1912 New York state election

The 1912 New York state election was held on November 5, 1912, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer and two judges (to fill the vacancies caused by the retirement of Albert Haight and Irving G. Vann who reached the constitutional age-limit) of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. The voters were also asked if they approved a $50,000,000 bond issue for "good roads construction", which was answered in the affirmative, with 657,548 in favor and 281,265 against.

1912 New York gubernatorial election

← 1910 November 5–6, 1912 1914 →
 
Nominee William Sulzer Job E. Hedges Oscar Straus
Party Democratic Republican Progressive
Alliance Independence
Popular vote 649,559 444,105 393,183
Percentage 47.69% 28.35% 25.10%

County results
Sulzer:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%
Hedges:      30–40%      40–50%

Governor before election

John Alden Dix
Democratic

Elected Governor

William Sulzer
Democratic

History

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The Socialist state convention met on June 30 at Auburn, New York. They nominated again, like in 1910, Charles Edward Russell for governor; Gustave Adolph Strebel for lieutenant governor; and Henry L. Slobodin for attorney general. They also nominated Carrie W. Allen, of Onondaga County, for secretary of state; Olin Hoxie Smith, of Schenectady, for comptroller; Frank Ehrenfried, of Erie County, for treasurer; and Dr. Charles H. Furman, of Brooklyn, for state engineer.[1]

The Progressive state convention met on September 6 at Syracuse, New York. Oscar S. Straus was chairman. The convention nominated Straus for governor by acclamation amid great noise after the name of New York City Comptroller William A. Prendergast, the bosses' and Theodore Roosevelt's choice, was withdrawn by Timothy L. Woodruff.[2]

The Republican state convention met on September 27 at Saratoga Springs, New York.[3]

The Democratic state convention met on October 2 at Syracuse, New York. Alton B. Parker was elected permanent chairman with 412 votes against 33 for John K. Sague, the Mayor of Poughkeepsie. Congressman William Sulzer was nominated for governor after the third ballot (first ballot: John Alden Dix [incumbent] 147, Sulzer 136, Herman A. Metz 70, Martin H. Glynn 46, George H. Burd 28, Francis Burton Harrison 21, William Sohmer 1; second ballot: Sulzer 141, Dix 124, Metz 68, Glynn 48, Burd 28, Harrison 27, Sohmer 2, Robert F. Wagner 2, James Aloysius O'Gorman 1, Victor J. Dowling 1; third ballot: Sulzer 195, Dix 87, Metz 76, Glynn 41, Harrison 21, Burd 9, Dowling 4, Wagner 3, O'Gorman 1, Ellison 1, George W. Batten 1, James W. Gerard 1; then Dix and Metz withdrew, and Sulzer was chosen). Ex-Comptroller Martin H. Glynn (in office 1907–08) was nominated for lieutenant governor by acclamation, and the convention adjourned an hour after midnight.[4] The convention met again on October 3, and nominated Mitchell May for secretary of state; re-nominated the other incumbent state officers Sohmer, Carmody, Kennedy and Bensel; and nominated William H. Cuddeback and John W. Hogan for the Court of Appeals.[5]

The Independence League state convention met on October 3 at Arlington Hall in New York City. James A. Allen was Temporary and Permanent Chairman. They nominated Progressive Oscar S. Straus for Governor with 89 votes against 79 for Democrat William Sulzer, and then adjourned[6] The convention met again on October 4, and nominated a ticket made up by Democrats Glynn, Sohmer and Cuddeback; Progressives Call, Palmieri, Leland and Kirchwey; and the only Independence Leaguer John Davis for treasurer.[7] William Randolph Hearst himself endorsed Sulzer and Glynn.[8]

Result

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The whole Democratic ticket was elected in a three-cornered race.

The incumbents Sohmer, Carmody, Kennedy and Bensel were re-elected.

