New York state election, 1897

The 1897 New York state election was held on November 2, 1897, to elect the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and one member^[1] of the New York State Senate. At the same time, the first Mayor of the consolidated City of New York was elected to take office on January 1, 1898.

History

In 1897, there was only one officer to be elected statewide: the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, to succeed Charles Andrews whose term would expire at the end of the year because he had reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years.

The Socialist Labor state convention met on August 14 at 64, East Fourth Street in New York City, and nominated Theodore F. Cuno for Chief Judge.^[2]

The Democratic State Committee met on September 15 at the Hoffman House in New York City. Alton B. Parker was nominated for Chief Judge on the first ballot(vote: Parker 27, Charles F. Tabor 10, Charles J. Patterson 8, D. Cady Herrick 3).^[3]

The Republican State Committee met on September 18 at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City. Charles W. Hackett presided. Federal Judge William J. Wallace was nominated unanimously for Chief Judge.^[4]

The nomination of Charles Frederick Adams for Chief Judge on the "United Democracy" ticket was filed shortly before midnight on October 7 at the Secretary of State's office in Albany by two Republicans.^[5] Adams declined to run,^[6] and Lawrence J. McParlin^[7] was substituted on the ticket. Elliott Danforth, the Chairman of the Democratic State Committee, contested the legality of the petition to file a ticket by the United Democracy, and the objections were heard by Secretary of State John Palmer, a Republican, on October 14.^[8] At noon on October 18, Palmer ruled that the petition complied with the Election Law. An hour later, Justice D. Cady Herrick, a Democrat, of the New York Supreme Court, issued an injunction to restrain Palmer from certifying to the county clerks that a candidate of the United Democracy had been nominated, pending a decision of the courts, and scheduling a hearing for 3 o'clock p.m. Before the hearing began, McParlin withdrew his candidature, but legal experts held that, if the United Democracy's petition was upheld, his name would appear on the ballot despite his withdrawal. Under the circumstances, Justice Herrick heard the arguments, and decided at 10.30 p.m. to reverse Palmer's decision, and the ticket did not appear on the ballots.^[9]

Result

The Democratic candidate Alton B. Parker was elected, the only Democrat elected to a statewide elective state office from New York state election, 1893 to New York state election, 1900.

1897 state election result

Ticket / Office	Chief Judge
Democratic	Alton B. Parker	554,680
Republican	William J. Wallace	493,791
Socialist Labor	Theodore F. Cuno[10]	20,854
Prohibition	Francis E. Baldwin[11]	19,653
National Democratic	Alton B. Parker

Obs.: "Blank, defective and scattering" votes: 70,180.

Notes

1. ^ to fill a vacancy in the 35th District
2. ^ ...NOMINATIONS BY SOCIALISTS in NYT on August 15, 1897
3. ^ PARKER FOR CHIEF JUDGE in NYT on September 16, 1897
4. ^ JUDGE WALLACE NAMED in NYT on September 19, 1897
5. ^ POLITICAL ERRAND, Court of Appeals Nomination of the United Democracy Filed by Republicans - Democrats Object in NYT on October 9, 1897
6. ^ ...The United Democracy Sends a Letter Asking Charles F. Adams to Withdraw, but He Does So Before He Receives It in NYT on October 12, 1897
7. ^ Lawrence Jermain McParlin (b. Nov. 14, 1848 Lockport), lawyer; ran for associate judge of the Court of Appeals in 1881, 1886, 1888, 1893 and 1896; and for Chief Judge in 1882 and 1892.
8. ^ UNITED DEMOCRACY TICKET, Lawrence J. McParlin for the Court of Appeals in Place of Charles F. Adams; LEGALITY OF THE PETITION, Hearing Before the Secretary of State on Objections to the Nomination Filed in Behalf of the Democratic State Committee in NYT on October 15, 1897
9. ^ UNITED DEMOCRACY BEATEN, Justice D. Cady Herrick Says Its Nominee Has No Right on the State Ticket; SECRETARY PALMER REVERSED in NYT on October 19, 1897
10. ^ Theodore F. Cuno, ran also for the Court of Appeals in 1896
11. ^ Francis E. Baldwin, ran also for Governor in 1894, and for Attorney General in 1910

Sources

• The tickets: ELECTIONS IN OTHER STATES in NYT on October 31, 1897
• The tickets: PARKER'S NAME APPEARS TWICE in NYT on October 23, 1897
• Result: ALTON B. PARKER'S PLURALITY in NYT on December 19, 1897
• Result in New York County (includes Manhattan and Bronx): [1] in NYT on November 21, 1897

See also

New York state elections