1904 New York state election

The 1904 New York state election was held on November 8, 1904, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer, the chief judge and an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

1904 New York gubernatorial election

← 1902 November 8, 1904 1906 →
 
Nominee Frank W. Higgins D-Cady Herrick
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 813,264 732,704
Percentage 50.27% 45.29%

County results
Higgins:      50-60%      60-70%
Herrick:      50-60%

Governor before election

Benjamin B. Odell Jr.
Republican

Elected Governor

Frank W. Higgins
Republican

History

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The Prohibition state convention met on June 14 and 15 at Oswego, New York. Henry W. Wilbur was Temporary Chairman until the choice of Alfred L. Manierre as Permanent Chairman.[1] They nominated John McKee, of Brooklyn, for Governor; Alden W. Young for Lieutenant Governor; James C. Carpenter, of New York City, for Secretary of State; Ira W. Littlefield, of Watertown, for Comptroller; C. A. Shipplebein, of Glens Falls, for Treasurer; and George E. Hillman, of Rochester, for Attorney General.[2]

The Socialist Labor state convention met on July 7 at 2, New Reade Street in Manhattan. They nominated Daniel De Leon for Governor; Boris Reinstein, of Buffalo, for Lieutenant Governor; Anton Metzler for Secretary of State; James A. Trainor, of Syracuse, for Comptroller; Harvey A. Santee, of New York City, for Treasurer; Frank E. Passanno for Attorney General; and Orcus A. Curtis, of Buffalo, for the Court of Appeals.[3]

The 1904 Democratic National Convention nominated the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Alton B. Parker for U.S. President. Upon accepting the nomination, he resigned his judicial office on August 5, and a month later Democrat Edgar M. Cullen was appointed by Republican Governor Benjamin B. Odell Jr., to fill the vacancy, as part of a cross endorsement deal to elect also Republican associate judge William E. Werner.

The Republican state convention met on September 14 and 15 at Saratoga Springs, New York. Jacob Sloat Fassett was Temporary Chairman until the choice of George R. Malby as Permanent Chairman. The convention was marked by the fight between the two Republican bosses: Governor Odell and Thomas C. Platt. Odell's candidate, the incumbent Lieutenant Governor Higgins, was nominated by acclamation after Platt's man, Ex-Lieutenant Governor Timothy L. Woodruff, withdrew. All other candidates were also nominated by acclamation.[4]

On September 16, the Populist State Committee selected a ticket to be circulated to gather the necessary signatures for the petition to file the ticket. They nominated Alfred J. Boulton for Governor; Charles Spaulding, of Buffalo, for Lieutenant Governor; Orsen L. Drew, of Rochester, for Secretary of State; Louis Manz, of Rochester, for Comptroller; Frank S. Rose, of Albany, for Treasurer; John F. Gaffney, Utica, for Attorney General; Simon G. Levy, of New York City, for State Engineer; Edward N. Heath, of Buffalo, for Chief Judge; and Augustus Babcock, of Binghamton, for associate judge of the Court of Appeals.[5] The petition was filed with the Secretary of State in October.[6]

The Democratic state convention met on September 21 at Saratoga Springs, New York.[7]

Result

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The whole Republican ticket was elected.

The incumbents O'Brien, Kelsey, Van Alstyne and Cullen were re-elected. The incumbent Cunneen was defeated.

The Republican, Democratic, Social Democratic and Prohibition parties maintained automatic ballot status (necessary 10,000 votes), the Socialist Labor Party lost it, and the re-founded People's party did not attain it.

