Following are the results of elections of governors from 1845 when Texas became a state until 1898.
The official canvass from the Legislature, the Archives Section of the Texas State Library, and the Texas Secretary of State annual reports are used when available. Otherwise, reports from various editions of the Texas Almanac are used.
Prior to 1857 most candidates ran independently. Party designations abbreviated are: Dem., Democratic; Rep., Republican; Lib., Libertarian; Ind., Independent; W-I, write-in.
Under the state Constitution of 1876, governors served two-year terms, until that was amended in 1972 to four-year terms. Under the state Constitution of 1866, governors served four-year terms. Under the state Constitution of 1845, governors served two-year terms.
1898
General Election
| J.D. Sayers | Dem. | 291,548 | 71.19 % |
| Barnett Gibbs | Populist | 114,955 | 28.07 % |
| R.P. Bailey | Prohibition | 2,437 | 0.60 % |
| G.H. Royal | Socialist Labor | 552 | 0.13 % |
| Scattering | 62 | ||
| Total vote | 409,554 |
1896
General Election
| C.A. Culberson | Dem. | 298,643 | 55.36 % |
| J.C. Kearby* | Populist | 238,325 | 44.18 % |
| Randolph Clark | Prohibition | 1,846 | 0.34 % |
| Scattering | 682 | ||
| Total vote | 539,496 |
| *Kearby received support from the Republicans. |
1894
General Election
| C.A. Culberson | Dem. | 207,167 | 49.01 % |
| T.L. Nugent | Populist | 152,731 | 36.18 % |
| W.K. Makemson | Rep. | 54,520 | 12.90 % |
| J.B. Schmitz | Lily White Rep. | 5,026 | 1.19 % |
| J.M. Dunn | Prohibition | 2,196 | 0.52 % |
| Scattering | 1,076 | ||
| Total vote | 422,716 |
1892
General Election
| James S. Hogg | Dem. | 190,486 | 43.74 % |
| George Clark* | Dem. | 133,395 | 30.63 % |
| T.L. Nugent | Populist | 108,483 | 24.91 % |
| D.M. Prendergast | Prohibition | 1,605 | 0.37 % |
| A.J. Houston | Lily White Rep. | 1,322 | 0.30 % |
| Scattering | 169 | ||
| Total vote | 435,467 |
| *Clark received support from the Regular Republicans. |
1890
General Election
| James S. Hogg | Dem. | 262,432 | 76.45 % |
| W. Flanagan | Rep. | 77,742 | 22.65 % |
| E.C. Heath | Prohibition | 2,463 | 0.72 % |
| Scattering | 633 | ||
| Total vote | 343,270 |
1888
General Election
| L. Sul Ross | Dem. | 250,338 | 71.77 % |
| Marion Martin | Independent Fusion | 98,447 | 28.23 % |
| Total vote | 348,785 |
1886
General Election
| L. Sul Ross | Dem. | 228,776 | 73.02 % |
| A.M. Cochran | Rep. | 65,236 | 20.82 % |
| E.L. Dohoney | Prohibition | 19,186 | 6.12 % |
| Scattering | 102 | ||
| Total vote | 313,300 |
1884
General Election
| John Ireland | Dem. | 212,234 | 65.05 % |
| Geo. W. Jones | Ind.* | 88,450 | 27.11 % |
| A.B. Norton | Rep. | 25,557 | 7.83 % |
| Total vote | 326,241 |
| *Ran as independent but received support from the Greenback Party. |
1882
General Election
| John Ireland | Dem. | 150,809 | 59.46 % |
| Geo. W. Jones | Ind.* | 102,501 | 40.41 % |
| J.B. Robertson | Ind. Dem. | 334 | 0.13 % |
| Total vote | 253,644 |
| *Ran as independent but received support from the Greenback and Republican parties. |
1880
General Election
