1963 Philadelphia municipal election

None January 2025 September 2023 1963 Philadelphia municipal election Philadelphia presidential no 1961 1965 Philadelphia municipal election 1965 November 5, 1963 The 1963 Philadelphia municipal election, held on November 5, involved contests for mayor, all seventeen city council seats, and several other executive and judicial offices. The Democrats lost vote share citywide and the Republicans gained one seat in City Council, but the Democratic acting mayor, James Tate, was elected to a full term and his party maintained their hold on the city government. The election was the first decline in the Democrats' share of the vote since they took control of the city government in the 1951 elections, and showed the growing tension between the reformers and ward bosses within their party. Background Since the 1951 election, Democrats in Philadelphia had held the mayor's office and a large majority of city council seats. Their victories in those years, which followed 67 years of Republican dominance, where achieved through a combination of reform-minded independents (including some former Republicans) and the Democratic organization led by Democratic City Committee chairman William J. Green Jr. This coalition brought increasingly large victories to the Democratic Party throughout the 1950s.Reichly 1959 38–41 This pattern held through 1959 under reform mayors Joseph S. Clark Jr. and Richardson Dilworth, but by the early 1960s the coalition had begun to fray with reformers being increasingly marginalized.Reichly 1959 38–41 After Dilworth won reelection with 65% of the vote in 1959, grand jury investigations into City Hall corruption damaged the Democrats' chances in the 1961 election. The Democrats maintained power that year, but by smaller margins. Their reduced majorities and increased association with machine politics signaled the beginning of the end for the party's coalition with independent good government reformers.Freedman 1963 II–51–II–52 Dilworth's resignation in 1962 to run for governor made City Council President James Tate acting mayor. While Tate presented, in one author's words, "a rather neutral image in middle class wards," he also was the first mayor since Bernard Samuel to have come up through the ranks of a political machine.Freedman 1963 II–35 The fading connection between the Democratic organization and good-government independents gave the Republicans their first hope for victory in years.Freedman 1963 II–35 Mayor 1963 Philadelphia mayoral election Philadelphia presidential no 1959 1967 November 5, 1963 75%Maciag 2014 6 pp File:James H. J. Tate, Mayor of Philadelphia (12932059073).jpg James Tate Democratic Party (United States) 401,714 54.64% File:3x4.svg James T. McDermott Republican Party (United States) 333,446 45.36% 1963 Philadelphia mayoral election results by ward.svg 260px Results by wardTate: #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90%McDermott: #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% Mayor James Tate Democratic Party (United States) James Tate Democratic Party (United States) James Tate had served as acting mayor since Dilworth's resignation on February 12, 1962.Freedman 1963 II–35 In 1963, he sought the Democratic nomination for election in his own right.Coakley Wagenveld 1983 Tate's attempt at a four-year term exposed a growing breach in the coalition of independent reformers and Democratic ward bosses that had cemented that party's grip on the electorate since 1951. The Democratic City Committee, led by Representative William J. Green Jr., endorsed Tate, but the opinion was not universal.Miller 1963a Former mayor Clark, now a United States Senator, endorsed the primary challenge by a slate of Democratic candidates proposed by the Americans for Democratic Action, a left-leaning group of which he was a member.Miller 1963a For mayor, the ADA and Clark pushed Walter M. Phillips, a former city representative and one of the architects of the Democrats' reform measures of the early 1950s.Miller 1963a The contrast between Tate and Phillips was highlighted in the primary campaign. Tate, the self-made son of Irish-American factory workers, charged that Phillips saw government service as "a hobby" and claimed he was "too inexperienced and does not know enough to deal with the problems" of running a large city.Coakley Wagenveld 1983Inquirer 1963b Phillips in turn charged Tate with permitting corruption in city government, failing to improve schools, and driving out qualified city employees in favor of partisan patronage hires.Inquirer 1963a In a low-turnout primary, the Democratic electorate sided with Tate, who tallied 128,840 votes to Phillips's 40,931 and perennial candidate H. Jerome Jaspan's 13,165.Miller 1963c Tate's victory over Phillips, Clark later wrote, "marked the end of the 'independent' good-government influence in City Hall."Clark Clark 1982 661 The Republican nomination was also easily won by the party organization's favored candidate, James T. McDermott.Miller 1963b McDermott, who had lost a special election for city