1894 New York state election

1894 New York gubernatorial election
	November 6, 1894
	November 6, 1894
Governor before election; Roswell Flower; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Levi P. Morton; Republican

The 1894 New York state election was held on November 6, 1894, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor and a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly. Besides, a new State Constitution and four other constitutional amendments were proposed to the electorate, and were all accepted. Furthermore, the inhabitants of New York County and adjacent communities were asked if they wanted to join the proposed enlarged New York City, a project known as The Consolidation.

Nominations

The Socialist Labor state convention met in June in Syracuse, and nominated Charles H. Matchett for Governor; William F. Steer for Lieutenant Governor; and Francis Gerau for the Court of Appeals.[1]

The Prohibition state convention met on June 26 at Alhambra Hall in Syracuse, New York. Rev. Stanley B. Roberts, of Utica, was Temporary and Permanent Chairman.[2] The convention met again on June 27, and nominated Francis E. Baldwin, a lawyer from Elmira, for Governor; Justus Miller, a collar-and-cuff manufacturer from Troy, for Lieutenant Governor; and Zachariah P. Taylor, of Rochester, for the Court of Appeals.[3]

The People's Party state convention met on September 11 at the Town Hall in Saratoga, New York. De Myre S. Fero was Temporary Chairman until the choice of C. R. White, of Miller's Corners, as Permanent Chairman. Charles B. Matthews, manager of the Buffalo Refining Company and arch-enemy of the Standard Oil Company", was nominated for Governor; Robert C. Hewson, of Penn Yan for Lieutenant Governor, and Thaddeus B. Wakeman for the Court of Appeals.[4]

The Republican state convention met on September 18 at Saratoga, New York. Lemuel E. Quigg was Temporary Chairman until the choice of Warner Miller as Permanent Chairman. Ex-U.S. Vice President Levi P. Morton (in office 1889-1893) was nominated for Governor on the first ballot (vote: Morton 532½, J. Sloat Fassett 69, Cornelius N. Bliss 40½, Stewart L. Woodford 40, Daniel Butterfield 29, Leslie W. Russell 20, James Arkell 1). Charles T. Saxton was nominated after receiving 340 votes on the first ballot (393 votes were cast for James W. Wadsworth, George W. Aldridge, George E. Green, Arthur C. Wade, Francis Hendricks, Henry J. Coggeshall, Albert D. Shaw and Azariah C. Brundage) and a few subsequent changes. Albert Haight was nominated for the Court of Appeals on the second ballot.[5]

The Democratic state convention met on September 26 at the Skating Rink in Saratoga, New York. U.S. Senator, and Ex-Governor, David B. Hill was Temporary and Permanent Chairman. After the McLaughlin delegates were seated from Kings County, the Anti-McLaughlin delegation, led by Edward M. Shepard, walked out of this convention. Hill for Governor,[6] Daniel N. Lockwood for Lieutenant Governor, and William J. Gaynor for the Court of Appeals, were nominated by acclamation.[7] Gaynor declined to run,[8] and the Democratic State Committee met on October 6 at the Park Avenue Hotel in New York City, and substituted Charles F. Brown on the ticket.[9]

The "Democratic Party Reform Organization" of Brooklyn, led by Edward M. Shepard, met on October 9 at Shepard's office at 111, Broadway, and nominated Everett P. Wheeler for Governor and endorsed the other two Democratic candidates. Charles S. Fairchild was chosen Chairman of the Campaign Committee.[10]

The "State Democracy", one of the Anti-Tammany Democratic organizations in New York City, led by Ex-Mayor William R. Grace, met on October 27, at Cooper Union, and endorsed the Democratic ticket.[11]

Result

The whole Republican ticket was elected.

None of the incumbents ran for re-election.

**1894 state election results**
Office	Republican ticket		Democratic ticket		Democratic Reform ticket		Prohibition ticket		Socialist Labor ticket		People's ticket		Empire State Democratic ticket
Governor	Levi P. Morton	673,818	David B. Hill	517,710	Everett P. Wheeler	27,202	Francis E. Baldwin	23,525	Charles H. Matchett	15,868	Charles B. Matthews	11,049	David B. Hill
Lieutenant Governor	Charles T. Saxton	673,798	Daniel N. Lockwood	546,315	Daniel N. Lockwood		Justus Miller	23,542	William F. Steer[12]	15,656	Robert C. Hewson[13]	10,894	Daniel N. Lockwood
Judge of the Court of Appeals	Albert Haight	671,259	Charles F. Brown[14]	547,334	Charles F. Brown		Zachariah P. Taylor	23,636	Francis Gerau[15]	15,849	Thaddeus B. Wakeman[16]	10,909	Charles F. Brown

Obs.: For candidates nominated on more than one ticket, the numbers are the total votes on all tickets.

