1934 New York state election

History

The Communist State Committee met on August 28, and nominated Israel Amter for governor.

The Socialist state convention met on July 1 at New York City, and nominated Charles Solomon for governor; and Norman Thomas for the U.S. Senate.

The Democratic state convention met on September 27 at Buffalo, New York, and re-nominated the incumbents Lehman, Bray, Tremaine, Bennett, Loughran and Copeland; and completed the ticket endorsing two Republicans: Associate Judge Frederick E. Crane for Chief Judge and Supreme Court Justice Edward R. Finch for the Court of Appeals.

The Republican state convention met on September 28 at Rochester, New York, and nominated New York City Park Commissioner Robert Moses for Governor on the third ballot after a struggle with the Macy faction, defeating Samuel Seabury and Seabury C. Mastick. Also nominated were Fred J. Douglas for Lieutenant Governor, Wilson R. Campbell, of Steuben County, for Comptroller, William T. Powers, of Brooklyn, for Attorney General, E. Harold Cluett for the U.S. Senate, Frederick E. Crane for Chief Judge, the incumbent Democrat John T. Loughran to succeed himself, and Charles B. Sears for the Court of Appeals, thus dropping fellow Republican Edward R. Finch who had been nominated by the Democrats in a common cross-endorsement deal for judicial officers.

The "Recovery Party" filed a petition to nominate state officers on October 9, 1934. The ticket was headed by Ex-Mayor of New York John F. Hylan for Governor. The ticket was not allowed on the ballot because of numerous forged signatures and thus not meeting the legal requirements. Hylan did receive 15,208 write-in votes in New York City according to NYC Board of Elections records, but these were included in the state total of blank, void and scattering votes (141,700).

The "Constitutional Party" nominated Colonel Henry Breckinridge, a Democrat who opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policy, for the U.S. Senate, and used the "Pine Tree of Liberty" as its emblem on the ballot.

Result

The whole Democratic ticket was elected in the third landslide in a row.

The incumbents Lehman, Bray, Tremaine, Bennett, Loughran and Copeland were re-elected.

The Law Preservation Party lost its automatic ballot access and disappeared.

Notes

Sources

• Result (Law Preservation only): Vote for Prohibition candidates at Prohibitionists.org
• Official Result: DRY PARTY LOSES PLACE ON BALLOT in NYT on December 11, 1934
• New York Red Book 1935

References

1. to succeed [[Cuthbert W. Pound]] who would reach the constitutional age limit at the end of the year
2. one to succeed [[Frederick E. Crane]] whose term would expire at the end of the year, the other to succeed [[Henry T. Kellogg]] who had resigned
3. [https://www.nytimes.com/1934/08/29/archives/communists-pick-ticket-israel-amter-to-be-candidate-for-governor-of.html ''COMMUNISTS PICK TICKET''] in NYT on August 29, 1934 (subscription required)
4. [https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/02/archives/thomas-nominated-in-harmony-move-rival-for-senate-withdraws-after.html ''THOMAS NOMINATED IN HARMONY MOVE''] in NYT on July 2, 1934 (subscription required)
5. [https://www.nytimes.com/1934/09/28/archives/lehman-copeland-are-renominated-in-driving-session-bray-tremaine.html ''LEHMAN, COPELAND ARE RENOMINATED IN DRIVING SESSION''] in NYT on September 28, 1934 (subscription required)
6. Loughran had been appointed by Governor [[Herbert H. Lehman]] to fill the vacancy temporarily
7. [https://www.nytimes.com/1934/09/29/archives/republicans-name-moses-for-governor-on-3d-ballot-cluett-of-troy-for.html ''REPUBLICANS NAME MOSES FOR GOVERNOR ON 3D BALLOT''] in NYT on September 29, 1934 (subscription required)
8. [https://www.nytimes.com/1934/10/10/archives/petition-for-hylan-is-filed-at-albany-his-designation-as-recovery.html ''PETITION FOR HYLAN IS FILED AT ALBANY''] in NYT on October 10, 1934 (subscription required)
9. [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0914F6395B107A93C4AB178BD95F408385F9 ''ALBANY COURT BARS HYLAN STATE TICKET AS NOT NOMINATED''] in NYT on October 26, 1934 (subscription required)
10. Aaron M. Orange, of [[The Bronx]], public school teacher, ran also For Governor in 1932, and for U.S. Vice President in 1940
11. Emil F. Teichert, of [[Manhattan]], "unemployed railroad worker", ran also in 1932
12. Simeon Bickwheat, ran also for state engineer in 1922 and 1924; and for attorney general in 1926,1928,1932
13. Darwin J. Meserole, ran also for attorney general in 1920; for chief judge in 1926; and for associate judge of the Court of Appeals in 1930 and 1933
14. William Budge Groat (1900-1986), of [[Queens]], Assistant [[New York State Attorney General]] in charge of the "Food Inquiry" in 1930, later [[New York Supreme Court]] justice, [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/10/obituaries/william-b-groat-86-ex-queens-state-judge.html ''William B. Groat, 86, Ex-Queens State Judge''] Obit in NYT on April 10, 1986 (subscription required)
15. Charles W. Noonan, of [[Schenectady, New York. Schenectady]], Alderman from Schenectady's 7th Ward, ran also for comptroller in 1914, 1916 and 1926; for treasurer in 1918; for secretary of state in 1920; and for lieutenant governor in 1932
16. Henry Shepard, of [[Harlem]], ran also for lieutenant governor in 1932
17. Jeremiah D. Crowley, of [[Marcellus, New York. Marcellus]], ran also for state engineer in 1910; for lieutenant governor in 1912, 1914 and 1920; for governor in 1916, 1922, 1926 and 1930; and for the U.S. Senate in 1932
18. Natalie F. (Couch) Williams (1890-1956), of [[Nyack, New York. Nyack]], lawyer, personal secretary to Supreme Court Justice Arthur S. Tompkins, later Journal Clerk of the [[New York State Assembly]], married 1940 Ex-State Senator Lawrence G. Williams, of [[Buffalo, New York. Buffalo]], [https://www.nytimes.com/1956/10/20/archives/mrs-williams-66-leader-in-gop-former-head-of-rockland-bar-dies-at.html ''MRS. WILLIAMS, 66, LEADER IN G.O.P.''] Obit in NYT on October 20, 1956 (subscription required)
19. Jacob Berlin (b. 1906 Poland), clerk, ran also for lieutenant governor in 1938