1920 United States presidential election in Tennessee

The 1920 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 2, 1920, as part of the 1920 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 12 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1920 United States presidential election in Tennessee

November 2, 1920

All 12 Tennessee votes to the Electoral College
 
Nominee Warren G. Harding James M. Cox
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Ohio Ohio
Running mate Calvin Coolidge Franklin D. Roosevelt
Electoral vote 12 0
Popular vote 219,829 206,558
Percentage 51.29% 48.19%

County Results

President before election

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Elected President

Warren G. Harding
Republican

Background

For over a century after the Civil War, Tennessee was divided according to political loyalties established in that war. Unionist regions covering almost all of East Tennessee, Kentucky Pennyroyal-allied Macon County, and the five West Tennessee Highland Rim counties of Carroll, Henderson, McNairy, Hardin and Wayne[1] voted Republican – generally by landslide margins – as they saw the Democratic Party as the “war party” who had forced them into a war they did not wish to fight.[2] Contrariwise, the rest of Middle and West Tennessee who had supported and driven the state’s secession was equally fiercely Democratic as it associated the Republicans with Reconstruction.[3] After the disfranchisement of the state’s African-American population by a poll tax was largely complete in the 1890s,[4] the Democratic Party was certain of winning statewide elections if united,[5] although unlike the Deep South Republicans would almost always gain thirty to forty percent of the statewide vote from mountain and Highland Rim support. When the Democratic Party was bitterly divided, the Republicans did win the governorship in 1910 and 1912, but did not gain at other levels.

During the period before the 1920 presidential election, Tennessee was the center of bitter debate over the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which the state – with its Democratic Party still seriously divided[6] – ultimately passed by a very close 50 to 46 House of Representatives vote.[7]

Although most of the Republicans in the state legislature had supported the Nineteenth Amendment,[7] outgoing President Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations was deeply unpopular in the isolationist and fundamentalist[8] Appalachian regions,[9] and the President was thus stigmatised for his advocacy of that organisation. New Democratic nominee James M. Cox also supported American participation in the League,[10] whereas his rival Warren Harding was largely opposed to the League and was helped in the South by racial and labor unrest elsewhere in the country.[11]

Vote

At the end of October, opinions were divided on whether Harding could break the “Solid South” in Tennessee – which had had the strongest Republican Party in the region ever since Reconstruction was overthrown – with some suggesting he could make a challenge in North Carolina[12] whose poll tax was being abolished at this time.[lower-alpha 1] Claims continued to be divisive until even after the polls in the Volunteer State had closed[13]

Ultimately a late swing to Harding ensured the “Solid South” was broken for the first time since 1876, and Harding became only the second Republican to carry Tennessee after Ulysses S. Grant in 1868. Harding’s victory did not see a major change in partisan alignments, but was due to gains in normally Democratic rural white counties of Middle Tennessee[14] – where he was the only Republican to carry Perry County[lower-alpha 2] until John McCain in 2008[15] and the solitary GOP victor in Jackson County until Mitt Romney in 2012[15] – plus abnormally high voter turnout amongst isolationist mountaineers in rock-ribbed Republican East Tennessee.[9] Harding also gained important help through overwhelming support from the few blacks able to vote – all residing within the state’s largest cities – due to his public support for civil rights for African-Americans.[14]

Results

Presidential Candidate Running Mate Party Electoral Vote (EV) Popular Vote (PV)
Warren G. Harding of Ohio Calvin Coolidge Republican 12[16] 219,829 51.29%
James M. Cox Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 0 206,558 48.19%
Eugene Debs Seymour Stedman Socialist 0 2,239 0.52%

