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The Confederate States Presidential Election of 1915, the 10th CS presidential election, took place on November 2, 1915. Confederate Party candidate Richmond P. Hobson defeated Southern Party candidate James K. Vardaman and Farmer's Party candidate Robert Latham Owen to become the 12th President of the Confederate States.
Background[]
President Lee Slater Overman had presided over a relatively calm time in Confederate history, with his main focus being the continued recovery of the CS economy after the final European embargoes were lifted. The pressure increased in 1914 and 1915, as World War I started in Europe and the United States entered it the next spring. Overman and other prominent Confederate leaders feared that a fully mobilized US might take the opportunity to strike at an unprepared Confederacy, and so the president immediately began a partial mobilization of the Confederate military. This mobilization caused alarm in the US, who thought that the Confederates might be gearing up for an unexpected attack against the North. This election took place in an atmosphere of great tension and uncertainty. In many ways, voters in this election were voting for war or peace.
Confederate Party Nomination[]
The Confederate National Convention was held from July 4-7 in Richmond. There was not a wide selection of candidates in the running, as Vice President Richmond P. Hobson was endorsed by President Overman and several prominent party leaders. He won the nomination on the first ballot and then was given a unanimous nomination on a roll call vote.
Hobson was a famous war hero from the Spanish-Confederate War. He retained his fame even over the long economic panic in the CS and used it to win election to the House of Representatives in 1907. When the Election of 1909 came along, his wartime fame made him an appealing pick to be vice president and he won the nomination easily. He was the youngest vice president in Confederate history at 39 years old, and would be the youngest CS president in history if elected in 1915.
Farmer's Party Nomination[]
The People's Agrarian National Convention was held from June 17-22 in Houston. Senator Robert Latham Owen of Sequoyah was an increasingly popular leader in the party. With Thomas Watson's assent, he was nominated unanimously on the first ballot. Carter Glass of Virginia was nominated for vice president in an effort to balance the ticket between East and West.
Southern Party Nomination[]
The Southern National Convention was held from June 30-July 5 in Atlanta. Nominees included Senator James K. Vardaman of Mississippi, former Governor Oscar Branch Colquitt of Texas, and Senator John Sharp Williams, a two-time vice presidential nominee for the Southern Party. Williams and Colquitt were seen as the leaders entering the convention. A day before the voting began, Vardaman gave an impassioned speech on the convention floor calling for a total rejection of foreign wars and imperialism, a speech which won raucous cheers from the delegates and launched him into front runner status. Vardaman went on to win the nomination on the third ballot, and he gave another speech pledging that he would never risk the lives of young Confederate citizens in a pointless war. Representative Thomas Montgomery Bell of Georgia was nominated for vice president.
The Campaign[]
The three parties and candidates each took different positions on the war. Vardaman brought his rabidly anti-war stance to local towns and cities, promising mothers and fathers that he would never send their children to war except in defense of a foreign attack. Hobson did not take an outwardly pro-war stance, only saying that he would do whatever he thought was right for the Confederacy. His military background sent a clear enough message to voters, though. The progressive party was split between hawks and anti-war activists, so they took a pragmatic approach. Owen tried not to comment on the issue. When he had to, he said that he would do what was necessary if the time came.
As far as domestic issues go, both the Confederates and progressives ran on their economic record. The Confederates heralded President Overman as the man who had led the country back to economic normalcy, while the progressives pointed out that the recovery began under President Watson. The Southern Party had less of a record to stand on, as their last president left office in 1904 under massive scrutiny. They instead promoted their brand of Southern populism, pledging to return government to the people and limit the influence of wealthy rail, telegram, and bank owners. They appealed heavily to rural voters as they pledged to concentrate political power with the good farmers of the Confederacy rather than the city folk.
Results and Aftermath[]
This was the third straight presidential election won by the Confederate Party and also the sixth out of the last seven.
At first glance, it may seem that most of the Confederate populace was in favor of war. After all, Hobson did win the election soundly and with a plurality of the popular vote. However, it is also important to note that his two opponents, who were less in favor of war, combined for 57.6 percent of the popular vote. Hobson only won states like South Carolina and Alabama because of the populist split between the Farmer's and Southern parties. This fact was recognized by both of those parties, and this election marked the start of the movement to merge the two parties into one populist force.
Hobson would enter into office at a very delicate time in Confederate history. The Confederacy would enter the war against the Entente and United States just one month after the start of his term, putting the two American countries at war for the first time in 50 years. President Hobson would go on to lead the war effort, coordinating with his generals who respected his military chops. Some of the president's tactical decisions would later be questioned, but most historians praise his performance after considering the inherent disadvantages that the CSA faced in manpower and industrial power.
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