Oregon gubernatorial special election 1948 Tags: Election.The 1948 Oregon gubernatorial special election took place on November 2 1948 to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Oregon. A special election was needed due to the death of governor Earl Snell who was killed in a plane crash on October 28 1947. thumbnail country Oregon start date 1948-11-02 title Oregon gubernatorial special election 1948 Learn more... Loading...