1912 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election
The 1912 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1912, and featured Republican nominee Samuel Roy McKelvie defeating Democratic nominee Herman Diers as well as Socialist Party nominee W. T. Jeffryes and Prohibition Party nominee Theodore J. Shrode.[ 1]
On May 2, 1911, incumbent Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Melville R. Hopewell died while in office. After the death of Hopewell, John H. Morehead was considered to be the acting lieutenant governor due to his position as president pro tempore of the Nebraska Senate based on Article V, Section 18, of the Nebraska Constitution .[ 2] [ 3] [ 4] Morehead decided to seek the office of Governor of Nebraska and thus did not run to be officially elected as lieutenant governor in the election of 1912.[ 1]
Herman Diers ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.[ 5] He was a businessman and banker from Gresham, Nebraska , who was a member of the Nebraska Senate from 1909 to 1911 and a member of the Nebraska House of Representatives from 1901 to 1903.[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10]
Martin L. Fries, farmer, former businessman in the lumber industry,[ 11] and former member of the Nebraska Senate from 1903 to 1907 from Arcadia, Nebraska [ 6] L. W. Hague, lawyer from Minden, Nebraska [ 12] Samuel Roy McKelvie , president and manager of The Nebraska Farmer newspaper[ 13] and member of the Nebraska House of Representatives since 1911 from Lincoln, Nebraska [ 6] Lorin A. Varner, lawyer, founder and publisher of the Sterling Sun newspaper, former president of the Nebraska Press Association,[ 14] member of the Nebraska Senate since 1911, and former member of the Nebraska House of Representatives from 1885 to 1887 from Sterling, Nebraska [ 6] ^ The total given for McKelvie's vote in the 1913 Nebraska House of Representatives journal was 123,839.[ 17] ^ a b c "Nebraska's State Vote: Result of the Election for State Officers in Nebraska, Including Congressmen" . The Crofton Journal . December 12, 1912. p. 2. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "Gov. John Henry Morehead" , National Governors Association , January 3, 2019, As senate president, Morehead succeeded to the office of lieutenant governor, where he served from 1911 to 1912. ^ Nancy Capace (January 1, 1999). Encyclopedia of Nebraska . Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 106. ISBN 9780403098347 . Due to his Senate post as President Pro Tempore, he stepped in as Lieutenant Governor of the State in May 1911, when the incumbent, M.R. Hopewell, died while in office. ^ "John H. Morehead: Democratic Candidate for Nomination for Governor of Nebraska" , Red Cloud Chief , April 4, 1912, Through the death of Judge Melville R. Hopewell, on May 2 last, Senator Morehead became acting lieutenant governor of the state. ^ a b c "Here's the Figures that Record the Official Vote of Nebraska: All the Counties Are Now In" . Central City Republican . May 23, 1912. p. 2. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ a b c d State of Nebraska, 2020-21 Nebraska Blue Book (PDF) , pp. 317–378, retrieved June 10, 2023 ^ "Hon. Herman Diers" . Saturday Night Review . November 2, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "Herman Diers Files for Lieutenant Governor" . Omaha World-Herald . January 2, 1912. p. 6. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "Obituary" . The New Teller . April 14, 1926. p. 11. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "Death Claims Herman Diers" . Grand Island Independent . April 8, 1926. p. 2. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "M. L. Fries: Republican Candidate for Lieutenant Governor" . Nebraska State Democrat . August 15, 1918. Retrieved June 1, 2023 . ^ "Miscellaneous" . The Minden News . March 22, 1912. p. 4. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "The Nebraska Farmer" . The Nebraska Farmer . May 22, 1912. p. 6. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "L. A. Varner for Lieutenant Governor" . The Pender Republic . April 5, 1912. p. 4. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "Neighborhood News" . Fairbury Journal-News . March 22, 1912. p. 18. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ "Official Returns-Morrill County" . Bridgeport News-Blade . November 8, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved June 10, 2023 . ^ Henry C. Richmond (1913). Proceedings of the Thirty-Third Session of the Nebraska House of Representatives: Lincoln, Nebraska, 1913 . Jacob North & Co. p. 26.