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The1897 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 19, 1897, by theNew York State Legislature to elect aU.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State ofNew York in theUnited States Senate.
DemocratDavid B. Hill had beenelected to this seat in 1891 and his term was set expire on March 3, 1897.
At theState election in November 1895, 36 Republicans and 14 Democrats were elected for a three-year term (1896–1898) in the state senate. At theState election in November 1896, 114 Republicans and 36 Democrats were elected for the session of 1897 to the Assembly. The120th New York State Legislature met from January 6 to April 24, 1897, atAlbany, New York.
The Republican caucus met on January 14. 149 State legislators attended, and State SenatorCornelius R. Parsons (43rd D.), Ex-Mayor of Rochester, presided. The caucus nominated the Republican bossThomas C. Platt, who had been briefly a U.S. Senator in 1881, on the first ballot.
| Candidate | First ballot |
|---|---|
| Thomas C. Platt | 142 |
| Joseph H. Choate | 7 |
The Democratic caucus met on January 18. 46 State legislators attended, but 5 walked out before the roll was called, after making speeches against Hill. The incumbent U.S. SenatorDavid B. Hill was re-nominated.
| Candidate | First ballot |
|---|---|
| David B. Hill | 36 |
| Wilbur F. Porter[1] | 3 |
| Robert C. Titus | 2 |
Thomas C. Platt was the choice of both the Assembly and the state senate, and was declared elected. Four anti-Hill Democrats voted for Labor leader Henry George who later the same year ran forMayor of New York as a "Jefferson Democrat" but died a few days before the election.
| House | Republican | Democrat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senate (50 members) | Thomas C. Platt | 35 | David B. Hill | 11 | Henry George | 2 |
| State Assembly (150 members) | Thomas C. Platt | 112 | David B. Hill | 31 | Henry George | 2 |
Note: The votes were cast on January 19, but both Houses met in a joint session on January 20 to compare nominations, and declare the result.
Platt was re-elected in 1903, and served two terms, remaining in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1909.
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