1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
The 1908 Olympics also prompted establishment of standard rules for sports, and selection of judges from different countries rather than just the host. One reason was the 400 metre race, in which a US runner, John Carpenter, was accused by the British officials of interfering with a British runner. Part of the problem was the different definition of interference under British and international rules (the events were held under British rules by the decision of the Organising Committee). The officials decided to disqualify Carpenter and ordered a second final race without him. British Halswelle was to face the other two finalists. These athletes, William Robbins and John Taylor, were both Americans and decided not to participate in the repeat of the final to protest against the judges' decision. Halswelle was thus the only medallist in the 400 metres.


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
The most famous incident of the games came at the end of the marathon. Dorando Pietri, Italy, began his race at a rather slow pace, but in the second half of the course began a powerful surge moving him into second position by the 32 km (20 mi) mark, 4 minutes behind South African Charles Hefferon. When he knew that Hefferon was in crisis, Pietri further increased his pace, overtaking him at the 39 km (24 mi) mark.


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
The effort took its toll and with only two kilometres to go, Pietri began to feel the effects of extreme fatigue and dehydration. When he entered the stadium, he took the wrong path and when umpires redirected him, he fell down for the first time. He got up with their help, in front of 75,000 spectators.


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
He fell four more times, and each time the umpires helped him up. In the end, though totally exhausted, he managed to finish the race in first place. Of his total time of 2h 54min 46s, ten minutes were needed for that last 340 metres. Second was American Johnny Hayes. The American team immediately lodged a complaint against the help Pietri received from the umpires. The complaint was accepted and Pietri was disqualified and removed from the final standings of the race. Since he had not been responsible for his disqualification, Queen Alexandra awarded him a gilded silver cup the next day.


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
These Games were the first to include winter events, as had originally been proposed for the Games. There were four figure skating events, although held on 28 and 29 October, months after most of the other events.


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
Oscar Swahn from Sweden, who won the gold medal for running deer shooting, became the oldest Olympic champion of all time, and set another age record by being 72 years and 279 days old during his triumph at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. One of the more unusual shooting events in 1908 was Olympic dueling. The discipline, which was an associate event (i.e. not official), was performed by facing opponents wearing protective clothing and masks and firing wax bullets.


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
American John Taylor was a member of the winning medley relay team, making him the first African-American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. Times for the winning team were United States (3:29.4): William Hamilton-200 metres (22.0), Nathaniel Cartmell-200 metres (22.2), John Taylor-400 metres (49.8), and Melvin Sheppard-800 metres (1:55.4).


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
Less than five months after returning from the Olympic Games in London, Taylor died of typhoid fever on 2 December 1908 at the age of 26.


1908 Summer Olympics, The Games, Events
The budget of the organising committee showed a cost of £15,000; over one-third was labelled "entertainment expense". Donations were the major source of revenue; only 28% of income derived from ticket sales. Total receipts of £21,378 resulted in organisers claiming a profit. Construction of the White City Stadium, which cost the government about £60,000, was not counted.


1908 Summer Olympics, Sports
22 sports, representing 110 events in 24 sporting disciplines, were contested. Swimming, diving and water polo are considered three disciplines of the same sport, aquatics. At the time, tug-of-war was part of athletics and the two different football codes (association and rugby (union)) were listed together. The International Olympic Committee now considers tug-of-war a separate sport, as well as referring to association football as simply "football" and to rugby union as "rugby". In one of seven cycling events (cycling sprint) no medals were awarded. The sailing program was open for a total of five sailing classes, but actually only four sailing events were contested. The number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.


1908 Summer Olympics, Venues
Thirteen sports venues were used for the 1908 Summer Olympics. The first winter sports took place at Prince's Skating Club in Knightsbridge. White City Stadium served as a precursor to modern stadiums. The figure skating events were not held at the next Olympics in Stockholm, but returned for the 1920 Games in Antwerp, heralding the first Winter Olympics that took place in Chamonix in 1924.


1908 Summer Olympics, Venues
White City was the main venue for the 1934 British Empire Games (known as the Commonwealth Games since 1978) and, before its demolition in 1985, also served as a venue for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The All England Lawn Tennis Club continues to host the Wimbledon championships and is the only venue of the 1908 Games that was used for the 2012 Summer Olympics.


1908 Summer Olympics, Venues
Bisley and Henley served as venues in the 1948 Games when the Olympics returned to London forty years later.


1908 Summer Olympics, Participating nations
The 1908 Games featured athletes representing 22 National Olympic Committees. Finland, Turkey and New Zealand (as part of the team from Australasia) made their first appearance at the Olympic Games. The fact that the United Kingdom competed as a single team was upsetting to some Irish competitors, who felt that Ireland should compete on its own, despite being part of the UK at the time. Fearing an Irish boycott, the authorities changed the name of the team to Great Britain/Ireland, and in two sports, field hockey and polo, Ireland participated as a separate country, winning silver medals in both.


1908 Summer Olympics, Participating nations
Irish athletes in the United States were not affected by this controversy, and many Irish immigrants to the United States competed for the U.S. Olympic team as members of the Irish American Athletic Club. Members of the Irish American Athletic Club won ten of the U.S. Olympic team's total 23 gold medals, or as many as the nations of France, Germany and Italy combined.


1908 Summer Olympics, Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1908 Games.


1908 Summer Olympics medal table
The 1908 Summer Olympics (also known as the Games of the IV Olympiad) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 April to 31 October 1908, in London, United Kingdom, coinciding with the Franco-British Exhibition.


1908 Summer Olympics medal table
A total of 2,008 athletes representing 22 nations participated in 110 events in 18 sports. Diving, field hockey, and figure skating were contested for the first time at these Games. Argentina, Switzerland and Turkey were the only nations that did not earn any medals.


1908 Summer Olympics medal table
The host nation, the United Kingdom, with by far the most competitors, dominated the medal table, collecting the most gold (56), silver (51), and bronze (39) medals. The 146 medals won at these Games—a major increase from the two medals won at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis—are still the highest number won by a British delegation at any modern Olympics.


1908 Summer Olympics medal table
Particular success was achieved by the British team in the boxing events, where out of a possible fifteen medals across the five weight classes, they won all but the middleweight silver medal, which was taken by Reginald Baker competing for Australasia. The United States finished second in the medal standings, fielding only 112 athletes compared to 676 that were entered by Britain.


1908 Summer Olympics medal table
Australasia was the name given to the combined team of athletes from Australia (making its fourth Olympic appearance) and New Zealand (competing for the first time). The host team included a number of athletes from Ireland, at the time part of the United Kingdom. In contrast, Finland, which was integrated in the Russian Empire, competed in London as a separate country.


1908 Summer Olympics medal table, Medal table
This is the full table of the medal count of the 1908 Summer Olympics, based on the medal count of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). These rankings sort by the number of gold medals earned by a country. The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze medals. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically. This information is provided by the IOC; however the IOC does not recognize or endorse any ranking system.


1908 Summer Olympics medal table, Notes
The IOC medal database incorrectly shows the bronze medal for Dorothy Greenhough-Smith in women's figure skating for Germany (GER) instead of Great Britain (GBR), and therefore, counts 38 bronze medals for GBR and 6 bronze medals for GER. The corrected totals are shown on this table. Anastasios Metaxas (GRE) is generally credited with a bronze medal in men's individual trap shooting; no tie-breaker was held. The 1908 official report lists Metaxas as having tied with Alexander Maunder (GBR) and assigns bronze medals to each. However, Metaxas does not appear in the IOC medal database, which lists only Maunder as sole bronze medalist. The corrected totals are shown on this table.


1908 Svenska Mästerskapet
The 1908 Svenska Mästerskapet was the thirteenth season of Svenska Mästerskapet, the football Cup to determine the Swedish champions. IFK Göteborg won the tournament by defeating IFK Uppsala in the final with a 4–3 score.


1908 Svenska Mästerskapet Final
The 1908 Svenska Mästerskapet Final was played on 11 October 1908 between the first-time finalists IFK Göteborg and the second-time finalists IFK Uppsala. The match decided the winner of 1908 Svenska Mästerskapet, the football cup to determine the Swedish champions. IFK Göteborg won their first ever title with a 4–3 victory.


1908 Swedish general election
General elections were held in Sweden in September 1908. Right-winger Arvid Lindman stayed on as Prime Minister.


1908 Swedish general election, Results
Only 34.7% of the male population aged over 21 was eligible to vote. Voter turnout was 61.3%, the highest since Riksdag elections began in 1866.


