Governor Election Ballot, National Union Republican Ticket

National Union Republican Ticket – Benjamin Chase, the Democratic candidate for governor, was a businessman with interest in many industries. He first became active in the Democratic Party while a resident of Massachusetts before moving to Rhode Island. In the 1873 race for governor Chase lost to Republican Henry Howard by a large margin but latter ran as a Democrat for mayor of Providence. Howard who had served the previous year as a presidential elector for Grant was elected to his first of two consecutive terms as governor. The Reform ticket replaced Charles Van Zandt, the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, with Latimer Ballou. Ballou was one of the founders of the Republican party in Rhode Island; he had served as an elector for Lincoln in 1860 and would go on to serve three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island (1874 – 1880). The Reform ticket also nominated a different General Treasurer than the Republican ticket. 13.7 cm X 8.8 cm