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Agubernatorial election was held inMassachusetts on April 7, 1788.John Hancock, the incumbentgovernor, defeatedElbridge Gerry, a former delegate to theUnited States Constitutional Convention.[1][2]
The election took place in the immediate aftermath of a narrow vote toratify the United States Constitution, which Hancock supported and Gerry opposed. A political moderate, Hancock's public endorsement of the Constitution was decisive in Massachusetts: although too ill to take his seat as president of the Massachusetts ratifying convention, his speech recommending adoption of the Constitution withamendments persuaded the closely-divided assembly to vote in favor of ratification.[3] In recognition of his importance to the pro-ratification cause, the "friends of the Constitution" decided to promote the popular Hancock as thefederalist candidate for governor; meanwhile, Gerry was put forward by theanti-federalists who remained skeptical of the incomingfederal government.[4] Gerry had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, but refused to sign the final document in protest of theThree-Fifths Clause, which inflated the representation of theslave states in theUnited States House of Representatives, and the lack of abill of rights.[5] Although Gerry publicly accepted the outcome of the ratification vote, the issue of the Constitution loomed large in the gubernatorial campaign. Despite the significant opposition to ratification, Gerry was ultimately unable to overcome Hancock's immense personal popularity and was defeated by more than 12,000 votes.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federalist[a] | John Hancock (incumbent) | 17,856 | 80.53% | +5.44 | |
| Anti-federalist | Elbridge Gerry | 4,145 | 18.70% | New | |
| Federalist | James Bowdoin | 102 | 0.46% | −21.46 | |
| Anti-federalist | James Warren | 35 | 0.16% | +0.15 | |
| Federalist | Benjamin Lincoln | 16 | 0.07% | −2.01 | |
| Federalist | Samuel Adams | 3 | 0.01% | +0.01 | |
| Federalist | Nathaniel Gorham | 2 | 0.01% | −0.32 | |
| Federalist | John Adams | 1 | 0.00% | New | |
| Daniel Bimby | 1 | 0.00% | New | ||
| Charles Chauncey | 1 | 0.00% | New | ||
| Job Cushing | 1 | 0.00% | New | ||
| Federalist | William Cushing | 1 | 0.00% | New | |
| Solomon Freeman | 1 | 0.00% | New | ||
| Joseph Lefert | 1 | 0.00% | New | ||
| Nehemiah Pratt | 1 | 0.00 | New | ||
| Federalist | James Sullivan | 1 | 0.00 | New | |
| Federalist | Artemas Ward | 1 | 0.00% | New | |
| Abraham White | 1 | 0.00% | New | ||
| Blank ballots | 2 | 0.01% | +0.01 | ||
| Total votes | 22,172 | 100.00% | |||
| Federalist[a]hold | |||||
| John Hancock Federalist[a] | Elbridge Gerry Anti-federalist | Scattering | County total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent | |
| Barnstable | 334 | 80.87 | 75 | 18.16 | 4[b] | 0.97 | 413 |
| Berkshire | 923 | 66.02 | 471 | 33.69 | 4[c] | 0.29 | 1,398 |
| Bristol | 875 | 50.23 | 863 | 49.54 | 4[d] | 0.23 | 1,742 |
| Cumberland | 707 | 95.93 | 20 | 2.71 | 10[e] | 1.36 | 737 |
| Dukes | 91 | 100.00 | — | — | 91 | ||
| Essex | 2,268 | 82.35 | 481 | 17.46 | 5[f] | 0.22 | 2,754 |
| Hampshire | 2,129 | 69.48 | 892 | 29.11 | 43[g] | 1.40 | 3,064 |
| Lincoln | 778 | 83.93 | 142 | 15.32 | 7[h] | 0.76 | 927 |
| Middlesex | 2,560 | 89.45 | 292 | 10.20 | 10[i] | 0.35 | 2,862 |
| Nantucket | No votes recorded | — | |||||
| Plymouth | 1,068 | 89.37 | 103 | 8.62 | 24[j] | 2.01 | 1,195 |
| Suffolk | 2,841 | 97.43 | 48 | 1.65 | 27[k] | 0.92 | 2,916 |
| Worcester | 2,866 | 79.61 | 708 | 19.67 | 26[l] | 0.72 | 3,600 |
| York | 416 | 87.95 | 50 | 10.57 | 7[m] | 1.48 | 473 |
| TOTAL | 17,856 | 80.53 | 4,145 | 18.70 | 171 | 0.77 | 22,172 |
