1897 New York City mayoral election

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1897 New York City mayoral election
  1894 (Manhattan and the Bronx) November 1897 1901  
  Robert Anderson Van Wyck.gif Seth Low cph.3a37073.jpg BFTracy.jpg
Nominee Robert A. Van Wyck Seth Low Benjamin F. Tracy
Party Democratic Citizens Union Republican
Popular vote233,997151,540101,863
Percentage44.7%28.9%19.5%

Mayor before election

William L. Strong (as mayor of Manhattan and the Bronx)
Republican

Contents

Elected mayor

Robert A. Van Wyck (as mayor of the City of Greater New York)
Democratic

An election for Mayor of New York City was held in November 1897. This election was held in connection with the consolidation of the City of Greater New York, which passed a public referendum on December 14, 1894, and was to be effective January 1, 1898. Thus, the winner of this election would serve as the first mayor of the consolidated city.

Incumbent mayor William L. Strong was not a candidate for re-election to a second term in office. The multipolar race featured chief justice of the City Court Robert A. Van Wyck, Columbia University president Seth Low, former U.S. secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy, and tax reformer Henry George. On October 29, just a few days before the election, George died. Van Wyck won the race with a plurality of the vote, followed by Low and Tracy.

Background

On December 14, 1894, the voters in the towns of New York County (then coterminous with New York City and consisting of two boroughs, Manhattan and the Bronx), Kings County (consisting entirely of the consolidated city of Brooklyn), Richmond County, and Queens County voted to consolidate into one city with a unified municipal government. The city also annexed parts of southern Westchester County. The enlarged city would contain the majority of the state of New York's population.

To allow for the consolidation to take effect on January 1, 1898, the term of mayor William Lafayette Strong was extended by a year, and the next mayoral election was moved from 1896 to 1897.

General election

Candidates

Results

1897 New York City mayoral election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Robert A. Van Wyck 233,997 44.7%
Citizens Union Seth Low 151,54028.9%
Republican Benjamin F. Tracy 101,86319.5%
Jeffersonian Democracy Henry George (deceased)21,6934.1%
Socialist Labor Lucien Sanial 14,4672.8%
Total votes523,560 100.00%
Democratic gain from Republican

Results by borough

1897PartyThe Bronx and ManhattanBrooklynQueensRichmond [Staten Is.]Total%
Robert A. Van Wyck Democratic 143,66676,1859,2754,871233,99744.7%
48.0%40.1%40.7%43.5%
Seth Low Citizens' Union 77,21065,6565,8762,798151,54028.9%
25.8%34.6%25.8%25.0%
Benjamin F. Tracy Republican 55,83437,6115,6392,779101,86319.5%
18.6%19.8%24.7%24.8%
Henry George Jefferson Democracy13,0766,9381,09658321,6934.1%
Lucien Sanial Socialist Labor 9,7963,59392115714,4672.8%
TOTAL299,582189,98322,80711,188523,560

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References

  1. Jackson, Kenneth (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press and The New York Historical Society. ISBN   0-300-05536-6.

Sources