1873 United States Senate election in New York

The 1873 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 21, 1873, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.

1873 United States Senate election in New York

← 1867 January 21, 1873 1879 →
Majority vote of each house needed to win
Nominee Roscoe Conkling Charles Wheaton Party Republican Democratic Senate 20 5 Percentage 62.5% 15.6% Assembly 92 26 Percentage 71.88% 20.31%
Senator before election Roscoe Conkling Republican Elected Senator Roscoe Conkling Republican

Background

Republican Roscoe Conkling had been elected in January 1867 to this seat, and his term would expire on March 3, 1873.

At the State election in November 1871, 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1872-1873) in the State Senate. In 1872, a faction of the Republican Party opposed the re-election of President Ulysses S. Grant and the Radical Republicans who supported him, and under the name Liberal Republican Party nominated a joint ticket with the Democratic Party. At the State election in November 1872, 91 Republicans, 35 Democrats and 2 Independents were elected for the session of 1873 to the Assembly. The 96th New York State Legislature met from January 7 to May 30, 1873, at Albany, New York.

Candidates

Republican caucus

The caucus of Republican State legislators met on January 8, State Senator William B. Woodin, of Auburn (25th D.), presided. 18 state senators and 88 assemblymen were present. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Conkling unanimously.

Democratic caucus

The caucus of the Democratic State legislators nominated Ex-First Judge of Dutchess County Charles Wheaton.

Result

Roscoe Conkling was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected.

1873 United States Senator election result

House	Republican		Democratic		Republican		Liberal Republican
State Senate (32 members)	Roscoe Conkling	20	Charles Wheaton[1]	5	William M. Evarts	1	Henry R. Selden	1
State Assembly (128 members)	Roscoe Conkling	92	Charles Wheaton	26

Notes:

• The vote for Ex-U.S. Attorney General Evarts was cast by Norman M. Allen (32nd D.), the vote for Ex-Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Selden by Gabriel T. Harrower (27th D.). Allen, Harrower and Abiah W. Palmer (11th D.) were the three Liberal Republicans in the State Senate.
• The votes were cast on January 21, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 22 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Aftermath

Conkling was re-elected in 1879, and remained in office until May 17, 1881, when he resigned in protest against the distribution of federal patronage in New York by President James A. Garfield without being consulted. The crisis between the Stalwart and the Half-Breed factions of the Republican party arose when the leader of the New Yorker Half-Breeds William H. Robertson was appointed Collector of the Port of New York, a position Conkling wanted to give to one of his Stalwart friends.

See also

• United States Senate elections, 1872 and 1873

Notes

1. Charles Wheaton (1834-1886), lawyer, of Poughkeepsie, First Judge of the Dutchess County Court 1863-67

Sources

• Members of the 43rd United States Congress
• ALBANY.; Unanimous Nomination of Roscoe Conkling for U.S. Senator in NYT on January 9, 1873
• ALBANY.; Nomination of Roscoe Conkling as United States Senator in NYT on January 22, 1873
• The Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling: Orator, Statesman and Advocate by Alfred R. Conkling (page 449) [gives wrong date for governor's inauguration "January 6", the inauguration happens invariably on January 1; and adds non-existent middle initial "G."]