Where I live in Illinois, the race for Governor in 2018 is starting to heat up which typically means more politicians will be going to jail. A couple of months back, I saw Democratic candidate for Governor Chris Kennedy speak, and while blogging about it, pondered why gubernatorial is used rather than governal. There is fascinating history behind the word “gubernatorial” which I am happy to share with you in this essay.
The origins of the word “gubernatorial” can be traced back to the pre-Civil War Deep South. Back in those days (and still today in some southern states), educated people were mocked and ridiculed. Those literate types running for public office like governor were regularly called derogatory names. One of the most popular derogatory name thrown at candidates was “goober.”
At southern political rallies in the early 1800’s, one could always hear taunts of “hey you goober!” directed at the candidates. Southerners are not known for being long-winded, and as the 1800’s drew close to the mid-point, the “you” in “hey you goober” was combined with the “goober” part to create a single word taunt of “guber!”
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