1788 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

none January 2025 December 2025 ly 1788 Massachusetts gubernatorial election Massachusetts Presidential no 1787 Massachusetts gubernatorial election 1787 1789 Massachusetts gubernatorial election 1789 April 7, 1788 150x150px File:John Hancock 1770-crop.jpg John Hancock Federalists (United States) 17,856 80.53% File:Elbridge-gerry-painting.jpg Elbridge Gerry Anti-Federalists 4,145 18.70% 1788 Massachusetts gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 250px County resultsHancock: #73D873 50–60% #42CA42 60–70% #30A630 70–80% #217821 80–90% #165016 90–100%No Data/Vote: #808080 Governor John Hancock Nonpartisan politician John Hancock Nonpartisan politician A gubernatorial election was held in Massachusetts on April 7, 1788. John Hancock, the incumbent governor, defeated Elbridge Gerry, a former delegate to the United States Constitutional Convention.Dubin Michael J. United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County 2003 McFarland Jefferson, N.C. 0786414391 100 https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesgube0000dubi/page/98/mode/2upLampi Philip J. Massachusetts 1788 Governor https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/q811kk883 A New Nation Votes American Antiquarian Society 2024-11-18 The election took place in the immediate aftermath of a narrow vote to ratify 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 with amendments persuaded the closely-divided assembly to vote in favor of ratification.Fowler William M. The Baron of Beacon Hill: A Biography of John Hancock 1980 Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 268–71 https://archive.org/details/baronofbeaconhil0000fowl/mode/2up In recognition of his importance to the pro-ratification cause, the "friends of the Constitution" decided to promote the popular Hancock as the Federalists' candidate for governor; meanwhile, Gerry was put forward by the Anti-Federalists who remained skeptical of the incoming federal government.The Commonwealth, on the subject of the federal Constitution ... https://elections.lib.tufts.edu/catalog/q811kk883#note_2 The New-Hampshire Spy June 3, 1788 Gerry had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, but refused to sign the final document in protest of the Three-Fifths Clause, which inflated the representation of the slave states in the United States House of Representatives, and the lack of a bill of rights.Finkelman Paul Beeman Richard R. Beyond Confederation: Origins of the Constitution and American National Identity University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill 1987 224–25 Slavery and the Constitutional Convention: Making a Covenant With Death https://archive.org/details/beyondconfederat0000beem/page/188/mode/2up 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.A New Nation Votes Results Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1788 Federalists (United States) John Hancock (incumbent) 17,856 80.53% +5.44 Anti-Federalists Elbridge Gerry 4,145 18.70% New Federalism in the United States James Bowdoin 102 0.46% -21.46 Anti-Federalists James Warren 35 0.16% +0.15 Federalists (United States) Benjamin Lincoln 16 0.07% -2.01 Federalists (United States) Samuel Adams 3 0.01% +0.01 Federalists (United States) Nathaniel Gorham 2 0.01% -0.32 Federalists (United States) John Adams 1 0.00% New Daniel Bimby 1 0.00% New Charles Chauncey 1 0.00% New Job Cushing 1 0.00% New Federalists (United States) William Cushing 1 0.00% New Solomon Freeman 1 0.00% New Joseph Lefert 1 0.00% New Nehemiah Pratt 1 0.00 New Federalists (United States) James Sullivan 1 0.00 New Federalists (United States) Artemas Ward 1 0.00% New Abraham White 1 0.00% New 2 0.01% +0.01 22,172 100.00% Federalists (United States) By county John HancockFederalists Elbridge GerryAnti-Federalists Scattering County total County Votes Percent Votes Percent Votes Percent Barnstable 334 80.87 75 18.16 4Bowdoin 2, John Adams 1, Lincoln 1. Manuscript returns transcribed by Lampi show single votes for Adams in both Barnstable and Hampshire counties, but only one vote for Adams in the statewide tally; meanwhile, Solomon Freeman is awarded one vote in the statewide tally, but no recorded votes in any county. This appears to be a transcription error, in which case either the vote in Barnstable County or the vote in Hampshire County was likely cast for Freeman. 0.97 413 Berkshire 923 66.02 471 33.69 4Bowdoin 3, Warren 1 0.29 1,398 Bristol 875 50.23 863 49.54 4Bowdoin 2, Pratt 1, Warren 1 0.23 1,742 Cumberland 707 95.93 20 2.71 10Bowdoin 7, Samuel Adams 1, Blank 2 1.36 737 Dukes 91 100.00 — — 91 Essex 2,268 82.35 481 17.46 5Bowdoin 2, Lincoln 2, Bimby 1 0.22 2,754 Hampshire 2,129 69.48 892 29.11 43Warren 20, Bowdoin 19, Lincoln 3, John Adams 1. Manuscript returns transcribed by Lampi show single votes for Adams in both Barnstable and Hampshire counties, but only one vote for Adams in the statewide tally; meanwhile, Solomon Freeman is awarded one vote in the statewide tally, but no recorded votes in any county. This appears to be a transcription error, in which case either the vote in Barnstable County or the vote in Hampshire County was likely cast for Freeman. 1.40 3,064 Lincoln 778 83.93 142 15.32 7Warren 7 0.76 927 Middlesex 2,560 89.45 292 10.20 10Bowdoin 5, Lincoln 2, Samuel Adams 1, Gorham 1, Warren 1 0.35 2,862 Nantucket No votes recorded — Plymouth 1,068 89.37 103 8.62 24Bowdoin 17, Warren 3, Lincoln 2, William Cushing 1, Lefert 1 2.01 1,195 Suffolk 2,841 97.43 48 1.65 27Bowdoin 23, Lincoln 3, White 1 0.92 2,916 Worcester 2,866 79.61 708 19.67 26Bowdoin 17, Lincoln 3, Samuel Adams 1, Job Cushing 1, Gorham 1, Sullivan 1, Ward 1, Warren 1 0.72 3,600 York 416 87.95 50 10.57 7Bowdoin 5, Chauncey 1, Warren 1 1.48 473 TOTAL 17,856 80.53 4,145 18.70 171 0.77 22,172 References Category:1788 Massachusetts elections Category:Massachusetts gubernatorial elections Category:1788 elections in the United States Category:United States gubernatorial elections in the 1780s