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 County results Hancock: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Agubernatorial election was held inMassachusetts on April 2, 1787.John Hancock, who had served as the firstgovernor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1780 to 1785, defeatedJames Bowdoin, the incumbent governor.[1][2]
The election took place in the aftermath ofShays's Rebellion, for which Bowdoin was sharply censured. First elected in1785, Bowdoin once in office pursued an economic policy ofausterity that dramatically increased the tax burden on lower-class citizens, leading to judicial foreclosures against those owingback taxes, including manyContinental Army veterans. After backcountry farmers rose in revolt, critics of the administration, including moderate fellowconservatives, charged that Bowdoin had acted unwisely by levying taxes "heavier than the People could bear." Bowdoin's harsh response to the rebels, several thousand of whom were summarily stripped of their right to vote, hold public office, or serve as jurors, was denounced as "self-serving" and "a violation of republican principles."[3] In the election, the voters overwhelmingly rejected Bowdoin, who lost to Hancock by 13,081 votes.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John Hancock | 18,475 | 75.09% | +57.60 | |
| Nonpartisan | James Bowdoin (incumbent) | 5,394 | 21.92% | −60.59 | |
| Nonpartisan | Benjamin Lincoln | 513 | 2.09% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Nathaniel Gorham | 81 | 0.33% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Isaac Backus | 60 | 0.24% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Thomas Cushing | 34 | 0.14% | ||
| Nonpartisan | John Worthington | 15 | 0.06% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Phillips Jr. | 9 | 0.04% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Holten | 4 | 0.02% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Nathaniel Kingsley | 3 | 0.01% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Cotton Tufts | 3 | 0.01% | ||
| Nonpartisan | James Warren | 3 | 0.01% | ||
| Nonpartisan | George Leonard | 2 | 0.01% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Oliver Prescott | 2 | 0.01% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Caleb Strong | 2 | 0.01% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Adams | 1 | 0.00% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Daws | 1 | 0.00% | ||
| Nonpartisan | John Manning | 1 | 0.00% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Elisha May | 1 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 24,604 | 100.00% | |||
| Nonpartisanhold | |||||
| John Hancock Nonpartisan | James Bowdoin Nonpartisan | Scattering | County total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | |
| Barnstable | 398 | 81.89 | 78 | 16.05 | 10[a] | 2.06 | 486 |
| Berkshire | 627 | 59.04 | 337 | 31.73 | 98[b] | 9.23 | 1,062 |
| Bristol | 1,982 | 87.27 | 287 | 12.64 | 2[c] | 0.08 | 2,271 |
| Cumberland | 415 | 75.04 | 92 | 16.63 | 46[d] | 8.31 | 553 |
| Dukes | 153 | 71.16 | 60 | 27.91 | 2[e] | 0.93 | 215 |
| Essex | 2,010 | 68.76 | 850 | 29.08 | 63[f] | 2.16 | 2,923 |
| Hampshire | 1,036 | 48.23 | 809 | 37.66 | 303[g] | 14.11 | 2,148 |
| Lincoln | 415 | 83.17 | 78 | 15.63 | 6[h] | 1.20 | 499 |
| Middlesex | 3,142 | 82.60 | 621 | 16.32 | 41[i] | 1.08 | 3,804 |
| Nantucket | 56 | 50.45 | 53 | 47.75 | 2[j] | 1.80 | 111 |
| Plymouth | 1,545 | 83.20 | 308 | 16.58 | 4[k] | 0.22 | 1,857 |
| Suffolk | 2,629 | 68.18 | 1,190 | 30.86 | 37[l] | 9.60 | 3,856 |
| Worcester | 3,472 | 84.42 | 557 | 13.54 | 84[m] | 2.04 | 4,113 |
| York | 586 | 87.20 | 74 | 11.01 | 12[n] | 1.78 | 672 |
| TOTAL | 18,475 | 75.09 | 5,394 | 21.92 | 735 | 2.99 | 24,604 |