Amendments

The Constitution of 1894: 410,697 For and 327,402 Against
Amendment on Legislative Apportionment: 404,335 For and 350,625 Against
Amendment on Canal Improvement: 442,988 For and 327,645 Against
Amendment relating to County Judges and Court of Sessions in Kings County: 391,350 For and 332,505 Against
Amendment relating to the Election of Additional Justices of the Supreme Court: 395,233 For and 341,713 Against

The Consolidation

Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, East Chester and Pelham voted for Consolidation, Mount Vernon and Westchester rejected it, the latter by a single vote.[17]

New York County (Manhattan): 96,938 For and 59,959 Against
Kings County (Brooklyn): 64,744 For and 64,467 Against
Queens County (Queens): 7,712 For and 4,741 Against
Richmond County (Staten Island): 5,531 For and 1,505 Against
City of Mount Vernon: 873 For and 1,603 Against
Town of East Chester: 374 For and 260 Against
Town of Westchester: 620 For and 621 Against
Town of Pelham: 251 For and 153 Against

Notes

The Evening Journal Almanac 1895 (pg. 12)
NEW-YORK PROHIBITIONISTS.; Convention at Syracuse About to Nominated a State Ticket in NYT on June 27, 1894
PROHIBITIONISTS MAKE NOMINATIONS in NYT on June 28, 1894
SQUASHES CASH, OFFICES FREE.; POPULISTS TRY ORIGINAL METHODS AT SARATOGA in NYT on September 12, 1894
MORTON ON THE FIRST BALLOT; BOSSISM TRIUMPHS IN THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION in NYT on September 19, 1894
DAVID B. HILL HEADS THE TICKET in NYT on September 27, 1894
COMPLETING THE TICKET in NYT on September 27, 1894
GAYNOR WILL NOT ACCEPT in NYT on October 6, 1894
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEES ACCEPT; JUDGE CHARLES F. BROWN NAMED FOR THE COURT OF APPEALS in NYT on October 7, 1894
E.P. WHEELER FOR GOVERNOR; NOMINATED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY REFORM ORGANIZATION in NYT on October 10, 1894
STATE DEMOCRACY RATIFIES; ENTHUSIASM FOR MESSRS. HILL LOCKWOOD, AND BROWN in NYT on October 28, 1894
William F. Steer, of Albany, ran also for Treasurer in 1893 and 1895
Robert C. Hewson (b. 1831 Milo, short bio Archived 2006-09-02 at the Wayback Machine
Charles F. Brown (b. 1844 Newburgh), son of John W. Brown, DA of Orange Co 1874-77, Orange Co Judge 1877-82, Supreme Court from 1883
Dr. Francis Gerau, MD (ca. 1826-1896), of Brooklyn, President of the Labor Lyceum Association, ran also in 1888, 1890 and 1893; 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
Thaddeus Burr Wakeman (1834-1913), lawyer, author, ran also for Attorney General in 1887 and 1893, and for Secretary of State in 1895
Pelt, Daniel Van (1898). Leslie's History of the Greater New York: New York to the consolidation. Arkell Publishing Company. p. 552. City of Mount Vernon: 873 For and 1,603 Against.

Sources

The tickets: A GREAT STACK OF BALLOTS in NYT on October 22, 1894
Result: THE STATE VOTE CANVASSED in NYT on December 15, 1894
Result: The Tribune Almanac 1895
Result in New York City: THE CITY'S OFFICIAL VOTE in NYT on November 24, 1894
The Republican candidates: THE NEW STATE OFFICERS; SKETCHES OF THE REPUBLICANS ELECTED IN NEW-YORK in NYT on November 7, 1894
The Democratic candidates: CAREERS OF CANDIDATES; THE MEN SELECTED BY THE NEW-YORK DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION in NYT on September 27, 1894
The New York Red Book 1895