1940 Missouri gubernatorial election

none related races 1940 United States gubernatorial elections January 2025 September 2023 1940 Missouri gubernatorial election Missouri presidential no 1936 Missouri gubernatorial election 1936 1944 Missouri gubernatorial election 1944 November 5, 1940 File:Forrest Donnell (cropped).jpg 150x150px Forrest C. Donnell Republican Party (United States) 911,530 50.05% File:3x4.svg Larry McDaniel Democratic Party (United States) 907,917 49.85% 1940 Missouri gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 270px County resultsDonnell: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #c21b18 80–90%McDaniel: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% Governor Lloyd C. Stark Democratic Party (United States) Forrest C. Donnell Republican Party (United States) The 1940 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940, and resulted in a victory for the Republican nominee, Forrest C. Donnell, over the Democratic nominee, Lawrence "Larry" McDaniel, and candidates representing the Socialist and Socialist Labor parties. Democrats delayed Donnell's inauguration for six weeks as they unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the election result in an incident called the "Great Governorship Steal", which was ended by an order from the Missouri Supreme Court. Democratic primary Campaign In the Democratic primary, Excise Commissioner of St. Louis Larry McDaniel defeated State Senator Allen McReynolds of Carthage. McDaniel had the support of the urban Democratic political machines of Tom Pendergast in Kansas City and Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann in St. Louis, while McReynolds was supported by anti-machine reformists.Christensen Lawrence O. Dictionary of Missouri Biography University of Missouri Press 1999 543 9780826260161Ferrell Robert H. Truman and Pendergast University of Missouri Press 1999 123–126 9780826260505 Results Democratic primary resultshttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=382149 Our Campaigns - MO Governor - D Primary Race - Aug 06, 1940 Larry McDaniel Democratic Party (United States) 323,395 49.56 Allen McReynolds Democratic Party (United States) 252,441 38.68 Ferd J. Frankenhoff Democratic Party (United States) 64,992 9.96 Guy W. Runnion Democratic Party (United States) 11,753 1.80 652,581 100 Results Divisions among Democrats from the primary, along with reformist opposition to the Pendergast and Dickmann machines, allowed the Republican Donnell to obtain a narrow majority even as the state narrowly re-elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Senator Harry S. Truman, both Democrats.Dunne Gerald T. The Missouri Supreme Court: From Dred Scott to Nancy Cruzan University of Missouri Press 1993 141–150 9780826208262 1940 gubernatorial election, Missourihttp://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=262031 MO Governor Race - Nov 05, 1940 Our Campaigns 2013-02-02 Republican Party (United States) Forrest C. Donnell 911,530 50.05 +7.52 Democratic Party (United States) Larry McDaniel 907,917 49.85 -7.21 Socialist Party of America Jed A. High 1,555 0.09 -0.06 Socialist Labor Party of America William Wesley Cox 205 0.01 -0.01 3,613 0.20 -14.34 1,821,207 48.12 -1.96 Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) Aftermath Donnell's win was a disaster for the Democratic machines due to the governorship's control over judgeships, boards, and commissions that could be used for political patronage. Immediately after the election, Missouri Democratic Party chairman C. Marion Hulen claimed that electoral fraud and vote-buying were responsible for Donnell's victory. On November 13, Hulen met with Senator Bennett Champ Clark, St. Louis Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann, state Attorney General Roy McKittrick, St. Louis Democratic Party chairman Robert Hannegan, and others at the DeSoto Hotel in St. Louis, where they were suspected of strategizing how to overturn the election. One concern of the Democrats was that calling for a recount would allow Donnell to be seated provisionally as Governor and exercise the powers of the office.The Missouri Governorship Steal YouTube 2024-03-06 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbBfu9J7qF0 2025-08-04 video Nine PBS St. Louis On December 30, Hulen proposed to the Democratic state committee in Jefferson City that under Article V of the 1875 Missouri Constitution, the new governor could not be lawfully sworn in until the speaker of the state House of Representatives announced the results to the public, which he could decline to do on account of election fraud. On January 8, the state legislature voted for Joint Resolution No. 3, barring House Speaker Morris E. Osburn from proclaiming Donnell's election until a special joint legislative committee chaired by State Senator L. N. Searcy had re-examined the gubernatorial ballots for irregularities. Citing this resolution, Osburn refused to announce Donnell's election on January 10. On January 13, the date when all newly elected statewide officials were to start their term, Chief Justice Charles A. Leedy, Jr. swore in all statewide elected officials except for Donnell. Governor Lloyd Stark, an anti-machine Democrat who openly opposed the attempt to overturn the election results and had vetoed Joint Resolution No. 3, remained in office as a caretaker.1941-01-16 VETOES PLAN TO BAR DONNELL IN MISSOURI: Gov. Stark Rebukes Stunned Legislators for Partisanship https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1941/01/16/85185777.html?pageNumber=15 The New York Times New York, NY 2020-08-25 The same day, Donnell and three lawyers affiliated with the state Republican Party filed two lawsuits, one to compel Osburn to announce Donnell as duly elected, and the other to bar the Searcy committee from examining any ballots. The cases were consolidated and argued before the Supreme Court on February 11. With public opinion decidedly against the Democrats, the court on February 19 unanimously ordered Osburn to tabulate and proclaim the election results as provided, bypassing the attempts at a legislative recount. Donnell was sworn in as Governor the next day. McDaniel formally requested a recount of the election on March 4. After initial retabulations indicated Donnell's margin of victory would grow beyond 7,000, McDaniel withdrew the request and conceded the election on May 21. The Searcy committee disbanded shortly afterward. The incident has been called the "Great Governorship Steal" in various sources. References Missouri 1940 Gubernatorial Category:November 1940 in the United States