council in 1962, was a lawyer who had previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney.Inquirer 1962 During the general election campaign, McDermott tried to take on the reform mantle, saying that Tate had worked to sabotage the good-government reforms of the Clark and Dilworth administrations.Miller 1963e Tate, for his part, contrasted his experience with McDermott's and touted his endorsement by the AFL–CIO.Miller 1963e McDermott said that Tate "has never been off the public payroll in twenty-five years" and criticized the mayor's refusal to debate him.Miller 1963e As the election neared, McDermott's attacks appeared to be working and political observers predicted a close race, possibly within 20,000 votes.Miller 1963f While it was the closest race in years, the actual results were more solidly in favor of Tate, who won by nine percentage points.Bulletin Almanac 1964 31 After a day of heavier-than-expected voter turnout, McDermott conceded that the mayor had won "fair and square."Miller 1963g Tate thanked labor leaders, ex-Mayor Dilworth, and chairman Green for their efforts, while extending a special thanks to President John F. Kennedy, who campaigned for Tate the previous week.Miller 1963g Although the campaign focused on issues of corruption and bossism, race also played a role; local black leaders, including Cecil B. Moore, strongly supported Tate and claimed that McDermott had "written off the Negro vote."McKenna 1965 415 1963 Philadelphia mayoral electionBulletin Almanac 1964 31Inquirer 1963d Democratic Party (United States) James Tate (incumbent) 401,714 54.31 −11.03 Republican Party (United States) James T. McDermott 333,446 45.08 +10.80 Socialist Labor Party of America George S. Taylor 4,545 0.61 +0.23 City Council Philadelphians elected a seventeen-member city council in 1963, with ten members representing districts of the city, and the remaining seven being elected at-large. For the at-large seats, each political party could nominate five candidates, and voters could only vote for five, with the result being that the majority party could only take five of the seven seats, leaving two for the minority party. As in the mayor's race, a group of ADA-endorsed Democrats tried for nominations to City Council. In the at-large races, all five incumbents—Paul D'Ortona, Leon Kolankiewicz, Walter S. Pytko, Marshall L. Shepard, and Mary Varallo—were endorsed by the party's ward leaders, while liberals led by Clark pushed the candidacies of Lynwood F. Blount, Gordon Cavanaugh, Edmund B. Spaeth Jr., and Joy B. Takiff. Eight Democrats affiliated with neither of those factions also entered the race. The incumbents won easily, with vote totals ranging from 105,382 for Shepard to 71,852 for Pytko.Inquirer 1963d The highest vote total for the insurgents was Takiff's 32,665.Inquirer 1963d Incumbent Democrats in the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 10th districts also fended off primary challenges easily. The Republicans nominated five for the at-large seats without opposition, including incumbents Thomas M. Foglietta and Virginia Knauer.Inquirer 1963d After the primary, Sheriff William M. Lennox denounced the challengers, calling the ADA "utterly repugnant to the people of this great historic city" and saying that "this self-proclaimed reform group should answer the questions on its 'Red China' allegiance which it evaded throughout the campaign."Miller 1963d In the at-large seats during the general election, as in the mayor's race, the Democratic share of the vote decreased but they still reelected all five of their candidates.Goulden 1963 Republicans reelected incumbents Thomas Foglietta and Virginia Knauer to their two at-large seats.Goulden 1963 In the district races, there was more change. Republicans defeated incumbent Democrats in the two seats representing Northeast Philadelphia in races that The Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Joseph C. Goulden said turned on City Hall corruption and civil rights issues.Goulden 1963 The Democrats gained one seat back in the northwestern part of the city when Isadore H. Bellis narrowly defeated incumbent Stanley B. Smullen in a recently reconfigured 8th district.Goulden 1963 Democrats retained their hold on the remaining seven district seats, though with reduced majorities.Bulletin Almanac 1964 30 right At-large vote share by party Democratic 56.07 #0000FF Republican 43.86 #FF0000 Socialist Labor 0.07 #FF00FF 1963 Philadelphia city council election, at largeBulletin Almanac 1964 30For Pytko, the change is the change over his special election victory in 1962. Democratic Party (United States) Paul D'Ortona (incumbent) 404,039 11.28 -1.69 Democratic Party (United States) Marshall L. Shepard (incumbent) 402,386 11.24 −1.55 Democratic Party (United States) Mary Varallo (incumbent) 401,386 11.21 −1.60 Democratic Party (United States) Walter S. Pytko (incumbent) 400,057 11.17 −0.67 Democratic Party (United States) Leon Kolankiewicz (incumbent) 399,790 11.16 −1.70 Republican Party (United States) Thomas M. Foglietta (incumbent) 317,587 8.87 +1.55 Republican Party (United States) Virginia Knauer (incumbent) 316,506 8.84 +1.70 Republican Party (United States) Frank S. Loescher 313,639 8.76 n/a Republican Party (United States) Robert L. Leonard 313,627 8.76 n/a Republican Party (United States) Robert Evans 309,203 8.63 n/a Socialist Labor Party of America Wendell R. Camplin 2,726 0.07 −0.02 thumb|Philadelphia city council districts after the 1963 election (Democrats in blue, Republicans in red.) thumb|Most votes for council at-large candidate by ward, 1963 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 1Bulletin Almanac 1964 30 Democratic Party (United States) Emanuel Weinberg (incumbent) 37,425 54.89 −11.46 Republican Party (United States) Alvin J. Bello 30,751 45.11 +11.46 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 2Bulletin Almanac 1964 30 Democratic Party (United States) Gaetano Giordano (incumbent) 36,456 56.78 −8.15 Republican Party (United States) Robert Cruice 27,749 43.22 +8.15 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 3Bulletin Almanac 1964 30 Democratic Party (United States) Harry Norwitch (incumbent) 40,574 60.51 −3.87 Republican Party (United States) Mary Jane Ladner 26,479 39.49 +4.14 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 4Bulletin Almanac 1964 30s1960 Change is the change over his special election victory in 1960. Democratic Party (United States) George X. Schwartz (incumbent) 44,633 68.23 −7.21 Republican Party (United States) Melvin J. Howell 20,782 31.77 +7.21 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 5Bulletin Almanac 1964 30 Democratic Party (United States) Thomas McIntosh (incumbent) 34,742 75.27 −2.49 Republican Party (United States) Andrew Wilson 11,416 24.73 +2.92 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 6Bulletin Almanac 1964 30s1960 Republican Party (United States) Edward F. McNulty 36,970 50.75 +16.43 Democratic Party (United States) William A. Dwyer Jr. (incumbent) 35,872 49.25 −16.43 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 7Bulletin Almanac 1964 30 Democratic Party (United States) Joseph J. Hersch 41,111 58.10 −8.78 Republican Party (United States) Charles J. Margiotti Jr. 29,650 41.90 +8.78 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 8Bulletin Almanac 1964 30s1962 Change is the change over his special election victory in 1962. Democratic Party (United States) Isadore H. Bellis 40,454 50.74 +3.16 Republican Party (United States) Stanley B. Smullen (incumbent) 39,273 49.26 −3.16 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 9Bulletin Almanac 1964 30 Democratic Party (United States) Henry P. Carr (incumbent) 45,840 51.38 −15.44 Republican Party (United States) Edward R. Becker 43,382 48.62 +15.44 1963 Philadelphia city council election, district 10Bulletin Almanac 1964 30s1962 Republican Party (United States) David Silver 51,471 52.24 +5.83 Democratic Party (United States) Robert B. Winkelman (incumbent) 47,054 47.76 −5.83 City commissioners thumb|alt=Black-and-white photograph of Philadelphia's City Hall|Philadelphia's City Hall In the race for city commissioners, each party nominated two candidates and the top three were elected. The office was a county office, a holdover from the time before consolidation of the townships in Philadelphia County into one city. The most important of the remaining duties of the commissioners in Philadelphia was the conduct of the city's elections; they also had responsibility for regulating weights and measures.Office of the City Representative 1962 63 Incumbent Democrats Thomas P. McHenry and Maurice S. Osser saw the same decline in their vote share as other Democrats did across the city, but held on to their seats on the city commission. Incumbent Republican Louis Menna edged out his running mate, Charles Wright, for the third seat.Bulletin Almanac 1964 29 Two Socialist Labor Party candidates took a tiny share of the vote. 1963 Philadelphia city commissioners electionBulletin Almanac 1964 29 Democratic Party (United States) Thomas P. McHenry (incumbent) 403,373 27.99 −4.21 Democratic Party (United States) Maurice S. Osser (incumbent) 403,270 27.98 −4.10 Republican Party (United States) Louis Menna (incumbent) 317,143 22.01 +4.04 Republican Party (United States) Charles Wright 311,330 21.60 +3.97 Socialist Labor Party of America Benjamin H. Perry 3,054 0.21 +0.21 Socialist Labor Party of America Mary Gesensway 2,985 0.21 +0.08 Other offices and ballot measures Democrat William M. Lennox was reelected county sheriff, his fourth consecutive term.Bulletin Almanac 1964 29 Louis Amarando, also a Democrat, was reelected clerk of the court of quarter sessions (a court whose jurisdiction was later transferred to the court of common pleas).Bulletin Almanac 1964 29 The Democratic register of wills, John E. Walsh Jr., also earned reelection.Bulletin Almanac 1964 29 All three Democrats won their races by twelve or thirteen points, a decline from 1959, but still a safe majority. The Democrats also took nine of the fourteen magisterial district judge positions up for election that year (a local court, the