1893 New York state election

The 1893 New York state election was held on November 7, 1893, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer and a 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, and delegates to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1894.

History

The People's state convention met on August 18 and 19 at Sylvan Beach, New York. I. E. Dean was Permanent Chairman. James Wright was nominated for Secretary of State on the first ballot (vote: Wright 31, John Taft 28). De Myre S. Fero, of Glens Falls, was nominated for Comptroller on the first ballot (vote: Fero 47, E. P. Nevins 5). Frank H. Purdy, of Bluff Point, was nominated for Treasurer by acclamation. Thaddeus B. Wakeman, of New York City, was nominated for Attorney General; Lawrence J. McParlin for the Court of Appeals; and John A. Webster, of New York City, for State Engineer.[1]

The Prohibition state convention met on August 30 at Elmira, New York. Joseph A. Bogardus was Chairman. They nominated Joseph A. Bogardus, of New York City, for Secretary of State; George Chester, of Buffalo, for Comptroller; William R. Hunt of Honeoye Falls, for Treasurer; Edwin C. English, of Corning, for Attorney General; Silas W. Mason for the Court of Appeals; and Chester Belding of Middletown, for State Engineer.[2]

The Democratic state convention met on October 5 and 6 at Saratoga, New York. Daniel N. Lockwood presided. Cord Meyer, Jr., for Secretary of State Comptroller Frank Campbell, Attorney General Simon W. Rosendale, Hugh Duffy for Treasurer, and State Engineer Martin Schenck, were nominated by acclamation. The incumbent[3] Isaac H. Maynard was nominated for the Court of Appeals after Robert Weidenmann, of Rockland County, spoke out loud against this nomination, and asked for a roll call. Weidenmann however was the only one who voted against Maynard's nomination.[4] The ticket had been published already before the convention met, showing a strong party machine.[5] The electorate however had still in mind the electoral fraud of the Dutchess County senatorial election in 1891 which went through the courts and involved the Democratic state officers; Judge Maynards subtraction of the letter containing the corrected statement, sent by the Dutchess County Clerk to Albany, which action showed him as "cheap political trickster" and made him a "disgrace to the bench"; and Treasurer Danforth's and Ex-Treasurer Fitzgerald's connection with the bankrupt Madison Square Bank in which Danforth had deposited State funds and which had given Danforth a "loan" of about seven years Treasurer's salary but closed its doors in August 1893.

The Republican state convention met on October 6 at Syracuse, New York. Mr. Cullinen was Temporary Chairman until the choice of Judge Frank Brundage, of Onondaga County, as Permanent Chairman. Edward T. Bartlett was nominated for the Court of Appeals on the first ballot (vote: Bartlett 531½, William Rumsey 98, John Sabine Smith 80). John Palmer for Secretary of State, and James A. Roberts for Comptroller, were nominated by acclamation. Addison B. Colvin was nominated for Treasurer on the first ballot (vote: Colvin 392, Thomas H. O'Neill 175, Richmond 107). Theodore E. Hancock was nominated for Attorney General during the second ballot (first ballot: John Woodward 332, Hancock 246½, Gilbert E. D. Hasbrouck 124). Campbell W. Adams was nominated for State engineer by acclamation amid great noise and after two thirds of the delegates had left.;[6][7]

Results

Dragged down by Judge Maynard, the Democratic ticket was defeated, ending a ten-year supremacy which began with the election of Grover Cleveland in 1884. The Republican ticket was elected, beginning a Republican era of thirteen years in New York state politics.

The incumbents Campbell, Rosendale, Schenck and Maynard were defeated.