1908 Swiss federal election
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 29 October 1908. The Free Democratic Party retained its majority in the National Council.


1908 Swiss federal election, Electoral system
The 167 members of the National Council were elected in 49 single- and multi-member constituencies using a three-round system. Candidates had to receive a majority in the first or second round to be elected; if it went to a third round, only a plurality was required. Voters could cast as many votes as there were seats in their constituency. There was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population.


1908 Swiss federal election, Results, Summary
Voter turnout was highest in Aargau at 83.1% (higher than the 80% in Schaffhausen, where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Zug at 16.1%.


1908 Swiss referendums
Three referendums were held in Switzerland during 1908. The first two were held on 5 July on amending the federal trade law and on banning absinthe. Both were approved by a majority of voters and cantons. The third was held on 25 October on adding article 24bis to the constitution, concerning hydroelectricity and electricity. It was also approved by a majority of voters and cantons.


1908 Swiss referendums, Background
The referendum on banning Absinthe was a popular initiative, whilst the referendums on the trade law and amending the constitution were mandatory referendums. Both types required a double majority; a majority of the popular vote and majority of the cantons. The decision of each canton was based on the vote in that canton. Full cantons counted as one vote, whilst half cantons counted as half.


1908 Syracuse Orangemen football team
The 1908 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in the 1908 college football season. The team was coached by first-year head coach Howard Jones.


1908 TCU football team
The 1908 TCU football team represented Texas Christian University (TCU) as an independent during the 1908 college football season. Led by Jesse R. Langley in his first year as head coach, TCU compiled a record of 6–3. They played their home games in Waco, Texas.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1908 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The season was the second of head coach George Levene's three-year tenure.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, North Carolina
Fullback Clarence McCollum returned a fumble 75 yards against North Carolina.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, Maryville
In the second week of play, the Vols beat Maryville 39–5.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, Kentucky State
Tennessee celebrated the victory over Kentucky State 7–0, as they were outweighed 10 pounds to the man. A 40-yard run by Leach set up an offtackle run by Peery.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, Georgia
Leach scored all of Tennessee's points in the 10–0 victory over Georgia with a 30-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a 40-yard field goal.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, Georgia Tech
Tennessee defeated John Heisman's Georgia Tech team 6–5, "in a game in which they clearly outplayed the Yellow Jackets". Tech scored first thanks to three consecutive completed forward passes. Perry scored Tennessee's touchdown. He scored another just after the referee blew the whistle to end the contest.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, at Vanderbilt
1908 was a down year for Vanderbilt with a wealth of sophomores; guided shrewdly by McGugin to its success. Vanderbilt won the match between the two schools 16 to 9.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, at Vanderbilt
Walker Leach made a 41-yard field goal to put the Vols up 4 to 0. "This seemed to arouse the local team" and Vanderbilt drove down the field for a touchdown. On a fake kick, Leach circled Vanderbilt's left end for 60 yards. Ray Morrison stopped him short of the goal.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Season summary, Alabama
Alabama surprised with the 4 to 0 victory over Tennessee to close the season.


1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team, Postseason
Walker Leach and Nathan Dougherty were selected All-Southern. Vanderbilt coach Dan McGugin noted "All things considered, Leach was perhaps the best football player of the year in  Dixie."


1908 Tennessee gubernatorial election
The 1908 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Incumbent Democrat Malcolm R. Patterson defeated Republican nominee G. N. Tillman with 53.73% of the vote.


1908 Texas A&M Aggies football team
The 1908 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M during the 1908 college football season.


1908 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1908 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1908 college football season.


1908 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
The 1908 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel Academy in the 1908 college football season. This was the fourth year of intercollegiate football at The Citadel, with Ralph Foster serving as coach for the third season. The Board of Visitors would not permit the cadets to travel outside the city of Charleston for games, and all games are believed to have been played at Hampton Park at the site of the old race course.


1908 Tie Cup Final
The 1908 Tie Cup Final was the final match to decide the winner of the Tie Cup, the 9th. edition of the international competition organised by the Argentine and Uruguayan Associations together. The final was contested by Argentine Alumni and Uruguayan Wanderers, which played its first final.


1908 Tie Cup Final
In the match, played at Belgrano Athletic venue on Superí street in Belgrano, Alumni beat Wanderers 4–0, with three goals by Alfredo Brown, achieving its fifth Tie Cup trophy.


1908 Tie Cup Final, Overview
Alumni qualified for the final after having won the Copa de Competencia Jockey Club, where the squad San Martín A.C. (3–1), Belgrano (3–0), and Argentino de Quilmes in the final (5–0). The match was held in the Belgrano Athletic venue on Superí and Virrey del Pino streets on 6 September 1908, with an attendance of 7,000.


1908 Tie Cup Final, Overview
On 6 minutes, Ernesto Brown threw a corner kick into the penalty area that Bertone turned the ball into Wanderer's own goal. Four minutes later, Alfredo Brown received the ball from a throw-in and after eluding Apesteguy shot to the goal scoring the second goal for Alumni. In the second half, Weiss ran to make a pass to Alfredo Brown who scored his second goal for the 3–0. On 65 minutes, goalkeeper Saporiti hit the ball from a corner kick, but the ball was reached by Alfredo Brown who kicked it with a strong shot that became the fourth goal for Alumni.


1908 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The 1908 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship was the 19th staging of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Tipperary County Board in 1887.


1908 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
Thurles won the championship after a 2-06 to 4-02 defeat of Glengoole in the final. It was their fifth championship title overall and their third title in succession.


1908 Toronto Argonauts season
The 1908 Toronto Argonauts season was the Argonaut Football Club's 11th season of organized league play since joining the Ontario Rugby Football Union in 1898, and its second season in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union. The team finished in last place in the "Big Four" league with one win and five losses and failed to qualify for the Dominion playoffs.


1908 Toronto Argonauts season
Soon after the end of the 1907 season all but three of the Argos' regulars abandoned the Double Blue, along with manager Billy Hewitt and coach Billy Wood, to become founding members of the new Toronto Amateur Athletic Club. Following the example of the influential Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the TAAC established a new football team, the Toronto Crimson, with a roster that Hewitt built by raiding the Argos and other local clubs. In September the Crimson applied for Big Four membership and challenged the severely weakened Argos to a "test match" for the right to represent Toronto in the league. When the application was rejected the TAAC team joined the ORFU.


1908 Toronto Argonauts season
Bringing back former manager Fred Thompson to manage the club and naming centre Fred "Banty" Russell as player-coach, the Argos devoted the 1908 season to intensive rebuilding efforts. On Thanksgiving Day (November 9) they met the Crimson in a challenge match for the city championship billed as the Battle of Rosedale, which finished in a 15-15 tie.


1908 Tour de France
The 1908 Tour de France was the sixth running of the annual Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It was organised by the newspaper L'Auto, and took place between 13 July and 9 August. The Tour was split in 14 stages, with a total distance of 4,497 kilometres (2,794 mi).


1908 Tour de France
The pre-race favourite was Lucien Petit-Breton, winner of the previous Tour. Petit-Breton dominated the race; he won the general classification and five of the fourteen stages, and thus became the first cyclist who won the Tour twice. For the first time, the final podium in Paris was not completely French: François Faber from Luxembourg ended as second in the general classification, after winning four stages.


1908 Tour de France, Innovations and changes
The 1908 Tour de France followed nearly the same route as the 1907 Tour de France, following the borders of France clockwise. The rules were also the same; the points system was still used instead of the time system to determine the winner.


1908 Tour de France, Innovations and changes
Before the start, the Tour de France organization announced that all necessary measures had been taken to prevent the regrettable incidents as in 1905, and that the 'Apaches' had 90% chance of being caught and spending time in jail. Dismountable tyres were used for the first time; this meant that cyclists could repair their bicycles easier, and a flat tire cost them less time.


1908 Tour de France, Innovations and changes
Because tour organiser Henri Desgrange wanted to keep the Tour de France a race between individual athletes, all cyclists had to ride on frames provided by the Tour organisation. The cyclists were not allowed to change bicycles, so the separation in two different classes in the years before had disappeared, and all cyclists started in the same category.


1908 Tour de France, Participants
Before the race started, 162 cyclists had subscribed for the Tour de France, and received starting numbers. 48 cyclists did not start, so the first stage started with 114 cyclists. Cyclists entered the race individually, not in teams; nevertheless some shared the same sponsor and cooperated as if they rode in teams.