duties of which have since been superseded by the Philadelphia Municipal Court) with incumbent Benjamin Segal leading the list.Bulletin Almanac 1964 29 The ballot contained three questions authorizing more city borrowing: the first for $20.2 million to spend on land and buildings, the second for $16.9 million to spend on water and sewage systems, and the third for $5 million to spend on the Philadelphia Gas Works. All three passed by greater than two-to-one margins.Bulletin Almanac 1964 29 thumb|Register of wills results by ward #7996E2 Walsh #7996E2 50%-60% #6674DE 60%-70% #584CDE 70%-80% #3933E5 80%-90% #E27F7F Gartner #E27F7F 50%-60% #D75D5D 60%-70% 1963 Philadelphia sheriff electionBulletin Almanac 1964 29 Democratic Party (United States) William M. Lennox (incumbent) 406,202 56.32 −8.40 Republican Party (United States) Charles J. Gazdzik 315,054 43.68 +8.40 1963 Philadelphia clerk of courts electionBulletin Almanac 1964 29 Democratic Party (United States) Louis Amarando (incumbent) 404,940 56.17 −8.63 Republican Party (United States) Daniel Cooperman 316,026 43.83 +8.63 1963 Philadelphia register of wills electionBulletin Almanac 1964 29 Democratic Party (United States) John E. Walsh Jr. (incumbent) 406,163 56.39 −8.66 Republican Party (United States) Fred C. Gartner 314,127 43.61 +8.66 See also List of members of Philadelphia City Council since 1952 Notes References 26em Sources Books Bulletin Almanac 1964 1964 The Philadelphia Bulletin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 8641470 Bulletin Almanac 1964 Clark Joseph S. Clark Dennis J. Weigley Russell Russell Weigley Philadelphia: A 300-Year History Rally and Relapse: 1946–1968 1982 649–703 W.W. Norton & Co. New York 978-0-393-01610-9 https://archive.org/details/philadelphia300y00weig/page/649 Freedman Robert L. A Report on Politics in Philadelphia 1963 Joint Center for Urban Studies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001150726 1690059 Office of the City Representative Decade of Progress: The Story of Philadelphia, 1952–1961 Division of Public Information, Office of the City Representative 1962 11471789 Reichly James The Art of Government: Reform and Organization Politics in Philadelphia 1959 Fund for The Republic New York, New York https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001150728 994205 Newspapers GOP Selects 2 in Council Races The Philadelphia Inquirer September 22, 1962 5 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179208550/ Newspapers.com Inquirer 1962 Miller Joseph H. ADA Names Phillips for Mayor Race The Philadelphia Inquirer February 28, 1963a 1, 42 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179223414/ Newspapers.com Tate Leaves, Foes Open Fire The Philadelphia Inquirer April 4, 1963 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179211788/ Newspapers.com Inquirer 1963a Green and Tate Assail Foes in Mayoralty Race The Philadelphia Inquirer May 16, 1963 6 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179346886/ Newspapers.com Inquirer 1963b Miller Joseph H. Regulars Score Easy Victories The Philadelphia Inquirer May 22, 1963b 1, 5 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179373720/ Newspapers.com Miller Joseph H. Protest Votes Spur Democrats and GOP To Mend Party Rifts The Philadelphia Inquirer May 23, 1963c 1, 4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179376036/ Newspapers.com Miller Joseph H. Democrats Declare War on ADA; Phillips to Fight Tate in Fall The Philadelphia Inquirer May 24, 1963d 1, 12 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179378392/ Newspapers.com Miller Joseph H. AFL-CIO Backs Tate; He's Called Saboteur The Philadelphia Inquirer September 29, 1963e 7 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179641372/ Newspapers.com Miller Joseph H. Photo-Finish Predicted in Mayoralty Race Here The Philadelphia Inquirer November 3, 1963f 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179205005/ Newspapers.com Miller Joseph H. Tate Elected by 66,000-Vote Margin The Philadelphia Inquirer November 6, 1963g 1, 3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179208743/ Newspapers.com Goulden Joseph C. 2 Democrats Ousted, GOP Gains One Council Seat The Philadelphia Inquirer November 6, 1963 5 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179208808/ Newspapers.com Phila. Election at a Glance The Philadelphia Inquirer November 7, 1963 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179209534 Newspapers.com Inquirer 1963d Coakley Michael B. Wagenveld Mark Tate Is Dead at 73 The Philadelphia Inquirer May 28, 1983 1-A, 4-A https://www.newspapers.com/image/172021093/ Newspapers.com Journals Maciag Mike Voter Turnout Plummeting in Local Elections https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-voter-turnout-municipal-elections.html Governing November 13, 2019 October 2014 McKenna William J. The Negro Vote in Philadelphia Elections Pennsylvania History October 1965 32 4 406–415 27770369 1963 1963 Philadelphia Philadelphia Mayor Category:1960s in Philadelphia Category:Philadelphia City Council elections