The 1899 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 17, 1899, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 1) to represent the State of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

.

Background

Democrat Edward Murphy, Jr.

Edward Murphy, Jr.

Edward Murphy, Jr. was a single term United States Senator from New York, a businessman, and mayor of Troy, New York.-Birth and early years:...

 had been elected to this seat in 1893

United States Senate election in New York, 1893

The 1893 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 17, 1893, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate.-Background:...

, and his term would expire on March 3, 1899.

At the State election in November 1898, 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1899-1900) in the State Senate, and a Republican majority was elected for the session of 1899 to the Assembly. The 122nd State Legislature met from January 4, 1899, on at Albany, New York

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

.

Republican caucus

The Republican caucus met on January 12. State Senator Hobart Krum, of Schoharie

Schoharie, New York

Schoharie, New York may refer to:*Schoharie County, New York*Schoharie , New York, located in Schoharie County*Schoharie , New York, located within the Town of Schoharie...

 (27th D.), presided. They nominated Chauncey M. Depew unanimously. Depew had been 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...

 from 1864 to 1865, and was the frontrunning candidate to succeed Thomas C. Platt

Thomas C. Platt

Thomas Collier Platt was a two-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a three-term U.S. Senator from New York in the years 1881 and 1897-1909 — is best known as the "political boss" of the Republican Party in New York State in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century...

 at the U.S. Senate special election in 1881 when he withdrew after the 41st ballot. Parallel to his political career, he moved up the ladder in the Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...

 Railroad System, being President of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad from 1885 to 1898, and holding positions in dozens of other railroad companies.

Democratic caucus

The Democratic caucus met also on January 12. State Senator George W. Plunkitt presided. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Edward Murphy, Jr.

Edward Murphy, Jr.

Edward Murphy, Jr. was a single term United States Senator from New York, a businessman, and mayor of Troy, New York.-Birth and early years:...

 unanimously.

Result

Chauncey M. Depew was the choice of both the Assembly and the State Senate, and was declared elected.

1899 United States Senator election result

Office	House	Republican		Democrat
U.S. Senator (Class 1)	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...   (50 members)	Chauncey M. Depew	27	Edward Murphy, Jr. Edward Murphy, Jr. Edward Murphy, Jr. was a single term United States Senator from New York, a businessman, and mayor of Troy, New York.-Birth and early years:...	23
	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...   (150 members)	Chauncey M. Depew	84	Edward Murphy, Jr. Edward Murphy, Jr. Edward Murphy, Jr. was a single term United States Senator from New York, a businessman, and mayor of Troy, New York.-Birth and early years:...	60

Note: The votes were cast on January 17, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 18 to compare nominations, and declare the result.

Aftermath

Depew was re-elected in 1905, and served two terms, most of the time alongside his adversary of 1881, Thomas C. Platt. Depew remained in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1911. In 1911, Depew was defeated for re-election by Democrat James A. O'Gorman after a deadlock of two months and a half.

Sources

• Members of the 56th United States Congress
• MR. DEPEW FOR SENATOR in NYT on January 13, 1899
• Senator Murphy Renominated in NYT on January 13, 1899
• ELECTION OF MR. DEPEW in NYT on January 18, 1899