1880 Texas gubernatorial election

1880 Texas gubernatorial election

← 1878 November 2, 1880 1882 →

Candidate Oran Milo Roberts Edmund J. Davis W. H. Hamman Party Democratic Republican Greenback Popular vote 166,101 64,382 33,721 Percentage 62.9% 24.4% 12.3%

County results[1] Roberts   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Davis   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Hamman   50–60% No returns[a]

Governor before election Oran Milo Roberts Democratic Governor-elect Oran Milo Roberts Democratic

The 1880 Texas gubernatorial election was held to elect the governor of Texas. Governor Oran Milo Roberts was re-elected to a second term in office over former Governor Edmund J. Davis.

General election

The Greenback Party, motivated by their success in the previous election in which they won twelve seats in the legislature and elected George W. Jones to Congress, renominated W. H. Hamman to be their candidate for governor.^[2]

There was factional split in the Republican party, but it was resolved^[3] at the party convention with former governor and Republican party chair Edmund Davis being selected as the gubenatorial nominee.^[4]

At the time Texas was a part of the "Solid South" and the Democratic party was heavily favored in state elections. Incumbent Oran Roberts was renominated at the state convention, after facing a challenge from lieutenant governor Joseph Sayers,^[5] and was reelected by a wide margin.

Candidates

• Dr. Archelaus M. Cochran, internal revenue collector, former postmaster, former member of the Dallas City Council, former state representative, Captain in Terry's Texas Rangers (Republican) (withdrawn)^[6][4]
• Edmund J. Davis, former governor (Republican)^[7]
• William H. Hamman, oil pioneer, 1878 nominee, and former Confederate brigadier general (Greenback)^[8]
• Oran Milo Roberts, incumbent governor (Democratic)^[9]
• Joseph D. Sayers, incumbent lieutenant governor (Democratic)^[5]

Results

1880 Texas gubernatorial election^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Oran M. Roberts (incumbent)	166,101	62.87%	3.89
	Republican	Edmund J. Davis	64,382	24.37%	14.37
	Greenback	William H. Hamman	33,721	12.76%	8.44
Total votes			264,204	100.00%

References

1. Counties which were not yet organized are shaded a lighter grey.

1. "Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Texas ... 1879/80". HathiTrust. Texas Secretary of State. January 1, 1881. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
2. Gunn, Jack W. (1952). "The Greenback Movement in Texas: A Historical Overview". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
3. "Republican Differences Settled". The Galveston Daily News. January 14, 1880. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Winkler, Ernest William (September 20, 1916). Platforms of Political Parties in Texas (PDF). University of Texas. pp. 193–206.
5. "State Convention". The Galveston Daily News. August 12, 1880. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Hart, Brian (1952). "TSHA | Cochran, Archelaus M. (1839–1910)". Retrieved March 10, 2023.
7. Moneyhon, Carl H. (1952). "Edmund J. Davis: Union Army Officer and Reconstruction Governor of Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
8. Cutrer, Thomas W. (1952). "TSHA | Hamman, William Harrison (1830–1890)". Retrieved March 2, 2023.
9. Dixon, Ford (1952). "Oran M. Roberts: A Legacy of Leadership in Texas History". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
10. "Texas Almanac". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2023.