1904 United States presidential election in Tennessee

Summary

The 1904 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 8, 1904. All contemporary 45 states were part of the 1904 United States presidential election. Voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

1904 United States presidential election in Tennessee

← 1900 November 8, 1904 1908 →
 
Nominee Alton B. Parker Theodore Roosevelt
Party Democratic Republican
Home state New York New York
Running mate Henry G. Davis Charles W. Fairbanks
Electoral vote 12 0
Popular vote 131,653 105,363
Percentage 54.23% 43.40%

County Results

President before election

Theodore Roosevelt
Republican

Elected President

Theodore Roosevelt
Republican

For over a century after the Civil War, Tennessee was divided according to political loyalties established in that war. Unionist regions covering almost all of East Tennessee, Kentucky Pennyroyal-allied Macon County, and the five West Tennessee Highland Rim counties of Carroll, Henderson, McNairy, Hardin and Wayne[1] voted Republican – generally by landslide margins – as they saw the Democratic Party as the “war party” who had forced them into a war they did not wish to fight.[2] Contrariwise, the rest of Middle and West Tennessee who had supported and driven the state’s secession was equally fiercely Democratic as it associated the Republicans with Reconstruction.[3] After the disfranchisement of the state’s African-American population by a poll tax was largely complete in the 1890s,[4] the Democratic Party was certain of winning statewide elections if united,[5] although unlike the Deep South Republicans would almost always gain thirty to forty percent of the statewide vote from mountain and Highland Rim support.

Tennessee would be won by the Democratic nominees, Chief Judge Alton B. Parker of New York and his running mate Henry G. Davis of West Virginia. They defeated the Republican nominees, incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt of New York and his running mate Senator Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana. Parker won the state by a margin of 10.83%.

Although the GOP had lost by only single figures in the previous two elections, the shift to the more conservative Democrat Parker who opposed Roosevelt’s hosting of Booker T. Washington[6] meant that the state swung slightly – though significantly given the extremely deep partisan loyalties – against the GOP to the Democrats.

Results edit

1904 United States presidential election in Tennessee[7]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Alton B. Parker 131,653 54.23% 12
Republican Theodore Roosevelt (incumbent) 105,363 43.40% 0
Populist Thomas E. Watson 2,491 1.03% 0
Prohibition Silas C. Swallow 1,889 0.78% 0
Social Democratic Eugene V. Debs 1,354 0.56% 0
Totals 242,750 100.00% 12
Voter turnout

