Oregon gubernatorial special election, 1948
Encyclopedia
The 1948 Oregon gubernatorial special election took place on November 2, 1948 and was a special election, due to the death of governor Earl Snell
, in a plane crash on October 28, 1947.
, who took over after Snell's death until the election, lost the Republican nomination 51.13-48.87%, to state senator Douglas McKay
, and the Democrats nominated state senator Lew Wallace, who had previously lost to Earl Snell in the 1942 gubernatorial election in a landslide.
In the general election, McKay won the election with 53.23% to Wallace's 44.53%, and was sworn in as Oregon's 25th governor on January 10, 1949.
Earl Snell
Earl Willcox Snell was an Oregon businessman American Republican politician, serving in the Oregon House of Representatives, as the Oregon Secretary of State, and as the 23rd Governor of Oregon....
, in a plane crash on October 28, 1947.
Campaign
Incumbent governor John Hubert HallJohn Hubert Hall
John Hubert Hall was an American Republican politician from the US state of Oregon. He was Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives in 1947, fourth in line to the governorship, when the governor, secretary of state, and senate president were all killed in a plane crash...
, who took over after Snell's death until the election, lost the Republican nomination 51.13-48.87%, to state senator Douglas McKay
Douglas McKay
James Douglas McKay was an American businessman and politician from Oregon. A native of the state, he served in World War I before he became a successful businessman, mainly as a car dealership owner in the capital city of Salem. A Republican, he served as a city councilor and mayor of Salem...
, and the Democrats nominated state senator Lew Wallace, who had previously lost to Earl Snell in the 1942 gubernatorial election in a landslide.
In the general election, McKay won the election with 53.23% to Wallace's 44.53%, and was sworn in as Oregon's 25th governor on January 10, 1949.