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 County results Moses: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100% Tomlinson: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The1872 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on October 16, 1872, to select thegovernor of the state ofSouth Carolina.Franklin J. Moses, Jr. won the election as aRadical Republican against the more moderate faction of theRepublican Party and became the75th governor of South Carolina.
| Republican nomination forGovernor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin J. Moses, Jr. | 69 | 58.5 |
| Samuel W. Melton | 18 | 15.2 |
| Daniel Henry Chamberlain | 16 | 13.6 |
| Reuben Tomlinson | 15 | 12.7 |
Thestate Republicans met inColumbia for their nominating convention on August 21 through August 24. There were 115black and 33white delegates to the convention, many of them calling for reform in state government. The nomination for Governor proceeded after the organization of the convention and five men were mentioned, butFranklin J. Moses, Jr. was seen as the clear favorite.
Immediately, accusations ofbribery were pegged against each candidate. Former GovernorOrr accused Moses of offering a delegate fromBarnwell $2,000 for his vote. Tomlinson was alleged by Judge Thomas Mackey to have been giving bribes to ensure the passage of thephosphate bill in 1870.
A vote was taken for the nomination of Governor during the commotion over the accusations of bribery and Moses emerged as the clear winner from the other contenders. Orr denounced the selection and led a walkout by some of the delegates from the convention. The Republican platform adopted at the convention called for a reduction in expenditures and financial reform.
Assembling at the Richland courthouse on August 22, Orr directed the formation of anIndependent Republican ticket for the general election in October. Reuben Tomlinson was nominated for Governor and half of the Independent Republican slate for statewide office were black men. The platform consisted entirely of opposing Moses and advocating for reform in state government.
The general election was held on October 16, 1872, andFranklin J. Moses, Jr. was elected asgovernor of South Carolina by a wide margin. Turnout was lower than theprevious election because it was mainly a contest between Republicans; it was estimated that approximately 40,000 white voters did not cast a ballot in the election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Franklin J. Moses, Jr. | 69,838 | 65.4 | +3.1 | |
| Independent Republican | Reuben Tomlinson | 36,533 | 34.3 | +34.3 | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 351 | 0.3 | +0.3 | |
| Majority | 33,285 | 31.1 | +6.5 | ||
| Turnout | 106,742 | ||||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Preceded by 1870 | South Carolina gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1874 |