1908 Tour de France, Participants
The favourite for the victory was Lucien Petit-Breton, the winner of the previous edition. He was sponsored by Peugeot, which sponsored also several other strong cyclists; in the five previous editions of the Tour de France, these Peugeot-sponsored cyclists had together won 20 stages. In addition, Petit-Breton was a skilled bicycle mechanic, which was important because the rules said that cyclists had to repair their bicycle without help. The strongest opposition was expected from the cyclists sponsored by Alcyon, led by Georges Passerieu and Gustave Garrigou.


1908 Tour de France, Participants
The Labor-sponsored cyclists started the race in yellow jerseys; in 1908 the yellow jersey for the race leader was not used yet.


1908 Tour de France, Participants
French athlete Marie Marvingt had tried to participate in the 1908 Tour de France, but was refused permission because the race was only open to men. She rode the route after the race, and managed to finish it.


1908 Tour de France, Race overview
At one stage, Henri Desgrange's car broke down, and the tour organiser had to finish the stage in a horse-drawn carriage.


1908 Tour de France, Race overview
In the first stage, from Paris to Roubaix, the cobbles caused many crashes and flat tyres. It was won by Georges Passerieu, while Petit-Breton finished second. The second stage, from Roubaix to Metz, went through Alsace-Lorraine, which was in 1908 part of the German Empire. As in previous years, nails had been thrown on the road. This stage was won by Petit-Breton with Passerieu in second place. Having both won a stage and finished second in the other, Petit-Breton and Passerieu both had 3 points.


1908 Tour de France, Race overview
Some sources show them joint leaders after that stage, while other sources show Passerieu as single leader. In the third stage, started by Count Zeppelin, the Labor boss sent a telegram to the manager of the team after another crash by a Labor team member (Jean Novo): "After Novo's crash and the mediocre results of the other riders, I have decided to abandon the race. You can all ease up and come back by train." The rest of the Tour would be dominated by the cyclists from Peugeot, who won all the stages. At the third stage, Passerieu finished in 30th place; because Petit-Breton finished second, he was now leading the race by a big margin. The stage was won by Faber. Faber had finished at 49th place in the second stage, so he was no direct threat for the general classification.


1908 Tour de France, Race overview
The fourth stage to Lyon was during a snow storm. Faber won his second stage, and although he was still behind in the general classification, his two consecutive stage wins made him a dangerous competitor.


1908 Tour de France, Race overview
In the sixth stage, the Côte de Laffrey and the Col Bayard were climbed, and André Pottier, the younger brother of the 1906 Tour winner René Pottier, reached the tops first. He could not keep the lead, and Faber passed him. Faber lost the lead when he had to stop to fix his bicycle, and at that point Giovanni Gerbi was in the lead. However, three kilometers before the finish, Gerbi's rear wheel broke; Gerbi could not quickly fix his bicycle, so he walked to the finish carrying his bicycle on his back, and finished in seventh place, while the stage was won by Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq.


1908 Tour de France, Race overview
The seventh stage passed through Crau, in desert-like conditions. Petit-Breton was best suited to this type of weather, and easily won. In the ninth stage, won by Petit-Breton, Faber jumped to the second position in the overall classification, with 57 points, while Petit-Breton was still leading with 18 points. Petit-Breton was at that moment almost guaranteed of the victory, because the remaining stages were all flat, which suited him well.


1908 Tour de France, Race overview
Petit-Breton crushed the other cyclists in the eleventh stage, dropping all other cyclists one by one. In the remaining stages the other cyclists tried to beat Petit-Breton by escaping on turns, but Petit-Breton reeled them in each time. In the 13th stage, 415 km from Brest to Caen, the winner Passerieu needed more than 16 hours to finish the stage; the last cyclist to finish that stage, Louis Di Maria, finished 23 hours after Passerieue. Faber could pose no threat to Petit-Breton, and Petit-Breton won the Tour de France easily. His worst placement had been the 10th stage where he finished 10th at one second from the winner; all other stages he was in the top four, winning five of the stages.


1908 Tour de France, Results, Stage results
After the last stage, there was a timed lap of 666 m at the Parc des Princes velodrome in Paris, won by Henri Cornet in 51.2 s. This was not counted as an official stage and had no influence on the overall classification.


1908 Tour de France, Results, General classification
The general classification was calculated by points: at every stage, the winner was given one point, the next cyclist two points, etc. After the eighth stage, when only 39 cyclists were still in the race, the points given in the first eight stages were redistributed among the remaining cyclists, in accordance with their positions in those stages. Of the 114 starting cyclists, 36 finished. The Peugeot team had dominated the race; not only did their cyclists win all 14 stages, but they also had the top four places in the general classification. Even though cyclists entered the race as individuals, officially not connected to sponsors, most cyclists had a sponsor.


1908 Tour de France, Results, General classification
If the winner would have been determined by the time system as used in 1903 and 1904, Petit-Breton would also have been the winner, with Passerieu in second place, Garrigou in third and Faber in fourth.


1908 Tour de France, Results, Other classifications
Second-placed François Faber became the winner of the "pneus démontables" category. The organising newspaper l'Auto named Gustave Garrigou the meilleur grimpeur. This unofficial title is the precursor to the mountains classification.


1908 Tour de France, Results, Prize money
In total, 25000 Francs were distributed in the 1908 Tour de France. The 1908 Tour was split into fourteen stages, and in all but the last stage, the best cyclists received prize money. Between 400 and 500 French Francs was for the winner of each stage, down to 40 Francs for the seventh cyclist to finish. After the last stage, prizes were given for the position in the general classification: 5000 Francs for the winner, down to 100 Francs for the 25th place. All riders that finished were given at least 5 Francs per day. The winner Petit-Breton won 8050 Francs in this way; runner-up Faber won 4595 Francs.


1908 Tour de France, Aftermath
Lucien Petit-Breton became the first cyclist to win two Tours de France. He wrote a book about his life, "Comment je cours sur route". This became a success, and he started to write cycling columns for newspapers. In the next Tour in 1909, Petit-Breton did not participate as a cyclist, but followed the race as a columnist.


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7
The 1908 Tour de France was the 5th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Paris on 13 July and Stage 7 occurred on 25 July with a flat stage to Nîmes. The race finished in Paris on 9 August.


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7, Stage 1
13 July 1908 — Paris to Roubaix, 272 km (169.0 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7, Stage 2
15 July 1908 — Roubaix to Metz, 398 km (247.3 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7, Stage 3
17 July 1908 — Metz to Belfort, 259 km (161 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7, Stage 4
19 July 1908 — Belfort to Lyon, 309 km (192 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7, Stage 5
21 July 1908 — Lyon to Grenoble, 311 km (193 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7, Stage 6
23 July 1908 — Grenoble to Nice, 345 km (214 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7, Stage 7
25 July 1908 — Nice to Nîmes, 354 km (220 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14
The 1908 Tour de France was the 6th edition of Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began in Paris on 13 July and Stage 8 occurred on 27 July with a flat stage from Nîmes. The race finished in Paris on 9 August.


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14, Stage 8
27 July 1908 — Nîmes to Toulouse, 303 km (188.3 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14, Stage 9
29 July 1908 — Toulouse to Bayonne, 299 km (185.8 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14, Stage 10
31 July 1908 — Bayonne to Bordeaux, 269 km (167 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14, Stage 11
2 August 1908 — Bordeaux to Nantes, 391 km (243 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14, Stage 12
4 August 1908 — Nantes to Brest, 321 km (199 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14, Stage 13
6 August 1908 — Brest to Caen, 415 km (258 mi)


1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14, Stage 14
9 August 1908 — Caen to Paris, 251 km (156 mi)


1908 Tuapeka by-election
The Tuapeka by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Tuapeka, a rural seat at the bottom of the South Island.


1908 Tuapeka by-election
The by-election was held on 5 June 1908, and was precipitated by the death of sitting Liberal member of parliament James Bennet. The election was won by William Chapple who stood as an independent Liberal.


1908 Tulane Olive and Blue football team
The 1908 Tulane Olive and Blue football team represented Tulane University during the 1908 college football season.


1908 U.S. National Championships (tennis)
List of champions of the 1908 U.S. National Championships tennis tournament (now known as the US Open). The men's tournament was held from 18 August to 29 August on the outdoor grass courts at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. The women's tournament was held from 22 June to 27 June on the outdoor grass courts at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Philadelphia, PA. It was the 28th U.S. National Championships and the second Grand Slam tournament of the three played that year.


