1876 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election

The 1876 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1876, and featured Republican nominee Othman A. Abbott defeating Democratic nominee Miles Zentmeyer and Greenback Party nominee Allen Root.^[1]

1876 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election

November 7, 1876 1878 →

Nominee Othman A. Abbott Miles Zentmeyer Allen Root Party Republican Democratic Greenback Popular vote 31,088 17,558 2,777 Percentage 60.4% 34.1% 5.4%

Lieutenant Governor before election Position created Elected Lieutenant Governor Othman A. Abbott Republican

It was the first election held under the newly adopted Nebraska Constitution of 1875. Prior to this election, the State of Nebraska did not have an office of lieutenant governor. Under the Nebraska Constitution of 1866, if the governor died, resigned, or was removed from office (as happened to Governor David Butler in 1871), then the Nebraska Secretary of State was appointed as Acting Governor until the vacancy would be filled by the next election.^[2] The Constitution of 1875 created the office of Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, leading to the first election of a lieutenant governor for Nebraska in this election.

General election

Candidates

• Othman A. Abbott, Republican candidate, lawyer and former member of the Nebraska Senate from 1872 to 1873 from Grand Island, Nebraska^[3]
• Allen Root, Greenback candidate from Douglas County, Nebraska, allied with J. F. Gardner who was a candidate for governor^[4]
• Miles Zentmeyer, Democratic candidate from Schuyler, Nebraska, lawyer, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Convention,^[5] and former editor of the Schuyler Sun newspaper^[6]

Results

Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1876^[7][1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Othman A. Abbott	31,088[a]	60.44
	Democratic	Miles Zentmeyer	17,558[b]	34.14
	Greenback	Allen Root	2,777	5.40
	Scattering[c]		13[d]
Total votes			51,436	100.00

1. This is the official total given for Abbott in the official Nebraska Senate Journal of 1877.^[1] However, some newspaper accounts give Abbott's total as 30,088.^[7]
2. This is the official total given for Zentmeyer in the official Nebraska Senate Journal of 1877.^[1] However, some newspaper accounts give Zentmeyer's total as 17,458.^[7]
3. According to the Nebraska Senate Journal of 1877, this scattering total included votes for Paren England (5), Silas Garber (3), "Miles Zentman" (3), a misspelling of "Miles Zentmeyer," S. P. Mobley (1), and A. B. Young (1).^[1]
4. This is the official total given for the scattering of additional votes in the official Nebraska Senate Journal of 1877.^[1] However, some newspaper accounts listed this total as 12.^[7]

See also

• 1876 Nebraska gubernatorial election

References

1. State of Nebraska (1877). Senate Journal of the Legislature of the State of Nebraska. p. 23.
2. "Nebraska Constitution of 1866, Article III, Section 16".
3. State of Nebraska, 2020-21 Nebraska Blue Book (PDF), pp. 317–378, retrieved May 29, 2023
4. "The Greenbackers: They Unroll and Count their Bills at Harmonie Hall". Nebraska State Journal. September 29, 1876. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
5. "Democratic State Convention". Nebraska State Journal. April 21, 1876. p. 3. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
6. "Miscellaneous News". Columbus Republican. March 23, 1876. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
7. "The Legislature: Assembling of the Solons and Counting of the Electoral Vote". Nebraska State Journal. December 6, 1876. Retrieved June 7, 2023.