusia 1,037 37.90% 348 12.72% 106 3.87% 1,245 45.50% 2,736
Wakulla 94 17.06% 111 20.15% 15 2.72% 331 60.07% 551
Walton 265 17.99% 312 21.18% 44 2.99% 852 57.84% 1,473
Washington 234 22.72% 83 8.06% 52 5.05% 661 64.17% 1,030
Total 30,343 36.69% 10,333 12.50% 2,470 2.99% 39,546 47.82% 82,692

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Sidney J. Catts".
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL Governor Race - Nov 05, 1912".
  3. ^ Crawford, H. C. (1915). (rep.). Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Florida (Vol. 1915, pp. 6–7). Tallahassee, FL: T.J. Appleyard, State Printer.
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