Results by county

County Warren Gamaliel Harding
Republican
James Middleton Cox
Democratic
Eugene Victor Debs
Socialist
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Anderson 3,127 80.30% 748 19.21% 19 0.49% 2,379 61.09% 3,894
Bedford 2,056 48.51% 2,182 51.49% 0 0.00% -126 -2.97% 4,238
Benton 1,514 44.04% 1,914 55.67% 10 0.29% -400 -11.63% 3,438
Bledsoe 1,198 71.31% 482 28.69% 0 0.00% 716 42.62% 1,680
Blount 5,540 78.09% 1,550 21.85% 4 0.06% 3,990 56.24% 7,094
Bradley 2,255 67.33% 1,058 31.59% 36 1.07% 1,197 35.74% 3,349
Campbell 3,368 83.82% 650 16.18% 0 0.00% 2,718 67.65% 4,018
Cannon 687 47.15% 770 52.85% 0 0.00% -83 -5.70% 1,457
Carroll 4,141 56.29% 3,215 43.71% 0 0.00% 926 12.59% 7,356
Carter 6,059 89.99% 674 10.01% 0 0.00% 5,385 79.98% 6,733
Cheatham 569 31.77% 1,219 68.06% 3 0.17% -650 -36.29% 1,791
Chester 1,088 48.81% 1,105 49.57% 36 1.62% -17 -0.76% 2,229
Claiborne 2,612 67.88% 1,236 32.12% 0 0.00% 1,376 35.76% 3,848
Clay 1,044 57.14% 772 42.26% 11 0.60% 272 14.89% 1,827
Cocke 3,283 77.36% 929 21.89% 32 0.75% 2,354 55.47% 4,244
Coffee 822 28.69% 2,043 71.31% 0 0.00% -1,221 -42.62% 2,865
Crockett 2,326 50.81% 2,252 49.19% 0 0.00% 74 1.62% 4,578
Cumberland 1,485 72.69% 557 27.26% 1 0.05% 928 45.42% 2,043
Davidson 6,811 33.48% 13,354 65.63% 181 0.89% -6,543 -32.16% 20,346
Decatur 1,608 57.84% 1,149 41.33% 23 0.83% 459 16.51% 2,780
DeKalb 2,572 56.47% 1,983 43.53% 0 0.00% 589 12.93% 4,555
Dickson 1,412 39.70% 2,145 60.30% 0 0.00% -733 -20.61% 3,557
Dyer 1,166 26.76% 3,181 73.01% 10 0.23% -2,015 -46.25% 4,357
Fayette 346 13.11% 2,294 86.89% 0 0.00% -1,948 -73.79% 2,640
Fentress 1,808 71.66% 694 27.51% 21 0.83% 1,114 44.15% 2,523
Franklin 1,558 30.77% 3,504 69.19% 2 0.04% -1,946 -38.43% 5,064
Gibson 3,209 34.99% 5,942 64.80% 19 0.21% -2,733 -29.80% 9,170
Giles 2,224 41.50% 3,129 58.39% 6 0.11% -905 -16.89% 5,359
Grainger 2,158 70.66% 895 29.31% 1 0.03% 1,263 41.36% 3,054
Greene 5,677 65.97% 2,924 33.98% 5 0.06% 2,753 31.99% 8,606
Grundy 447 32.99% 745 54.98% 163 12.03% -298 -21.99% 1,355
Hamblen 1,571 53.86% 1,301 44.60% 45 1.54% 270 9.26% 2,917
Hamilton 10,793 51.30% 9,910 47.11% 334 1.59% 883 4.20% 21,037
Hancock 1,740 81.92% 384 18.08% 0 0.00% 1,356 63.84% 2,124
Hardeman 895 28.59% 2,212 70.67% 23 0.73% -1,317 -42.08% 3,130
Hardin 3,077 68.58% 1,398 31.16% 12 0.27% 1,679 37.42% 4,487
Hawkins 2,650 65.11% 1,381 33.93% 39 0.96% 1,269 31.18% 4,070
Haywood 101 4.64% 2,068 95.04% 7 0.32% -1,967 -90.40% 2,176
Henderson 3,112 71.61% 1,217 28.00% 17 0.39% 1,895 43.60% 4,346
Henry 1,957 29.50% 4,613 69.55% 63 0.95% -2,656 -40.04% 6,633
Hickman 1,470 51.63% 1,362 47.84% 15 0.53% 108 3.79% 2,847
Houston 385 32.27% 790 66.22% 18 1.51% -405 -33.95% 1,193
Humphreys 674 30.21% 1,534 68.76% 23 1.03% -860 -38.55% 2,231
Jackson 1,187 51.97% 1,097 48.03% 0 0.00% 90 3.94% 2,284
Jefferson 3,583 81.58% 741 16.87% 68 1.55% 2,842 64.71% 4,392
Johnson 3,627 92.57% 291 7.43% 0 0.00% 3,336 85.15% 3,918
Knox 12,005 63.41% 6,801 35.93% 125 0.66% 5,204 27.49% 18,931
