1904 New Jersey gubernatorial election

1904 New Jersey gubernatorial election

November 8, 1904

Nominee Edward C. Stokes Charles C. Black Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 231,363 179,719 Percentage 53.5% 41.6%

County results Stokes:      50-60%      60-70% Black:      50–60%

Governor before election Franklin Murphy Republican Elected Governor Edward C. Stokes Republican

The 1904 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1904. Republican nominee Edward C. Stokes defeated Democratic nominee Charles C. Black with 53.50% of the vote.

Republican nomination

Candidates

• Edward C. Stokes, former State Senator for Cumberland County and candidate for U.S. Senator in 1902

Convention

At the state party convention in Trenton on September 20, no opponent emerged to Senator Edward Stokes, and he was nominated enthusiastically without opposition.^[1]

Democratic nomination

Candidates

• Charles C. Black, member of the State Tax Board^[2][3]
• Thomas M. Ferrell, former U.S. Representative from Glassboro^[3]
• Frank S. Katzenbach, mayor of Trenton^[2][3]

Not nominated

• Alvah A. Clark, former U.S. Representative from Somerville^[2]
• James van Cleef, mayor of New Brunswick^[2]
• Johnston Cornish, State Senator for Warren County^[2]
• David S. Crater, Monmouth County Surrogate^[2]

Convention

Various county parties promoted their favorite sons for the nomination, though the front-runner from the start was Charles C. Black, the candidate of Hudson County. Black had the support of Senator James Smith Jr., Robert Davis, and Allan McDermott. Black, a member of the State Tax Board, was also seen as a leading representative of the Democratic campaign for an equal tax.^[2][4]

Ultimately, only two favorite son candidates were nominated against Black: Frank S. Katzenbach of Mercer County and Thomas M. Ferrell of Gloucester. They were soundly defeated at the party convention on September 15 in Trenton.^[3]

1904 Democratic state convention^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Charles C. Black	945	88.32%
	Democratic	Thomas M. Ferrell	75	7.01%
	Democratic	Frank S. Katzenbach	50	4.67%
Total votes			1,070	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Charles C. Black, member of the State Tax Board (Democratic)
• George P. Herrschaft (Socialist Labor)
• George A. Honnecker (Populist)
• Henry R. Kearns (Socialist)
• James Parker (Prohibition)
• Edward C. Stokes, former State Senator for Cumberland County and candidate for U.S. Senator in 1902 (Republican)

Results

New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1904^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Edward C. Stokes	231,363	53.50%	2.62
	Democratic	Charles C. Black	179,719	41.56%	4.58
	Socialist	Henry R. Kearns	8,858	2.05%	1.08
	Prohibition	James Parker	6,687	1.55%	0.06
	Populist	George A. Honnecker	3,285	0.76%	N/A
	Socialist Labor	George P. Herrschaft	2,526	0.58%	0.05
Majority
Total votes			432,438	100.00%
	Republican hold		Swing

References

1. "STOKES ON EQUAL TAX". Passaic Daily News. September 21, 1904. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
2. "Perth Amboy Evening News 06 Aug 1904, page 1". Perth Amboy Evening News. August 6, 1904. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
3. "The Democratic State Convention". Gloucester County Democrat. September 22, 1904. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
4. "Black Slated for Governor, 'Tis Said". The Courier-News. June 25, 1904. p. 8. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
5. Kalb, Deborah (December 24, 2015). Guide to U.S. Elections. CQ Press. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved January 25, 2016.