Results by county edit

1904 United States presidential election in Tennessee by county[8][9]
County Alton Brooks Parker
Democratic
Theodore Roosevelt
Republican
Thomas Edward Watson
Populist
Silas Comfort Swallow
Prohibition
Eugene Victor Debs
Social Democratic
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Anderson 512 26.22% 1,407 72.04% 1 0.05% 9 0.46% 24 1.23% -895 -45.83% 1,953
Bedford 2,063 61.13% 1,301 38.55% 4 0.12% 3 0.09% 4 0.12% 762 22.58% 3,375
Benton 1,352 55.98% 974 40.33% 85 3.52% 4 0.17% 0 0.00% 378 15.65% 2,415
Bledsoe 534 42.65% 718 57.35% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -184 -14.70% 1,252
Blount 618 23.49% 1,987 75.52% 6 0.23% 17 0.65% 3 0.11% -1,369 -52.03% 2,631
Bradley 701 35.48% 1,242 62.85% 6 0.30% 19 0.96% 8 0.40% -541 -27.38% 1,976
Campbell 309 19.24% 1,198 74.60% 4 0.25% 72 4.48% 23 1.43% -889 -55.35% 1,606
Cannon 1,014 62.21% 614 37.67% 2 0.12% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 400 24.54% 1,630
Carroll 1,633 38.07% 2,424 56.52% 203 4.73% 22 0.51% 7 0.16% -791 -18.44% 4,289
Carter 379 12.70% 2,584 86.60% 0 0.00% 21 0.70% 0 0.00% -2,205 -73.89% 2,984
Cheatham 1,015 70.05% 420 28.99% 8 0.55% 6 0.41% 0 0.00% 595 41.06% 1,449
Chester 824 54.07% 578 37.93% 103 6.76% 10 0.66% 9 0.59% 246 16.14% 1,524
Claiborne 959 48.70% 993 50.43% 9 0.46% 1 0.05% 7 0.36% -34 -1.73% 1,969
Clay 544 49.59% 501 45.67% 24 2.19% 25 2.28% 3 0.27% 43 3.92% 1,097
Cocke 626 26.55% 1,726 73.20% 1 0.04% 5 0.21% 0 0.00% -1,100 -46.65% 2,358
Coffee 1,441 71.20% 536 26.48% 1 0.05% 1 0.05% 45 2.22% 905 44.71% 2,024
Crockett 1,167 51.21% 1,102 48.35% 2 0.09% 8 0.35% 0 0.00% 65 2.85% 2,279
Cumberland 375 28.17% 898 67.47% 0 0.00% 27 2.03% 31 2.33% -523 -39.29% 1,331
Davidson 7,735 77.69% 1,900 19.08% 85 0.85% 94 0.94% 142 1.43% 5,835 58.61% 9,956
DeKalb 1,095 45.30% 1,274 52.71% 0 0.00% 48 1.99% 0 0.00% -179 -7.41% 2,417
Decatur 858 48.18% 921 51.71% 1 0.06% 0 0.00% 1 0.06% -63 -3.54% 1,781
Dickson 1,490 61.34% 828 34.09% 21 0.86% 41 1.69% 49 2.02% 662 27.25% 2,429
Dyer 1,771 73.30% 625 25.87% 7 0.29% 9 0.37% 4 0.17% 1,146 47.43% 2,416
Fayette 2,010 96.22% 62 2.97% 13 0.62% 4 0.19% 0 0.00% 1,948 93.25% 2,089
Fentress 278 27.72% 724 72.18% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1 0.10% -446 -44.47% 1,003
Franklin 2,180 74.71% 704 24.13% 6 0.21% 20 0.69% 8 0.27% 1,476 50.58% 2,918
Gibson 3,014 66.01% 1,421 31.12% 67 1.47% 58 1.27% 6 0.13% 1,593 34.89% 4,566
Giles 2,736 62.64% 1,583 36.24% 45 1.03% 3 0.07% 1 0.02% 1,153 26.40% 4,368
Grainger 592 31.85% 1,253 67.40% 6 0.32% 6 0.32% 2 0.11% -661 -35.56% 1,859
Greene 2,128 50.78% 2,036 48.58% 4 0.10% 14 0.33% 9 0.21% 92 2.20% 4,191
Grundy 554 57.89% 264 27.59% 39 4.08% 2 0.21% 98 10.24% 290 30.30% 957
Hamblen 531 38.96% 812 59.57% 1 0.07% 17 1.25% 2 0.15% -281 -20.62% 1,363
Hamilton 3,287 43.87% 3,849 51.37% 24 0.32% 106 1.41% 227 3.03% -562 -7.50% 7,493
Hancock 382 23.49% 1,244 76.51% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -862 -53.01% 1,626
Hardeman 1,903 63.92% 986 33.12% 70 2.35% 14 0.47% 4 0.13% 917 30.80% 2,977
Hardin 837 35.57% 1,463 62.18% 45 1.91% 5 0.21% 3 0.13% -626 -26.60% 2,353
