The 1864 New York state election was held on November 8, 1864, 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 ...

, a

Canal Commissioner The Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie and Report, known as the Erie Canal Commission, was a body created by the New York State Legislature in 1810 to plan the Erie Canal. In 1817 a ''Canal Fund'' led by ''Commissioners of the C ...

and an Inspector of State Prisons, 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 ...

History

The Union state convention - Republicans and

War Democrats War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads (or Peace Democrats). The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Con ...

which supported the Union and

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's policy during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

- met on September 7 at

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. A. H. Bailey was Temporary Chairman until the choice of

DeWitt C. Littlejohn DeWitt Clinton Littlejohn (February 7, 1818 – October 27, 1892) was a brevet brigadier general in the Union Army and a United States representative from New York during the Civil War. Biography Littlejohn initially pursued an academic course ...

as Permanent Chairman.

Reuben E. Fenton Reuben Eaton Fenton (July 4, 1819August 25, 1885) was an American merchant and politician from New York (state), New York. In the mid-19th Century, he served as a United States House of Representatives , U.S. Representative, a United States Sen ...

was nominated for governor after an informal vote (Fenton 237 ½,

Lyman Tremain Lyman Tremain (June 14, 1819, in Durham, Greene County, New York – November 30, 1878, in New York City) was a jurist and politician from New York. Biography He was admitted to the bar in 1840 and practiced in Durham, where he was elected ...

69,

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Southern ...

35 ½).

Thomas G. Alvord Thomas Gold Alvord (December 20, 1810 – October 26, 1897) was an American lawyer, merchant and politician. Throughout his political career he was known as Old Salt. Life He was born on December 20, 1810, in Onondaga, New York, to Elisha Alv ...

was nominated for lieutenant governor after an informal vote (Alvord 246,

Waldo Hutchins Waldo Hutchins (September 30, 1822 – February 8, 1891) was a New York attorney, businessman and politician. He served in the New York State Assembly and as a Member of Congress. Biography Born in Brooklyn, Connecticut, Hutchins graduated from ...

96 ½,

Richard M. Blatchford Richard Milford Blatchford (August 17, 1859 – August 31, 1934) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I, he attained the rank ...

19, William H. Robertson 13, James A. Bell 12, Demas Strong 10). The incumbent Canal Commissioner Franklin A. Alberger was re-nominated without formalities. Ex-Prison Inspector David P. Forrest (in office 1860-1862) was nominated again after a large majority was felt halfway through an informal vote. The Democratic (" Copperheads") state convention met on September 14 and 15 at

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. Daniel Pratt was chosen Permanent Chairman. Gov.

Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 1868 United States presidential elec ...

and Lt. Gov.

David R. Floyd-Jones David Richard Floyd-Jones (April 6, 1813 – January 8, 1871) was an American lawyer and politician. Early life A descendant of an old Long Island family, he was born at the family mansion on the Fort Neck estate in South Oyster Bay, New York ( ...

were re-nominated by acclamation. Jarvis Lord for Canal Commissioner, and

David B. McNeil David B. McNeil (1818 in Essex County, New York – April 15, 1897 in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York) was an American politician from New York. Life He was the son of Col. David Breakenridge McNeil (born 1787, in Charlotte, Vermont, District Atto ...

for Prison Inspector, also were nominated by acclamation.''DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION''
in NYT on September 16, 1864

Result

The whole Union ticket was elected in a tight race with less than 8,000 votes majority out of about 730,000. The incumbents Seymour and Floyd-Jones were defeated. The incumbent Alberger was re-elected. 76 Unionists and 52 Democrats were elected for the session of 1865 to the

Notes

Sources

*Result i
''The Tribune Almanac''
compiled by

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

of the ''

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

History

Result

Notes

Sources

See also