1914 United States Senate election in New York

none March 2026 September 2023 1914 United States Senate election in New York New York Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg presidential no 1909 United States Senate election in New York 1909 1920 United States Senate election in New York 1920 November 3, 1914 150x150px File:JWWadsworth.jpg James W. Wadsworth Republican Party (United States) 639,112 47.04% File:JamesWGerard.jpg James Watson Gerard Democratic Party (US) 571,419 42.06% 1914 United States Senate election in New York results map by county.svg 300px County resultsWadsworth: #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70%Gerard: #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% Senator Elihu Root Republican Party (United States) James W. Wadsworth Republican Party (United States) The 1914 United States Senate election in New York was held on November 3. Incumbent Republican Senator Elihu Root chose not to seek re-election. James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. was elected to succeed Root, defeating Democrat James Watson Gerard. Primary elections were held on September 28. These were the first direct primaries (in which party members chose each candidate individually rather than as part of a slate) in the history of New York state.VOTE TOMORROW UNDER NEW LAW 27 Sep 1914 12 13 May 2022 subscription https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/09/27/100106299.html?pageNumber=12 The New York Times Wadsworth narrowly defeated William M. Calder for the Republican nomination. Gerard won the Democratic nomination in a landslide over Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a rare setback in the political career of the future President of the United States. This election for Senate was the first decided by popular vote in New York, as required following the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment. Republican primary Candidates William M. Calder, U.S. Representative from Brooklyn David Jayne Hill, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador to Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr., State Assemblyman from Livingston County and former Speaker of the Assembly Withdrew Harvey D. Hinman, former state senator from Binghamton (ran for governor) Declined Elihu Root, incumbent senator since 1909 Campaign The Republican primary was a skirmish in the feud between the conservative party establishment led by William Barnes Jr. and the progressive followers of Theodore Roosevelt, brought to new heights by Roosevelt's July editorial denouncing Barnes as corrupt. Calder announced his campaign on June 16 with the full backing of the Kings County Republican Committee and the understanding that Senator Root would not accept re-nomination.CALDER WILL MAKE RACE: Brooklyn Congressman Announces Candidacy for U.S. Senator 17 June 1914 5 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/06/17/100321821.html?pageNumber=5 13 May 2022 subscription The New York Times Another progressive, Harvey D. Hinman, entered the race with the apparent support of Theodore Roosevelt and more established progressives, who urged Calder to clear the field for him.WADSWORTH LEADS IN U.S. SENATE RACE 2 July 1914 3 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/07/02/100096493.html?pageNumber=3 13 May 2022 subscription The New York Times After Root's refusal was publicly substantiated, James W. Wadsworth became a likely candidate for the conservative party establishment, given that he had become Speaker of the Assembly with then-President Roosevelt's support years prior. Following Wadsworth's entry into the race, Hinman withdrew and Calder successfully convinced him to run for governor.CALDER SEES HINMAN: Coalition Against Barnes and Wadsworth is Reported 9 July 1914 Binghamton, N.Y. The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/07/09/issue.html 3§ 13 May 2022 subscription Roosevelt's feud with Barnes played a major role in the race. Progressive candidates attacked Wadsworth and gubernatorial candidate Charles S. Whitman for their association with Barnes. By election day, the Barnes faction was expected to succeed through its strength outside of New York City.WHITMAN SENTIMENT STRONG: Western Counties Show Republicans Also Favor Wadsworth https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/09/27/100106314.html?pageNumber=12 27 Sep 1914 12 13 May 2022 subscriptionPROGRESSIVE CIRCLES QUIET: Republicans Uniting on Wadsworth and whitman in Schenectady and Saratoga Counties https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/09/27/100106310.html?pageNumber=12 27 Sep 1914 12 13 May 2022 subscription Results thumb|300px|Results by county #E27F7F Wadsworth #ffb2b2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #c21b18 80–90% #FF9A50 Calder #FFCCA9 30–40% #FFB580 40–50% #FF9A50 50–60% #EE8E50 60–70% #B98A35 80–90% #c88fe4 Hill #7c31a2 80–90% 1914 Republican Senate Primaryhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=235302 NY US Senate - R Primary Our Campaigns 11 March 2020 Republican Party (United States) James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. 