1908 Tennessee gubernatorial election
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County results Patterson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tillman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Tennessee |
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| Government |
The 1908 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Incumbent Democratic governor Malcolm R. Patterson defeated Republican nominee G. N. Tillman with 53.73% of the vote.
During Patterson's term as governor, he created a State Highway Commission, signed legislation that banned gambling on horse races, and enacted food and drug regulations. Patterson was the first governor to occupy a governor's mansion (previous governors had lived in hotel rooms), which was purchased by the state, and occupied by successive governors until 1922, when a new residence was built. At the beginning of his second term in 1909, he signed the General Education Act, which created four colleges: East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Memphis, and Tennessee State University.