Battle of Honey Springs

The 1938 United States Senate special election in Tennessee took place on November 8, 1938, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The special election came upon the death of incumbent Democratic Senator Nathan L. Bachman who had died in office.

Democratic Governor Gordon Browning appointed George L. Berry after Bachman's death. Berry ran for a full term but was defeated in the Democratic primary to Tom Stewart.^[1] In the general election, Tom Stewart defeted Republican candidate Harvey G. Fowler with 70.5% of the vote.^[2]

Eligible to begin serving immediately, Tom Stewart instead waited until the expiry of his term as district attorney on January 16, 1939, to take his Senate seat.^[3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

John Randolph Neal Jr., attorney, law professor, politician, and activist
John Ridley Mitchell, U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 4th congressional district
George L. Berry, incumbent senator
Tom Stewart, district attorney for the 18th Circuit 1923–1939

Results

Democratic Party primary results^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Stewart	174,940	49.26%
	Democratic	George L. Berry (incumbent)	101,966	28.71%
	Democratic	John Ridley Mitchell	70,393	19.82%
	Democratic	John Randolph Neal Jr.	4,689	1.32%
	Democratic	C. L. Powell	3,171	0.89%
Total votes			355,159	100.00%

Republican primary

General election

General election results^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Stewart	194,028	70.50%
	Republican	Harley G. Fowler	72,098	26.20%
	Independent	John Randolph Neal Jr.	9,106	3.31%
Majority			21,930	44.30%
Turnout			275,232
	Democratic hold

References

^ Hill, Ray. "The 1938 Senate Primary in Tennessee". The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
^ "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
^ Although eligible and elected, he did not "take his seat" as he preferred to remain as district attorney general. Nevertheless, his service in the Senate begins on the date of election and eligibility, not on the date of an oath.
^ "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - Special D Primary Race - Aug 04, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
^ "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

[1] Hill, Ray. "The 1938 Senate Primary in Tennessee". The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved February 1, 2024.

[2] "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

[3] Although eligible and elected, he did not "take his seat" as he preferred to remain as district attorney general. Nevertheless, his service in the Senate begins on the date of election and eligibility, not on the date of an oath.

[4] "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - Special D Primary Race - Aug 04, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

[5] "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

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