| O.M. Roberts | Dem. | 166,101 | 62.87 % |
| Edmund J. Davis | Rep. | 64,382 | 24.37 % |
| W.H. Hamman | Greenback | 33,721 | 12.76 % |
| Total vote | 264,204 |
1878
General Election
| O.M. Roberts | Dem. | 158,302 | 66.76 % |
| W.H. Hamman | Greenback | 55,002 | 23.20 % |
| A.B. Norton | Rep. | 23,712 | 10.00 % |
| Scattering | 99 | ||
| Total vote | 237,115 |
1876
General Election
| Richard Coke | Dem. | 150,581 | 75.06 % |
| William Chambers | Rep. | 50,030 | 24.94 % |
| Total vote | 200,611 |
1873
General Election
| Richard Coke | Dem. | 85,549 | 66.74 % |
| Edmund J. Davis | Rep. | 42,633 | 33.26 % |
| Total vote | 128,182 |
1869
General Election
| Edmund J. Davis | 39,901 | 50.27 % |
| A.J. Hamilton | 39,092 | 49.25 % |
| Hamilton Stuart | 380 | 0.49 % |
| Total vote | 79,373 |
1866
General Election
| J.W. Throckmorton | 48,631 | 80.13 % |
| Elisha M. Pease | 12,051 | 19.86 % |
| Scattering | 6 | |
| Total vote | 60,688 |
| Gen. Philip H. Sheridan removed Throckmorton and appointed Pease governor on July 30, 1867. |
1863
General Election
| Pendleton Murrah | 17,511 | 56.42 % |
| Thomas J. Chambers | 12,455 | 40.13 % |
| Scattering | 1,070 | |
| Total vote | 31,036 |
1861
General Election
| F.R. Lubbock | 21,854 | 38.05 % |
| Edward Clark | 21,730 | 37.84 % |
| Thomas J. Chambers | 13,759 | 23.96 % |
| Scattering | 85 | |
| Total vote | 57,428 |
1859
General Election
| Sam Houston | Ind.* | 36,227 | 56.79 % |
| H.R. Runnels | Dem. | 27,500 | 43.11 % |
| Scattering | 61 | ||
| Total vote | 63,788 |
| * Ran as independent but received support of Know-Nothing Party. (Houston was removed from office in March 1861 when he refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy.) |
1857
General Election
| H.R. Runnels | Dem. | 32,552 | 53.21 % |
| Sam Houston | Ind. | 28,628 | 46.79 % |
| Total vote | 61,180 |
1855
General Election
| Elisha M. Pease | 26,336 | 57.99 % |
| D.C. Dickson | 17,965 | 39.56 % |
| M.T. Johnson | 809 | 1.78 % |
| George T. Wood | 276 | 0.61 % |
| Scattering | 26 | |
| Total vote | 45,412 |
1853
General Election
| Elisha M. Pease | 13,091 | 36.21 % |
| W.B. Ochiltree | 9,178 | 25.39 % |
| George T. Wood | 5,983 | 16.55 % |
| L.D. Evans | 4,677 | 12.94 % |
| Thomas J. Chambers | 2,449 | 6.77 % |
| John Dancy | 315 | 0.87 % |
| Scattering | 459 | |
| Total vote | 36,152 |
1851
General Election
| Peter H. Bell | 13,595 | 48.02 % |
| Middleton T. Johnson | 5,262 | 18.59 % |
| John A. Greer | 4,061 | 14.35 % |
| B.H. Epperson | 2,971 | 10.49 % |
| Thomas J. Chambers | 2,320 | 8.20 % |
| Scattering | 100 | |
| Total vote | 28,309 |
1849
General Election
| Peter H. Bell | 10,319 | 47.52 % |
| George T. Wood | 8,764 | 40.36 % |
| John T. Mills | 2,632 | 12.12 % |
| Total vote | 21,715 |
1847
General Election
| George T. Wood | 7,154 | 48.45 % |
| James B. Miller | 5,106 | 34.58 % |
| Nicholas H. Darnell | 1,276 | 8.64 % |
| J.J. Robinson | 379 | 2.57 % |
| Scattering | 852 | |
| Total vote | 14,767 |
1845
General Election
| James P. Henderson | 7,853 | 81.99 % |
| James B. Miller | 1,673 | 17.47 % |
| Scattering | 52 | |
| Total vote | 9,578 |
