The 1908 New York state election was held on November 3, 1908, 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, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer 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.

History

The

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

state convention met on September 2 at Syracuse, New York. Rev. Dr. George E. Stockwell, of Fort Plain, was nominated for governor on the first ballot (vote: Stockwell 232, Hudson 219). The defeated contender, Marshall A. Hudson, of Syracuse, was nominated for lieutenant governor. The convention also nominated Edgar T. Welch, of Westfield, for secretary of state; Harrison L. Hoyt, of Auburn, for comptroller; William T. Richardson, of Wellsville, for treasurer; W. F. L. Manierre, of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, for attorney general; and Albert W. Pierson, of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

, for state engineer. Welch declined to run, and the Prohibition State Executive Committee met on September 23 at Syracuse and substituted James C. Crawford, of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

, on the ticket. They also nominated Coleridge A. Hart for the Court of Appeals. 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 September 14 and 15 at Convention Hall in

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 ...

. U.S. Secretary of State Elihu Root was Temporary and Permanent Chairman. Governor Charles E. Hughes was re-nominated on the first ballot (the other candidates were

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

James W. Wadsworth, Jr. and John Knox Stewart). White, Gaus, O'Malley, Williams and Haight were nominated unopposed. Samuel S. Koenig defeated William O. Barnes, of

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...

, for secretary of state; and Thomas B. Dunn defeated H. Homer Moore, of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, for treasurer. The Democratic state convention met on September 15 and 16 at

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

Denis O'Brien Denis O'Brien (born 19 April 1958) is an Irish billionaire businessman, and the founder and owner of Digicel. He was listed among the World's Top 200 Billionaires in 2015 and was Ireland's richest native-born citizen for a period of several ye ...

was Temporary Chairman until the choice of

Alton B. Parker Alton Brooks Parker (May 14, 1852 – May 10, 1926) was an American judge, best known as the Democrat who lost the presidential election of 1904 to Theodore Roosevelt. A native of upstate New York, Parker practiced law in Kingston, New York, ...

as Permanent Chairman. The incumbent Lt. Gov. Lewis S. Chanler was nominated for governor. The incumbents Whalen, Glynn, Hauser and Republican judge Haight were re-nominated. John Alden Dix was nominated for lieutenant governor, and George M. Palmer for attorney general; all these nominations were made by acclamation. The only contest happened at the nomination for state engineer. Philip P. Farley was nominated on the first ballot (vote: Farley 321, Leonard C. L. Smith 97). The

Independence League The Independence Party, established as the Independence League, was a short-lived minor American political party sponsored by newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst in 1906. The organization was the successor to the Munici ...

state convention met on September 24 at Cooper Union in

. James A. Allen was Temporary and Permanent Chairman. State Chairman

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

assailed in a speech Democrats, Republicans, and the big corporations. They nominated by acclamation Clarence J. Shearn for governor; Dr. Daniel W. Finnimore, of

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, for lieutenant governor; Frank H. Stevens, a labor union man of Nassau County, for secretary of state; Willard H. Glen, a lawyer of Syracuse, for comptroller; William I. Sirovich for treasurer; Assistant Attorney General William A. De Ford for attorney general; M. J. Cafiero, of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, for state engineer; Reuben Robie Lyon for the Court of Appeals.''HEARST READS MORE LETTERS''
in NYT on September 25, 1908 (with sketches of the nominees)

Result

The Republican ticket was elected. The incumbents Hughes and Haight were re-elected. The incumbents Whalen, Glynn and Hauser were defeated. The Republican, Democratic, Independence League, Socialist and Prohibition parties maintained automatic ballot status (necessary 10,000 votes), the Socialist Labor Party did not re-attain it.

Notes

Sources

*The Dem. nominees
''SKETCHES OF CANDIDATES''
in NYT on September 17, 1908 *Result
''HUGHES'S PLURALITY 69,462''
in NYT on December 16, 1908 *Court of Appeals-New York State Red Book 1909 *Result
''The Tribune Almanac 1909''

History

Result

Notes

Sources

See also