1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey

none March 2026 September 2023 1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey New Jersey 1896 presidential no 1911 United States Senate election in New Jersey 1911 1922 United States Senate election in New Jersey 1922 November 7, 1916 File:Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen, Sr.jpg 150x150px Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. Republican Party (United States) 244,715 55.99% File:James Edgar Martine circa 1915 (cropped).jpg James E. Martine Democratic Party (United States) 250px 1916 United States Senate election in New Jersey results map by county.svg County results Martine: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% Frelinghuysen: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% 170,019 38.90% Senator James E. Martine Democratic Party (United States) Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. Republican Party (United States) The United States Senate election of 1916 in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1916. Incumbent Democratic senator James E. Martine ran for re-election to a second term in office but was defeated by Republican state senator Joseph Frelinghuysen in an election dominated by American preparedness for World War I. Primary elections were held on September 26.Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey 1917 M.R. Dennis & Co. https://archive.org/details/manualoflegislat1917mull/page/288/mode/2up registration 288 Senator Martine defeated a challenge from John W. Wescott, the Attorney General of New Jersey and an ally of President Woodrow Wilson. The Republican nomination narrowly went to State Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. over former Governor Franklin Murphy. This was the first popular election for United States Senator in New Jersey history, following the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This was also the first of four straight elections to this seat in which the incumbent was defeated. Democratic primary Candidates August M. Bruggeman, Hoboken residentCandidates to be Voted For There are six candidates for United States Senator; four Democrats and two Republicans. The candidate, the party they represent and the designation to be printed on their ballots are: August M. Bruggeman, Hoboken, Democrat; James E. Martine, Democrat; Frank McDermit, Newark, Democrat, "Democrat;" James W. Westcott (sic), Haddonfield, Democrat; Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, Raritan, Republican, "Republican;" Franklin Murphy, Newark, Republican, "Republican Party." Keyport Weekly 15 Sep 1916 4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/419024232/ subscription James E. Martine, incumbent Senator since 1911 Frank M. McDermit, Newark attorney and perennial candidate John W. Wescott, attorney general of New Jersey Campaign Senator Martine drew a primary challenge from Woodrow Wilson ally John W. Wescott, the state attorney general. Wescott's strong alliance with President Wilson and Martine's opposition to administration policy on World War I and criticism of British war policy, including his expression of sympathy for executed Irish nationalist Roger Casement on the floor of the Senate, led some Democrats to think him vulnerable to a primary challenge.The New York Times 30 Mar 2022 1 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/09/28/100221868.html?pageNumber=1 GERMAN-AMERICAN VOTES IN JERSEY WIN FOR MARTINE registration 28 Sep 1916 Martine was known for his independence and had previously said that he would rather retire to his Union County farm than go to the White House "for orders."The New York Times 30 Mar 2022 1 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/09/27/100221570.html?pageNumber=1 MARTINE LEADS WESCOTT IN THE JERSEY PRIMARIES registration 27 Sep 1916 A third candidate from Newark, Frank McDermit, may have drawn away Martine supporters in Essex County. Wescott had the support of the Essex County machine. Results Martine defeated Wescott by a large margin in Hudson County and won the strong support of ethnic Germans, who approved of his critical stance on Wilson's war policy. Despite strong opposition from the Nugent machine in Essex and McDermit's candidacy, Martine carried the county narrowly with a plurality. 1916 Democratic U.S. Senate primaryManual of the Legislature of New Jersey 1917 M.R. Dennis & Co. https://archive.org/details/manualoflegislat1917mull/page/163/mode/2up registration 163 James E. Martine (incumbent) Democratic Party (United States) 50,961 48.76% John W. Wescott Democratic Party (United States) 29,627 28.35% Frank M. McDermit Democratic Party (United States) 17,373 16.62% August M. Bruggeman Democratic Party (United States) 6,559 6.28% 104,520 100.00% Blank votes None 14,993 — 119,513 100.00% Given his close alliance with Wilson personally and politically, Wescott's loss was seen as a blow to the administration and Wilson's re-election hopes. Republican primary Candidates Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, former state senator for Somerset County and president of the New Jersey Senate Franklin Murphy, former governor of New Jersey (1902–05) Campaign In the campaign, the statewide party machine backed Franklin Murphy against a challenge by Joseph Frelinghuysen, a business executive and former state senator. Frelinghuysen was aligned with Austen Colgate, an insurgent candidate in