New York state election, 1906

The 1906 New York state election was held on November 6, 1906, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer and the State Engineer, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

History

The Socialist state convention met on June 2 at the Workingmen's Educational Building at 247, East Eighty-fourth Street in New York City. Morris Hillquit was chosen Permanent Chairman. They nominated John C. Chase for Governor; Gustave A. Strebel for Lieutenant Governor; Henry L. Slobodin, of New York City, for Attorney General; William W. Arland, of Corning, for Secretary of State; John E. O'Rourke, of Rochester, for Comptroller; William W. Passage, of Brooklyn, for Treasurer; and R. R. Hunt, of Schenectady, for State Engineer.^[1]

The Prohibition state convention met on September 5 at Binghamton, New York. They nominated Capt. Henry M. Randall, of Port Jefferson, for Governor; Freeman H. Bettys, of Rochester, for Lieutenant Governor; Charles Richards, of Oswego, for Secretary of State; Levi Hoag, of Binghamton, for Comptroller; Robert L. Stokes, of Brooklyn, for Treasurer; Walter Farrington for Attorney General; and Victor C. Mott, of Buffalo, for State Engineer.^[2]

The Independence League state convention met on September 11 and 12 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.^[3] They nominated William Randolph Hearst for Governor; Lewis S. Chanler for Lieutenant Governor; John S. Whalen for Secretary of State; John Ford for Attorney General; Dr. C. H. W. Auel for Comptroller; Frank L. Getman for State Engineer; and did not nominate anybody for Treasurer. After the nomination of Hearst, Chanler and Whalen by the Democratic state convention, the other nominees retired, and on September 29, the Independence League's Executive Committee substituted the Democratic nominees Jackson, Glynn, and Skene on the ticket, and added Hauser for Treasurer.^[4]

The Republican state convention met on September 25 and 26 at Saratoga, New York. Boss Benjamin B. Odell, Jr. favored Ex-Governor Frank S. Black, Governor Frank W. Higgins favored his Lt. Gov. Bruce, but after the intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, the convention nominated Charles E. Hughes for Governor. Merton E. Lewis was nominated for Comptroller, and all the other incumbent state officers were re-nominated, all by acclamation.^[5]

The Democratic state convention met on September 25, 26 and 27 at Buffalo, New York. Lewis Nixon was Temporary and Permanent Chairman.^[6] William Randolph Hearst was nominated for Governor on the first ballot (vote: Hearst 309, William Sulzer 124, John Alden Dix 17). All other candidates were nominated by acclamation, among them the Independence League nominees Chanler and Whalen.^[7]

Result

The Democratic/Independence League fusion ticket was elected with exception of Hearst who was rejected by a large part of the Democratic voters, especially in New York City. Although Republican Hughes was elected Governor, this election ended a Republican era in state politics which had lasted a dozen years.

The incumbents Bruce, O'Brien, Mayer, Wallenmeier and Van Alstyne were defeated.

The Republican, Democratic, Socialist and Prohibition parties maintained automatic ballot status (necessary 10,000 votes), the Independence League attained it, and the Socialist Labor Party dit not re-attain it.

1906 state election results

Office	Republican ticket		Democratic/Independence League ticket		Socialist ticket		Prohibition ticket		Socialist Labor ticket
Governor	Charles E. Hughes	749,002	William Randolph Hearst	691,105	John C. Chase[8]	21,751	Henry M. Randall	15,985	Thomas H. Jackson	4,624
Lieutenant Governor	M. Linn Bruce	713,068	Lewis S. Chanler	718,642	Gustave A. Strebel[9]		Freeman H. Bettys		Frank E. Passanno
Secretary of State	John F. O'Brien	711,153	John Sibley Whalen	717,920	Matthew Lechner[10]		Charles W. Richards		William W. Arnold
Comptroller	Merton E. Lewis	709,398	Martin H. Glynn	719,725	John E. O'Rourke		Levi Hoag		John B. Kinney
Attorney General	Julius M. Mayer	708,778	William Schuyler Jackson	720,338	Henry L. Slobodin		Walter Farrington[11]
Treasurer	John G. Wallenmeier, Jr.	709,154	Julius Hauser	719,822	William W. Passage		Robert L. Stokes		Charles F. Gebner
State Engineer	Henry A. Van Alstyne	709,018	Frederick Skene	719,623			Victor C. Mott

Obs.:

• "Blank, defective and scattering" votes: 2,110 (Governor)
• Numbers for Hearst, Chanler, Whalen, Glynn, Jackson, Hauser and Skene are total votes on Democratic and Independence League tickets.

Notes

1. ^ SOCIALISTS NOMINATE THEIR CANDIDATES in NYT on June 3, 1906
2. ^ PROHIBITION STATE TICKET in NYT on September 6, 1906
3. ^ MACHINE WHEELS MOVE FOR HEARST CONVENTION in NYT on September 7, 1906
4. ^ INDEPENDENCE VACANCIES FILLED BY DEMOCRATS in NYT on September 30, 1906
5. ^ HUGHES CHOSEN BY REPUBLICANS in NYT on September 27, 1906
6. ^ HEARST TO BE NAMED in NYT on September 26, 1906
7. ^ HEARST NAMED BY DEMOCRATS in NYT on September 27, 1906
8. ^ John C. Chase (b. 1870), Mayor of Haverhill, Massachusetts 1899 (first Socialist mayor in the United States), Chairman of the Social Democratic National Convention 1900
9. ^ Gustave A. Strebel, tailor, of Syracuse, ran also for Lieutenant Governor in 1908, 1910 and 1912; and for Governor in 1914
10. ^ Matthew Lechner, ran also in 1908
11. ^ Walter Farrington (ca. 1830 - Nov 25., 1920), of Poughkeepsie, lawyer, ran also for Attorney General in 1879; for the Court of Appeals in 1881, 1884 and 1889; and for Chief Judge in 1892

Sources

• How some voters marked the ballots: QUEER THINGS FOUND IN THE VOTE CANVASS; Inconceivable Ignorance of What to Do with a Ballot in NYT on November 17, 1906
• Result: HEARST LEAGUE FAILS TO GET PARTY RANK in NYT on December 19, 1906
• Campaign cost statements: CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS FAIL TO STATE ALL in NYT on November 30, 1906

See also

New York gubernatorial elections