For related races, see 1896 United States gubernatorial elections.
1896 Delaware gubernatorial election
← 1894
November 3, 1896
1900 →
Nominee
Ebe W. Tunnell
John H. Hoffecker
John C. Higgins
Party
Democratic
Union Republican
Republican
Popular vote
15,507
11,014
7,154
Percentage
44.20%
31.40%
20.39%
County results Tunnell: 40–50% 50–60%
Governor before election
William T. Watson
Democratic
Elected Governor
Ebe W. Tunnell
Democratic
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v
t
e
The 1896 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896. Shortly after his victory in the 1894 gubernatorial election, Republican Governor Joshua H. Marvil died. State Senate Speaker William T. Watson, a Democrat, became Governor and a new election for a full four-year term was scheduled in 1896. Though Watson was considered a potential candidate for re-election,[1] the Democratic convention instead nominated Ebe W. Tunnell, the 1894 nominee for Governor; despite his protests that he would decline the nomination,[2] Tunnell ultimately accepted it.[3]
The Republican Party, meanwhile, split in the election and nominated two separate candidates for Governor: the faction of the Republican Party affiliated with wealthy industrialist J. Edward Addicks split off from the main Party and nominated John H. Hoffecker the President of the Smyrna Town Council.[4] The anti-Addicks faction, which held the official Republican banner, nominated former State Representative John C. Higgins.[5] The fragmentation continued throughout the campaign, and despite rumors that the fractions would reunite and nominate a single candidate, they did not do so.[6]
The split ended up destroying the Republican Party's chances of regaining the governorship; Tunnell defeated Hoffecker and Higgins by a wide margin, though he fell far short of a majority. This ended up being the final election that occurred under the 1831 Constitution; the 1897 Constitution was drafted the following year and ratified prior to the 1900 gubernatorial election.
^"Work of the Caucusses: Kent County Made No Nominations for Either Place". Morning News. Wilmington, Del. August 19, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
^"Tunnell May Decline: He May Not Accept the Nomination for Governor". Morning News. Wilmington, Del. August 31, 1896. p. 6. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
^"Other Political Notes". Morning News. Wilmington, Del. September 1, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
^"Addicks Men Meet: Dover Convention Names John Henry Hoffecker of Smyrna for Governor". Morning News. Wilmington, Del. July 15, 1896. pp. 1–2. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
^"Republicans Meet: Principles of the Party Triumphantly Vindicated at the Georgetown Convention". Morning News. Wilmington, Del. July 17, 1896. pp. 1–2. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
^"Will Not Withdraw: John C. Higgins and Robert G. Houston Will Remain on the Republican Ticket". Morning News. Wilmington, Del. October 7, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
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