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1900 United States presidential election in Florida

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1900 United States presidential election in Florida

← 1896 November 6, 1900 1904 →
 
Nominee William Jennings Bryan William McKinley John G. Woolley
Party Democratic Republican Prohibition
Home state Nebraska Ohio Illinois
Running mate Adlai Stevenson I Theodore Roosevelt Henry B. Metcalf
Electoral vote 4 0 0
Popular vote 28,273 7,355 2,244
Percentage 71.31% 18.55% 5.66%

County Results
Bryan
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%
  90–100%


President before election

William McKinley
Republican

Elected President

William McKinley
Republican

The 1900 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 6, 1900. Florida voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice-President.

The anti-Southern animus of the Harrison presidency meant Florida‘s large landowners felt the disfranchisement of blacks was urgent by 1889.[1] A poll tax was introduced in 1889[2] as were the so-called “Myers” and “Dortch” laws which required voters in more populous settlements to register their voting precincts.[3] This dramatically cut voter registration amongst blacks and poorer whites, and since Florida completely lacked upland or German refugee whites opposed to secession, its Republican Party between 1872 and 1888 was entirely dependent upon black votes. Thus this disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites by a poll tax introduced in 1889[4] left Florida as devoid of Republican adherents as Louisiana, Mississippi or South Carolina.[5] The Republican Party did not offer presidential electors in 1892, and it did not carry a single county in 1896.

Florida was won by the Democratic nominees, former U.S. Representative and 1896 Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan and his running mate, former Vice President Adlai Stevenson I. They defeated the Republican nominees, incumbent President William McKinley of Ohio and his running mate Theodore Roosevelt of New York. Bryan won the state by a landslide margin of 52.76%.

With Bryan appealing to many pineywoods “crackers” who still paid the poll tax, he was able to improve upon his 1896 landslide.[6] The power of Baptist preachers in the settled northern part of the state, however, did produce considerable support for the Prohibition Party’s John G. Woolley in the white counties.[7] This stands as one of the ten occasions[a] when third or minor parties got over 5% of the vote in Florida.[8] This also marks the only time since its statehood that any president has won two terms without ever carrying Florida.

With 71.31% of the popular vote, Florida would prove to be Bryan's fourth strongest state in the 1900 presidential election only after South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana.[9]

Bryan had previously won Florida against McKinley four years earlier and would later win the state again in 1908 against William Howard Taft.

Results

[edit]
1900 United States presidential election in Florida[8]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic William Jennings Bryan 28,273 71.31% 4
Republican William McKinley (incumbent) 7,753 18.55% 0
Prohibition John G. Woolley 2,244 5.66% 0
Populist Wharton Barker 1,143 2.88% 0
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 634 1.60% 0
Invalid or blank votes
Totals 39,649 100.00% 4
Voter turnout

