1790 Gubernatorial Election: Hancock vs Bowdoin 6
THE FOLLOWING CONTEST, SCHEDULED FOR ONE TERM IS FOR THE 1790 MASSACHUSETTS GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION! INTRODUCING FIRST THE CHALLENGER. REPRESENTING THE FEDERALISTS....JAMES BOWDOIN.
AND HIS OPPONENT. HIS THE CURRENT REIGNING...DEFENDING....UNDISPUTED GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS...JOHNNNNNN HANCOCK.
As the country began to get settled with United States Congress, the Senate and President George Washington, the national news shifted overseas. The citizens of France had enough of King Louie and began their Revolution. It would take a few years for things to get genocidal but this was where it started. On the home front, George Washington was sworn in on April 30, 1789 and ironically, passed the first national tax on July 4th....13 years after declaring independence because they didn't want to pay British taxes. In July, the eventual Department of State was formed and on August 7th, the Department of War was founded. They were going to need that with Great Britain and France ready to tear each other apart again. In September, the Treasury Department was formed and the Bill of Rights were sent to be ratified. It would take a few years to get all of them. The national army was formed on September 29th and New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights on November 20th. North Carolina followed suit on the 21st and Thanksgiving became a national holiday on November 26th. Also, on December 11th, University of North Carolina was built.
As the calendar turned to 1790, George Washington gave the first state of the union address on January 8th and Thomas Jefferson was appointed Secretary of State in March. Speaking of Jefferson, it was his idea to build Fort Cincinnati to protect Americans from dangers since anything beyond the Northwest Territories hadn't been settled yet. In case a rogue group of native Americans, a frost troll, a bear or a sabre toothed tiger decided to crash the party, the fort would be ready.
Meanwhile in Massachusetts, it looked like it was going to be John Hancock defending his title against James Bowdoin once again. This time things would be a little different, it would be the final time they would face each other. There would be new players and some old faces also throwing their hats in the ring. Former Lt. Governor Benjamin Lincoln would be in as well along with Massachusetts Speaker of the House James Warren, current Lt. Governor Samuel Adams and Nathaniel Gorham. Merchant mogul Azor Orne unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 1788 would try his luck as well. Noted hothead Associate Justice Francis Dana would also enter into the rumble. Dana famously wanted to brawl with Elbridge Gerry over the Bill of Rights.
Samuel Phillips Jr was the president of the Massachusetts Senate and he too ran for Governor. Sammy was born in 1752 in modern day North Andover and graduated from Harvard at 19 in 1771. He was the founder of Phillips Academy which still operates as a prep-school to this day. During the Revolution, he supplied gunpowder to General George Washington and his troops.
The new face on the block was Major General David Cobb who was currently in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Cobb was born in modern day North Attleboro, Massachusetts in 1748 and became a Lt. Colonel during the Revolutionary War under "Handsome" Henry Jackson. After the war, he the Bristol Country district judge and was promoted to Major General to help put down Shay's Rebellion in 1786. Even though John Hancock was the most popular man in Boston, some felt Cobb was the right man for the job.
Obviously there would be write-ins and the occasional prank but once again it was going to come down to Bowdoin and Hancock again. Would Hancock's popularity carry him over Bowdoin again or would Bowdoin finally upset the champ? Let's find out.
First the write-ins. Massachusetts Senator William Heath got a vote. Secretary of the Commonwealth John Avery Jr got a vote. Vice President John Adams once again got a vote. Dr. Oliver Prescott managed to get two votes and James Warren nabbed four. I bet Warren got a kick out of finishing ahead of the Vice President of the country.
Now for the heavy hitters. In 9th place, Azor Orne got 17 votes. In 8th place, Nathaniel Gorham got 27. Lt. Governor Samuel Adams got 32 votes. Former Lt. Governor Benjamin Lincoln got 37 votes. In 5th place, "Fightin" Francis Dana got 42 votes. In fourth place stood Samuel Phillips Jr with 47 votes. In third place, David Cobb with 124 votes. So how did Hancock vs Bowdoin turn out? For the final time....ITS A LANDSLIDE! Hancock got 86% of the vote with 14,360 while Bowdoin got just 11% with 1,880. There was no dethroning Hancock at all.
So why was this the final time Bowdoin and Hanock would face off? I'll explain in the next Governor's election. As of now, Hancock once again reigned supreme as Governor. His record currently stands at 9-1 in Gubernatorial elections with the 1 being the time he ran in name only in 1786. When he put any kind of effort in, he was unbeatable. As the country motored along, so did Hancock and Massachusetts.
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