The 1880 New York state election was held on November 2, 1880, to elect the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals

Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals

Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals refers to the position of chief judge on the New York Court of Appeals.The chief judge supervises the seven-judge Court of Appeals...

, 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...

.

History

In 1880, there was only one officer to be elected statewide: the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Sanford E. Church

Sanford E. Church

Sanford Elias Church was an American lawyer and Democratic politician...

 in May 1880. Charles J. Folger had been appointed temporarily to fill the vacancy until the end of the year.

The Greenback

United States Greenback Party

The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...

 state convention met on August 17 and 18 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...

. Thomas C. Armstrong was nominated for Chief Judge on the fifth ballot (fifth ballot: Armstrong 44, William Thornton 31, Wilson S. Wolfe had withdrawn already).

The Republican State Committee met on August 24 at New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Chester A. Arthur

Chester A. Arthur

Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...

 presided. The committee voted against the call of a state convention (vote: For 5, Against 26), and re-nominated unanimously the incumbent Chief Judge Charles J. Folger for re-election.

The Democratic state convention was held on September 28 at Saratoga, New York

Saratoga, New York

Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...

. Rufus W. Peckham, Jr.

Rufus Wheeler Peckham

Rufus Wheeler Peckham was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1895 until 1909. He was known for his strong use of substantive due process to invalidate regulations of business and property. Peckham's namesake father was also a lawyer and judge, and a congressman...

, was Temporary Chairman. Charles A. Rapallo was nominated for Chief Judge on the first ballot (vote: Rapallo 185, William C. Ruger

William C. Ruger

William Crawford Ruger was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1883 until his death.-Life:He was the son of Sophia Ruger and John Ruger William Crawford Ruger (January 30, 1824 Bridgewater, Oneida County, New York - January 14,...

 "less than 60", George B. Bradley - the Democratic candidate in 1878 - "fewer still").

Result

Chief Judge Folger was re-elected.

1880 state election result

Office	Republican ticket		Democratic ticket		Greenback United States Greenback Party The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...  ticket
Chief Judge Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals refers to the position of chief judge on the New York Court of Appeals.The chief judge supervises the seven-judge Court of Appeals...	Charles J. Folger Charles J. Folger Charles James Folger was an American lawyer and politician. He was U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1881 until his death.-Early life:...	562,821	Charles A. Rapallo Charles A. Rapallo Charles Anthony Rapallo was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:He was the son of Anthony Rapallo and Elizabeth Rapallo...	517,661	Thomas C. Armstrong	13,183

Sources

• Result: RESULTS OF THE STATE CANVASS in NYT on December 3, 1880