1908 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Men's Singles
William Larned (USA) defeated  Beals Wright (USA) 6–1, 6–2, 8–6


1908 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Women's Singles
Maud Barger-Wallach (USA) defeated  Evelyn Sears (USA) 6–3, 1–6, 6–3


1908 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Men's doubles
Fred Alexander (USA) /  Harold Hackett (USA) defeated  Raymond Little (USA) /  Beals Wright (USA) 6–1, 7–5, 6–2


1908 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Women's doubles
Evelyn Sears (USA) /  Margaret Curtis (USA) defeated  Carrie Neely (USA) /  Miriam Steever (USA) 6–3, 5–7, 9–7


1908 U.S. National Championships (tennis), Finals, Mixed doubles
Edith Rotch (USA) /  Nathaniel Niles (USA) defeated  Louise Hammond Raymond (USA) /  Raymond Little (USA) 6–4, 4–6, 6–4


1908 U.S. National Championships – Men's Singles
Defending champion William Larned won the Challenge Round against Beals Wright 6–1, 6–2, 8–6 to capture the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1908 U.S. National Championships. Wright had defeated Fred Alexander in the All Comers' Final.


1908 U.S. National Championships – Men's Singles
The event was held at the Newport Casino in Newport, R.I., USA.


1908 U.S. National Championships – Women's Singles
Maud Barger-Wallach won the singles tennis title of the 1908 U.S. Women's National Singles Championship by defeating reigning champion Evelyn Sears 6–3, 1–6, 6–3  in the challenge round. Barger-Wallach had won the right to challenge Sears by defeating Marie Wagner 4–6, 6–1, 6–3 in the final of the All Comers' competition. The event was played on outdoor grass courts and held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Wissahickon Heights, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia from June 22 through June 27, 1908.


1908 U.S. Open (golf)
The 1908 U.S. Open was the fourteenth  U.S. Open, held August 27–29 at Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, northeast of Boston. Fred McLeod defeated 1899 champion Willie Smith in an 18-hole playoff to win his only major title.


1908 U.S. Open (golf)
High winds on Thursday caused scores in the first two rounds to soar, with only two players managing to break 80. Willie Smith carded rounds of 77-82 for a three-stroke lead over Myopia club pro John Jones, with brother Alec Smith four back and Fred McLeod five behind.


1908 U.S. Open (golf)
On Friday, Smith struggled to an 85 in the third round in the morning but still held the lead by one over McLeod and two over Alex. In the final round that afternoon, McLeod tied for lowest score of the tournament by carding a 77, while Smith managed a 78 to force a playoff.


1908 U.S. Open (golf)
In the playoff on Saturday, McLeod and Smith were even through 13 holes, but McLeod took the lead at the 14th after Smith missed a par putt. McLeod dominated the rest of the way, going 1-under on the last five holes to shoot a 77 to Smith's 83. McLeod only broke 80 in one round of the tournament, while Smith and Gilbert Nicholls were the only players to shoot in the 70s twice. The winning score of 322 was the third-highest in U.S. Open history.


1908 U.S. Open (golf), Past champions in the field
Did not play: Harry Vardon (1900), Fred Herd (1898), James Foulis (1896).


1908 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The 1908 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place in Berlin for professionals and in Leipzig for amateurs in Germany from 26 July to 2 August 1908. Four events for men were contested, two for professionals and two for amateurs.


1908 USC Methodists football team
The 1908 USC Methodists football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California during the 1908 college football season. The team competed as an independent under head coach William I. Traeger, compiling a 3–1–1 record.


1908 USFSA Football Championship
Statistics of the USFSA Football Championship in the 1908 season.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives in 1908 were held for members of the 61st Congress, coinciding with the 1908 United States presidential election, which William Howard Taft won.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections
Taft was not as popular as his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, but won with Roosevelt's backing, and his Republican Party lost only a handful of seats to the opposition Democrats. Without any striking national issues, the Republicans were able to remain in control. Regional issues led to some changes in House membership, but new Democrats who were elected by dissatisfied industrial workers were balanced out by new Republicans who gained seats in districts with a strong middle class presence.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections, Regular election dates
All the states held their regular elections November 3, 1908 except for three, which, held elections:


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in California
The United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1908 was an election for California's delegation to the United States House of Representatives, which occurred as part of the general election of the House of Representatives on November 3, 1908. All eight districts remained Republican.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for Florida's three House seats in the 61st Congress were held November 3, 1908 alongside the election for President and the election for governor.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, Background
The Democratic Party continued their domination of Florida's politics, having won re-election in all three districts by large majorities in the previous election year against the Republicans and the Socialists.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, Election results
William B. Lamar (D) of the 3rd district declined to run for re-election, instead campaigning unsuccessfully for election to the Senate.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina
The 1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 3, 1908, to select seven Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. All seven incumbents were re-elected and the composition of the state delegation remained solely Democratic.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1st congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman George Swinton Legaré of the 1st congressional district, in office since 1903, defeated Republican challenger Aaron P. Prioleau.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2nd congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman James O'H. Patterson of the 2nd congressional district, in office since 1905, defeated W.S. Smith in the Democratic primary and Republican Isaac C. Myers in the general election.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 3rd congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Wyatt Aiken of the 3rd congressional district, in office since 1903, defeated Julius E. Boggs in the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 4th congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Joseph T. Johnson of the 4th congressional district, in office since 1901, was unopposed in his bid for re-election.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 5th congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman David E. Finley of the 5th congressional district, in office since 1899, won the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 6th congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman J. Edwin Ellerbe of the 6th congressional district, in office since 1901, won the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.


1908 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 7th congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Asbury Francis Lever of the 7th congressional district, in office since 1901, defeated Republican challenger R.H. Richardson.


1908 United States elections
The 1908 United States elections elected the members of the 61st United States Congress, occurring during the Fourth Party System. Oklahoma joined the union during the 61st Congress. Despite the Panic of 1907, Republicans continued to control the Presidency and both houses of Congress.


1908 United States elections
In the Presidential election, Republican former Secretary of War William Howard Taft defeated Democratic former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska. Taft and Bryan won both of their respective parties' nominations on the first ballot. Taft easily won the election, taking most states outside the South. Bryan's loss made him the only presidential nominee of a major party to lose three general elections.


1908 United States elections
Democrats made minor gains in the House, but Republicans maintained a solid majority in the chamber.


1908 United States elections
In the Senate, Democrats picked up one seat, but Republicans continued to hold a commanding majority.


1908 United States gubernatorial elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1908, in 33 states, concurrent with the House, Senate elections and presidential election, on November 3, 1908 (except in Arkansas, Georgia, Maine and Vermont, which held early elections).


1908 United States gubernatorial elections
In Ohio, the gubernatorial election was held in an even-numbered year for the first time, having previously been held in odd-numbered years with the previous election taking place in 1905.


1908 United States presidential election
The 1908 United States presidential election was the 31st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1908. Secretary of War and Republican Party nominee William Howard Taft defeated three-time Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan.


1908 United States presidential election
Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt honored his promise not to seek a third term, and persuaded his close friend, Taft, to become his successor. With Roosevelt's support, Taft won the presidential nomination of the 1908 Republican National Convention on the first ballot. Having lost the 1904 election badly, the Democratic Party re-nominated Bryan, who had been defeated in 1896 and 1900 by Republican William McKinley. Despite his two previous defeats and the waning of the Free Silver issue, Bryan remained extremely popular among the more liberal and populist elements of the Democratic Party.


