The 1914 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1914, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Richard Irvine Manning III emerged from the crowded Democratic primary to win in the runoff and overwhelmingly won the effectively one-party state's general election to become the 92nd governor of South Carolina.
Democratic primary Candidates John B. Adger Mullally Lowndes J. Browning John G. Clinkscales Robert Archer Cooper, former State Representative from Laurens John T. Duncan, candidate for Governor in 1910 and 1912 William C. Irby Jr. Richard Irvine Manning III, former State Senator from Sumter County and grandson of Governor Richard Irvine Manning I John Gardiner Richards Jr., former State Representative from Liberty Hill, Kershaw County and candidate for Governor in 1910 Charles Carroll Sims Charles Aurelius Smith, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina Mendel L. Smith
Campaign The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on August 25 and progressive reformer Richard Irvine Manning III emerged as the winner in a crowded field. He garnered the support from the candidates eliminated in the runoff election and was able to score a decisive victory over John Gardiner Richards, Jr., the candidate favored by former governor Coleman Livingston Blease, on September 8.
Results Democratic PrimaryCandidateVotes% John Gardiner Richards, Jr. 26,801 20.5 Richard Irvine Manning III 25,397 19.5 Robert Archer Cooper 25,053 19.2 John G. Clinkscales 17,126 13.1 William C. Irby, Jr. 14,652 11.2 Mendel L. Smith 9,905 7.6 Charles Aurelius Smith 5,842 4.5 Charles Carroll Sims 2,773 2.1 Lowndes J. Browning 1,513 1.2 John T. Duncan 793 0.6 John B. Adger Mullally 665 0.5
Runoff results Democratic Primary RunoffCandidateVotes%±% Richard Irvine Manning III 73,969 62.1 +42.6 John Gardiner Richards, Jr. 45,099 37.9 +17.4
General election The general election was held on November 3, 1914, and Richard Irvine Manning III was elected the next governor of South Carolina. Being a non-presidential election and few contested races, turnout was much less than the previous gubernatorial election.
| colspan=5 |Democratic hold
See also Governor of South Carolina List of governors of South Carolina South Carolina gubernatorial elections
References
"Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina. Part II." Reports and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume IV. Columbia, SC: 1915, p. 339.
External links SCIway Biography of Richard Irvine Manning III