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.

1854 New York gubernatorial election

← 1852 November 7, 1854 1856 →

Nominee Myron Clark Horatio Seymour Party Whig Democratic Alliance Anti-Nebraska Free Soil Anti-Rent Temperance Soft Popular vote 156,804 156,495 Percentage 33.38% 33.32%   Nominee Daniel Ullman Greene Bronson Party Know Nothing Democratic Alliance Hard Popular vote 122,282 33,850 Percentage 26.03% 7.21%

County Results Clark   20-30%   30-40%   40-50%   50-60%   60-70% Seymour   30-40%   40-50%   50-60% Ullman   20-30%   30-40%   40-50%   50-60% No Vote

Governor before election Horatio Seymour Democratic Elected Governor Myron Clark Whig

History

The National Democratic (in the press referred to as Hards) state convention met in July and nominated Greene Bronson for governor as well as candidates for the other down-ballot offices. They informed the nominees by letter on July 12 of their nominations. Their letters of acceptance were published on September 11 in the New-York Daily Times.^[1]

The Democratic (in the press referred to as Softs) state convention met on September 6 at Wieting Hall in Syracuse. Lorenzo B. Shepard was Temporary Chairman until the choice of William H. Ludlow as President. The convention appointed a Democratic State Central Committee which included John Cochrane and Horatio Ballard, and then adjourned. On September 7, the convention passed a resolution approving the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which led to the eventual withdrawal of delegates Preston King, Charles G. Myers, Abijah Mann, Philip Dorsheimer and few more Barnburners, all of whom would be the next year among the founders of the Republican Party. Governor Horatio Seymour was re-nominated "by acclamation" with a few contrary votes. William H. Ludlow was nominated for Lieutenant Governor on the first ballot (vote: Ludlow 234, Philip H. Crook 28, Oakley 14, Albert Lester 7, Isaiah Rynders 2, Preston King 2). Jason Clark was nominated for Canal Commissioner by acclamation. W. R. Andrews was nominated for Inspector of State Prisons on the first ballot (vote: Andrews 92, Amos Pilsbury 56, Henry Storms [incumbent] 27).^[2]

The Free-Soil Democratic state convention met on September 25 in Auburn.^[3]

The Anti-Nebraska state convention met on September 26 in Auburn. Myron H. Clark was nominated for Governor by acclamation. Henry J. Raymond was nominated for Lieutenant Governor on the first ballot (Raymond 127, Bradford R. Wood 84). After this vote, a minority of about 20 seceded from the convention and re-assembled at the Court House and nominated their own ticket.^[4]

The Temperance state convention met on September 27 in Auburn. Myron H. Clark was nominated for Governor by acclamation. Henry J. Raymond was nominated for Lieutenant Governor on the first ballot (Raymond 163, Bradford R. Wood 112).^[5]

The Liberty state convention met on September 28 at the Market Hall in Syracuse.^[6]

The Anti-Rent state convention met on October 26 at Beardsley's Hall in Albany.^[7]

Results

Due to the split of the Democratic Party, the whole Whig ticket was elected. The American Party (ridiculed and referred to as the Know Nothings in the press) showed surprising strength. Myron H. Clark won this election with the lowest percentage in any New York gubernatorial election. The incumbent Governor Seymour was defeated, the incumbent Fitzhugh was re-elected.

82 Whigs, 26 Softs, 16 Hards and 3 Temperance man were elected for the session of 1855 to the New York State Assembly. "Know Nothings are sprinkled miscellaneously among Whigs, Hards and Softs; and exactly how many there are of these gentry in the Assembly Nobody Knows."^[8]

1854 state election results

Office	Whig ticket		Dem./Soft ticket		American Party ticket		Dem./Hard ticket		Anti-Nebraska ticket		Anti-Nebraska (secession) ticket		Free Democratic ticket		Anti-Rent ticket		Temperance ticket		Liberty ticket
Governor	Myron H. Clark [9]	156,804	Horatio Seymour	156,495	Daniel Ullmann	122,282	Greene C. Bronson	33,850	Myron H. Clark		Myron H. Clark		Myron H. Clark		Myron H. Clark		Myron H. Clark		William Goodell	289
Lieutenant Governor	Henry J. Raymond	157,166	William H. Ludlow	128,833	Gustavus Adolphus Scroggs	121,037	Elijah Ford	52,074	Henry J. Raymond		Bradford R. Wood	8,378	Bradford R. Wood		Bradford R. Wood		Henry J. Raymond		Austin Ward	326
Canal Commissioner	Henry Fitzhugh	161,006	Jason Clark	125,210	Josiah B. Williams[10]	58,244	Clark Burnham	113,968	Henry Fitzhugh		Charles A. Wheaton	7,435			Henry Fitzhugh				John C. Harrington	261
Inspector of State Prisons	Norwood Bowne	153,947	William R. Andrews	124,735	James P. Sanders	120,747	Abram Vernam	41,978	Norwood Bowne		Philip H. Macomber	7,567			Norwood Bowne				William Shapcott	242

Notes

1. "The Hard State Ticket". New-York Daily Times. September 11, 1854. p. 1.
2. "Soft Shells in Council". New-York Daily Times. September 8, 1854. pp. 1, 8.
3. "Free-Soil Democratic State Convention". New-York Daily Times. September 26, 1854. p. 1.
4. "The Anti-Nebraska Convention". New-York Daily Times. September 30, 1854. p. 2.
5. "Latest Intelligence: New-York State Temperance Convention". New-York Daily Times. September 28, 1854. p. 1.
6. "The Liberty Party State Convention". New-York Daily Times. September 29, 1854. p. 8.
7. "Anti-Rent State Convention". New-York Daily Times. October 27, 1854. p. 8.
8. Result and comment in The Whig Almanac 1855 compiled by Horace Greeley of the New-York Tribune
9. The number of votes stated at the candidates' names is the total of all votes received on all tickets on which the candidate was nominated. At the time, the ballots did no mention the party at all, so that it can not be ascertained how many votes each candidate received on which ticket.
10. Williams declined to be a candidate about two weeks before the election. The party managers then placed Hard-shell Democrat Clark Burnham on the Know Nothing ticket. Due to slow communications, Williams still received a large vote, but a majority of the Know Nothing electorate voted for Burnham.

Sources

• Result in "Official Canvass 1854". New-York Daily Times. December 21, 1854. pp. 6–7. (The votes of Wood, Goodell, Ward, Harrington, Wheaton, Macomber and Shapcott were stated among the "scattering votes".)
• Result in The Tribune Almanac 1855

See also

• New York gubernatorial elections
• New York state elections