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

1912 state election results
Office Democratic ticket Republican ticket Progressive ticket Socialist ticket Prohibition ticket Independence League ticket Socialist Labor ticket
Governor William Sulzer 649,559 Job E. Hedges 444,105 Oscar S. Straus 393,183 Charles Edward Russell 56,917 T. Alexander MacNicholl[9] 18,990 Oscar S. Straus John Hall 4,461
Lieutenant Governor Martin H. Glynn 665,762 James W. Wadsworth, Jr. 450,539 Frederick M. Davenport 351,427 Gustave A. Strebel 60,481 Clark Allis[10] 19,764 Martin H. Glynn Jeremiah D. Crowley 4,669
Secretary of State Mitchell May 649,073 Francis M. Hugo 460,651 Homer D. Call 353,170 Carrie W. Allen 61,548 Ben D. Wright 20,240 Homer D. Call Edmund Moonelis 4,396
Comptroller William Sohmer 658,392 William D. Cunningham[11] 463,901 Horatio C. King 341,706 Olin Hoxie Smith 61,457 Bernard Clauson 19,793 William Sohmer Robert Downs 3,865
Attorney General Thomas Carmody 651,875 Meier Steinbrink[12] 457,838 John Palmieri 354,450 Henry L. Slobodin 61,284 Ernest H. Woodruff 20,175 John Palmieri John Joss 3,867
Treasurer John J. Kennedy 650,530 William Archer[13] 458,174 Ernest Cawcroft 341,581 Frank Ehrenfried 61,311 Arthur A. Amidon 19,902 John Davis 12,672 Henry Kuhn 3,872
State Engineer John A. Bensel 649,839 Frank M. Williams 461,822 Ora Miner Leland 357,226 Charles H. Furman 61,587 Van Cleve C. Mott 19,950 Ora Miner Leland Thomas J. DeLee 4,545
Judge of the Court of Appeals William H. Cuddeback 654,626 Frank H. Hiscock 470,895 Carlos C. Alden 336,918 Jessie Ashley 61,588 Erwin J. Baldwin 19,537 William H. Cuddeback Edmund Seidel 4,281
Judge of the Court of Appeals John W. Hogan 642,004 Emory A. Chase 467,743 George W. Kirchwey 348,887 Leon A. Malkiel[14] 61,094 Gilbert Elliott 19,443 George W. Kirchwey Carl A. Luedecke 4,265

Obs.:

  • Numbers are total votes on Progressive and Independence League tickets for Straus, Call, Palmieri, Leland and Kirchwey; and total votes on Democratic and Independence League tickets for Glynn, Sohmer and Cuddeback.
  • Analyzing the totals, the average strength of the Independence League was about 12,000 votes.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ SOCIALIST STATE TICKET OUT in NYT on July 1, 1912
  2. ^ BULL MOOSERS CHOOSE STRAUS FOR GOVERNOR in NYT on September 7, 1912
  3. ^ HEDGES NAMED FOR GOVERNOR in NYT on September 28, 1912
  4. ^ SULZER WINS ON FOURTH PHASE, DIX WITHDRAWS in NYT on October 3, 1912
  5. ^ DEMOCRATS FINISH TICKET IN HARMONY in NYT on October 4, 1912
  6. ^ STRAUS INDORSED BY INDEPENDENTS in NYT on October 4, 1912
  7. ^ THE INDEPENDENT SLATE in NYT on October 5, 1912
  8. ^ HEARST INDORSES SULZER in NYT on October 7, 1912
  9. ^ Dr. Thomas Alexander MacNicholl, of Pleasantville, co-founder of the New York Red Cross Hospital (1893), Vice President of the American Medical Society for the Study of Alcohol, ran also in 1910
  10. ^ Clark Allis (b. Aug. 15, 1865 Clarendon), of Medina, President of the New York State Fruit Growers' Association
  11. ^ William D. Cunningham, of Ulster County
  12. ^ Meier Steinbrink, of Brooklyn
  13. ^ William Archer, of Westchester County, ran also in February 1914 when the State Legislature elected a Treasurer to fill the unexpired term of John J. Kennedy, but lost to Homer D. Call
  14. ^ Leon Andrew Malkiel (b. Aug. 1, 1866 Moscow), realtor, lawyer, of New York City, also ran for attorney general in 1904, and for the Court of Appeals in 1920

Sources

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