89,960 42.85% Republican Party (United States) William M. Calder 82,895 39.48% Republican Party (United States) David Jayne Hill 37,102 17.67% 209,957 100.00% Aftermath Following Wadsworth's victory, some progressive Republicans bolted the party for the Progressive organization. Calder would be elected to the Senate himself in 1916, serving alongside Wadsworth for one term. Democratic primary Candidates James Watson Gerard, United States Ambassador to Germany James S. McDonough Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy and former State Senator from Hyde Park Declined William Randolph Hearst, multi-millionaire newspaper publisher and perennial candidateSmith 2007 123 Campaign thumb|left|200px|A young Franklin Roosevelt was the early favorite for the Democratic nomination until the eleventh-hour entry of James Watson Gerard as the candidate of Tammany Hall. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an early candidate for the Senate, privately expressing his interest in both the Democratic and Progressive nominations following Root's retirement.Smith 2007 119 Roosevelt had previously hoped to run for Governor against Tammany Hall incumbent Martin H. Glynn but demurred after he failed to win the support of President Woodrow Wilson.Smith 2007 118 His entry into the campaign was delayed in June by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and early movements towards World War I.Smith 2007 119 Roosevelt finally announced his candidacy on August 13 at the urging of Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo.Smith 2007 123 Roosevelt, who had been the leader of the reform faction in the State Senate years prior, spent all of August confident that he would be the Democratic nominee and did not bother to appear at his campaign's kickoff rally on September 2.Smith 2007 123 In late August, Roosevelt won the endorsement of Governor Glynn, a coup in his efforts to reconcile the reformers with Tammany.Smith 2007 123 However, Tammany surprised Roosevelt and the national party by putting forward U.S. Ambassador to Germany James Watson Gerard as a candidate on September 6, the penultimate day to file for the ballot.Smith 2007 123 Roosevelt was caught unprepared by Gerard's candidacy, which had the White House's blessing. Gerard was also independently wealthy and had a reputation for honesty that gave him distance from Tammany corruption. Most importantly, Gerard was able to avoid a personal undertaking by attending to his duties in Berlin, leaving Roosevelt no room to criticize him.Smith 2007 124 Roosevelt attempted a last-minute campaign tour but made little impression on voters. One upstate paper reported, "When compared to such a man as Elihu Root he cuts a sorry figure as a great statesman."Smith 2007 124 Results 300px|thumb|right|Results by county #678cd7 Gerard #dee8fb Gerard 30–40% #b4c7ec Gerard 40–50% #8da9e2 Gerard 50–60% #678cd7 Gerard 60–70% #4170cd Gerard 70–80% #3358a2 Gerard 80–90% #3fa457 Roosevelt #d6efdc Roosevelt 30–40% #a3d5af Roosevelt 40–50% #73bc84 Roosevelt 50–60% #3fa457 Roosevelt 60–70% #008c21 Roosevelt 70–80% 1914 Democratic Senate Primaryhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=164609 NY US Senate - D Primary Our Campaigns 11 March 2020 Democratic Party (United States) James Watson Gerard 133,815 62.08% Democratic Party (United States) Franklin Delano Roosevelt 63,879 29.64% Democratic Party (United States) James S. McDonough 17,862 8.29% 154,221 100.00% Progressive primary Candidates Bainbridge Colby, former State Assemblyman and founder of the Progressive Party Results 1914 Progressive Senate Primaryhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=235303 NY US Senate - PRO Primary Our Campaigns 11 March 2020 Bull Moose Party Progressive Bainbridge Colby 27,517 100.00% 27,517 100.00% General election Candidates Erwin A. Aucher (Socialist Labor) Francis E. Baldwin, perennial candidate (Prohibition) Bainbridge Colby, former State Assemblyman (Progressive) James Watson Gerard, United States Ambassador to Germany (Democratic) Charles Edward Russell, investigative journalist and co-founder of the NAACP (Socialist) James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr., State Assemblyman and former Speaker of the Assembly (Republican) Results 1914 United States Senate election in New Yorkhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=36437 NY US Senate Our Campaigns 11 March 2020 Republican Party (United States) James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. 639,112 47.04% Democratic Party (United States) James Watson Gerard 571,419 42.06% Bull Moose Party Progressive Bainbridge Colby 61,977 4.56% Socialist Party of America Charles Edward Russell 55,266 4.07% Prohibition Party Francis E. Baldwin 27,813 2.05% Socialist Labor Party of America Erwin A. Aucher 3,064 0.23% 1,358,651 100.00% References Bibliography Smith Jean Edward 2007 https://archive.org/details/fdr00smit/page/122/mode/2up?q=gerard registration Random House FDR 1914 New York Category:1914 New York (state) elections