The 1909 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 19, 1909, by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

to elect a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

(Class 3) to represent the State of

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

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

Background

Republican

Thomas C. Platt Thomas Collier Platt (July 15, 1833 – March 6, 1910), also known as Tom Platt

had been re-elected to this seat in

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for al ...

, and his term would expire on March 3, 1909. At the State election in November 1908, 35 Republicans and 16 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1909–1910) in the state senate; and 99 Republicans and 51 Democrats were elected for the session of 1909 to the Assembly. The

132nd New York State Legislature The 132nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 30, 1909, during the third year of Charles Evans Hughes's governorship, in Albany. Background Under th ...

met from January 5 to April 30, 1909, at

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

Candidates

Republican caucus

The Republican caucus met on January 18. State Senator J. Mayhew Wainwright presided. The caucus nominated U.S. Secretary of State

Elihu Root Elihu Root (; February 15, 1845February 7, 1937) was an American lawyer, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, and statesman who served as the 41st United States Secretary of War under presidents William McKinley and Theodor ...

unanimously. Root was the choice of President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. President pro tempore of the State Senate

John Raines John Raines (May 6, 1840 – December 16, 1909) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He authored the 1896 Raines Law, which prohibited liquor sales on Sundays, except in hotels, which had the unintended consequence of fostering p ...

lauded warmly Root's nomination, eulogized the retiring U.S. Senator Platt, and declared war on Governor

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

's reforms.

Democratic caucus

The Democratic caucus met also on January 18. They nominated ex-lieutenant governor Lewis S. Chanler unanimously. Chanler had been elected lieutenant governor in

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

on the Democratic/

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

ticket, and had served under Republican governor Hughes. Chanler had just been defeated when running against Hughes for governor in November 1908.

Result

Elihu Root was the choice of both the Assembly and the state senate, and was declared elected. Note: The votes were cast on January 19, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 20 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Aftermath

Root resigned as

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

on January 27, 1909, and was succeeded by his Assistant Secretary

Robert Bacon Robert Bacon (July 5, 1860 – May 29, 1919) was an American athlete, banker, businessman, statesman, diplomat and Republican Party politician who served as the 39th United States Secretary of State in the Theodore Roosevelt administration f ...

for the remaining five weeks of Roosevelt's presidency. Root then served a single term and remained in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1915, when he retired. After the 74-day deadlock to elect a successor to U.S. Senator Chauncey M. Depew in

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

, the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally including seven articles, the Constituti ...

was amended, and at the State election in November 1914, for the first time a U.S. Senator was elected by statewide popular vote. James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr. won the nomination in the Republican primary election, and was then elected to succeed Root.

Sources

Members of the 61st United States Congress''ROOT IS CHOSEN FOR U.S. SENATOR; ...Democrats Choose Chanler''
in NYT on January 19, 1909
''ROOT IS CHOSEN SENATOR''
in NYT on January 20, 1909 {{New York elections

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escapes death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Janu ...