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 County results Underwood: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Mollohan: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1956 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1956, to elect thegovernor of West Virginia.
Underwood's 1956 election asGovernor of West Virginia marked the first election of a Republican to the office since 1928.[1] He had defeatedCharleston Mayor John T. Copenhaver by only 7,200 votes in the primary, and enjoyed a decisive victory against DemocraticU.S. RepresentativeRobert Mollohan in the general election by 63,000 votes.[2] Only a week prior to the election, it was discovered that Mollohan had received $20,000 and two cars from a coal operator on astrip mine at amale reformatory inPruntytown while Mollohan was superintendent of the institution.[2] Underwood had turned 34 years old only one day before the election, making him one of the youngest U.S. governors to have ever been elected.
The previous governors since 1932 had all beenDemocrats. His first act as governor was to go on the new medium of television and inform every state employee that they were fired. He stated that this was the only way to destroy the corrupt "machine" system. He later advocated an organized civil service and retirement pension system, and provided temporary employment relief for low-income families.[1]
Although in the wake of theBrown v. Board of Education decision educational desegregation was a live issue across much of the south and the border areas in 1956, it was less so in West Virginia with the Democratic candidate not signing theSouthern Manifesto and Underwood continuing his Democratic predecessorWilliam C. Marland'sdesegregation of West Virginia schools and support ofcivil rights legislation.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cecil H. Underwood | 440,502 | 53.88 | |
| Democratic | Bob Mollohan | 377,131 | 46.12 | |
| Total votes | 817,633 | 100 | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||
| County | Cecil Harland Underwood Republican | Robert Homer Mollohan Democratic | Margin | Total votes cast[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Barbour | 4,398 | 54.49% | 3,673 | 45.51% | 725 | 8.98% | 8,071 |
| Berkeley | 8,646 | 59.82% | 5,807 | 40.18% | 2,839 | 19.64% | 14,453 |
| Boone | 5,390 | 44.65% | 6,681 | 55.35% | -1,291 | -10.70% | 12,071 |
| Braxton | 3,466 | 47.77% | 3,790 | 52.23% | -324 | -4.47% | 7,256 |
| Brooke | 5,550 | 43.42% | 7,233 | 56.58% | -1,683 | -13.17% | 12,783 |
| Cabell | 28,872 | 61.99% | 17,707 | 38.01% | 11,165 | 23.97% | 46,579 |
| Calhoun | 2,014 | 48.95% | 2,100 | 51.05% | -86 | -2.09% | 4,114 |
| Clay | 2,846 | 52.79% | 2,545 | 47.21% | 301 | 5.58% | 5,391 |
| Doddridge | 2,637 | 75.04% | 877 | 24.96% | 1,760 | 50.09% | 3,514 |
| Fayette | 10,906 | 41.70% | 15,249 | 58.30% | -4,343 | -16.60% | 26,155 |
| Gilmer | 1,813 | 48.46% | 1,928 | 51.54% | -115 | -3.07% | 3,741 |
| Grant | 3,321 | 84.10% | 628 | 15.90% | 2,693 | 68.19% | 3,949 |
