The 1857 New York state election was held on November 3, 1857, to elect the Secretary of State

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...

, the State Comptroller

New York State Comptroller

The New York State Comptroller is a state cabinet officer of the U.S. state of New York. The duties of the comptroller include auditing government operations and operating the state's retirement system.-History:...

, the Attorney General, the 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...

, the State Engineer

New York State Engineer and Surveyor

The New York State Engineer and Surveyor was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Department of Public Works which was...

, a Judge of the New York Court of Appeals

New York Court of Appeals

The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...

, a Canal Commissioner

Erie Canal Commission

The New York State Legislature appointed in 1810 a Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie, and Report which became known as the Erie Canal Commission...

 and an Inspector of State Prisons

New York State Prison Inspector

The Inspector of State Prisons was a statewide elective office created by the New York State Constitution of 1846. At the New York state election, 1847, three Inspectors were elected and then, upon taking office, so classified that henceforth every year one Inspector would be elected to a...

, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

 and the New York State Senate

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

.

History

The Democratic state convention met on September 10 and 11 at Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

. Gideon J. Tucker (Tammany

Tammany Hall

Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...

) was nominated for Secretary of State "by acclamation" after a first informal ballot showed a large majority for him and the other candidate George B. Wood was withdrawn. Sanford E. Church (Soft

Barnburners and Hunkers

The Barnburners were the more radical faction of the New York state Democratic Party in the mid 19th century. The term barnburner was derived from the idea of someone who would burn down his own barn to get rid of a rat infestation, in this case those who would destroy all banks and corporations,...

) was nominated for Comptroller "unanimously" after a first informal ballot showed a large majority and the other candidates Alfred M. Wood

Alfred M. Wood

Alfred M. Wood was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.On April 13, 1858, Wood was commissioned as colonel of the 14th New York Militia , a local antebellum militia regiment....

 and Thomas B. Mitchell were withdrawn. Lyman Tremain, Benjamin Bailey and Francis Kernan

Francis Kernan

Francis Kernan was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a U.S. Senator from 1875 to 1881....

 were proposed for Attorney General but Tremain (Hard

Barnburners and Hunkers

The Barnburners were the more radical faction of the New York state Democratic Party in the mid 19th century. The term barnburner was derived from the idea of someone who would burn down his own barn to get rid of a rat infestation, in this case those who would destroy all banks and corporations,...

) was nominated by acclamation. Isaac V. Vanderpoel, Joseph M. Lyon and Thomas Osborne were proposed for Treasurer, but Vanderpoel (Soft) was nominated unanimously. John M. Jaycox (Hard) was nominated for Canal Commissioner. The nomination for State Engineer caused much excitement when Charles R. Graham was proposed and had his party allegiance questioned when it was remembered that he had chaired a Whig convention in New York City four years previously. After much controversy, including speeches by Daniel E. Sickles and Mayor Fernando Wood

Fernando Wood

Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the...

, Van Rensselaer Richmond (Soft) was nominated on the first ballot. William C. Rhodes (Hard) was nominated unanimously on the first ballot for Prison Inspector. The re-nomination of Hiram Denio caused another even bigger controversy. Ex-Governor Horatio Seymour

Horatio Seymour

Horatio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of...

 rose to urge Denio's nomination, Mayor Fernando Wood

Fernando Wood

Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the...

 spoke fiercely against it, because Denio had made decisions against Wood, and was accused of not being a Democrat. Replying to Wood, Sickles defended Denio in a speech and John Cochrane

John Cochrane (general)

John Cochrane was an American lawyer, Union Army general and politician.-Life:He was the grandson of John Cochran, Surgeon General of the Continental Army....

 also endorsed Denio who was nominated on the first ballot with 67 out of 117 votes cast.

The American state convention met on September 15 at Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

.

The Republican state convention met on September 23 at Wieting Hall in Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

. Almon M. Clapp was Temporary Chairman until the choice of Abijah Mann, Jr.