1908 United States presidential election
Bryan ran a vigorous campaign against the nation's business elite, but the Democrat suffered the worst loss of his three presidential campaigns in the popular vote, as well as his worst defeat in terms of the electoral vote percentage. Taft won 51.6% of the popular vote and carried most states outside of the Solid South. Taft's triumph gave Republicans their fourth straight presidential election victory. Two third-party candidates, Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party and Eugene W. Chafin of the Prohibition Party, each took over 1% of the popular vote.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Republican Party nomination, Candidates
The Republican nomination contest marked the introduction of the presidential preference primary. The idea of the primary to nominate candidates was sponsored by anti-machine politicians such as New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes and Senator Albert B. Cummins. The first state to hold a presidential primary to select delegates to a national convention was Florida in 1904, when Democratic Party voters held a primary among uninstructed candidates for delegate. Early in 1908, the only two Republican contenders running nationwide campaigns for the presidential nomination were Secretary of War William Howard Taft and Governor Joseph B. Foraker, both of Ohio.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Republican Party nomination, Candidates
In the nomination contest, four states held primaries to select national convention delegates. In Ohio, the state Republican Party held a primary on February 11. Candidates pledged to Taft were printed on the ballot in a Taft column, and candidates pledged to Foraker were printed in a column under his name. Taft won a resounding victory in Ohio. The three states holding primaries to select delegates without the preference component were split: California chose a slate of delegates that supported Taft; Wisconsin elected a slate that supported Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and Pennsylvania elected a slate that supported its Senator Philander C. Knox.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Republican Party nomination, Candidates
The 1908 Republican Convention was held in Chicago between June 16 and 19. William Howard Taft was nominated with 702 votes to 68 for Knox, 67 for Hughes, 58 for Cannon, 40 for Fairbanks, 25 for La Follette, 16 for Foraker, 3 for President Roosevelt, and one abstention.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Republican Party nomination, Candidates
Representative James S. Sherman from New York received the vice-presidential nomination.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Party nomination, Candidates
As the 1908 election approached, William Jennings Bryan was the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bryan's most formidable challenger for the nomination was Minnesota Governor John Albert Johnson. Johnson's rags-to-riches story, honesty, reformist credentials, and ability to win in a heavily Republican state made him popular within the Democratic Party. In March, the Minnesota Democratic State Convention endorsed Johnson for president. By the end of June, however, Bryan had amassed more than the requisite two-thirds of the delegates needed for nomination.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Party nomination, Candidates
The 1908 Democratic National Convention was held in Denver between July 7 and 10. Johnson, aware of the fact that Bryan's nomination was a foregone conclusion, released his delegates, thereby allowing Bryan to win the nomination on the first ballot.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Party nomination, Candidates
Bryan left the choice of vice-president to the delegates. John W. Kern from Indiana was unanimously declared the candidate for vice-president without a formal ballot after the names of Charles A. Towne, Archibald McNeil, and Clark Howell were withdrawn from consideration. Kern was a former state senator (1893-1897) and two-time gubernatorial candidate (1900 and 1904).


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Party nomination, Candidates
In response to nomination of Bryan and Kern, The New York Times disparagingly pointed out that the Democratic national ticket was consistent because "a man twice defeated for the Presidency was at the head of it, and a man twice defeated for governor of his state was at the tail of it."


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, People's Party nomination
In 1904 the national Populist Party ticket fared fairly well. Its total was twice the party's total in the previous presidential election, and in ten states, it received over 1% of the vote. It also offered 47 candidates for the House of Representatives, though the only ones elected were cross-endorsed by one of the major parties. The party remained in fusion with either the Democrats or the Republicans in many states.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, People's Party nomination
The following three years were a trying time for the party. When Democrats began to call for the nomination of Bryan in 1908, western Populist leader Thomas Tibbles announced that the People's Party would probably not support him since he had gone into the hands of the Eastern business interests. Two months later, Nebraska Democrats decided in their state convention to end fusion with the Populists, but they changed their mind after an all-night conference. In the midterm elections the party only offered 10 candidates for House, and the Kansas People's Party officially disbanded in December when that state party's leader announced that he was joining the Republicans.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, People's Party nomination
By late 1907, many Populists were hoping that Thomas Watson would agree to run for president again. The previous three years had been unusual for Watson. He gave a speech to a gathering of farmers in Greensborough, Georgia and while preparing for supper, the house where he was staying was burned. In mid-1906, Watson called on Georgia Populists to vote for Hoke Smith for governor in the Democratic primary, which fueled speculation that Watson was thinking of returning to the Democrats.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, People's Party nomination
In early 1907, Watson started a network of Populist-leaning publications to keep the party's principles alive; Tibbles was chosen to serve as the chief editor. One month later, someone fired shots into the Watsons' house in Augusta. He had an altercation with an African-American porter on a train; when the porter said that he was unable to increase the train's speed, Watson hit the man in the face with the cap of his cane.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, People's Party nomination
The People's Party National Committee met on November 26, 1907, to make preparations for the 1908 national convention. National chairman James Ferriss indicated that Thomas Watson was the front runner for the nomination, saying that the party hoped to forge an alliance with one or more of the other minor parties, including possibly the Independence League or the Prohibitionists. In early 1908, however, at least one member of the national committee believed that Senator Robert La Follette of Wisconsin would win the Populist nomination.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, People's Party nomination
On the first day of the convention, the delegation from Nebraska worked to adjourn the convention; they had already decided to support Bryan if he became the Democratic nominee. They managed to delay the official organization of the convention all day. One of their delegates, A.M. Walling of Nebraska, told the New York Times "we shall bolt if the convention attempts to nominate Thomas E. Watson, or any one else. We are not alone, for we have assurances that Minnesota, Georgia, and possibly Michigan and Kansas will walk out when we do".


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, People's Party nomination
The convention was organized on the second day and completed all its relevant business. Watson supporters chose George A. Honnecker of New Jersey to serve as the permanent chairman, defeating the Bryan supporters' choice, Jacob Coxey. The platform called for inflation of the currency, public ownership of railroads, telephones, and telegraphs, labor legislation, and a ban on futures gambling. When the time for nominations began, a schism took place; Watson's name was placed in nomination, and the Nebraska delegation bolted. They were followed by T.J. Weighan, the sole delegate from Minnesota. Watson was then nominated for president; his running mate was Samuel Williams of Indiana.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, Socialist Party nomination
Eugene Debs had originally hoped that Bill Haywood, who had attained a national profile from being put on trial for the murder of Frank Steunenberg, of which he was acquitted, would run for the Socialist nomination for president. At this time however the Socialist Party was fracturing between its radical and more moderate elements, and Debs was deemed the only candidate capable of keeping the party unified. He was overwhelmingly nominated for the presidency on the first ballot, with Benjamin Hanford again named as his running-mate.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, Socialist Labor Party nomination
The Socialist Labor Party met in New York, New York from July 2 to July 5 in Arlington Hall, St. Mark's Place. While increasingly dwarfed by the growing membership of the Socialist Party led by Eugene Debs and Bill Haywood, Daniel De Leon and his compatriots remained committed to maintaining their separate course, considering Debs and his platform as "reactionary". An attempt was made to depose Leon from his position of editor of the Party's papers in favor of a more moderate candidate, fearing that Leon's writings were alienating voters who might otherwise be sympathetic to their cause.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, Socialist Labor Party nomination
The report was overwhelmingly voted down after Leon spoke in defense of his conduct as the Party's editor, with a rival report being adopted praising his leadership. When it came time for the nominations, Leon personally nominated Martin Preston of Nevada, who was currently serving a twenty-five year sentence for the murder of Anton Silva. While noting that Preston was only 32 at the time, Leon remarked that "it was for the working people to elect Preston, and if he was elected he would be seated". Preston's nomination was ratified unanimously, with Donald Munro of Virginia winning in a contest against Arthur S. Dower of Texas for the Vice Presidential nomination. The nominations were later formalized at Cooper Union following the close of the convention.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, Socialist Labor Party nomination
Only days later however Martin Preston replied in a telegram that he could not accept the Presidential nomination, a declination that had not been expected nor prepared for. August Gillhaus of New York was later then nominated in Preston's stead.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, Prohibition Party nomination
The Prohibition Party met in Columbus, Ohio on July 14 and 15 to nominate their presidential ticket. Eugene Chafin was nominated on the third ballot in an open contest. When the runner-up for the Presidential nomination William Palmore, a Methodist Minister from Missouri and Editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate, declined his nomination for the Vice Presidency, the convention hurriedly allowed for a new set of nominations and another ballot. Aaron Watkins of Ohio would win a majority on the first ballot.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, Independence Party nomination
Disappointed with his performance in the 1904 Democratic presidential nomination campaign, and disillusioned as to his chances of successfully attaining it in 1908, William Randolph Hearst decided to run instead on the ticket of a third party of his own making. Originally borne from the Municipal Ownership League, a vehicle for Hearst's ultimately unsuccessful bid for the mayoralty of New York in 1905, it was Hearst's intention to fuse it with the remnants of the Populist Party led by Thomas Watson, a former Representative from Georgia who had been its presidential nominee in 1904. However, these intentions were dashed when every candidate that the Independence Party put forth in elections held in New York was elected except Hearst himself, despite an endorsement by the Democratic Party. Devastated, Hearst declared his intention never again to be a candidate.


