Archives of Maryland Historical List Howard County Register of Wills Election Returns, 1851-present

Prior to 1851, the Register of Wills was appointed by the Governor to a lifetime term [Constitution of 1776, Article 40]. Under the Constitution of 1851, Registers were elected to six-year terms [Constitution of 1851, Article 4, Section 18]. Terms were shortened to four years in 1922 [Laws of 1922, Chapter 227].
 

Date of Election	Winner	Opponent	Margin of Votes	Sources
November 5, 1851	Thomas Brice Hobbs[1]	Thomas Jenkins Richard Pendell Washington Gaither Thomas S. Herbert	Hobbs 423 Jenkins 422 Pendell 275 Gaither 89 Herbert 29	MSA S108-22
April 7, 1852	Thomas Brice Hobbs	Thomas Jenkins	Hobbs 465 Jenkins 416	MSA S108-27
November 4, 1857	Thomas Brice Hobbs	James E. Cassidy	Hobbs 819 Cassedy 709	MSA S108-33
November 4, 1863	Eli T. Peddicord	Thomas Brice Hobbs	Peddicord 696 Hobbs 555	MSA S108-45
November 5, 1867	Benjamin H. Dorsey	Eli T. Peddicord Thomas Brice Hobbs	Dorsey 1063 Peddicord 456 Hobbs 20	MSA S1122-1, p. 147
November 4, 1873	Benjamin H. Dorsey	J. Plummer Ijams	Dorsey 1411 Ijams 1304	MSA S108-77
November 2, 1875	Edwin Warfield	Dr. W.H. Worthington	Warfield 1633 Worthington 1285	MSA S1122-2, p. 223
November 8, 1881	Thomas L. Maclin	Samuel K. Dashiell J. Thomas Clarke	Maclin 1378 Dashiell 1114 Clarke 517	MSA S1122-2, p. 278
November 8, 1887	Isaac Scaggs	Joseph R. Musser	Scaggs 1560 Musser 1367	MSA S1122-2, p. 329
November 7, 1893	Isaac Scaggs	Charles T. Grant John T. Layman	Scaggs 1,634 Grant 1,166 Layman 96	MSA T1059-1, pp. 20-22
November 7, 1899	William H. Marlow	William A. Makinson Covington B. Zeff	Marlow 2,032 Makinson 1,571 Zeff 103	MSA T1059-1, pp. 53-54
November 7, 1905	Richard Davis (D)	Robert W. Thompson (R) Phillip Cissel (Proh)	Davis 1,811 Thompson 975 Cissel 67	MSA T1059-1, pp. 84-85
November 5, 1911	Richard Davis of W (D)	Frank Dorsey (R)	Davis 1,878 Dorsey 1,031	MSA T1059-1, pp. 141-43
November 6, 1917	Richard Davis (D)	John W. Thompson of R (R)	Davis 1,657 Thompson 1,036	MSA T1059-2, p. 122
November 6, 1923	Martin F. Burke (D)	Frank B. Gallion	Burke 2,538 Gallion 2,044	MSA T1059-3, p. 155
November 2, 1926	Charles H. Ridgely (D)	Morris Porter (R)	Ridgely 3,253 Porter 2,127	MSA T1059-3, p. 208
November 4, 1930	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	Morris Porter (R)	Pickett 3,813 Porter 2,169	MSA T1059-3, p. 235
November 6, 1934	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	Daniel R. Harp	Pickett 3,901 Harp 2,341	MSA T1059-3, p. 266
November 8, 1938	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	Jacob S. Brown	Pickett 4,092 Brown 2,152	MSA T1059-3, pp. 292-93
November 3, 1942	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	Kenneth H. Cook	Pickett 3,245 Cook 1,662	MSA T1059-3, pp. 323-24
November 5, 1946	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	Arthur S. Kolb	Pickett 3,912 Kolb 2,124	MSA T1059-3, pp. 361-62
November 7, 1950	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	Edward J. Turner	Pickett 4,979 Turner 2,241	MSA T1059-3, pp. 389-90
November 2, 1954	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	Minnie Belle (Skip) Robb (R)	Pickett 4,963 Robb 2,510	MSA S63-204,  MdHR 18933-168
November 4, 1958	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	(uncontested)	Pickett 6,633	MSA S63-211,  MdHR 18933-290
November 6, 1962	Raymond L. Pickett (D)	(uncontested)	Pickett 6,079 write-in 1	MSA T1059-1
November 8, 1966	George W. Slack (D)	Charles Winfield Robb (R)	Slack 6,804 Robb 4,584	MSA T1059-1
November 3, 1970	George W. Slack (D)	Leola M. Dorsey (R)	Slack 8,008 Dorsey 6,196	MSA S63-243, MdHR 19524-166
November 5, 1974	George W. Slack (D)	Grace H. Senseney (R)	Slack 15,542 Senseney 6,538	MSA T1059-2
November 7, 1978	George W. Slack (D)	Mary Ann Wieder (R)	Slack 16,119 Wieder 10,059	MSA T1059-2
November 2, 1982	Mary M. Grimes (D)	(uncontested)	Grimes 22,751	MSA T1059-2
November 4, 1986	Kay K. Hartleb (D)	Gwen Burke Bowers (R)	Hartleb 21,742 Bowers 13,314	MSA T894-24
November 6, 1990	Kay K. Hartleb (D)	William A. Thies, Jr. (R)	Hartleb 26,503 Thies 20,494	MSA T894-27
November 8, 1994	Kay K. Hartleb (D)	Catherine A. Walters (R)	Hartleb 34,375 Walters 28,291	The Washington Post,  10 November 1994
November 3, 1998	Kay K. Hartleb (R)	Patricia S. Gordon (D)	Hartleb 40,888 Gordon 33,420 write-in 100	Maryland Manual On-Line
November 5, 2002	Kay K. Hartleb (R)	(uncontested)	Hartleb 70,720 write-in 1,264	Maryland Manual On-Line
November 7, 2006	Kay K. Hartleb (R)	Lawrence M. Blickman (D)	Hartleb 48,858 Blickman 46,479	Maryland Manual On-Line
November 2, 2010	Byron Macfarlane (D)	Kay K. Hartleb (R)	Macfarlane 49,591 Hartleb 49,341 write-in 60	Maryland State Board of Elections
November 4, 2014	Byron Macfarlane (D)	(uncontested)	Macfarlane 73,537 write-in 1,110	Maryland State Board of Elections
November 6, 2018	Byron Macfarlane (D)	Shawn Conley (R)	Macfarlane 88,905 Conley 45,491 write-in 118	Maryland State Board of Elections
November 8, 2022	Byron Macfarlane (D)	(uncontested)	Macfarlane 97,265 write-in 1,769	Maryland State Board of Elections

Return to Historical List of Howard County Registers of Wills

Notes:
1. The election of 1851 was initially declared in favor of Hobbs, but the county election judges later determined that Hobbs and Jenkins had tied 422-422. The judges believed that they did not have authority to change the official results, and the governor officially commissioned Hobbs. Jenkins appealed the matter to the House of Delegates, which ruled that the election had indeed resulted in a tie and decided that a new election should be held. See the Baltimore Sun, 17 November 1851, 12 February 1852, 13 February 1852, and 5 March 1852.

Sources:
BOARD OF STATE CANVASSERS (Election Returns) MSA S63
GOVERNOR (Election Returns) MSA S108
HOWARD COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Election Returns) MSA C977
HOWARD COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Election Returns) MSA T1059
Maryland Manual On-Line
SECRETARY OF STATE (Election Return Abstracts) MSA S1122