United States Senate election in New York, 1964
Encyclopedia
U.S. Senate
Democratic former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. KennedyRobert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
defeated incumbent Republican Senator, Kenneth B. Keating.
Aftermath
The Democratic majority in the New York State SenateNew 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...
was split into the followers of Mayor Robert Wagner, Jr. (15 senators) and U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
(18 senators). Thus no Temporary President of the State Senate
Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
The Majority Leader of the New York State Senate is elected by the majority of the members of the New York State Senate. The position usually coincides with the title of Temporary President of the State Senate, who presides over the session of the State Senate if the Lieutenant Governor of New York...
could be elected and the State Senate could not be organized. After six weeks of deadlock, Republican Governor Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
urged the Republican senators to vote for Joseph Zaretzki
Joseph Zaretzki
Joseph Zaretzki was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Majority Leader of the New York State Senate in 1965, the only Democrat in this position since the adoption of the New York State Constitution of 1938 until Malcolm Smith attained the position in 2009.-Life:He served in...
, the leader of the Wagner faction.
In April 1965, 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...
voided the re-apportionment of the State Senate and Assembly districts enacted in December 1964, and ordered a new re-apportionment and a new election of State legislators in November 1965. Thus the legislators elected in 1964 served an exceptional one-year term, as did the legislators elected in 1965.
Sources
- Official result in New York City: Canvass Shows Conservatives Rivaled Liberals in City Vote in NYT on November 26, 1964 (subscription required)