1893 state election results

Office	Republican ticket		Democratic ticket		Prohibition ticket		Socialist Labor ticket		People's ticket
Secretary of State	John Palmer	545,098	Cord Meyer, Jr.[8]	520,614	Joseph A. Bogardus	34,301	Daniel De Leon	20,034	James Wright[9]	17,049
Comptroller	James A. Roberts	545,997	Frank Campbell	520,667	George Chester	33,411	James Withers[10]	19,850	De Myre S. Fero[11]	16,959
Attorney General	Theodore E. Hancock	543,067	Simon W. Rosendale	521,777	Edwin C. English[12]	34,098	Frederick Bennets[13]	19,727	Thaddeus B. Wakeman[14]	17,107
Treasurer	Addison B. Colvin	544,930	Hugh Duffy[15]	520,158	William R. Hunt	34,252	William F. Steer[16]	19,754	Frank H. Purdy	17,123
State Engineer	Campbell W. Adams	545,147	Martin Schenck	520,661	Chester Belding	34,009	Charles F. Wilson[17]	19,912	John A. Webster	17,109
Judge of the Court of Appeals	Edward T. Bartlett	579,222	Isaac H. Maynard	478,158	Silas W. Mason[18]	32,548	Francis Gerau[19]	19,659	Lawrence J. McParlin[20]	16,791

Obs.: "Defective, blank and scattering" votes: 10,860 (Judge); 3,642 (Attorney); 3,481 (Treasurer); 3,305 (Secretary); 3,087 (Engineer); 2,990 (Comptroller)

Notes

1. Cold-water men control it; People's Party convention captured by prohibitionists in NYT on August 20, 1893
2. OIL AND WATER CLASH.; Prohibitionists Name State Officers and Wrangle About Standard Oil Company in NYT on August 31, 1893
3. Maynard had been appointed in 1892 to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of Robert Earl as Chief Judge following the death of William C. Ruger, and had been re-appointed in 1893 to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Charles Andrews as Chief Judge.
4. UNITED PARTY AT SARATOGA; DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION COMPLETES ITS WORK in NYT on October 7, 1893
5. MEYER HEADS THE TICKET in NYT on October 5, 1893
6. THE AFTERNOON EXHIBITION.; Manager Platt Shows that He Has Full Command of His Circus in NYT on October 7, 1893
7. PLATT'S CIRCUS ALL OVER in NYT on October 7, 1893
8. Cord Meyer (b. 1854 Newtown), grandfather of Cord Meyer
9. James Wright, lawyer of Weedsport, ran also for Attorney General in 1879 (lived then in Elmira) and 1889 (lived then in Wayne County)
10. James Withers, ran also for Treasurer in 1891
11. De Myre S. Fero, of Glens Falls, ran also in 1902 (lived then in Orange County)
12. Edwin C. English, ran also for the Court of Appeals in 1895
13. Frederick Bennets, of Yonkers, ran also for Secretary of State in 1891, and Lieutenant Governor in 1896
14. Thaddeus Burr Wakeman (1834-1913), lawyer, author, ran also in 1887, for the Court of Appeals in 1894, and for Secretary of State in 1895
15. Hugh Duffy (b. 1840 New York City), partner with Lawrence J. Fitzgerald in the Cortland Wagon Company
16. William F. Steer, of Albany, ran also for Lieutenant Governor in 1894, and for Treasurer in 1895
17. Charles F. Wilson, ran also in 1891
18. Silas W. Mason, of Chautauqua County, ran also in 1890, and for Attorney General in 1887
19. Dr. Francis Gerau, MD (ca. 1826-1896), of Brooklyn, President of the Labor Lyceum Association, ran also in 1888, 1890 and 1894; and for Chief Judge in 1892, see: TOO OLD FOR HER in NYT on September 11, 1886; DR. GERAU'S TRIALS in NYT on November 25, 1886; His funeral in NYT on February 24, 1896
20. Lawrence Jermain McParlin (b. Nov. 14, 1848 Lockport), lawyer, ran also in 1881, 1886, 1888 and 1896; and for Chief Judge in 1882 and 1892

Sources

• The Democratic and Republican candidates: CANDIDATES OF THE PARTIES in NYT on November 5, 1893
• Result: OFFICIAL CANVASS OF THE VOTE in NYT on December 14, 1893
• Result: The Tribune Almanac 1894
• Result in New York City: OFFICIAL VOTE IN THIS CITY in NYT on November 28, 1893

See also

• New York state elections