1889 New York state election

The 1889 New York state election was held on November 5, 1889, 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.

History

The Prohibition state convention met on September 4 and 5 at Shakespeare Hall in Syracuse, New York. Prof. Alphonso A. Hopkins presided. Jesse H. Griffen, a Quaker of Yorktown, was nominated for Secretary of State; Joseph W. Bruce for Treasurer; Benjamin L. Rand, a 30-year-old banker of Tonawanda, for Treasurer; Alpheus B. Kenyon, a professor of Alfred University, for State Engineer; and Coleridge A. Hart, a 35-year-old lawyer of New York City, for Attorney General; and Walter Farrington for the Court of Appeals.^[1]

The Republican state convention met on September 25 at Saratoga Springs, New York, and nominated John I. Gilbert, of Franklin County, for Secretary of State; Martin W. Cooke, of Monroe County, for Comptroller; Ira M. Hedges, of Rockland County, for Attorney General; James M. Varnum, of New York City, for Treasurer; William V. Van Rensselaer for State Engineer; and Albert Haight for the Court of Appeals.

The Democratic state convention met on October 1 at the Alhambra in Syracuse, New York. Lt. Gov. Edward F. Jones was Temporary and Permanent Chairman. Frank Rice was nominated for Secretary of State by acclamation. Comptroller Edward Wemple was re-nominated on the first ballot (vote: Wemple 265, Edward A. Maher 115½). Wemple's nomination was not "made unanimous." Attorney General Charles F. Tabor was re-nominated on the first ballot (vote: Tabor 266, John Foley 115). State Engineer John Bogart was re-nominated by acclamation. Ex-Attorney General Denis O'Brien (in office 1884–1887) was nominated unanimously for the Court of Appeals after the name of Edward S. Rapallo had been proposed but withdrawn considering the ballots for Comptroller and Attorney General.^[2] The ticket, composed by Gov. David B. Hill and ordered to be pushed through the convention, had actually been published two days before the delegates met.^[3]

Members of the disbanding Greenback Party met on October 21 at the Grand Central Hotel in New York City. George O. Jones presided. They nominated Thomas K. Beecher for Secretary of State; J. Madison Hall, of Madison County, for Treasurer; John B. Sullivan, of Westchester County, for Comptroller; and James Wright, of Wayne County, for Attorney General.^[4]

Results

The whole Democratic ticket was elected.

The incumbents Wemple, Tabor and Bogart were re-elected.

1889 state election results

Office	Democratic ticket		Republican ticket		Prohibition ticket		Greenback ticket
Secretary of State	Frank Rice	505,893	John I. Gilbert	485,363	Jesse H. Griffen	26,753	Thomas K. Beecher[5]	753
Comptroller	Edward Wemple	500,344	Martin W. Cooke	488,146	Benjamin L. Rand	26,089	John B. Sullivan
Attorney General	Charles F. Tabor	499,477	James M. Varnum	488,768	Coleridge A. Hart	26,563	James Wright[6]	730
Treasurer	Elliott Danforth	502,319	Ira M. Hedges[7]	488,397	Joseph W. Bruce[8]	26,194	J. Madison Hall[9]	706
State Engineer	John Bogart	504,040	William V. Van Rensselaer[10]	486,921	Alpheus B. Kenyon	26,794	Leonard Henkle[11]	606
Judge of the Court of Appeals	Denis O'Brien	502,639	Albert Haight	487,567	Walter Farrington[12]	25,199

Notes

1. THIS TICKET IS UNIQUE.; PROHIBITIONISTS READY FOR ANOTHER CAMPAIGN in NYT on September 6, 1889
2. YIELDING ALL TO HILL in NYT on October 2, 1889
3. DELEGATES TO SYRACUSE in NYT on September 29, 1889
4. POLITICAL ODDS AND ENDS in NYT on October 22, 1889
5. Rev. Thomas Kinnicut Beecher (1824-1900), of Elmira, brother of Henry Ward Beecher, ran also in 1883 and 1887, Obit in NYT on March 15, 1900
6. James Wright, lawyer of Wayne County, ran also in 1879 (lived then in Elmira); and for Secretary of State in 1893 (lived then in Weedsport)
7. Ira M. Hedges, of Rockland County, ran also in 1891
8. Joseph W. Bruce (b. 1820 Lenox), retired farmer, co-owner of the Bruce Opera House in Canastota, ran also for Governor in 1891
9. James Madison Hall, of Madison County, ran also in 1887
10. Capt. William V. Van Rensselaer, of Seneca Falls, Division Engineer of the Middle Division of the State Canals under Superintendent of Public Works Silas B. Dutcher, assemblyman 1898, ran also in 1885, sketch of the candidate: STATE ENGINEER in NYT on October 2, 1885
11. Col. Leonard Henkle, of Rochester, ran for Congress in 1880, a pioneer of electricity supply, see: COL. HENKLE'S ELECTRIC SYSTEM in NYT on March 19, 1884
12. Walter Farrington (ca. 1830 - Nov 25., 1920), of Poughkeepsie, lawyer, ran also for the Court of Appeals in 1881 and 1884; for Attorney General in 1879 and 1906; and for Chief Judge in 1892

Sources

• The tickets: LIST OF ALL THE CANDIDATES TO BE VOTED FOR IN NEW-YORK CITY ON TUESDAY in NYT on November 3, 1889
• The Democratic candidates: THE CANDIDATES in NYT on October 2, 1889
• Result: OFFICIAL VOTE OF NEW-YORK STATE CAST AT THE ELECTION HELD ON TUESDAY, NOV. 5, 1889 in NYT on December 6, 1889
• Result in New York City: THE CITY VOTE in NYT on November 21, 1889
• The ballot reform, and how to vote: BALLOT REFORM APPLIED TO THIS ELECTION in NYT on November 4, 1889

See also

• New York state elections