1916 United States presidential election in Massachusetts

The 1916 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place on November 7, 1916, as part of the 1916 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose 18 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1916 United States presidential election in Massachusetts

← 1912 November 7, 1916 1920 →
Turnout62.8%[1] Decrease 0.6 pp
 
Nominee Charles Evans Hughes Woodrow Wilson
Party Republican Democratic
Home state New York New Jersey
Running mate Charles W. Fairbanks Thomas R. Marshall
Electoral vote 18 0
Popular vote 268,784 247,885
Percentage 50.54% 46.61%


President before election

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Elected President

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Massachusetts was won by the Republican nominee, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes of New York, and his running mate Senator Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana. Hughes and Fairbanks defeated the Democratic nominees, incumbent Democratic President Woodrow Wilson and Vice President Thomas R. Marshall.

Hughes carried the state with 50.54%, to Wilson's 46.61%, a Republican victory margin of 3.93%. Coming in a distant third was Socialist candidate Allan L. Benson, who took 2.08%.

Massachusetts had long been a typical Yankee Republican bastion in the wake of the Civil War, having voted Republican in every election from 1856 through 1908.[2] However, in 1912, former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt had run as a Progressive candidate against incumbent Republican President William Howard Taft, splitting the Republican vote and allowing Woodrow Wilson win Massachusetts, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to do so, though with a plurality of only 35.53% of the vote. With the Republican base re-united behind Hughes in 1916, Massachusetts was returned to the Republican column.

Hughes won 12 out of 14 counties in the State of Massachusetts, while Wilson won only 2. The race was kept close statewide by the fact that Wilson carried Suffolk County, home to the state's capital and largest city, Boston. Wilson's only other county victory was the small island of Nantucket. However, both candidates had fair levels of support across the state, as neither got more than 60% of the vote in any county. As Wilson narrowly won re-election nationwide, Massachusetts ended up weighing in as about 7% more Republican than the national average. To date, this is the last time that the town of Granville voted Democratic.

Wilson is the last Democrat to win a presidential election while losing Massachusetts.

Results

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1916 United States presidential election in Massachusetts[3]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Charles Evans Hughes 268,784 50.54% 18
Democratic Woodrow Wilson (incumbent) 247,885 46.61% 0
Socialist Allan L. Benson 11,058 2.08% 0
Prohibition Frank Hanly 2,993 0.56% 0
Socialist Labor Arthur E. Reimer 1,097 0.21% 0
Write-ins Write-ins 6 0.00% 0
Totals 531,823 100.00% 18

Results by county

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County Charles Evans Hughes
Republican
Thomas Woodrow Wilson
Democratic
Allan Louis Benson[4]
Socialist
James Franklin Hanly[4]
Prohibition
Arthur Elmer Reimer[4]
Socialist Labor
Total votes cast[5]
# % # % # % # % # %
Barnstable 2,836 58.68% 1,892 39.15% 39 0.81% 55 1.14% 11 0.23% 4,833
Berkshire 9,787 52.09% 8,357 44.48% 484 2.58% 103 0.55% 58 0.31% 18,789
Bristol 22,578 53.69% 18,065 42.96% 932 2.22% 332 0.79% 143 0.34% 42,050
Dukes 464 58.96% 309 39.26% 9 1.14% 5 0.64% 0 0.00% 787
Essex 35,909 50.51% 32,498 45.71% 2,093 2.94% 426 0.60% 169 0.24% 71,095
Franklin 4,353 56.93% 3,054 39.94% 166 2.17% 60 0.78% 13 0.17% 7,646
Hampden 18,207 50.19% 17,028 46.94% 761 2.10% 204 0.56% 77 0.21% 36,277
Hampshire 5,748 56.15% 4,202 41.05% 190 1.86% 83 0.81% 13 0.13% 10,236
Middlesex 60,802 53.77% 49,844 44.08% 1,660 1.47% 609 0.54% 151 0.13% 113,072
Nantucket 249 44.15% 307 54.43% 6 1.06% 1 0.18% 1 0.18% 564
Norfolk 19,284 58.71% 12,702 38.67% 615 1.87% 188 0.57% 55 0.17% 32,844
Plymouth 13,515 52.48% 11,009 42.75% 1,041 4.04% 142 0.55% 45 0.17% 25,752
Suffolk 42,492 40.03% 61,047 57.51% 1,998 1.88% 353 0.33% 258 0.24% 106,148
Worcester 32,541 52.76% 27,540 44.65% 1,064 1.73% 432 0.70% 103 0.17% 61,680
Absentee[6] 19 32.20% 40 67.80% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 59
Totals 268,784 50.54% 247,894 46.61% 11,058 2.08% 2,993 0.56% 1,097 0.21% 531,832

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, p. 1072.
  2. ^ Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Massachusetts
  3. ^ "1916 Presidential General Election Results - Massachusetts". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth; Public Document No. 43: Assessed Polls, Etc. 1916 p. 374
  5. ^ Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote; 1896-1932 (second edition); pp. 226-227 Published 1947 by Stanford University Press
  6. ^ Massachusetts Secretary of State, ‘Presidential Electors at Large,’ Public Document #43 (1916)