1916 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

Last updated

1916 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
Flag of Massachusetts (1908-1971).svg
←  1911 November 7, 1916 1922  →
  Henry Cabot Lodge c1916.jpg J.F. Fitzgerald LCCN2014714230 (3x4a).jpg
Nominee Henry Cabot Lodge John F. Fitzgerald
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote267,177234,238
Percentage51.68%45.31%
1916 United States Senate Election in Massachusetts by County.svg
County results
Lodge:      50–60%     60–70%
Fitzgerald:      50–60%
Senator before election

Henry Cabot Lodge
Republican

Elected Senator

Henry Cabot Lodge
Republican

The 1916 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 7, 1916. Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge defeated Democratic Mayor of Boston John F. Fitzgerald to win election to a fifth term.

Contents

This was the first United States Senate election in Massachusetts decided by popular vote, as required by the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

1916 U.S. Senate Republican primary [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge (incumbent) 104,118 100.00%
Write-in 20.00%
Total votes104,120 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Background

In 1914 Mayor of Boston John F. Fitzgerald was strongly popular in the city, leading him to consider a challenge against the powerful Senator Lodge. [2] When he wavered on whether to run for another term in office, however, James Michael Curley entered the race and usurped him in the January 1914 election. Fitzgerald briefly ran for re-election to another term in office, before withdrawing in December 1913. Though he cited illness, he was in fact being blackmailed by Curley and attorney Daniel H. Coakley, who had learned of his indiscretions with a cigarette girl, Elizabeth "Toodles" Ryan. [3]

Campaign

The Democratic state convention was held in Springfield on October 7. [4] Fitzgerald addressed the convention, praising President Wilson and criticizing Lodge, his Senate colleague John W. Weeks, and former President Theodore Roosevelt for opposing the President's re-election during war-time. [5]

Results

1916 U.S. Senate Democratic primary [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic John F. Fitzgerald 64,551 100.00%
Write-in 20.00%
Total votes64,553 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Campaign

The first shot of the general election came in September, before the primary elections. At a Lodge campaign rally in Beverly, the Senator made no mention of Fitzgerald, but campaign backer Arthur Black criticized the former mayor's candidacy as a vanity run. Lodge focused his campaign on criticism of President Wilson and support for Republican nominee Charles Evans Hughes. [7]

Fitzgerald attacked Lodge for his opposition to the direct election of Senators and the Federal Employees' Compensation Act. He declared that "[Lodge's] career shows a singular lack of touch with the people... it is for private interests that he has stood during his career." [8]

Lodge also faced criticism over his charge of weakness against President Wilson's response to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. Lodge was forced to withdraw his charge. [8]

Results

1916 United States Senate election in Massachusetts [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge (incumbent) 267,177 51.68%
Democratic John F. Fitzgerald 234,23845.31%
Socialist William N. McDonald15,5583.01%
Write-in All others260.00%
Total votes516,999 100.00%

Aftermath

In 1952, Fitzgerald's grandson John F. Kennedy defeated Lodge's grandson Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. to win election to this same Senate seat. Fitzgerald's daughter Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy would say that her son John had "evened the score" with the Lodges and avenged her father's defeat. A final contest between the two families came in 1962, when Ted Kennedy defeated George C. Lodge for the same seat. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John F. Fitzgerald</span> American politician

John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. Fitzgerald served as mayor of Boston and a member of the United States House of Representatives. He also made unsuccessful runs for the United States Senate in 1916 and 1942 and governor of Massachusetts in 1922. Fitzgerald maintained a high profile in the city whether in or out of office, and his theatrical style of campaigning and charisma earned him the nickname "Honey Fitz".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George C. Lodge</span> Professor and former politician

George Cabot Lodge II is an American professor and former politician. In 1962, he was the Republican nominee for a special election to succeed John F. Kennedy in the United States Senate, but was defeated by Ted Kennedy. He was the son of Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., who lost reelection to the Senate in 1952 to John F. Kennedy. His father was also the vice presidential nominee for the Republican party in 1960, an election won yet again by Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1936 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> United States Senate election in Massachusetts

