1858 New York state election

The 1858 New York state election was held on November 2, 1858, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, a Canal Commissioner, and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and two members[1] of the New York State Senate. Besides, the question was asked if a Constitutional Convention should be held, and answered in the negative: The vote was 135,266 for and 144,526 against.

1858 New York gubernatorial election

← 1856 November 2, 1858 1860 →
 
Nominee Edwin D. Morgan Amasa J. Parker Lorenzo Burrows
Party Republican Democratic Know Nothing
Popular vote 247,953 230,513 61,137
Percentage 45.49% 42.29% 11.22%

County results

Morgan:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Parker:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election

John Alsop King
Republican

Elected Governor

Edwin D. Morgan
Republican

History

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The "Mass State Convention to nominate Gerrit Smith for Governor" met on August 4 at Syracuse, New York, Isaac Parks, of Canastota, presided.[2]

The Republican and the American state conventions met on September 8 at Syracuse, New York. At the Republican convention, Thurlow Weed was a delegate to a state convention for the first time after twenty years. There was some debate about the nomination of a joint ticket with the Americans. Ezra Graves was temporary chairman until the choice of Daniel T. Jones as president. A motion to nominate candidates for governor was voted down by 166 to 67, and the convention adjourned. At the American convention, Daniel Ullmann was chosen President, and after much debate they adjourned too.[3] The Republican convention re-assembled on September 9, and Edwin D. Morgan was nominated for governor on the second ballot (first ballot: Morgan 116,[4] Timothy Jenkins 51, James M. Cook 35, George W. Patterson 23, A. S. Diven 21, John Alsop King 4,[5] Horace Greeley 3; second ballot: Morgan 165, Jenkins 52, Patterson 20, Diven 18). Between the two ballots an American delegation arrived. Robert Campbell was nominated for lieutenant governor by acclamation. Now the American delegation marched back to the American convention with a Republican delegation which announced the Republican nominations and offered the Americans to complete the joint ticket with the nominees for Canal Commissioner and Prison Inspector. The Americans decided against it and nominated Lorenzo Burrows for governor, and Nathaniel S. Benton for lieutenant governor by acclamation. James R. Thompson was nominated for Canal Commissioner on the first ballot (vote: Thompson 84, Jesse C. Dann 64, Benoni Thompson 15, Justus Deming 4, scattering 4). The incumbent William A. Russell was re-nominated for Prison Inspector on the first ballot.[6]

Result

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The whole Republican ticket was elected. The incumbent Russell was defeated.

One Republican and one American were elected for the session of 1859 to the New York State Senate, which had then 16 Republicans, 12 Democrats, 3 Americans and one Independent Republican.

99 Republicans and Americans, and 29 Democrats were elected for the session of 1859 to the New York State Assembly.

1858 state election results
Office Republican ticket Democratic ticket American ticket Liberty[7] ticket
Governor Edwin D. Morgan 247,953 Amasa J. Parker 230,513 Lorenzo Burrows 60,880 Gerrit Smith 5,470
Lieutenant Governor Robert Campbell 250,831 John J. Taylor 229,796 Nathaniel S. Benton 62,336 Sidney A. Beers 2,187
Canal Commissioner Hiram Gardner 249,933 Sherburne B. Piper 229,848 James R. Thompson 59,919 J. C. Harrington 1,801
Inspector of State Prisons Josiah T. Everest 248,151 Edward L. Donnelly 226,992 William A. Russell 60,409 Silas T. Tyler 1,690

Notes

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  1. ^ to fill vacancies in the 11th and 31st Districts
  2. ^ The Friends of Gerrit Smith at Syracuse in NYT on August 6, 1858
  3. ^ NEWS OF THE DAY in NYT on September 9, 1858
  4. ^ among these was Weed's vote, his first ever vote for a candidate in a convention
  5. ^ Governor King had declined to be re-nominated
  6. ^ The American and Republican State Conventions in NYT on September 10, 1858
  7. ^ In the press referred to as "the friends of Gerrit Smith"

Sources

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See also

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New York gubernatorial elections