1904 state election results
Office Republican ticket Democratic ticket Social Democratic[8] ticket Prohibition ticket Socialist Labor ticket People's ticket
Governor Frank W. Higgins 813,264 D. Cady Herrick 732,704 Thomas Pendergast 36,259 John McKee 20,568 Daniel De Leon 8,976 Alfred J. Boulton[9] 6,015
Lieutenant Governor M. Linn Bruce 826,720 Francis B. Harrison 718,613 Charles R. Bach 36,463 Alden W. Young[10] 21,924 Boris Reinstein 8,947 Charles Spaulding 6,107
Secretary of State John F. O'Brien 841,389 John Pallace Jr.[11] 702,699 E. J. Squires 36,645 Crawford 21,325 Anton Metzler[12] 9,506 Orsen L. Drew 6,235
Comptroller Otto Kelsey 841,361 George Hall[13] 702,736 William W. Passage 36,655 Ira W. Littlefield 21,241 James A. Trainor 9,127 Louis Manz 6,295
Attorney General Julius M. Mayer 837,231 John Cunneen 707,044 Leon A. Malkiel[14] 36,461 George E. Hillman 21,027 Frank E. Passanno 8,993 John F. Gaffney 6,076
Treasurer John G. Wallenmeier Jr. 840,300 William Muench[15] 703,377 Emil Neppel 36,519 C. A. Shipplebein 21,309 Harvey A. Santee 9,096 Frank S. Rose 6,221
State Engineer Henry A. Van Alstyne 838,038 Thomas H. Stryker[16] 705,520 S. B. Early 36,687 Victor C. Mott 21,321 Simon G. Levy 6,856 Simon G. Levy
Chief Judge Edgar M. Cullen 1,540,471 Edgar M. Cullen Charles H. Matchett 38,581 Gaylord Logan 21,778 Justus Ebert 9,092 Edward N. Heath 6,223
Judge of the Court of Appeals William E. Werner 1,541,986 William E. Werner William Nugent 38,127 Dexter E. Dorn 21,618 Orcus A. Curtis 9,099 Augustus Babcock 6,338

Obs.:

  • "Blank, defective and scattering" votes: 8,121 (Governor)
  • Numbers for Cullen and Werner are total votes on Republican and Democratic tickets.

Notes

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  1. ^ STATE PROHIBITIONISTS MEET in NYT on June 15, 1904
  2. ^ Prohibition State Nominations in NYT on June 16, 1904
  3. ^ DE LEON FOR GOVERNOR in NYT on July 8, 1904
  4. ^ ODELL FLAYED IN HOUR OF TRIUMPH in NYT on September 16, 1904
  5. ^ THE POPULIST TICKET in NYT on September 17, 1904
  6. ^ "POPULISTS" ALL REPUBLICANS.; What Examination of Signatures of Nomination Certificates Shows in NYT on October 10, 1904
  7. ^ HERRICK IS CHOSEN, SHEEHAN BEAT GROUT in NYT on September 22, 1904
  8. ^ This ticket was connected to the Socialist Party's national ticket (Debs and Hanford), but since the Social Democratic Party had ballot status in New York they continued to use this name here.
  9. ^ Alfred J. Boulton, a former Bryan Democrat, "head stereotyper of a Brooklyn newspaper", active in labor unions, defeated for County Clerk of Brooklyn in 1903, elected Register of Brooklyn in 1905
  10. ^ Alden W. Young, locomotive engineer, of oswego, ran also for Secretary of State in 1902
  11. ^ John Pallace Jr., assemblyman from Monroe County since 1903
  12. ^ Anton Metzler, of Rochester, ran also for the Court of Appeals in 1902
  13. ^ George Hall, owner of steamships, and iron and coal mines, four times Mayor of Ogdensburg, member of the Democratic State Committee
  14. ^ Leon Andrew Malkiel (b. Aug. 1, 1866 Moscow), realtor, lawyer, of New York City, also ran for the Court of Appeals in 1912 and 1920
  15. ^ William Muench, of Syracuse, "in the drug business"
  16. ^ Thomas H. Stryker, Assistant State Engineer, City Engineer of Rome

Sources

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Further reading

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  • McCormick, Richard L. From Realignment to Reform: Political Change in New York State 1893-1910 (Cornell University Press, 1981).
  • Wesser, Robert F. "Theodore Roosevelt: Reform and Reorganization of the Republican Party in New York, 1901-1906." New York History 46.3 (1965): 230-252 online.

See also

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New York gubernatorial elections