Results by county

[edit]
County William Jennings Bryan
Democratic
William McKinley
Republican
John Granville Woolley
Prohibition
Wharton Barker
Populist
Eugene Victor Debs
Socialist
Margin Total votes cast[10]
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Alachua 1,346 76.83% 334 19.06% 17 0.97% 50 2.85% 9 0.51% 1,012 57.76% 1,752
Baker 198 58.41% 112 33.04% 16 4.75% 8 2.37% 3 0.89% 86 25.37% 339
Bradford 734 63.39% 276 23.83% 101 8.82% 21 1.83% 13 1.14% 458 39.55% 1,158
Brevard 513 73.60% 121 17.36% 44 6.30% 18 2.58% 2 0.29% 392 56.24% 697
Calhoun 196 67.12% 35 11.99% 30 10.27% 28 9.59% 3 1.03% 161 55.14% 292
Citrus 413 92.19% 16 3.57% 18 4.02% 1 0.22% 0 0.00% 395[b] 88.17% 448
Clay 308 71.13% 91 21.02% 8 1.85% 19 4.39% 7 1.62% 217 50.12% 433
Columbia 663 66.70% 252 25.35% 15 1.53% 44 4.49% 6 0.61% 411 41.35% 994
Dade 806 58.62% 389 28.29% 100 7.33% 54 3.96% 16 1.17% 417 30.33% 1,375
De Soto 526 63.99% 134 16.30% 27 3.28% 32 3.89% 103 12.53% 392 47.69% 822
Duval 1,857 66.49% 773 27.68% 24 0.86% 103 3.69% 31 1.11% 1,084 38.81% 2,793
Escambia 1,435 63.47% 432 19.11% 346 15.30% 30 1.33% 18 0.80% 1,003 44.36% 2,261
Franklin 239 56.10% 146 34.27% 25 5.87% 13 3.05% 3 0.70% 93 21.83% 426
Gadsden 684 91.32% 61 8.14% 0 0.00% 4 0.53% 0 0.00% 623 83.18% 749
Hamilton 322 68.08% 96 20.30% 38 7.87% 13 2.69% 14 2.90% 226 47.78% 473
Hernando 252 88.11% 18 6.29% 10 3.50% 5 1.75% 1 0.35% 234 81.82% 286
Hillsborough 2,257 69.55% 349 10.76% 514 15.84% 36 1.11% 89 2.74% 1,743[b] 53.71% 3,245
Holmes 339 72.75% 69 14.81% 46 9.87% 8 1.72% 4 0.86% 270 57.94% 466
Jackson 978 78.43% 178 14.27% 14 1.12% 53 4.25% 24 1.92% 800 64.15% 1,247
Jefferson 711 82.29% 143 16.55% 4 0.46% 6 0.69% 0 0.00% 568 65.74% 864
Lafayette 326 89.07% 21 5.74% 13 3.55% 6 1.64% 0 0.00% 305 83.33% 366
Lake 492 70.49% 143 20.49% 41 5.90% 17 2.45% 2 0.29% 349 50.00% 698
Lee 278 81.29% 39 11.40% 20 5.85% 2 0.58% 3 0.88% 239 69.88% 342
Leon 932 80.28% 162 13.95% 43 3.70% 21 1.81% 3 0.26% 770 66.32% 1,161
Levy 383 67.31% 157 27.59% 4 0.70% 23 4.04% 2 0.35% 226 39.72% 569
Liberty 127 88.19% 10 6.94% 6 4.17% 1 0.69% 0 0.00% 117 81.25% 144
Madison 510 76.92% 44 6.64% 83 12.65% 7 1.07% 12 1.83% 427[b] 64.27% 663
Manatee 535 81.68% 60 9.16% 42 6.10% 9 1.31% 42 6.10% 475 72.52% 655
Marion 1,132 75.02% 264 17.50% 32 2.13% 52 3.47% 19 1.27% 868 57.52% 1,509
Monroe 747 66.28% 252 22.36% 56 4.97% 50 4.44% 22 1.95% 495 43.92% 1,127
Nassau 441 70.56% 149 23.84% 11 1.77% 17 2.73% 5 0.80% 292 46.72% 625
Orange 857 61.65% 402 28.92% 52 3.75% 56 4.04% 18 1.30% 455 32.73% 1,390
Osceola 266 71.89% 42 11.35% 47 12.63% 11 2.96% 6 1.61% 219[b] 59.26% 370
Pasco 492 84.68% 32 5.51% 43 7.40% 14 2.41% 0 0.00% 449 77.28% 581
Polk 983 79.60% 133 10.77% 9 0.73% 24 1.94% 86 6.96% 850[b] 68.83% 1,235
Putnam 648 65.32% 250 25.20% 56 5.63% 24 2.41% 17 1.71% 398 40.12% 992
St. John’s 764 70.35% 234 21.55% 15 1.39% 53 4.92% 11 1.02% 530 48.80% 1,086
Santa Rosa 519 88.42% 38 6.47% 8 1.36% 14 2.39% 8 1.36% 481 81.95% 587
Sumter 343 81.28% 53 12.56% 8 1.90% 14 3.33% 2 0.48% 290 68.72% 422
Suwannee 677 71.41% 153 16.14% 76 8.04% 34 3.60% 5 0.53% 524 55.27% 948
Taylor 253 60.38% 105 25.06% 5 1.20% 53 12.74% 0 0.00% 148 35.32% 419
Volusia 755 67.47% 255 22.79% 60 5.34% 40 3.56% 13 1.16% 500 44.68% 1,119
Wakulla 254 85.81% 10 3.38% 32 10.81% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 222[b] 75.00% 296
Walton 382 67.97% 139 24.73% 30 5.34% 11 1.96% 0 0.00% 243 43.24% 562
Washington 387 49.05% 291 36.88% 55 6.97% 44 5.58% 12 1.52% 96 12.17% 789
Totals 28,260 71.05% 7,463 18.76% 2,244 5.64% 1,143 2.87% 634 0.51% 20,797 52.29% 39,775

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ 1860, 1892, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1924, 1948, 1968 and 1992 are the others
  2. ^ a b c d e f In this county where Woolley ran second ahead of McKinley, margin given is Bryan vote minus Woolley vote and percentage margin Bryan percentage minus Woolley percentage.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Perman, Michael; Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888-1908, pp. 67-68
  2. ^ Brooker, Russell; The American Civil Rights Movement 1865-1950: Black Agency and People of Good Will, p. 61 ISBN 0739179926
  3. ^ Ogden, Frederick D. (1958); The Poll Tax in the South, p. 118
  4. ^ Silbey, Joel H. and Bogue, Allan G.; The History of American Electoral Behavior, p. 210 ISBN 140087114X
  5. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 208, 210 ISBN 9780691163246
  6. ^ Granthan, Dewey W.; The Life and Death of the Solid South: A Political History, p. 39 ISBN 0813148723
  7. ^ Link, William A.; The Paradox of Southern Progressivism, 1880-1930, pp. 32-33 ISBN 0807862991
  8. ^ a b Leip, David. "1900 Presidential General Election Results – Florida". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  9. ^ "1900 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote 1896-1932, pp. 156-161 ISBN 9780804716963