Lake 352 22.68% 1,192 76.80% 8 0.52% -840 -54.12% 1,552
Lauderdale 1,190 33.97% 2,313 66.03% 0 0.00% -1,123 -32.06% 3,503
Lawrence 3,843 59.55% 2,610 40.45% 0 0.00% 1,233 19.11% 6,453
Lewis 446 52.29% 403 47.25% 4 0.47% 43 5.04% 853
Lincoln 1,091 30.65% 2,463 69.19% 6 0.17% -1,372 -38.54% 3,560
Loudon 1,872 72.70% 686 26.64% 17 0.66% 1,186 46.06% 2,575
Macon 3,208 75.02% 1,066 24.93% 2 0.05% 2,142 50.09% 4,276
Madison 2,665 33.54% 5,280 66.46% 0 0.00% -2,615 -32.91% 7,945
Marion 2,662 58.12% 1,874 40.92% 44 0.96% 788 17.21% 4,580
Marshall 753 29.01% 1,828 70.42% 15 0.58% -1,075 -41.41% 2,596
Maury 1,379 33.53% 2,693 65.48% 41 1.00% -1,314 -31.95% 4,113
McMinn 2,800 62.63% 1,636 36.59% 35 0.78% 1,164 26.03% 4,471
McNairy 3,212 63.29% 1,863 36.71% 0 0.00% 1,349 26.58% 5,075
Meigs 915 56.24% 712 43.76% 0 0.00% 203 12.48% 1,627
Monroe 2,575 58.26% 1,845 41.74% 0 0.00% 730 16.52% 4,420
Montgomery 1,780 40.60% 2,564 58.49% 40 0.91% -784 -17.88% 4,384
Moore 90 15.33% 497 84.67% 0 0.00% -407 -69.34% 587
Morgan 2,248 73.18% 816 26.56% 8 0.26% 1,432 46.61% 3,072
Obion 1,307 22.25% 4,547 77.41% 20 0.34% -3,240 -55.16% 5,874
Overton 1,939 51.91% 1,779 47.63% 17 0.46% 160 4.28% 3,735
Perry 747 51.91% 692 48.09% 0 0.00% 55 3.82% 1,439
Pickett 896 59.61% 607 40.39% 0 0.00% 289 19.23% 1,503
Polk 1,018 56.21% 775 42.79% 18 0.99% 243 13.42% 1,811
Putnam 2,132 41.58% 2,996 58.42% 0 0.00% -864 -16.85% 5,128
Rhea 1,341 55.57% 1,051 43.56% 21 0.87% 290 12.02% 2,413
Roane 1,974 70.20% 838 29.80% 0 0.00% 1,136 40.40% 2,812
Robertson 1,191 28.04% 3,046 71.70% 11 0.26% -1,855 -43.67% 4,248
Rutherford 1,881 35.58% 3,406 64.42% 0 0.00% -1,525 -28.84% 5,287
Scott 2,537 90.54% 221 7.89% 44 1.57% 2,316 82.66% 2,802
Sequatchie 509 48.16% 545 51.56% 3 0.28% -36 -3.41% 1,057
Sevier 6,006 93.60% 404 6.30% 7 0.11% 5,602 87.30% 6,417
Shelby 8,597 34.61% 15,986 64.35% 260 1.05% -7,389 -29.74% 24,843
Smith 1,981 38.61% 3,150 61.39% 0 0.00% -1,169 -22.78% 5,131
Stewart 849 26.17% 2,366 72.93% 29 0.89% -1,517 -46.76% 3,244
Sullivan 3,593 45.37% 4,327 54.63% 0 0.00% -734 -9.27% 7,920
Sumner 1,268 25.55% 3,674 74.03% 21 0.42% -2,406 -48.48% 4,963
Tipton 906 23.99% 2,816 74.58% 54 1.43% -1,910 -50.58% 3,776
Trousdale 574 37.52% 955 62.42% 1 0.07% -381 -24.90% 1,530
Unicoi 2,584 82.42% 547 17.45% 4 0.13% 2,037 64.98% 3,135
Union 2,607 85.98% 423 13.95% 2 0.07% 2,184 72.03% 3,032
Van Buren 223 38.32% 351 60.31% 8 1.37% -128 -21.99% 582
Warren 1,010 33.53% 1,986 65.94% 16 0.53% -976 -32.40% 3,012
Washington 4,858 68.21% 2,260 31.73% 4 0.06% 2,598 36.48% 7,122
Wayne 2,617 79.69% 654 19.91% 13 0.40% 1,963 59.77% 3,284
Weakley 2,741 38.25% 4,395 61.33% 30 0.42% -1,654 -23.08% 7,166
White 1,456 39.81% 2,201 60.19% 0 0.00% -745 -20.37% 3,657
Williamson 946 32.07% 2,004 67.93% 0 0.00% -1,058 -35.86% 2,950
Wilson 1,532 41.45% 2,160 58.44% 4 0.11% -628 -16.99% 3,696
Totals219,829[lower-alpha 3]51.29%206,558[lower-alpha 3]48.19%2,239[lower-alpha 3]0.52%13,2713.10%428,626