The 1936 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 3. Incumbent Democratic Senator Marcus A. Coolidge declined to stand for re-election. Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. won the race to succeed him over Democratic Boston mayor James Michael Curley and former Suffolk County prosecutor Thomas C. O'Brien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts</span> US election

The 1962 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was held on November 6, 1962. The election was won by Ted Kennedy, the youngest brother of then-President John F. Kennedy, who would remain Senator until his death in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The 1952 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 4, 1952, in which Incumbent Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. lost to Congressman and future President John F. Kennedy, the Democratic Party nominee.

The Lodge family is a formerly prominent New England political family, and among the families who make up the "Boston Brahmins", also known as the "first families of Boston".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The 1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 5, 1946. Incumbent Democratic Senator David I. Walsh ran for re-election to a fifth term in office, but was defeated by Republican former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., who returned from service in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The 1928 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 6, 1928, with Democratic incumbent David I. Walsh defeating his challengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The 1926 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was held on November 2, 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1922 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The 1922 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on Tuesday, November 7. Incumbent Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge was re-elected to a fifth term in office over Democrat William A. Gaston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1942 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The United States Senate election of 1942 in Massachusetts was held on November 3, 1942. Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was re-elected to a second term in office over Democratic U.S. Representative Joseph E. Casey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1930 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The United States Senate election of 1930 in Massachusetts was held on November 4, 1930. Incumbent Republican Senator Frederick H. Gillett did not run for re-election. In the open race to succeed him, Democratic Mayor of Fitchburg Marcus A. Coolidge defeated former U.S. Senator William M. Butler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The United States Senate election of 1924 in Massachusetts was held on November 4, 1924. Incumbent Democratic Senator David I. Walsh, first elected in 1918, ran for a second term in office but was defeated by the Republican nominee incumbent Speaker of the U.S. House Frederick H. Gillett. Despite winning 13 out of 14 counties in the state, Gillett was only able to win a narrow margin of 1.7%, which was largely due to Walsh's strong performance in Suffolk County, home to the state capitol of Boston, likely being carried over by fellow Republican Calvin Coolidge's strong performance in the 1924 United States presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1918 United States Senate election in Massachusetts</span> Election

The United States Senate election of 1918 in Massachusetts was held on November 5. Incumbent Republican Senator John W. Weeks ran for a second term in office but was defeated by Democratic former Governor David I. Walsh.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 4, 1952 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 16.

The 1946 Massachusetts general election was held on November 5, 1946, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on June 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Jackson Walsh</span> American politician

John Jackson Walsh was an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell A. Wood</span> American politician

Russell Abner Wood was an American politician who was a Perennial candidate for statewide office in Massachusetts. He served as Massachusetts State Auditor from 1939 to 1941.

The 1944 Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 1944, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on July 11.

The 1942 Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 1942, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 15.

References

  1. ↑ Office of the Secretary of Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1916). Number of assessed polls, registered voters and persons who voted in each voting precinct in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the state, city and town elections. pp.  125.
  2. ↑ Kearns Goodwin 1987, p. 243.
  3. ↑ Kearns Goodwin 1987, pp. 243–47.
  4. ↑ "DEMOCRATS TO MEET OCTOBER 7" . The Boston Globe . August 13, 1916. p. 9. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ "WILSON'S FAME ETERNAL, MR. FITZGERALD SAYS" . The Boston Globe . October 7, 1916. p. 14. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  6. ↑ Office of the Secretary of Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1916). Number of assessed polls, registered voters and persons who voted in each voting precinct in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the state, city and town elections. pp.  252.
  7. ↑ "CALLS FOR DEFEAT OF FITZGERALD" . The Boston Post . September 24, 1916. p. 3. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Whalen 2000, p. 5.
  9. ↑ Office of the Secretary of Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1916). Number of assessed polls, registered voters and persons who voted in each voting precinct in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the state, city and town elections. p. 558.
  10. ↑ Whalen 2000, p. 6.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.