Union Reform Party of South Carolina
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The Union Reform Party of South Carolina was a political party of South Carolina during reconstruction. It was founded in 1870 to oppose the reelection of Governor Robert Kingston Scott. At the time, the electorate of South Carolina was predominantly composed of recently freed slaves who were unwilling to cast a vote for the Democratic Party. The white population of South Carolina that was horrified by the massive corruption of the Radical Republicans in charge of state government, convened on June 15, 1870 in Columbia to form a new party to oppose the policies of the Republicans.
The Union Reform Party nominated R. B. Carpenter for Governor and M. C. Butler for Lieutenant Governor in the election of 1870. There initially were plans to nominate a black man for Lieutenant Governor, but both of the black men approached for the position declined. For the legislative races, a black man was placed on the ticket in every district.
On October 10, 1870, Governor Scott was reelected decisively over Carpenter, 62% - 38%. The Republicans swept all of the contests for Congress and maintained a large majority in the General Assembly. After the election, the party became the opposition and its members split between the Democratic Party and the Independent Republican Party for the election of 1872.
[edit] References
- Reynolds, John S. (1969). Reconstruction in South Carolina. Negro University Press. ISBN 0-8371-1638-4.
