The 1942 New York state election was held on November 3, 1942, to elect the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, the state comptroller, the

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and two U.S. Representatives At-large, as well as all members of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

and the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

History

The Industrial Government state convention met on April 5, and nominated again Aaron M. Orange for governor. They also nominated Bronko Papadopolis, of Buffalo, for lieutenant governor; O. Martin Olson for comptroller; and

Eric Hass Eric Hass (March 4, 1905 – October 2, 1980) was a four-time Socialist Labor candidate for President of the United States. Life Hass was of German and Danish ancestry, and was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1905. He died of a heart attack in ...

for attorney general. The

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

state convention met on June 21 at 303 Fourth Avenue in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and nominated Prof. Coleman B. Cheney for governor;

Samuel H. Friedman Samuel Herman Friedman (February 20, 1897 – March 17, 1990) was an American journalist and a longtime labor union activist. He twice ran unsuccessfully for Vice President of the United States on the Socialist Party of America ticket. Friedman was ...

for lieutenant governor; Joseph G. Glass for attorney general; the Rev. Herman J. Hahn for comptroller; and Miss Layle Lane, an African-American teacher, writer and lecturer, and Amicus Most, an engineer of

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

, for the at-large Congress seats. The petition to nominate these candidates was filed on August 31 with the Secretary of State. The Democratic state convention met on August 20. Influenced by

James A. Farley James Aloysius Farley (May 30, 1888 – June 9, 1976) was an American politician and Knight of Malta who simultaneously served as chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Postmas ...

, the convention nominated State Attorney General John J. Bennett Jr., for governor on the first ballot with 623 votes against 393 for U.S. Senator James M. Mead, the candidate favored by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. They re-nominated three incumbents: Lieutenant Governor

Charles Poletti Charles Poletti (July 2, 1903 – August 8, 2002) was an American lawyer and politician. He became the 46th governor of New York in December 1942, and was the first Italian-American governor in the United States. Born in Barre, Vermont to Itali ...

, Comptroller Joseph V. O'Leary, and Representative at-large

Matthew J. Merritt Matthew Joseph Merritt (April 2, 1895 New York City – September 29, 1946 Malba, Queens, NYC) was an American businessman, World War I veteran, and politician from New York. From 1935 to 1945, he served three terms in the U.S. House of Represent ...

; and completed the ticket with State Solicitor General Henry Epstein for attorney general; and Flora D. Johnson for the other at-large House seat. The American Labor state convention met on August 22, but instead of Bennett (or Mead), they nominated

Tammany Tamanend (historically also known as Taminent, Tammany, Saint Tammany or King Tammany, "the Affable," ) (–) was the Chief of Chiefs and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley signing the Peace Treaty with ...

man

Dean Alfange Dean Alfange (December 2, 1897 – October 24, 1989) was an American politician who held nominations and appointments from a number of parties, including the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the American Labor Party, and the Liberal Pa ...

for governor. They re-nominated Comptroller O'Leary, an American Laborite who had been appointed by Governor

Herbert H. Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was an American Democratic Party politician from New York. He served from 1933 until 1942 as the 45th governor of New York and represented New York State in the U.S. Senate from 194 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Morris S. Tremaine. They endorsed Democrats Poletti, Merritt, and Johnson; and completed the ticket with

Alexander Kahn Alexander Kahn (May 31, 1881 – March 11, 1962) was an American lawyer and newspaper publisher. Early life and education Kahn was born on May 31, 1881 in Smolensk, Russia, the son of Solomon and B. Lena Ben Zionoff. He immigrated to America in ...

for attorney general. The

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

state convention met on August 24 at

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

. They nominated 1938 candidate

Thomas E. Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...

for Governor again, and adjourned. On August 25 they nominated Thomas W. Wallace for lieutenant governor; Frank C. Moore for comptroller; Nathaniel L. Goldstein for attorney general; and Charles Muzzicato and

Winifred C. Stanley Winifred Claire Stanley (August 14, 1909 – February 29, 1996) was an American politician and attorney from New York affiliated with the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Stanley is known for her vigorous women's rights advoc ...

for Representative at-large. The

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

filed a nominating petition for their candidates on August 28. They nominated Israel Amter for governor; Frank Herron, of Buffalo, for lieutenant governor; Benjamin J. Davis Jr., of

, for attorney general; Fred Briehl, a dairy farmer of Wallkill, for comptroller; and

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (August 7, 1890 – September 5, 1964) was a labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union ...

and

Robert Minor Robert Berkeley "Bob" Minor (15 July 1884 – 26 January 1952), alternatively known as "Fighting Bob," was a political cartoonist, a radical journalist, and, beginning in 1920, a leading member of the American Communist Party. Background Robe ...

for Representative at-large. Herron, Briehl, Davis, and Minor withdrew from the ticket, and Davis was then nominated for Representative at-large, leaving three gaps on the ticket.''COMMUNISTS LEAVE 3 GAPS ON TICKET''
in NYT on September 8, 1942 (subscription required)

Result

Republicans won almost all statewide elective offices, only the incumbent Democratic Congressman Merritt was re-elected. The incumbents Poletti and O'Leary were defeated. This was the last election of U.S. Representatives at-large from New York. In 1944 New York's Congressional district map was redrawn to add two more districts. All U.S. Representatives from New York have been elected in individual districts ever since. Obs.: *The vote for governor is used to define

ballot access Elections in the United States refers to the rules and procedures regulating the conditions under which a candidate, political party, or ballot measure is entitled to appear on voters' ballots. As the nation's election process is decentralized b ...

, for automatic access are necessary 50,000 votes.

Notes

Sources

*Official Result
''DEWEY'S PLURALITY OFFICIALLY 647,628; State Board of Canvassers Certifies Election Results at Meeting in Albany; RECORD FOR REPUBLICAN; Up-State Margin Also Party Peak in Governorship Race; Poletti Lost by 54,303''
in NYT on December 15, 1942 (subscription required) New York Red Book 1943 with correction in Epstein Attorney General total for misprint in Richmond County total. Correction consistent with total reported by NYV Board of Elections. Correction added 18,000 votes to Epstein total {{US Third Party Election

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Thomas E. Dewey

History

Result

See also

Notes

Sources