Hawkins 935 38.01% 1,510 61.38% 0 0.00% 15 0.61% 0 0.00% -575 -23.37% 2,460
Haywood 1,341 95.24% 64 4.55% 1 0.07% 1 0.07% 1 0.07% 1,277 90.70% 1,408
Henderson 864 38.20% 1,313 58.05% 37 1.64% 37 1.64% 11 0.49% -449 -19.85% 2,262
Henry 2,365 69.70% 928 27.35% 57 1.68% 38 1.12% 5 0.15% 1,437 42.35% 3,393
Hickman 1,231 55.60% 922 41.64% 48 2.17% 7 0.32% 6 0.27% 309 13.96% 2,214
Houston 555 61.87% 287 32.00% 1 0.11% 27 3.01% 27 3.01% 268 29.88% 897
Humphreys 1,209 67.69% 539 30.18% 8 0.45% 25 1.40% 5 0.28% 670 37.51% 1,786
Jackson 1,222 60.77% 772 38.39% 17 0.85% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 450 22.38% 2,011
James 222 29.10% 533 69.86% 7 0.92% 1 0.13% 0 0.00% -311 -40.76% 763
Jefferson 380 23.44% 1,217 75.08% 4 0.25% 18 1.11% 2 0.12% -837 -51.63% 1,621
Johnson 219 10.96% 1,769 88.49% 0 0.00% 11 0.55% 0 0.00% -1,550 -77.54% 1,999
Knox 3,196 41.25% 4,309 55.61% 20 0.26% 120 1.55% 103 1.33% -1,113 -14.36% 7,748
Lake 469 72.83% 174 27.02% 0 0.00% 1 0.16% 0 0.00% 295 45.81% 644
Lauderdale 3,017 94.08% 168 5.24% 16 0.50% 0 0.00% 6 0.19% 2,849 88.84% 3,207
Lawrence 1,299 48.87% 1,359 51.13% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -60 -2.26% 2,658
Lewis 415 63.26% 220 33.54% 0 0.00% 1 0.15% 20 3.05% 195 29.73% 656
Lincoln 2,227 70.72% 631 20.04% 195 6.19% 96 3.05% 0 0.00% 1,596 50.68% 3,149
Loudon 356 30.07% 810 68.41% 8 0.68% 7 0.59% 3 0.25% -454 -38.34% 1,184
Macon 751 33.22% 1,482 65.55% 28 1.24% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -731 -32.33% 2,261
Madison 2,618 65.48% 1,180 29.51% 174 4.35% 5 0.13% 21 0.53% 1,438 35.97% 3,998
Marion 731 36.92% 1,189 60.05% 3 0.15% 18 0.91% 39 1.97% -458 -23.13% 1,980
Marshall 2,152 73.67% 620 21.23% 128 4.38% 21 0.72% 0 0.00% 1,532 52.45% 2,921
Maury 2,142 66.85% 973 30.37% 41 1.28% 37 1.15% 11 0.34% 1,169 36.49% 3,204
McMinn 1,001 37.42% 1,669 62.39% 5 0.19% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -668 -24.97% 2,675
McNairy 1,218 42.50% 1,525 53.21% 121 4.22% 2 0.07% 0 0.00% -307 -10.71% 2,866
Meigs 563 52.86% 481 45.16% 20 1.88% 1 0.09% 0 0.00% 82 7.70% 1,065
Monroe 1,385 44.19% 1,724 55.01% 1 0.03% 20 0.64% 4 0.13% -339 -10.82% 3,134
Montgomery 1,697 63.23% 843 31.41% 19 0.71% 121 4.51% 4 0.15% 854 31.82% 2,684
Moore 857 88.26% 95 9.78% 18 1.85% 1 0.10% 0 0.00% 762 78.48% 971
Morgan 387 26.63% 1,049 72.20% 0 0.00% 16 1.10% 1 0.07% -662 -45.56% 1,453
Obion 2,624 77.18% 756 22.24% 2 0.06% 18 0.53% 0 0.00% 1,868 54.94% 3,400
Overton 1,125 57.93% 817 42.07% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 308 15.86% 1,942
Perry 752 56.29% 584 43.71% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 168 12.57% 1,336
Pickett 346 40.47% 509 59.53% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -163 -19.06% 855
Polk 688 40.61% 1,006 59.39% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -318 -18.77% 1,694
Putnam 1,310 51.35% 1,213 47.55% 11 0.43% 17 0.67% 0 0.00% 97 3.80% 2,551
Rhea 799 46.24% 881 50.98% 10 0.58% 30 1.74% 8 0.46% -82 -4.75% 1,728
Roane 493 24.17% 1,378 67.55% 17 0.83% 87 4.26% 65 3.19% -885 -43.38% 2,040