the parallel primary for governor against Walter Edge. Opponents accused Frelinghuysen of non-residency, given that his winter home and business were in New York. Frelinghuysen was also opposed by automobile owners, based on his record as senator. On primary day, most observers expected Murphy to win. Both candidates emphasized their opposition to President Wilson.September 27, 1916 Martine in the Lead for Tight Race in New Jersey https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=HTS19160927&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-------- live March 17, 2026 The Humboldt Times 1 Frelinghuysen actively targeted German-American voters during the campaign by highlighting Republican critiques of Wilson's foreign policy without endorsing full intervention, as well as arguing that Wilson's tariff policy harmed New Jersey's industrial and agricultural sectors. Murphy focused his campaign in the state's urban centers and industrial sector. Results Frelinghuysen won a surprise victory over Murphy, who managed only a small plurality of under 5,000 in his home base of Essex County. Frelinghuysen overcame his poor showing in the cities by winning large margins in the suburban and rural regions of the state. 1916 Republican U.S. Senate primary Joseph Frelinghuysen Republican Party (United States) 89,361 52.31% Franklin Murphy Republican Party (United States) 81,483 47.69% 170,844 100.00% Blank votes None 16,570 — 187,414 100.00% Results by county 1916 Republican U.S. Senate primaryCountyFrelinghuysenMurphyTotalVotes%Votes%Atlantic3,80843.6%4,92856.4%8,736Bergen5,43746.3%6,30753.7%11,744Burlington4,82666.3%2,45233.7%7,278Camden6,42741.0%9,23159.0%15,658Cape May1,17041.7%1,63358.3%2,803Cumberland1,97148.7%2,07751.3%4,048Essex14,50142.9%19,26757.1%33,768Gloucester2,34466.0%1,20734.0%3,551Hudson8,46656.7%6,46243.3%14,928Hunterdon1,23281.5%27918.5%1,511Mercer5,75757.2%4,30642.8%10,063Middlesex3,09761.5%1,94238.5%5,039Monmouth3,48355.4%2,80544.6%6,288Morris3,81753.9%3,26646.1%7,083Ocean1,62261.4%1,02038.6%2,642Passaic9,41653.7%8,11846.3%17,534Salem1,01670.9%42829.1%1,434Somerset3,15788.6%40711.4%3,564Sussex53441.2%76358.8%1,297Union6,48662.5%3,88437.5%10,370Warren79453.1%70146.9%1,495 General election Candidates Livingston Barbour (Prohibition) William C. Doughty (Socialist) Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, former state senator from Somerset County and president of the New Jersey Senate (Republican) Rudolph Katz (Socialist Labor) James E. Martine, incumbent senator (Democratic) Campaign New Jersey was considered a battleground state in the 1916 presidential election, and the Senate race generally reflected national policy concerns. Martine emphasized Democratic policies such as tariff revision, antitrust enforcement, and federal support for labor and farming interests. Frelinghuysen endorsed the Republican platform, arguing for military preparedness, the establishment of a nonpartisan tariff commission to set rates, and development of a merchant marine force to protect American shipping. Both candidates supported federal aid to farmers.1916-02-13 NEW JERSEY ARENA FOR WAR OF POLITICS; Will Hold the Eyes of the Nation During the Presidential Campaign. MANY IMPORTANT CONTESTS Governor and United States Senator Will Be Elected -- Long Branch a Mecca for Democrats. https://www.nytimes.com/1916/02/13/archives/new-jersey-arena-for-war-of-politics-will-hold-the-eyes-of-the.html 2026-03-17 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Frelinghuysen joined his party's presidential nominee, Charles Evans Hughes, in assailing the Democratic incumbents for failing to anticipate and address unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany in the aftermath of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania and the Sussex crisis.1916-11-08 HUGHES WINS IN WILSON'S STATE; Senator Martine Defeated by Frelinghuysen and Edge Is Elected Governor. LEGISLATURE REPUBLICAN Democrats Probably Retain Four of New Jersey's Twelve Seats in the House. HUGHES WINS IN WILSON'S STATE https://www.nytimes.com/1916/11/08/archives/hughes-wins-in-wilsons-state-senator-martine-defeated-by.html 2026-03-17 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Frelinghuysen also coordinated with gubernatorial nominee Walter Edge. The Socialist nominee, William Doughty, ran on a pacifist platform. Results Martine ran significantly behind the Democratic ticket, leading The New York Times to refer to him as "the worst-beaten man in the state."1916 United States Senate election in New Jerseyhttp://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1916election.pdf Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1916 Clerk of the United States House of Representatives April 22, 2020https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=268242 Our Campaigns - NJ US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1916 www.ourcampaigns.com Republican Party (US) Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. 244,715 55.99% Democratic Party (US) James E. Martine (incumbent) 170,019 38.90% Socialist Party USA William C. Doughty 13,358 3.06% Prohibition Party (US) Livingston Barbour 7,178 0.11% Socialist Labor Party (US) Rudolph Katz 1,826 0.42% 437,096 100.00% See also 1916 New Jersey gubernatorial election 1916 United States presidential election in New Jersey 1916 United States Senate elections References New Jersey 1916 Category:1916 New Jersey elections