1881 United States Senate special elections in New York

Background

Roscoe Conkling, the Republican Party boss and leader of the Stalwart faction, was elected to a third term in as the Class 3 United States Senator in January 1879. During his time in office, Conkling had built a powerful political organization through control of federal patronage appointments, particularly the offices in the lucrative Port of New York. At the 1876 Republican National Convention, he had been the favorite son of the New York delegation, where he led opposition to the nomination of his political rival, James G. Blaine. After a deadlock, the convention nominated Rutherford B. Hayes. Although Hayes opposed Conkling's influence over New York by nominating Theodore Roosevelt Sr. as collector of the port, Conkling and his allies in the Senate successfully blocked the nomination in December 1877.

At the 1880 Republican National Convention, Conkling again opposed Blaine's nomination by supporting former president Ulysses S. Grant for a third term in office. When the convention deadlocked again, the delegates nominated dark horse James A. Garfield of Ohio as a compromise candidate. To appease the Stalwarts, Port of New York collector Chester A. Arthur was nominated as his vice presidential running mate. Garfield, who had campaigned on a moderate civil service reform plank, won the election.

Thomas C. Platt had been elected on Conkling's advice in January 1881 and had just taken his seat as the state's junior senator on March 4. However, Platt only won 54 of the 105 votes in the Republican caucus, demonstrating waning support for Conkling's machine.

Robertson nomination

Garfield nominated William H. Robertson, the president pro tempore of the New York State Senate and leader of the state's Half-Breed faction, as Collector of the Port of New York. Robertson, who had been elected as a delegate to the 1880 convention on a pledge to vote for Grant, was among the New York delegates who broke with Conkling to engineer Garfield's nomination.

On March 28, Conkling, Platt, Arthur, and postmaster general Thomas Lemuel James sent a public letter to Garfield urging him to withdraw Robertson's nomination. Conkling preferred that Edwin Merritt continue as collector until his term expired in 1882, at which point Conkling would recommend a Stalwart to succeed him.

On May 16, both Conkling and Platt resigned in protest against the distribution of federal patronage in New York. Conkling and Platt then stood for re-election in an effort to rebuke Garfield and demonstrate their political support within New York.

Legislative composition

Main article: 104th New York State Legislature

At the 1879 state election, 25 Republicans and 7 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1880–1881) in the State Senate.

At the 1880 state election, 81 Republicans and 47 Democrats were elected for the session of 1881 to the Assembly.

The 104th New York State Legislature met from January 4 to July 23, 1881, at Albany, New York.

Nominations

Republican caucus

When the first surprise about the resignations subsided, a majority of the Republican State legislators were determined to be rid of Conkling. Intense canvassing followed, many names were speculated about as candidates, but it proved difficult to call a caucus, since no majority of legislators or of the caucus committee agreed.

A caucus of Republican State legislators was finally called by Speaker of the Assembly George H. Sharpe for May 30. Assemblyman Andrew S. Draper presided, and secretaries were appointed. Only 8 State senators and 27 assemblymen were present, and the caucus adjourned for lack of quorum until the next day, but nobody was nominated.

Democratic caucus

The caucus of the Democratic State legislators met on May 30. Assemblyman Michael C. Murphy, of New York City, presided. They nominated Ex-U.S. Senator Francis Kernan and State Senator John C. Jacobs, both on the first ballot.

Elections

On May 31, the legally prescribed day for the election, the Assembly and the State Senate took a ballot, but no candidate received a majority. On June 1, both Houses met in joint session, compared the result of the ballot, and finding that nobody had received a majority in either House, proceeded to a joint ballot in which nobody received a majority either. Afterwards, Stalwarts and Administration men met in separate conferences. The Stalwarts hung on to Conkling and Platt. At the Administration men's conference 61 State legislators were present and Chauncey M. Depew was the frontrunner for the long term (Class 1), but the anti-Conkling men were split into a handful of factions, unable to compromise. From June 2 on, joint ballots were taken every day, Monday through Saturday at noon.

After almost three weeks of deadlock, it was believed that Governor Cornell would consider the votes cast for State Senator Jacobs as void, and to accept as elected any Republican candidate who would receive a simple majority of a quorum, meaning that if at least 81 votes were cast for all candidates except Jacobs, the frontrunner would be elected with 42. On this day, 155 legislators present, and 52 voting for Jacobs, somebody could claim to be elected with a vote of 52, and get his credentials issued by the governor. Thus, when Ex-Vice President Wheeler had received 50 votes in the 23rd ballot, State Senator Charles A. Fowler (Dem., 14th D.) withdrew Jacobs's name before the end of the roll call, and the Democratic members who had voted already (the roll was called in alphabetical order of surnames, first Senate, then Assembly) asked to change their votes, which was granted by Lt. Gov. George G. Hoskins.

After Jacobs's withdrawal during the 23rd ballot, a Democratic caucus was held in the afternoon of June 22, Assemblyman Michael C. Murphy presided. Ex-Congressman Clarkson N. Potter was nominated after an informal ballot, in which votes were scattered about 11 candidates, and a formal ballot in which Potter received a majority.