Robertson 2,308 72.44% 811 25.46% 21 0.66% 43 1.35% 3 0.09% 1,497 46.99% 3,186
Rutherford 2,504 64.39% 1,348 34.66% 26 0.67% 7 0.18% 4 0.10% 1,156 29.72% 3,889
Scott 166 9.56% 1,567 90.26% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 3 0.17% -1,401 -80.70% 1,736
Sequatchie 356 66.79% 175 32.83% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 2 0.38% 181 33.96% 533
Sevier 300 9.40% 2,886 90.44% 0 0.00% 5 0.16% 0 0.00% -2,586 -81.04% 3,191
Shelby 8,686 75.64% 2,563 22.32% 13 0.11% 25 0.22% 196 1.71% 6,123 53.32% 11,483
Smith 1,562 55.35% 1,080 38.27% 93 3.30% 87 3.08% 0 0.00% 482 17.08% 2,822
Stewart 1,330 65.07% 681 33.32% 0 0.00% 1 0.05% 32 1.57% 649 31.75% 2,044
Sullivan 2,116 57.69% 1,506 41.06% 3 0.08% 41 1.12% 2 0.05% 610 16.63% 3,668
Sumner 2,178 76.64% 599 21.08% 57 2.01% 4 0.14% 4 0.14% 1,579 55.56% 2,842
Tipton 1,882 64.01% 980 33.33% 72 2.45% 4 0.14% 2 0.07% 902 30.68% 2,940
Trousdale 488 71.14% 177 25.80% 21 3.06% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 311 45.34% 686
Unicoi 74 8.64% 776 90.65% 0 0.00% 6 0.70% 0 0.00% -702 -82.01% 856
Union 334 19.04% 1,410 80.39% 0 0.00% 10 0.57% 0 0.00% -1,076 -61.35% 1,754
Van Buren 352 68.75% 160 31.25% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 192 37.50% 512
Warren 1,815 69.83% 707 27.20% 29 1.12% 11 0.42% 37 1.42% 1,108 42.63% 2,599
Washington 1,268 36.86% 2,120 61.63% 0 0.00% 48 1.40% 4 0.12% -852 -24.77% 3,440
Wayne 434 23.21% 1,426 76.26% 1 0.05% 9 0.48% 0 0.00% -992 -53.05% 1,870
Weakley 2,892 61.58% 1,629 34.69% 130 2.77% 44 0.94% 1 0.02% 1,263 26.90% 4,696
White 1,682 70.82% 679 28.59% 3 0.13% 11 0.46% 0 0.00% 1,003 42.23% 2,375
Williamson 1,932 76.42% 475 18.79% 100 3.96% 20 0.79% 1 0.04% 1,457 57.63% 2,528
Wilson 2,386 70.45% 966 28.52% 12 0.35% 23 0.68% 0 0.00% 1,420 41.93% 3,387
Totals 131,653 54.23% 105,372 43.41% 2,491 1.03% 1,889 0.78% 1,354 0.56% 26,281 10.83% 242,759

See also edit

Notes edit

References edit

  1. ^ Wright, John K.; ‘Voting Habits in the United States: A Note on Two Maps’; Geographical Review, vol. 22, no. 4 (October 1932), pp. 666-672
  2. ^ Key (Jr.), Valdimer Orlando; Southern Politics in State and Nation (New York, 1949), pp. 282-283
  3. ^ Lyons, William; Scheb (II), John M. and Stair Billy; Government and Politics in Tennessee, pp. 183-184 ISBN 1572331410
  4. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 208, 210 ISBN 9780691163246
  5. ^ Grantham, Dewey W.; ‘Tennessee and Twentieth-Century American Politics’; Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Fall 1995), pp. 210-229
  6. ^ Tindall, George B.; ‘Southern Strategy: A Historical Perspective’; North Carolina Historical Review; vol. 48, no. 2 (April 1971), pp. 126-141
  7. ^ Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; Presidential General Election Results – Tennessee
  8. ^ "Popular Vote at the Presidential Election for 1904". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €15)
  9. ^ "Popular Vote for Eugene V. Debs at the Presidential Election for 1904". Géoelections.[permanent dead link] (.xlsx file for €30 including other minor party figures)