1908 United States presidential election, Nominations, Third parties and independents, Independence Party nomination
While Hearst would no longer be the nominee, he fully intended to exercise influence at Independence Party's convention; the platform itself was in large part a statement of his own views. With its candidates nominated, the party's purpose was changed from being a path for Hearst's presidential ambitions to being an instrument of his wrath. Through the influence of his papers and generous financial donations, Hearst hoped that the Independence ticket would draw away votes from William Jennings Bryan and lead to his defeat against Taft, a personal vendetta for Bryan failing to support his own bid for the Presidency in 1904.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Campaign
With the Free Silver issue no longer dominant, Bryan campaigned on a progressive platform attacking "government by privilege." His campaign slogan, "Shall the People Rule? ", was featured on numerous posters and campaign memorabilia. However, Taft undercut Bryan's liberal support by accepting some of his reformist ideas, and Roosevelt's progressive policies blurred the distinctions between the parties. Republicans also used the slogan "Vote for Taft now, you can vote for Bryan anytime," a sarcastic reference to Bryan's two failed previous presidential campaigns.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Campaign
The Socialist candidate, Eugene Debs, embarked on an ambitious whistle-stop tour aboard a train nicknamed the Red Special, giving speeches regarding the Socialist cause across the country. The exertion of the tour exhausted Debs, and at certain points his brother Theodore - who bore a great resemblance to Eugene - substituted for him to allow the candidate to rest.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Campaign
Businessmen continued to support the Republican Party, and Bryan failed to secure the support of labor. As a result, Bryan ended up with the worst of his three defeats in the national popular vote. He lost almost all the northern states to Taft and the popular vote by 8 percentage points.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Campaign
This would be Bryan's last campaign for the presidency, although he would remain a popular figure within the Democratic Party and in 1912 would play a key role in securing the presidential nomination for Woodrow Wilson. Charles W. Bryan, William's brother, would become the (losing) Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1924. Bryan's 162 electoral votes from this election, combined with his 155 and 176 electoral votes from 1900 and 1896 respectively, make him the person with the most electoral votes never to be president.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
Forty-six states participated, as Oklahoma had joined the Union less than a year before. Bryan won forty-eight counties in the new state of Oklahoma. The most important increase in number of counties carried by Bryan was in the West South Central section, in part due to the vote of newly admitted Oklahoma.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
Of the 2,858 counties making returns, Taft won in 1,494 (52.27%) while Bryan carried 1,355 (47.41%). Nine (0.31%) counties recorded more votes cast for "Other(s)" than either of the two-party candidates, whilst twenty-eight counties (0.97%) recorded zero votes due to being inhabited either by Native Americans who would not gain full citizenship for sixteen years, or by disenfranchised southern African-Americans. Taft had a majority in 1,325 counties while Bryan had a majority in 1,204 counties.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
By carrying 1,355 counties, Bryan won more counties than he had in 1900 (1,340), but he did not reach or surpass the number of counties he had won in 1896 (1,559). While Bryan won more counties than McKinley in 1896, Bryan failed to carry more counties than the Republican candidate in 1900 or 1904. Compared with his strength in previous elections, however, Bryan carried 69 counties in 1908 which had not been Democratic in either 1896 or 1900.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
Bryan increased the area carried by Democrats in every part of the country except New England and the South. He doubled the number of Democratic counties in Wisconsin and won more counties in Indiana than were carried by plurality vote by the Democrats in any election in the Fourth Party System except 1912. He made decided gains in Missouri and in his home state of Nebraska, besides achieving notable victories in Colorado and Nevada. However, in four Western states (Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, and North Dakota), there was not one Democratic county. This was true likewise of Michigan, Delaware, and each of the New England states.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
The total vote increased greatly, by more than a million vis-à-vis 1904. Each party shared in the increase, but whereas Taft had nearly fifty thousand more than Theodore Roosevelt, Bryan had nearly 1,500,000 more votes than Alton Parker had garnered, and more than in either of his previous campaigns.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
It was noticeable that the "other" vote was only about seven thousand less than four years earlier. The "other" vote was a plurality in nine counties in the states of Georgia and Texas.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
The size of the vote cast for the defeated Bryan in 1908 is clear evidence of perhaps the most striking feature of the American presidential vote. In this third attempt at the presidency, and in an election following one in which the nominee of his party polled only five million votes, Bryan had heavy support in every section of the country, and in every state. Moreover, nearly two-thirds of the vote cast for Bryan was from the fifteen states of the (Northeastern) Mid -Atlantic, East North Central, and West North Central sections, in which the Democratic candidate carried only one state (Nebraska).


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
Despite all conclusions as to predominant sentiment in the different sections and its economic, social, and political causes, there was a national vote cast for Bryan, and it was urban as well as rural; it was eastern, western, southern, and northern. Everywhere the Democratic Party was the minority party, and it was not hopeless, nor was it helpless. It was the agency for the expression of the opposition of almost six and a half million voters. According to Historian George E. Mowry:


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Results
As of 2021, this is the last of only two elections when Kansas and Nebraska have not voted for the same candidate. The election of 1908 was the last election in which a Republican won the presidency without winning Nebraska, and the last in which Nebraska voted differently to Kansas and North Dakota.


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Geography of results
Results by county, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote


1908 United States presidential election, General election, Close states
Margin of victory between 5% and 10% (60 electoral votes):


1908 United States presidential election in Alabama
The 1908 United States presidential election in Alabama took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Alabama voters chose eleven electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Alabama
Alabama was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana.


1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas
The 1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose nine electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Since 1890, Arkansas had been a classic Jim Crow Southern state in which most blacks and poor whites had been disfranchised by poll taxes. This would confine significant Republican Party politics to the two Unionist Ozark counties of Newton and Searcy that remained controlled by the GOP at a local level throughout the “Solid South” era. Because the coinage of silver had been the dominant political issue apart from black disfranchisement ever since the poll tax was passed, the state would powerfully back “free silver” Democrat William Jennings Bryan in 1896.


1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas
However, in the following elections disfranchisement affected poor whites more than blacks, with the result that the Republican Party became somewhat more competitive despite being still associated with Reconstruction. The GOP was helped in the earlier 1900s elections by the view that 1904 Democratic nominee Alton B. Parker had betrayed Bryan with his support for the gold standard.


1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas
By October polls made it clear that Arkansas would stay firmly with the “Solid South”, and this is what was observed: indeed Bryan improved on Parker's 1904 margin by almost five percentage points despite dislike of Bryan's retreat from free silver.


1908 United States presidential election in California
The 1908 United States presidential election in California  took place on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose 10 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in California
California voted for the Republican nominee, former War Secretary William Howard Taft, in a landslide over the Democratic nominee, former Nebraska representative and the 1896 and 1900 nominee, William Jennings Bryan.


1908 United States presidential election in Colorado
The 1908 United States presidential election in Colorado took place on November 3, 1908, as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose five representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Colorado, Background
The 1908 Democratic National Convention was held in Denver between July 7 and 10.


1908 United States presidential election in Colorado, Vote
The Bryan/Kern ticket carried the state of Colorado on election day.


1908 United States presidential election in Colorado, Vote
Bryan had previously won Colorado against William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900.


1908 United States presidential election in Colorado, Vote
Until 2016, this was the last presidential election where a Democrat carried Colorado without winning the presidency.


1908 United States presidential election in Connecticut
The 1908 United States presidential election in Connecticut took place on November 3, 1908, as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose seven representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Connecticut
Connecticut voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a margin of 23.51%.


1908 United States presidential election in Delaware
The 1908 United States presidential election in Delaware took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Delaware
Delaware was won by the Republican nominees, former Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York.


1908 United States presidential election in Florida
The 1908 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 3, 1908. Voters chose five representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice-President.


1908 United States presidential election in Florida, Background
With the disenfranchisement of African-Americans by a poll tax in 1889, Florida become a one-party Democratic state, which it was to remain until the 1950s, apart from the anti-Catholic vote against Al Smith in 1928. Unlike southern states extending into the Appalachian Mountains or Ozarks, or Texas with its German settlements in the Edwards Plateau, Florida completely lacked upland or German refugee whites opposed to secession.


1908 United States presidential election in Florida, Background
Thus Florida's Republican Party between 1872 and 1888 was entirely dependent upon black votes, a fact is graphically seen when one considers that – although very few blacks in Florida had ever voted within the previous fifty-five years – at the time of the landmark court case of Smith v. Allwright, half of Florida's registered Republicans were still black. Thus disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites left Florida as devoid of Republican adherents as Louisiana, Mississippi, or South Carolina.


1908 United States presidential election in Florida, Background
Nevertheless, Florida's one-party Democratic rule was to be marginally interrupted in the 1900s by considerable Socialist and Populist growth, centered in Tampa and Jacksonville, and southern Lee County with its "Koreshan Unity" sect Immigrants and farmers fearing loss of tenure were able to give Eugene Debs, in the second of his five Presidential runs, over ten percent of the vote in several counties of South Florida, and Populist Thomas E. Watson substantial votes in many pineywoods counties.