After a month of deadlock and 31 ballots, Thomas C. Platt withdrew from the contest on July 1, and most of the Platt men then switched to Richard Crowley. On the morning of the next day, President Garfield was shot and the news arrived in Albany just before the State Legislature met for the 33rd ballot.

On July 6, after the 37th ballot, the Anti-Conkling men met in conference. 59 legislators attended, and State Senator Dennis McCarthy presided. No agreement was reached, and a call was issued for a new conference to be held the next day. On July 7, after the 39th ballot, the Anti-Conkling conference was attended by 65 legislators, and a call for a regular Republican caucus was signed by 59 of them. On July 8, after the 41st ballot, a regular Republican caucus finally met. 64 legislators answered to the first roll call, and Thomas G. Alvord was chosen chairman. Since the Stalwarts were not attending, it was agreed that nominations were to be made with a minimum vote of 54, a majority of the total 106 Republican legislators. The frontrunner to succeed Platt (Class 1 seat), Chauncey M. Depew, withdrew from the contest for the sake of party unity, and the caucus instead nominated Congressman Warner Miller on the fifth ballot (First ballot: Miller 27, William A. Wheeler 22, Sherman S. Rogers 9, Noah Davis 2, Alonzo B. Cornell 2, William M. Evarts 2, Richard Crowley 1, Roscoe Conkling 1, Henry E. Temain 1; Second ballot: Miller 28, Wheeler 28, Rogers 10; Third ballot: similar to second; Fourth ballot: Miller 32 then withdrawal of Rogers, then many changes, then withdrawal of Wheeler; Fifth ballot: Miller unanimously). Then they nominated on the second ballot Congressman Elbridge G. Lapham to succeed Conkling (First ballot: Lapham 38, Cornell 12, Tremain 10, Crowley 5, James W. Wadsworth 1; Second ballot: Most votes for Lapham, then some changes, then a re-call of the roll, and finally unanimously). The Conkling men however refused to accept the caucus nominations and continued to vote for Conkling, and now for Wheeler instead of Crowley to succeed Platt. On July 11, after the 43rd ballot, the Stalwarts demanded a new caucus but the Chairman of the State Senate Caucus Committee Dennis McCarthy refused to issue a call.

On July 16, after seven weeks of deadlock, Warner Miller was elected on the 48th ballot to succeed Platt. Conkling held out for another week. On July 22, after the 55th ballot, the Republican legislators met in conference. 76 legislators attended, State Senator Dennis McCarthy presided, and this conference issued the call for a caucus to meet at 3 p.m. The caucus was attended by Stalwarts and Administration men, all Republican legislators who had voted on the previous ballot being present. They nominated Elbridge G. Lapham on the first ballot (vote: Lapham 61, Conkling 28, Stewart L. Woodford 1, William M. Evarts 1), and the nomination was then "made unanimous." At 5 p.m. another ballot, the 56th and last, was taken by the State Legislature, and Lapham was elected to succeed Conkling.

Class 1 summary

Class 3 summary

Aftermath

Lapham and Miller took their seats on October 11, 1881, and served single terms. Lapham remained in office until March 3, 1885; Miller until March 3, 1887.

Conkling's political career effectively ended after this episode, the longest deadlock in New York State legislative history until 1911.

Platt returned to the U.S. Senate in 1897, and served two terms until 1909.

Notes

Sources

• , [giving wrong numbers of ballots "36th" and "37th" in the summary, correct was 35th and 36th]

References

1. Erastus Corning (1827-1897), of [[Albany, New York. Albany]], son of [[Erastus Corning]] (1794-1872)
2. The U.S. Constitution, referring to the Senate elections, had been amended since the last time when no candidate had a majority in either House, in [[United States Senate election in New York, 1839]]/[[1840. 1839]]; previously in case of no choice by either House no joint ballot could be taken.
3. The eligibility of members of the State Legislature was still controversial, although State Senator [[Nathaniel P. Tallmadge]] was elected in [[United States Senate election in New York, 1833. 1833]], and Lt. Gov. [[Henry R. Selden]] had ruled in [[United States Senate election in New York, 1857. 1857]] that the ineligibility clause of the [[New York State Constitution]] was not in accordance with the dispositions of the [[United States Constitution]] when votes were cast for State Senator [[Daniel Sickles. Daniel E. Sickles]].
4. Gen. Henry Edwin Tremain (1840-1910), lawyer, [[Columbia Law School]] graduate 1867
5. William B. Bliss, of [[Rome, New York. Rome]], Oneida County judge 1875-80, Oneida County Surrogate 1884-1889
6. Charles North, Mayor of [[Oswego, New York. Oswego]] 1868, assemblyman 1878
7. James Talcott (1835-1916), of [[New York City]], merchant and philanthropist, [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/08/22/104687385.pdf Obit] in NYT on August 22, 1916
8. The deadlock lasted 53 days (Lapham) and 47 days (Miller). In [[United States Senate election in New York, 1911. 1911]] it took 74 days and 63 joint ballots to elect a U.S. Senator.