Elihu Emory Jackson
lumberman, state senator, Governor of Maryland · 1837–1907
Salisbury lumberman and merchant (E. E. Jackson & Co.), state senator for Wicomico County, and Governor of Maryland 1888–1892. He called to order the Democratic judicial convention of the First Circuit that met in the Atlantic Pavilion at Ocean City on August 13, 1885 — the earliest political convention this campaign has documented in the town — and was a central figure in the Lower Shore's rail and lumber economy that fed Ocean City's excursion traffic.
In the record (6)
1889
The governor and the senior U.S. senator summer at the Atlantic in the same July — "regarding each other with a jealous eye."
The Messenger's "Ocean City News" of July 13, 1889 listed the Atlantic's register and then read it politically: "Ocean City will no doubt regain its prestige as the political mecca of the state of Maryland, as Senator Wilson and Gov. Jackson are already on the ground, and regarding each other with a jealous eye, as both are aspirants for U.S. Senate; at least Senator Wilson wishes to succeed himself, and it is pretty well settled that Governor Jackson will work for it... Other well-known politicians here are Gen. Seth, Senators Toadvin, Bratten, and Lindsey, ex-Speaker Upshur, and others, and no doubt several little schemes will be hatched out before the season closes." Ephraim K. Wilson took a cottage for the summer with George M. Upshur and "returned to his family at Ocean City" from Snow Hill in late July; by August he was telling the paper that "Ocean City agrees with him better than Bedford Springs."
The sandbar had been called the political centre of the peninsula since 1880. In 1889 the sitting governor and the sitting senator booked into the same hotel and spent August watching each other across the dining room.
Atlantic HotelEphraim King Wilson II
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1890 · 1890-03-27
Chapter 158 of 1890 puts the railroad to Ocean City on four county ballots after Baltimore City refuses to back its bonds.
Approved March 27, 1890, Chapter 158 authorised the county commissioners of Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico and Caroline to subscribe to the capital stock of the Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad Company — Talbot $25,000, Dorchester $20,000, Wicomico $20,000, Caroline $10,000 — and directed that the question go to the voters of each county at the election of November 4, 1890. Its preamble is the clearest surviving account of how the road was financed. Chapter 509 of 1886 had let the four counties endorse the company's second-mortgage bonds up to $50,000 each; at an election on November 8, 1887 Talbot voted $50,000, Dorchester $30,000 and Wicomico $25,000, while Caroline voted its $16,000 down. The scheme then stalled: 'owing to the failure of Baltimore city to endorse said bonds the county commissioners... are unable to exercise the discretion reposed in them.' Meanwhile the company had 'contracted for the building of said railroad from Salisbury, in Wicomico county, to Broad cove in Talbot county, and has in good faith nearly completed said road in Talbot county.' Stock subscriptions were the substitute. The act was approved by Governor Elihu E. Jackson of Salisbury — who was himself the railroad's vice-president and treasurer.
Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1890 · 1890-07-17
The Governor of Maryland and a sitting U.S. Senator both fall ill at the Atlantic Hotel, and the Governor is carried off the beach by steamer.
'Gov. E. E. Jackson and family, Judge C. F. Holland and State Senator F. S. Toadvin are at the Atlantic Hotel, Ocean City, Md.,' the Evening Capital reported on July 15, 1890 — the Governor of Maryland, the judge who had just bought the hotel at auction, and the Wicomico senator whose name would go before the district convention two months later, all under one roof. It did not go well. On July 18 the paper reported that Jackson had been taken 'to Salisbury yesterday on the steamer McLane. His condition began to improve almost as soon as he started on the water. When the steamer arrived at Salisbury the Governor was driven at once to his home, whither Mrs. Jackson was summoned by telegraph from Ocean City.' A week later: 'Gov. Jackson, who has been confined to his room in the Atlantic Hotel, Ocean City, is much better... Governor Jackson and Senator Wilson are reported to be somewhat unwell at Ocean City, though both are improving.' The Delaware Gazette's Ocean City letter of July 31 found the sick list a roll-call of the Eastern Shore bench and bar: Judge L. T. Irving of Princess Anne, Judge Holland of Salisbury, Judge Goldsborough of Cambridge, Col. Thomas Hughlett of Talbot, L. E. P. Dennis, collector of customs at Crisfield, and George W. Covington, all 'being greatly helped by the salt air.' Senator Ephraim K. Wilson II, of Snow Hill, did not recover for long; he died in office on February 24, 1891.