1908 United States presidential election in Florida, Background
1908 saw several major strikes in the state, notably of railcars in Pensacola, and Debs was able to improve upon his 1904 vote to the extent of running second in five counties. However, Bryan still carried the state by a three-to-one margin over his nearest rival.


1908 United States presidential election in Georgia
The 1908 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 3, 1908, as part of the wider United States Presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Georgia, Background
Following Reconstruction, Georgia would be the first former Confederate state to substantially disenfranchise its newly enfranchised freedmen, doing so in the early 1870s. This largely limited the Republican Party to a few North Georgia counties with substantial Civil War Unionist sentiment – chiefly Fannin but also to a lesser extent Pickens, Gilmer and Towns. The Democratic Party served as the guardian of white supremacy against a Republican Party historically associated with memories of Reconstruction, and the main competition became Democratic primaries, which state laws restricted to whites on the grounds of the Democratic Party being legally a private club.


1908 United States presidential election in Georgia, Background
However, politics after the first demobilization by a cumulative poll tax was chaotic. Third-party movements, chiefly the Populist Party, gained support amongst poor whites and the remaining black voters in opposition to the planter elite. The fact that Georgia had already substantially reduced its poor white and black electorate two decades ago, alongside pressure from urban elites in Atlanta, meant the Populist movement substantially faded in the late 1890s. Nevertheless, this did not prevent demands for more complete disenfranchisement after the state’s politics again turned chaotic as former Vice-Presidential candidate Thomas E. Watson attempted to revive the Populist Party in 1904, whilst Hoke Smith ran for Governor as a radical reformist in 1906.


1908 United States presidential election in Georgia, Background
The aim of co-opting the Populists led Georgia to become the last former Confederate state to initiate a full-scale disenfranchisement plan to largely eliminate the seventy thousand or so blacks who remained on the rolls. The process, involving a literacy test and a grandfather clause in addition to the poll tax, alongside statewide white primaries, was achieved in the next presidential election year, when a transformed Watson ran for the Populist Party on a white supremacist campaign. At the same time the Republican Party aimed to make gains in the South because of opposition by developing manufacturers to William Jennings Bryan’s populism, and by nominee William Howard Taft’s willingness to accept black disfranchisement.


1908 United States presidential election in Georgia, Vote
At the beginning of September, Taft spoke of carrying Georgia and other southern states, though this idea was dismissed by Democratic committee members. Polls, when taken in October, always suggested Bryan would win the state, though by a smaller margin than usual. This was indeed the observed result, although anti-populist sentiment resulted in the GOP carrying twelve secessionist upcountry counties that had never gone Republican before. Watson fell substantially from his 1904 performance, and would disband the Populist Party after the election.


1908 United States presidential election in Idaho
The 1908 United States presidential election in Idaho took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, who selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Idaho
Idaho was won by the Republican nominees, former Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York.


1908 United States presidential election in Idaho
William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic Party candidate, had previously defeated William McKinley in the state in both 1896 and 1900.


1908 United States presidential election in Illinois
The 1908 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose 27 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Illinois
Illinois was won by the Republican nominees, former Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York.


1908 United States presidential election in Indiana
The 1908 United States presidential election in Indiana took place on November 3, 1908. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Indiana
Indiana voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a narrow margin of 1.49%.


1908 United States presidential election in Iowa
The 1908 United States presidential election in Iowa took place on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Iowa
Iowa voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a margin of 15.04%.


1908 United States presidential election in Kansas
The 1908 United States presidential election in Kansas was held on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Kansas voters chose ten electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Kansas
In its first thirty years as a state Kansas had been powerfully Republican, but with the Populist movement and major agricultural crises the state turned to James B. Weaver in 1892 and William Jennings Bryan in 1896; however, President William McKinley won a rematch with Bryan in 1900. With the return to a conservative “Gold Democrat” candidate in 1904, Kansas reverted to rock-solid Republican as Alton Brooks Parker failed to carry a single county in the state against Theodore Roosevelt.


1908 United States presidential election in Kansas
For 1908, William Jennings Bryan – the only Democrat so far to win the state in a Presidential election – was nominated for a third time. However, at the beginning of October predictions suggested that not enough of the Bryan voters who deserted Parker would return to enable the “Commoner” to emulate his success of 1896.


1908 United States presidential election in Kansas
Bryan did tour Kansas late in his campaign at the beginning of November, but the fact that Kansas’ local Republicans were supportive of Taft's plan to guarantee bank deposits for all customers via the state treasurer meant that the state was always in Taft's hands. The GOP nominee would ultimately carry Kansas by 9.60%, an improvement of over 2% upon McKinley's 1900 result and of 13.26% upon the Republican result from 1896.


1908 United States presidential election in Kentucky
The 1908 United States presidential election in Kentucky took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Kentucky voters chose 13 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Kentucky
Kentucky was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana. Although the overall result was very similar to the previous two elections, Taft was the only Republican to carry Breathitt County until John S. McCain III in 2008.


1908 United States presidential election in Louisiana
The 1908 United States presidential election in Louisiana took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose nine electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Louisiana
Louisiana was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana. With 84.63 percent of the popular vote, Louisiana would also prove to be Bryan's third strongest victory in terms of percentage in the popular vote only after South Carolina and Mississippi.


1908 United States presidential election in Maine
The 1908 United States presidential election in Maine took place on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose six representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Maine
Maine voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a margin of 29.71%.


1908 United States presidential election in Maine
With 63% of the popular vote, Maine would be Taft's second strongest victory in terms of percentage in the popular vote after nearby Vermont.


1908 United States presidential election in Maryland
The 1908 United States presidential election in Maryland took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Maryland
After having trended heavily Republican during Bryan's previous two elections in 1896 and 1900, Maryland would become exceedingly close in 1904 with Alton B. Parker taking 7 of 8 electoral votes despite the highest Theodore Roosevelt elector beating any of Parker's by 51 votes. Large-scale immigration and efforts to reduce the solidly Republican Negro vote were opposed for this election by dislike of Bryan's populism in this urbanising and Northeastern-leaning state.


1908 United States presidential election in Maryland
At first, the latter trend appeared to be strong, and by the middle of September Taft's campaign managers thought Maryland was safe in his pocket, although Bryan had campaigned in the state a few days previously. This trend continued into early October as Roosevelt's war on Samuel Gompers was believed a major aid to Taft. However, a new poll in the second week of October suggested the state could go the Bryan by 15,000 votes, By election day, it was clear that Maryland would be almost as close as the 1904 election had proved.


1908 United States presidential election in Maryland
Maryland was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana, although the highest elector for Republican candidates William Howard Taft and James S. Sherman gained 605 more votes than the highest Bryan elector. This difference was supposedly due to the “Wilson Law” designed to make it easier for Democrats to cast ballots for both Presidential electors and Congress by a simple turning down of a single fold in the ballot paper.


1908 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
The 1908 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose 16 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Massachusetts overwhelmingly voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a margin of 24.17%.


1908 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Taft was able to win every county in the state of Massachusetts, including a rare Republican victory in Suffolk County, home to the state's capital and largest city, Boston. Bryan had previously lost Suffolk County in 1896 but won it in his rematch with William McKinley in 1900.


1908 United States presidential election in Michigan
The 1908 United States presidential election in Michigan took place on November 3, 1908, as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose 14 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Michigan
Michigan voted for Republican nominee William Howard Taft from Ohio over Democratic candidate Nebraskan William Jennings Bryan. The Republican ticket received nearly 62% of the vote, while the Democrats received 32%.


1908 United States presidential election in Michigan
With 61.93% of the popular vote, Michigan would be Taft's third strongest victory in terms of percentage in the popular vote after Vermont and Maine.


1908 United States presidential election in Minnesota
The 1908 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Minnesota voters chose 11 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Minnesota was won by the Republican candidate, United States Secretary of War William Howard Taft over former Nebraska Congressman and two-time prior Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan by a landslide margin of 26.09%. Taft went on to defeat Bryan nationally, with 321 electoral votes to the Democratic nominee's 162.


1908 United States presidential election in Mississippi
The 1908 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 3, 1908. Voters chose 10 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Mississippi
Mississippi overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan, over the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft. Bryan won the state by a landslide margin of 83.6%. Mississippi would prove to be Bryan's second strongest state this year after only South Carolina.