| Greenbrier | 7,975 | 56.05% | 6,254 | 43.95% | 1,721 | 12.10% | 14,229 |
| Hampshire | 2,242 | 46.36% | 2,594 | 53.64% | -352 | -7.28% | 4,836 |
| Hancock | 7,764 | 43.81% | 9,956 | 56.19% | -2,192 | -12.37% | 17,720 |
| Hardy | 2,169 | 50.31% | 2,142 | 49.69% | 27 | 0.63% | 4,311 |
| Harrison | 21,763 | 56.19% | 16,969 | 43.81% | 4,794 | 12.38% | 38,732 |
| Jackson | 4,997 | 66.41% | 2,527 | 33.59% | 2,470 | 32.83% | 7,524 |
| Jefferson | 3,073 | 47.97% | 3,333 | 52.03% | -260 | -4.06% | 6,406 |
| Kanawha | 62,142 | 57.75% | 45,455 | 42.25% | 16,687 | 15.51% | 107,597 |
| Lewis | 6,143 | 66.22% | 3,133 | 33.78% | 3,010 | 32.45% | 9,276 |
| Lincoln | 4,877 | 49.49% | 4,978 | 50.51% | -101 | -1.02% | 9,855 |
| Logan | 10,476 | 41.68% | 14,658 | 58.32% | -4,182 | -16.64% | 25,134 |
| Marion | 15,168 | 47.49% | 16,769 | 52.51% | -1,601 | -5.01% | 31,937 |
| Marshall | 8,464 | 50.75% | 8,215 | 49.25% | 249 | 1.49% | 16,679 |
| Mason | 6,272 | 63.24% | 3,646 | 36.76% | 2,626 | 26.48% | 9,918 |
| McDowell | 10,264 | 37.29% | 17,258 | 62.71% | -6,994 | -25.41% | 27,522 |
| Mercer | 13,715 | 50.01% | 13,711 | 49.99% | 4 | 0.01% | 27,426 |
| Mineral | 5,768 | 59.02% | 4,005 | 40.98% | 1,763 | 18.04% | 9,773 |
| Mingo | 7,476 | 42.32% | 10,191 | 57.68% | -2,715 | -15.37% | 17,667 |
| Monongalia | 13,594 | 55.03% | 11,111 | 44.97% | 2,483 | 10.05% | 24,705 |
| Monroe | 3,547 | 56.72% | 2,707 | 43.28% | 840 | 13.43% | 6,254 |
| Morgan | 2,792 | 70.65% | 1,160 | 29.35% | 1,632 | 41.30% | 3,952 |
| Nicholas | 5,413 | 54.39% | 4,539 | 45.61% | 874 | 8.78% | 9,952 |
| Ohio | 18,964 | 54.20% | 16,024 | 45.80% | 2,940 | 8.40% | 34,988 |
| Pendleton | 2,025 | 52.02% | 1,868 | 47.98% | 157 | 4.03% | 3,893 |
| Pleasants | 2,194 | 59.20% | 1,512 | 40.80% | 682 | 18.40% | 3,706 |
| Pocahontas | 3,008 | 55.50% | 2,412 | 44.50% | 596 | 11.00% | 5,420 |
| Preston | 7,535 | 68.18% | 3,517 | 31.82% | 4,018 | 36.36% | 11,052 |
| Putnam | 5,809 | 57.03% | 4,376 | 42.97% | 1,433 | 14.07% | 10,185 |
| Raleigh | 16,167 | 50.28% | 15,984 | 49.72% | 183 | 0.57% | 32,151 |
| Randolph | 5,676 | 51.48% | 5,349 | 48.52% | 327 | 2.97% | 11,025 |
| Ritchie | 4,174 | 74.98% | 1,393 | 25.02% | 2,781 | 49.96% | 5,567 |
| Roane | 4,701 | 60.64% | 3,051 | 39.36% | 1,650 | 21.28% | 7,752 |
| Summers | 3,781 | 50.78% | 3,665 | 49.22% | 116 | 1.56% | 7,446 |
| Taylor | 4,516 | 58.35% | 3,223 | 41.65% | 1,293 | 16.71% | 7,739 |
| Tucker | 2,386 | 54.03% | 2,030 | 45.97% | 356 | 8.06% | 4,416 |
| Tyler | 3,675 | 74.11% | 1,284 | 25.89% | 2,391 | 48.22% | 4,959 |
| Upshur | 5,632 | 73.95% | 1,984 | 26.05% | 3,648 | 47.90% | 7,616 |
| Wayne | 8,207 | 52.05% | 7,561 | 47.95% | 646 | 4.10% | 15,768 |
| Webster | 2,372 | 44.25% | 2,989 | 55.75% | -617 | -11.51% | 5,361 |
| Wetzel | 4,652 | 53.37% | 4,065 | 46.63% | 587 | 6.73% | 8,717 |
| Wirt | 1,413 | 56.63% | 1,082 | 43.37% | 331 | 13.27% | 2,495 |
| Wood | 21,000 | 61.80% | 12,978 | 38.20% | 8,022 | 23.61% | 33,978 |
| Wyoming | 6,662 | 47.90% | 7,245 | 52.10% | -583 | -4.19% | 13,907 |
| Totals | 440,502 | 377,131 | 53.88% | 46.12% | 63,371 | 7.75% | 817,633 |