Notes

  1. Tennessee would not abolish its own poll tax until 1951, though bills to do this date back as early as 1943.
  2. In 1968 Perry County voted for former and future Alabama Governor George Wallace, who was the nominee of the American Party in Tennessee.
  3. These totals for all three candidates as officially listed are not the sum of the county totals.

References

  1. Wright, John K.; ‘Voting Habits in the United States: A Note on Two Maps’; Geographical Review, vol. 22, no. 4 (October 1932), pp. 666-672
  2. Key (Jr.), Valdimer Orlando; Southern Politics in State and Nation (New York, 1949), pp. 282-283
  3. Lyons, William; Scheb (II), John M. and Stair Billy; Government and Politics in Tennessee, pp. 183-184 ISBN 1572331410
  4. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 208, 210 ISBN 9780691163246
  5. Grantham, Dewey W.; ‘Tennessee and Twentieth-Century American Politics’; Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Fall 1995), pp. 210-229
  6. Marcellus, Jane; ‘Southern Myths and the Nineteenth Amendment: The Participation of Nashville Newspaper Publishers in the Final State’s Ratification’; Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly; Volume 87, Issue 2, (Summer 2010), pp. 241-262
  7. ‘Woman Suffrage Wins as Tennessee Ratifies: Close Vote of 50 to 46 in House May Still Be Upset Upon Reconsideration’; Boston Daily Globe, August 19, 1920, p. 1
  8. Ruotsila, Markku; ‘Conservative American Protestantism in the League of Nations controversy’; Church History, vol. 72, issue 3, pp. 593-616
  9. Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 211 ISBN 9780691163246
  10. Faykosh, Joseph D.; ‘A party in peril: Franklin Roosevelt, the Democratic Party, and the Circular Letter of 1924’, p. 43. Published 2016 by Bowling Green State University
  11. Faykosh, ‘A Party in Peril’, p. 42
  12. ‘Victory is Claimed by Rival Chairmen: Hays Sees 368 Electoral Votes for Harding’; The Washington Post, October 31, 1920, p. 1
  13. ‘Diverse Claims as to Teneessee: Memphis Says Cox Is Carrying State – Knoxville Reports Harding Ahead’; The New York Times
  14. Reichard, Gary W.; ‘The Aberration of 1920: An Analysis of Harding's Victory in Tennessee’; The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 36, No. 1 (February 1970), pp. 33-49
  15. Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 298-303 ISBN 0786422173
  16. "1920 Presidential General Election Results – Tennessee". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
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