1855 New York state election

Last updated

The 1855 New York state election was held on November 6, 1855, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, two judges of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

Contents

Nominations

Both the Whig state convention and the Anti-Nebraska state convention met on September 26 at Syracuse, New York. John Alsop King presided at the Whig convention, Reuben E. Fenton at the Anti-Nebraska convention. After organizing the Whigs, the delegates decided to join the Anti-Nebraskans, and marched to their assembling place. There the two parties merged and adopted the name Republican Party, and continued as the Republican state convention with King and Fenton as co-chairmen. [1]

Results

Due to the chaotic political situation with the major parties split over the slavery question, a new party being founded by the fusion of factions of all previous parties, and four tickets competing, the American Party had the most surprising election victory in the history of the State of New York, winning eight of the nine state offices. Only the jointly nominated Democrat Henry L. Selden could defeat his American and Republican opponents. The incumbents Cook, Follett and Darius Clark were defeated.

16 Republicans, 11 Americans, four Democrats and one Temperance man were elected to a two-year term (1856–57) in the New York State Senate.

47 Democrats, 44 Americans, 35 Republicans and 2 Whigs were elected to the New York State Assembly of the 79th New York State Legislature.

1855 state election results
Office American [2] ticket Republican ticket Dem./Soft ticket Dem./Hard ticket
Secretary of State Joel T. Headley 148,557 Preston King 136,698 Israel T. Hatch 91,336 Aaron Ward 59,353
Comptroller Lorenzo Burrows 148,267 James M. Cook 138,748 Lemuel Stetson 101,863Thomas B. Mitchell47,411
Attorney General Stephen B. Cushing 148,695 Abijah Mann, Jr. 136,337 Samuel J. Tilden 101,369 Josiah Sutherland 44,357
Treasurer Stephen Clark 148,778 Alexander B. Williams 136,696Ariel S. Thurston91,871Joseph M. Lyon57,910
State Engineer Silas Seymour 137,608 George Geddes 131,716 John B. Jervis 88,290 John D. Fay 56,293
Judge of the Court of Appeals (full term) William W. Campbell 141,514 Bradford R. Wood 134,353 Samuel L. Selden 151,632 [3] Samuel L. Selden
Judge of the Court of Appeals (short term) [4] George F. Comstock 140,299 Joseph Mullin 132,019Nicholas Hill, Jr.106,511 John Willard 40,772
Canal Commissioner Samuel S. Whallon 147,461Daniel H. Bissell135,918Curtis Hawley90,005 Frederick Follett 60,974
Inspector of State Prisons William A. Russell 148,875 Wesley Bailey 136,993Patrick H. Agan100,702 Darius Clark 48,332

Sources

Notes

  1. Conventions of the Whig and Republican Parties in NYT on September 28, 1855
  2. In the press usually referred to as the Know Nothings
  3. Total votes on Soft and Hard tickets
  4. To fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles H. Ruggles, a judge was elected for the remaining six years of the term.

See also

Related Research Articles

1856 United States presidential election 18th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1856 United States presidential election was the 18th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 1856. In a three-way election, Democrat James Buchanan defeated Republican nominee John C. Frémont, and Know Nothing nominee and former President Millard Fillmore.

Free Soil Party Precursor to the US Republican Party

The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories of the United States.

New York gubernatorial elections List if former and future gubernatorial elections in New York

There have been 90 gubernatorial elections in the state of New York since 1777. The next one will be held on November 3, 2022.

1958 New York state election

The 1958 New York state election was held on November 4, 1958, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and a U.S. Senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

1914 New York state election

The 1914 New York state election was held on November 3, 1914, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer, a U.S. Senator 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, and delegates-at-large to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1915.

1854 New York state election

The 1854 New York state election was held on November 7, 1854, 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.

1862 New York state election

The 1862 New York state election was held on November 4, 1862, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, a Canal Commissioner, an Inspector of State Prisons and the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly.

1874 New York state election

The 1874 New York state election was held on November 3, 1874, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and one member of the New York State Senate.

James M. Cook

James Merrill Cook was an American businessman, banker and politician.

Benjamin Welch Jr. was an American politician.

1857 New York state election

The 1857 New York state election was held on November 3, 1857, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

1861 New York state election

The 1861 New York state election was held on November 5, 1861, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the New York State Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, two Canal Commissioners and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

1865 New York state election

The 1865 New York state election was held on November 7, 1865, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, two Judges of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioners, an Inspector of State Prisons and the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

1855 United States Senate election in New York U.S. Senate election in New York

The 1855 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 6, 1855, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.

1857 United States Senate election in New York U.S. Senate election in New York

The 1857 United States Senate election in New York was held on February 3, 1857 by the New York State Legislature. Incumbent Whig Senator Hamilton Fish did not stand for re-election. The seat was won by Preston King, a former U.S. Representative and member of the newly-formed Republican Party. King was the first Republican elected to represent New York, although William H. Seward had joined the party after being elected as a Whig in 1855.

1858 and 1859 United States Senate elections Elections for the U.S. Senate

The 1858 and 1859 United States Senate elections were elections which had the Republican Party gain five additional seats in the United States Senate, but the Democrats retained their majority. That majority would erode in 1860 with the secession of the southern states leading up to the Civil War.

The 1856 and 1857 United States Senate elections were elections which had the young Republican Party assume its position as one of the United States's two main political parties. The Whigs and Free Soilers were gone by the time the next Congress began.

The 1854 and 1855 United States Senate elections were elections which saw the final decline of the Whig Party and the maintained majority of the Democrats. Those Whigs in the South who were opposed to secession ran on the "Opposition Party" ticket, and were elected to a minority. Along with the Whigs, the Senate roster also included Free Soilers, Know Nothings, and a new party: the Republicans. Only five of the twenty-one senators up for election were re-elected.

78th New York State Legislature New York state legislative session

The 78th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 14, 1855, during the first year of Myron H. Clark's governorship, in Albany.

79th New York State Legislature New York state legislative session

The 79th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to April 9, 1856, during the second year of Myron H. Clark's governorship, in Albany.