1908 United States presidential election in Missouri
The 1908 United States presidential election in Missouri took place on November 3, 1908, as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose 18 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Missouri
Missouri was narrowly won by Secretary of War William Howard Taft (R–Ohio), running with James S. Sherman, with 48.50% of the popular vote, against former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan (D–Nebraska), running with John W. Kern, with 48.41% of the popular vote.


1908 United States presidential election in Montana
The 1908 United States presidential election in Montana took place on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Montana
Montana voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a narrow margin of 4.37%.


1908 United States presidential election in Montana
Bryan had previously won Montana by large margins in both 1896 and 1900, defeating William McKinley both times.


1908 United States presidential election in Nebraska
The 1908 United States presidential election in Nebraska took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Nebraska
Nebraska was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana.


1908 United States presidential election in Nebraska
Bryan won his home state to Republican Party candidate William Howard Taft by a narrow margin of 1.54%. Bryan had previously won Nebraska against William McKinley in 1896 but lost it to McKinley in their 1900 rematch. As of the 2020 election, this was the last election in which the Republican candidate won the election without winning Nebraska.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada
The 1908 United States presidential election in Nevada was held on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada
Nevada was won by Democratic nominee  William Jennings Bryan, who narrowly won the state with 45.71% of the vote, to the Republican Party nominee William Howard Taft’s 43.93%, winning him the state’s three electoral votes.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada
Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received his highest percentage nationally in Nevada with 8.57% of the vote. Bryan, who had also carried the state against William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900 saw a loss of 35.50% from his 1896 vote and of 16.54% from his 1900 vote.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada
Until 2016, this was the last presidential election where a Democrat carried Nevada without winning the presidency.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada, Campaign
The six Democratic Nevada delegates were selected at the state convention held in Carson City and consisted of Senator Francis G. Newlands, Governor Denver S. Dickerson, Winfield Scott Elliott, Ed W. Clark, John Sunderland, and Charles R. Evans with A. W. Dawley, Charles Green, Thomas Dunn, journalist A. P. Bettersworth, Fred L. White, and Captain G. W. Thatcher serving as alternative delegates with instruction to vote for Bryan. Recently elected Governor Dickerson lead the Nevada delegation at the Democratic national convention. Charles L. Sprague, L. L. Hudson, and Joseph A. Miller were selected as the three Democratic presidential electors.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada, Campaign
The five Republican Nevada delegates were selected at the state convention held in Winnemucca and consisted of J. F. Douglas, P. L. Flanigan, Wm. Easton, Hugh Brown, and Geo Russell and were to be accompanied by Senator George S. Nixon and were left uninstructed as to whom to vote for, but stated that they favored Taft. M. D. Staunton, John G. Thompson, O. R. Morgan, O. J. Smith, and R. W. Parry were selected as alternative delegates. J. G. Thompson, H. A. Comins, and W. R. Thomas were selected as the Republican presidential electors.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada, Campaign
The Socialist Party of America's presidential electors were J. B. Gibson, Charles T. Williams, and A. E. Anderson. The Independence Party's presidential electors were H. W. Miles, Dean Martin, and J. C. Hagerman.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada, Campaign
In September Eugene V. Debs made a short stop in Caliente and addressed a crowd during a train stop.


1908 United States presidential election in Nevada, Campaign
On October 31 a political rally in favor of Taft was held in Reno where Senatorial candidate P. L. Flanigan, former Nevada Supreme Court Justice William A. Massey, and others spoke in favor of Taft, their candidacies, and of the Republican platform.


1908 United States presidential election in New Hampshire
The 1908 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in New Hampshire
New Hampshire solidly voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a margin of 21.76%.


1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey
The 1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose 14 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey
New Jersey was won by the Republican nominees, United States Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio and his running mate Congressman James S. Sherman of New York. Taft and Sherman defeated the Democratic nominees, former Congressman and two-time prior presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate Senator John W. Kern of Indiana. Also in the running was the Socialist Party candidate, Eugene V. Debs, who ran with Ben Hanford.


1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey
Taft carried New Jersey comfortably with 56.80 percent of the vote to Bryan's 39.07 percent, a victory margin of 17.72 percent.


1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey
Eugene Debs came in a distant third, with 2.19 percent.


1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey
Like much of the Northeast, New Jersey in the early decades of the 20th century was a staunchly Republican state, having not given a majority of the vote to a Democratic presidential candidate since 1892. While winning a comfortable victory nationwide, Taft easily held New Jersey in the Republican column in 1908.


1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey
On the county level map, Taft carried 18 of the state's 21 counties, breaking 60% of the vote in 8 counties. Bryan won only the three rural counties in western North Jersey, Warren, Sussex, and Hunterdon, which had long been non-Yankee Democratic enclaves in the otherwise Republican Northeast.


1908 United States presidential election in New Jersey
New Jersey's election result in 1908 made the state over 9% more Republican than the national average.


1908 United States presidential election in New York
The 1908 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 3, 1908. All 46 contemporary states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose 39 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in New York
New York was won by the Republican nominees, United States Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio and his running mate Congressman James S. Sherman of New York. Taft and Sherman defeated the Democratic nominees, former Congressman and two-time prior presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate Senator John W. Kern of Indiana. Also in the running was the Socialist Party candidate, Eugene V. Debs, who ran with Ben Hanford.


1908 United States presidential election in New York
Taft carried New York State with 53.11% of the vote to Bryan's 40.74%, a victory margin of 12.37%. Debs finished a distant third, receiving 2.35% of the vote in the state.


1908 United States presidential election in New York
New York weighed in for this election as about 4% more Republican than the national average. The Empire State would prove to be a Republican stronghold during the Fourth Party System, voting for Republican candidates in the presidential elections of that era barring Woodrow Wilson's win four years later.


1908 United States presidential election in North Carolina
The 1908 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. North Carolina voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in North Carolina
North Carolina was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana. Although, like all former Confederate states, North Carolina would during its “Redemption” develop a politics based upon Jim Crow laws, disfranchisement of its African-American population and dominance of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party possessed sufficient historic Unionist white support from the mountains and northwestern Piedmont to gain a stable one-third of the statewide vote total in general elections even after blacks lost the right to vote.


1908 United States presidential election in North Carolina
After the failure of Theodore Roosevelt to reconcile with the South, new nominee Taft would in October become the first Republican candidate to tour the South. Aided by opposition by developing manufacturers to Bryan’s populism, and by his willingness to accept black disfranchisement Taft gained substantially upon Theodore Roosevelt’s performance in 1904, especially in previously Democratic western and Piedmont counties. He was the first Republican to ever carry Cabarrus County and Catawba County – which would become solidly Republican after World War I and among thirteen Tar Heel counties to back Barry Goldwater over Lyndon Johnson – and also Jackson County.


1908 United States presidential election in North Dakota
The 1908 United States presidential election in North Dakota took place on November 3, 1908. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in North Dakota
North Dakota voted for the Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft, over the Democratic nominee, former U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan. Taft won the state by a margin of 26.23%.


1908 United States presidential election in North Dakota
With 61.02% of the popular vote, North Dakota would be Taft's fourth strongest victory in terms of percentage in the popular vote after Vermont, Maine and Michigan.


1908 United States presidential election in North Dakota
Bryan had previously lost North Dakota to Republican William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900.


1908 United States presidential election in Ohio
The 1908 United States presidential election in Ohio was held on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose 23 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.


1908 United States presidential election in Ohio
Since the Civil War, Ohio politics had been controlled by a conflict between the anti-Civil War Appalachian southeast and German-American counties of the northwest, opposed both to the heavily Yankee and New Englander northeast and to the Ohio Company counties of the southeast. There was also an area of the Virginia Military District in the southwest that was historically the state's Whig stronghold and later voted Republican. The GOP had consistently controlled the state during this era, if largely due to the prevalence of Ohio natives on the ticket, losing only one electoral vote to Democrat Grover Cleveland in 1892. Following the nomination of William Jennings Bryan for the first time in 1896, another Ohio native and former governor in William McKinley strengthened the party's hold on the state by his appeal to white ethnic migrants in Ohio's cities.


1908 United States presidential election in Ohio
In his third campaign against an Ohio native, Bryan extensively toured Ohio, associating Taft with John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil – whom Bryan criticized as "vicious lawbreakers". In September 1908 there had been reports of a major swing that would give Bryan a chance to be the first Democrat to carry the state since Franklin Pierce in 1852, but a week before Bryan's tour it was reported that Gold Democrats and labor were turning away from Bryan.