1878 Oregon gubernatorial election
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June 3, 1878
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 County results Thayer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Beekman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Tie: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Oregon |
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The 1878 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on June 3, 1878, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Oregon. The election matched Republican Cornelius C. Beekman against Democrat William Wallace Thayer, with Thayer defeating Beekman by a very small margin.[1] With a margin of 69 votes, or 0.2%, this is the closest gubernatorial election in Oregon to date.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Wallace Thayer | 16,201 | 46.02% | +7.80% | |
| Republican | Cornelius C. Beekman | 16,132 | 45.83% | +9.77% | |
| Independent | M. Wilkins | 1,434 | 4.07% | ||
| Total votes | 35,201 | 100.00% | |||
| Plurality | 69 | 0.20% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | -1.97% | |||
Results by county
| County[2][3] | William W. Thayer Democratic |
Cornelius C. Beekman Republican |
M. Wilkins Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Baker | 543 | 59.67% | 366 | 40.22% | 1 | 0.11% | 177 | 19.45% | 910 |
| Benton | 609 | 43.72% | 640 | 45.94% | 144 | 10.34% | -31 | -2.23% | 1,393 |
| Clackamas | 765 | 42.15% | 997 | 54.93% | 53 | 2.92% | -232 | -12.78% | 1,815 |
| Clatsop[a][4] | 512 | 49.37% | 522 | 50.34% | 3 | 0.29% | -10 | -0.96% | 1,037 |
| Columbia | 205 | 52.84% | 183 | 47.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 22 | 5.67% | 388 |
| Coos | 536 | 48.86% | 561 | 51.14% | 0 | 0.00% | -25 | -2.28% | 1,097 |
| Curry | 167 | 52.02% | 154 | 47.98% | 0 | 0.00% | 13 | 4.05% | 321 |
| Douglas | 1,106 | 51.30% | 1,046 | 48.52% | 4 | 0.19% | 60 | 2.78% | 2,156 |
| Grant | 458 | 48.67% | 476 | 50.58% | 7 | 0.74% | -18 | -1.91% | 941 |
| Jackson | 746 | 46.48% | 713 | 44.42% | 146 | 9.10% | 33 | 2.06% | 1,605 |
| Josephine | 240 | 48.39% | 191 | 38.51% | 65 | 13.10% | 49 | 9.88% | 496 |
| Lake | 319 | 68.31% | 143 | 30.62% | 5 | 1.07% | 176 | 37.69% | 467 |
| Lane | 926 | 45.98% | 926 | 45.98% | 162 | 8.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,014 |
| Linn | 1,420 | 47.44% | 1,134 | 37.89% | 439 | 14.67% | 286 | 9.56% | 2,993 |
| Marion | 1,212 | 39.83% | 1,702 | 55.93% | 129 | 4.24% | -490 | -16.10% | 3,043 |
| Multnomah | 1,808 | 44.36% | 2,254 | 55.30% | 14 | 0.34% | -446 | -10.94% | 4,076 |
| Polk | 717 | 46.62% | 655 | 42.59% | 166 | 10.79% | 62 | 4.03% | 1,538 |
| Tillamook | 67 | 35.08% | 121 | 63.35% | 3 | 1.57% | -54 | -28.27% | 191 |
| Umatilla | 972 | 60.26% | 641 | 39.74% | 0 | 0.00% | 331 | 20.52% | 1,613 |
| Union | 625 | 53.24% | 469 | 39.95% | 80 | 6.81% | 156 | 13.29% | 1,174 |
| Wasco | 863 | 57.80% | 623 | 41.73% | 7 | 0.47% | 240 | 16.08% | 1,493 |
| Washington | 553 | 42.38% | 748 | 57.32% | 4 | 0.31% | -195 | -14.94% | 1,305 |
| Yamhill | 832 | 48.91% | 867 | 50.97% | 2 | 0.12% | -35 | -2.06% | 1,701 |
| Total | 16,201 | 46.02% | 16,132 | 45.83% | 1,434 | 4.07% | 69 | 0.20% | 35,201 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Independent to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Independent to Republican
Notes
- ↑ The House and Senate journals neglected to include the results from Clatsop County in their tables for the gubernatorial vote, but those votes were clearly counted because the county by county results as listed in the journals do not added up to the stated totals. However, when the Clatsop results are included, the county results for all three candidates add up correctly. The results from Clatsop County were reported in multiple newspapers throughout the state, albeit with some inconsistency. However, using the figures from the Weekly Astorian yields the correct statewide totals.
References
- ↑ "Beekman, Cornelius C." Southern Oregon Historical Society. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015.
- 1 2 Carter, W. B. (1878). The Journal of the House of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon, Tenth Regular Session, 1878. Salem: State Printer. p. 20. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
- 1 2 "Vote of the State". States Rights Democrat. Vol. XIII, no. 47. Albany. June 28, 1878. p. 2. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Clatsop County Official Vote". The Weekly Astorian. Vol. VI, no. 24. Astoria. June 15, 1878. p. 2. Retrieved April 9, 2026.