When the Voters Don’t Pick the Winner
How a Kentucky Governor lost, then won, then died
There is talk by legislative leaders in Kentucky about letting them pick the next Governor, instead of the voters. The last time a Kentucky Governor’s race was decided by the state legislature was in 1899/1900, and it was a real mess.

A year before, in 1898 State Senator William Goebel led the effort to pass an act that would put into place a Board of Election Commissioners chosen mostly by himself, that would decide the outcome of disputed Kentucky governors races.
In 1899, a year after that legislation passed, Senator Goebel was one of two Democrats running against Republican William S. Taylor for Governor of Kentucky.
With only 2,383 votes in favor of Taylor separating them, the race ended up being too close to call. The Board of Election Commissioners that Goebel had stocked in his favor ended up declaring Taylor the winner instead, and Taylor was sworn in as Governor.
Tensions in the state capital started to escalate. The Democrat majority in the State Legislature assembled a special committee of ten Democrats and one Republican to investigate charges of possible voter fraud in hopes of overturning the Election Commission’s decision.

On January 30, 1900, while the committee was investigating, Goebel was shot as he walked across the State Capitol lawn. As he lay injured in a nearby hotel, the committee issued its final report recommending that enough votes be invalidated to declare Goebel the winner of the election.
The Republicans were incensed and refused to acknowledge Goebel as governor and ended up stationing a militia of over 1,000 armed men on the capital lawn to prevent the Democrats from stealing the election.
Governor Taylor declared a “state of insurrection” and demanded that the State Legislature immediately disassemble and move to a safer location. The Republicans went to Republican-dominated Laurel County, but Democrat members went to Louisville. There were not enough Republicans to convene a quorum, but Democrats had enough to assemble themselves and follow the committee’s recommendation to discard enough votes and declare Goebel the winner.
The following day, Taylor was deposed and Goebel was sworn in as governor. Goebel died of his gunshot injuries three days later, on February 3rd. During his very brief administration, Goebel’s only act was to disband Taylor’s Republican militia. They ignored his call for a while but eventually filtered out after Goebel’s death.
Taylor still refused to step down as governor and litigated the election through the Kentucky and U.S. court system. In the end, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case which upheld the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruling that validated the actions of the Democrat-dominated legislature and declared Goebel the winner.
Goebels’ Lieutenant Governor, J. C. W. Beckham was sworn in as governor.
Because of suspicion that he played a role in Goebel’s assassination, Taylor ended up fleeing to Indianapolis to avoid prosecution. He became a successful lawyer there and was eventually pardoned by the next Republican governor of Kentucky.
I told you it was a mess.

Interesting facts:
William Goebel is still the only state governor in the U.S. to be assassinated while in office.
A statue stands on the grounds of the Old State Capitol Building in downtown Frankfort marking the spot where Goebel was standing when he was shot.
The jacket Goebel was wearing when he was shot is on display in the Thomas D. Clark History Center in Frankfort. The bullet hole is visible.
Some who were supposedly in the room say his last words were, “Tell my friends to be brave, fearless, and loyal to the common people.” However, others there at the time said on having eaten his last meal, the governor supposedly said, “Doc, that was a damned bad oyster.”
Goebel is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery, not far from Daniel Boone’s grave.