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 Springs, 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.
^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.
^Silas W. Mason, of Chautauqua County, ran also in 1890, and for Attorney General in 1887
^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
^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