Abijah Mann, Jr.

Abijah Mann, Jr. was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Fairfield, New York, Mann attended the common schools. He engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was a justice of the peace. He was appointed by President Jackson postmaster of Fairfield and served from May 28, 1830 to January 16, 1833...

 as President. Timothy Jenkins was nominated for the Court of Appeals on the second ballot after much debate on the proposal to endorse Democrat Hiram Denio

Hiram Denio

Hiram Denio was an American lawyer and politician from New York...

 which course was defended by David Dudley Field (first ballot: Jenkins 119, Henry Wells 50, William B. Wright

William B. Wright

William B. Wright was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals in 1868.-Life:He was the son of Samuel Wright....

 45, Denio 12, E. G. Chase 4, H. H. Shankland 2, Ward Hunt

Ward Hunt

Ward Hunt , was an American jurist and politician. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1868 to 1869, and an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1873 to 1882.-Life:...

 1, this was a small majority for Jenkins, but after much debate if the nomination could be made "unanimous", the roll was called again; second ballot: Jenkins 129, Wright 24, Wells 13, Denio 9). William Curtis Noyes was nominated for Attorney General, and Robert Denniston for Comptroller by acclamation. Almon M. Clapp was nominated for Secretary of State on the ballot (informal ballot: William W. Campbell 91, Clapp 85, John T. Hogeboom 49; first ballot: Clapp 121, Campbell 92, Hogeboom 30; second ballot: Clapp 152, Campbell 64). John T. Hogeboom was nominated for Treasurer by acclamation. Ariel S. Thurston was nominated for Canal Commissioner on the third ballot (first ballot: Thurston 74, Alexander B. Williams 64, Samuel H. Barnes

Samuel H. Barnes

Samuel Howe Barnes was an American politician from New York.-Life:He married Harriet Pellet and they had six children....

 51, Ansell Bascom 16, William Mallory 15, George Geddes 11; second ballot: Thurston 98, Williams 78, Barnes 52, Bascom 3, Mallory 1; third ballot: Thurston 120, Williams 59, Barnes 58). George Geddes was nominated for State Engineer on the first ballot (vote: Geddes 140, Silas Seymour

Silas Seymour

Silas Seymour was an American civil engineer and politician from New York.-Life:...

 94, scattering 4). Thomas Kirkpatrick was nominated for Prison Inspector on the second ballot (first ballot: Kirkpatrick 62, Norwood Bowne

Norwood Bowne

Norwood Bowne was an American newspaper editor and politician from New York.-Life:...

 [incumbent] 39, David P. Forrest

David P. Forrest

-Life:He was Clerk of Schenectady County from 1850 to 1852. He was Mayor of Schenectady in 1859.He was an Inspector of State Prisons from 1860 to 1862, elected in 1859 on the Republican ticket; and from 1865 to 1867, elected in 1864 on the Union ticket...

 26, Luther Caldwell 25, some more scattering; second ballot: Kirkpatrick 102, Bowne 40, Caldwell 27, Forrest 16).

Results

The whole Democratic state ticket was elected with a plurality of less than 20,000 votes over the Republican ticket while only in New York County, the stronghold of Tammany Hall

Tammany Hall

Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...

, the ticket had a plurality of about 24,000 votes.

The incumbent Denio was re-elected.

15 Republicans, 14 Democrats, two Americans and one Independent Republican were elected to a two-year term (1858-59) in the New York State Senate

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

.

61 Republicans, 58 Democrats and 9 Americans were elected for the session of 1858 to the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

.