In 1890 the salt air was still sold as medicine — and the Governor of Maryland was the patient.
Atlantic HotelEphraim King Wilson IIJudge Charles F. HollandGeorge W. Covington
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1892 · 1892-08-17
Three United States senators, a former governor and the Gridiron Club at Ocean City in one August week.
The Washington Evening Star, August 17, 1892: "Senators Blackburn of Kentucky, [Squire] of Washington, Gray of Delaware, ex-Gov. Jackson and others now sojourning at Ocean City will meet the Gridiron Club at dinner Friday." Senator Joseph C. S. Blackburn of Kentucky summered there — the Star noted in July that "Mrs. William P. Hall and son will spend August with Senator and Mrs. Blackburn at Ocean City" — and Delaware's Senator George Gray "just returned from Ocean City, Md., where he has been visiting Senator Blackburn in company with Senator White, of Louisiana." The Snow Hill paper had seen the same traffic in June: "A large party of Washingtonians visited Ocean City last Sunday, among them being Senator Blackburn and other notables." Governor Frank Brown and his family spent the weekend of July 23-24 at Ocean City before boarding the state steamer McLane at Salisbury for a cruise over the oyster grounds; ex-Governor Elihu E. Jackson reopened his Ocean City cottage on August 10.
Joseph C. S. BlackburnFrank Brown
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1904 · 1904-08-10
In one week of August 1904 both parties held their First District congressional conventions at Ocean City — and nominated two brothers named Jackson.
The Republicans of the First Congressional District met at Ocean City on Thursday afternoon, 4 August 1904, and renominated Congressman William H. Jackson by acclamation; A. P. Barnes of Snow Hill called the meeting to order, State Senator Henry M. McCullough of Cecil County was chairman and a Mr. Reese of Crisfield secretary. Six days later, on Wednesday 10 August, the Democrats of the same district assembled 'in the hall of the Atlantic Casino' at noon, with Henry R. Lewis of Caroline as chairman and George R. Wilson of Talbot as secretary. Leaders from every county had tendered the nomination to ex-Governor John Walter Smith the night before; he declined, was asked again to name a candidate, and named Elihu E. Jackson of Wicomico, whom he then put in nomination himself after taking the proxy of a Worcester delegate. 'It was ten minutes before he could commence his speech as he was given the greatest ovation ever witnessed in the state.' Jackson was chosen by acclamation. The Messenger of 13 August ran a portrait of Smith under the headline 'Brother Against Brother.'
Ocean City had been Convention City for the teachers and the bankers since 1898. In 1904 it became the room where the Eastern Shore chose its congressman — twice in seven days, for opposite parties — and the hall it happened in was the Atlantic Casino.
Atlantic Casino CompanyJohn Walter SmithHon. William H. JacksonHon. Thomas A. Smith
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1904 · 1904-09-14
The nominee said no, so the Democrats came back to a closed-up resort on 14 September and opened the Plimhimmon for one day to pick another.
By 20 August the county paper reported that ex-Governor Elihu E. Jackson had written to Henry R. Lewis, chairman of the notification committee, that he did not want to go to Congress and declined the nomination, adding that had he been the convention's first choice he 'would have found it difficult to say no' — and that he would probably have declined in any case for family reasons. State chairman Vandiver could not reach Lewis, who was in St. Louis. Lewis eventually issued the call, and the convention reconvened at Ocean City at noon on Wednesday 14 September 1904 and unanimously nominated Hon. Thomas A. Smith, ex-senator of Caroline County, put in nomination by Harvey L. Cooper of Caroline. 'Although the season has practically closed at Ocean City,' the Messenger noted, 'arrangements have been made for the accommodation of the Democratic convention … The Plimhimmon Hotel will be open and a suitable hall for the session of the convention will be provided.'
Plimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaHon. Thomas A. Smith
Source · checked 2026-08-06