George Washington Batten (February 22, 1856 Lockport

Lockport (city), New York

Lockport is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 21,165 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a set of Erie canal locks within the city. Lockport is the county seat of Niagara County and is surrounded by the town of Lockport...

, Niagara County, New York

Niagara County, New York

Niagara County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,469. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra; meaning the strait or thunder of waters. It is the location of Niagara Falls and Fort Niagara, and...

 – September 14, 1922 Buffalo

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, Erie County, New York

Erie County, New York

Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...

) was an American businessman and politician.

Life

He was the son of Joseph Batten, Sheriff of Niagara County from 1876 to 1878. He was Undersheriff from 1882 to 1884. He was Sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

 from 1885 to 1887, and appointed his father Undersheriff. Afterwards he entered the insurance business.

He was Chairman of the Democratic Committee of Niagara County from 1890 to 1895, and a member of the New York State Democratic Committee

New York State Democratic Committee

The New York State Democratic Committee runs the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of New York. Its headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and it has an office in Albany.-List of chairpersons:...

 from 1895 to 1915. In 1898, he ran for Secretary of State of New York

Secretary of State of New York

The Secretary of State of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York.The current Secretary of State of New York is Cesar A...

, but was defeated by Republican John T. McDonough

John T. McDonough

John Thomas McDonough was an American lawyer and politician.-Early life:He came with his parents to the United States in 1850, and they settled in Dunkirk, New York. He graduated from St. John's College, and studied law at Columbia Law School, finishing as Bachelor of Laws in 1861...

.

He was Deputy Treasurer under Julius Hauser

Julius Hauser

Julius Hauser was an American businessman and politician.-Life:...

 and John J. Kennedy

John J. Kennedy

John J. Kennedy was an American businessman and politician.- Life :...

, and became Acting New York State Treasurer

New York State Treasurer

The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the new Department of Audit and Control headed by the...

 upon the suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 in office of Kennedy on February 15, 1914. Ten days later, Progressive

Progressive Party (United States, 1912)

The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....

 Homer D. Call

Homer D. Call

Homer D. Call was an American labor leader and politician.-Life:On October 1, 1861, he enrolled at Cortland, New York, and was mustered in as corporal of the 76th NY Volunteers to fight in the American Civil War. On December 13, 1862, he was wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg...

 was elected by the Progressive and Democratic members of the New York State Legislature to fill Kennedy's unexpired term with the understanding that Batten and all other Democratic officials continue on their posts at the Treasury.

Sources

• Past Niagara County Sheriffs
• THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET in NYT on September 30, 1898
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F0DE0DF1F30E733A25751C2A9629C946297D6CF The Niagara Falls Charter killed, in NYT on April 22, 1903
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B06EEDC113EE033A25754C1A9629C946997D6CF The senatorial special election, in NYT on April 17, 1908
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9801E0DE1631E233A25757C2A9629C946997D6CF The senatorial deal, in NYT on April 24, 1908
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D04E6DF163AE633A25754C1A9649C946596D6CF Kennedy's suicide, in NYT on February 17, 1914
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D01E7DD1E3AE733A25755C2A9649C946596D6CF Call elected, in NYT on February 26, 1914
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D0DE6DF1139EF3ABC4D52DFBF668389639EDE Obit in NYT on September 15, 1922