1857 state election results

Office	Democratic ticket		Republican ticket		American Know Nothing The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...  ticket
Secretary of State 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...	Gideon J. Tucker Gideon J. Tucker Gideon John Tucker was an American lawyer, newspaper editor and politician. In 1866, as Surrogate of New York, he wrote in a decision of a will case: "No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session."-Life:He was born on Laight Street, near Canal Street in Lower...	195,482	Almon M. Clapp	177,425	James O. Putnam	66,882
Comptroller New York State Comptroller The New York State Comptroller is a state cabinet officer of the U.S. state of New York. The duties of the comptroller include auditing government operations and operating the state's retirement system.-History:...	Sanford E. Church Sanford E. Church Sanford Elias Church was an American lawyer and Democratic politician...	195,138	Robert Denniston Robert Denniston Robert Denniston was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:...	178,038	Nathaniel S. Benton Nathaniel S. Benton Nathaniel Seley Benton was a New York politician who served as a New York State Senator and Secretary of State of New York....	67,030
Attorney General New York State Attorney General The New York State Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of New York. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York.The current Attorney General is Eric Schneiderman...	Lyman Tremain Lyman Tremain Lyman Tremain was a jurist and politician from New York.He was admitted to the bar in 1840 and practiced in Durham, where he was elected to his first political office as town supervisor in 1842. He was appointed District Attorney of Greene County in 1844...	195,186	William Curtis Noyes William Curtis Noyes William Curtis Noyes, jurist, born in Schodack, Rensselaer County, New York, 19 August 1805; died in New York City, 25 December 1864.-Biography:...	178,335	Henry H. Ross Henry H. Ross Henry Howard Ross was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...	65,519
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...	Isaac V. Vanderpoel Isaac V. Vanderpoel Isaac V. Vanderpoel was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:...	195,153	John T. Hogeboom	178,194	Lyman Odell	66,737
State Engineer New York State Engineer and Surveyor The New York State Engineer and Surveyor was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Department of Public Works which was...	Van Rensselaer Richmond Van Rensselaer Richmond Van Rensselaer Richmond was an American civil engineer and politician from New York.-Life:...	195,284	George Geddes	178,152	Roswell Graves	65,583
Judge of the Court of Appeals New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...	Hiram Denio Hiram Denio Hiram Denio was an American lawyer and politician from New York...	196,016	Timothy Jenkins Timothy Jenkins Timothy Jenkins was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Barre, Massachusetts, Jenkins located in Washington County, New York, in 1817.He pursued an academic course.He studied law....	175,325	Hiram Ketchum	64,299
Canal Commissioner Erie Canal Commission The New York State Legislature appointed in 1810 a Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie, and Report which became known as the Erie Canal Commission...	John M. Jaycox John M. Jaycox -Life:He lived in Syracuse, New York. He was a wholesale grocer and co-owner, with John A. Green, of the Syracuse Courier.He was a Canal Commissioner from 1858 to 1860, elected as a Hard on the Democratic ticket in 1857. In 1860, he ran for re-election on the National Democratic ticket but was...	194,958	Ariel S. Thurston	177,888	Goldsmith Denniston	66,328
Inspector of State Prisons New York State Prison Inspector The Inspector of State Prisons was a statewide elective office created by the New York State Constitution of 1846. At the New York state election, 1847, three Inspectors were elected and then, upon taking office, so classified that henceforth every year one Inspector would be elected to a...	William C. Rhodes William C. Rhodes (New York) William C. Rhodes was an American newspaper editor and politician from New York.-Life:In January 1845, he married Fanny P. Maxwell at Elmira, New York.He published with George W. Mason the Elmira Gazette from 1841 to 1848...	195,167	Thomas Kirkpatrick Thomas Kirkpatrick (New York) -Life:He lived in Albany, New York and was an alderman, elected in the Tenth Ward in 1843, and Overseer of the Poor.In 1853, he was elected, on the Whig ticket, Inspector of State Prisons, and was in office from 1854 to 1856....	177,718	John M. Stevens	66,862

Sources

• Result in The Tribune Almanac for the years 1838 to 1868 compiled by Horace Greeley
  Horace Greeley
  Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
  
   of the New York Tribune
  New York Tribune
  The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...