1866 New York state election

1866 New York gubernatorial election

←  1864 November 6, 1866 1868  →

Nominee Reuben E. Fenton John T. Hoffman Party Republican Conservative Union Popular vote 366,315 352,526 Percentage 50.96% 49.04%

County results Fenton:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Hoffman:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% No Data:

Governor before election Reuben E. Fenton Republican Elected Governor Reuben E. Fenton Republican

The 1866 New York state election was held on November 6, 1866, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly. Besides, the voters were asked if a Constitutional Convention should be held in 1867, which was answered in the affirmative with 352,854 votes for, and 256,364 against the convention. ^[1]

History

The delegates to the Conservative Union state convention arrived on September 10 at Albany, New York. This convention was the result of the still ongoing party re-alignment after the American Civil War. The convention was an attempt by allies of President Andrew Johnson to unite Conservative Republicans and Democrats in a new party. ^[2] Thurlow Weed was a delegate. John Adams Dix was talked of to be nominated for governor. ^[3] The convention met on September 11 and 12 at Tweddle Hall. Sanford E. Church was temporary chairman and president. Mayor of New York John T. Hoffman (a Democrat of Tammany Hall) was nominated for governor by acclamation. Robert H. Pruyn (a Republican) was nominated for lieutenant governor on the first ballot (vote: Pruyn 169, Harlow L. Comstock 85). William W. Wright (who had been Canal Commissioner from 1862 to 1863) for Canal Commissioner, and Francis B. Gallagher for prison inspector, were also nominated by acclamation. ^[4]

Result

The whole Republican ticket was elected in a tight race, with a majority of about 14,000 votes out of more than 700,000.

The incumbent Governor Fenton was re-elected.

82 Republicans and 46 Democrats were elected for the session of 1865 to the New York State Assembly.

1866 state election results

Office	Republican ticket		Conservative Union ticket
Governor	Reuben E. Fenton	366,315	John T. Hoffman	352,526
Lieutenant Governor	Stewart L. Woodford	366,970	Robert H. Pruyn	351,947
Canal Commissioner	Stephen T. Hayt	367,194	William W. Wright	351,643
Inspector of State Prisons	John Hammond	367,345	Francis B. Gallagher	359,072

See also

• New York gubernatorial elections

Notes

1. The Constitutional Convention was held, but the changes were rejected by the voters.
2. Mohr, James C. (1973). The Radical Republicans and Reform during Reconstruction. New York: Cornell University Press. p. 93n20.
3. THE ALBANY CONVENTION in NYT on September 11, 1866
4. NEW YORK STATE CONVENTION in NYT on September 13, 1866

Sources

• Result in The Tribune Almanac compiled by Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune
• Result in NEW-YORK.; Official Declaration of the Vote at the November Election in NYT on December 6, 1866