1887 United States Senate election in New York

← 1881 (special) January 18–20, 1887 1893 →

Nominee Frank Hiscock Smith Mead Weed Party Republican Democratic Electoral vote 91 62 Percentage 59.48% 40.52%

U.S. Senators before election Warner Miller Republican Elected U.S. Senators Frank Hiscock Republican

The1887 United States Senate election in New York was held from January 18 to 20, 1887, by theNew York State Legislature to elect aU.S. Senator (Class 1) to represent the State ofNew York in theUnited States Senate. Incumbent Republican SenatorWarner Miller was not renominated by the Republican legislative caucus and was succeeded byFrank Hiscock.

RepublicanWarner Miller had been elected to this seat in aspecial election in 1881 to succeedThomas C. Platt who had resigned. Miller's term would expire on March 3, 1887.

At theState election in November 1885, 20 Republicans and 12 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1886–1887) in the State Senate. At theState election in November 1886, 74 Republicans and 54 Democrats were elected for the session of 1887 to the Assembly. The110th New York State Legislature met from January 4 to May 26, 1887, atAlbany, New York.

• Frank Hiscock, U.S. Representative fromSyracuse
• Warner Miller, incumbent Senator since 1881
• Levi P. Morton, former U.S. Minister to France (1881–85), U.S. Representative fromNew York City (1879–81),^[a] and candidate for Senate in 1885

The caucus ofRepublican State legislators met on January 17, President pro tempore of the State SenateEdmund L. Pitts presided. 20 State senators and 71 assemblymen attended. Ex-Speaker of the AssemblyGeorge Z. Erwin (a Morton man) moved that a majority of all Republican legislators should be necessary to nominate, not only a majority of those present, meaning that 48 votes were required instead of 46, which was carried by a vote of 52 to 39. The incumbent U.S. Senator Warner Miller (Half-Breed faction) failed to be nominated by only four votes. Levi P. Morton (Stalwart faction) was rejected by the caucus, as in1885. A small faction voted for Congressman Frank Hiscock. After the second ballot, Erwin moved to adjourn, which was carried by 48 to 43. The caucus met again on the next day, no choice was made in another two ballots. The caucus met again on January 19 after the joint ballot of the State Legislature, and after twelve more ballots, Erwin withdrew Morton's name and urged the Morton men to vote for Hiscock. On the next ballot Hiscock received one vote more than Miller (47 to 46), but was one short of the previously established majority of 48. On the 18th and last ballot, Hiscock received 50 votes and was nominated. On the next day, Hiscock was elected on the second joint ballot of the State Legislature. Thus, by blocking Miller's re-election, the Republican bossThomas C. Platt took his revenge for his defeat at thespecial election in 1881.

The Democratic caucus nominatedSmith Mead Weed (1834–1920), a lawyer and businessman ofPlattsburgh, New York. Weed had been a member of theNew York State Assembly fromClinton County, New York in 1865, 1866, 1867, 1871, 1873 and 1874; and a delegate to the1876 and1884 Democratic National Conventions.

Hiscock served a single term, and remained in office until March 3, 1893. In January 1893, Hiscock was defeated for re-election by DemocratEdward Murphy Jr.

• 1886 and 1887 United States Senate elections

• "Members of the 50th United States Congress"(PDF).U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on January 6, 2010. RetrievedDecember 10, 2009.
• "MILLER LEADS IN CAUCUS; BUT WANTS FOUR VOTES OF A NOMINATING MAJORITY"(PDF).The New York Times. January 18, 1887.
• "'HISCOCK WINS THE PRIZE; MORTON WITHDRAWN FROM THE SENATORIAL FIGHT"(PDF).The New York Times. January 20, 1887.
• "MR. HISCOCK'S ELECTION"(PDF).The New York Times. January 21, 1887.
• "Smith M. Weed Dies in Plattsburgh"(PDF).The New York Times. June 8, 1920.

• United States Senate elections in New York (state)
• 1887 United States Senate elections
• 1887 New York (state) elections

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