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The1909 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 19, 1909, by theNew York State Legislature to elect aU.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State ofNew York in theUnited States Senate.
RepublicanThomas C. Platt had been re-elected to this seat in1903, and his term would expire on March 3, 1909.
At theState election in November 1908, 35 Republicans and 16 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1909–1910) in the state senate; and 99 Republicans and 51 Democrats were elected for the session of 1909 to the Assembly. The132nd New York State Legislature met from January 5 to April 30, 1909, atAlbany, New York.
The Republican caucus met on January 18. State SenatorJ. Mayhew Wainwright presided. The caucus nominated U.S. Secretary of StateElihu Root unanimously. Root was the choice of PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. President pro tempore of the State SenateJohn Raines lauded warmly Root's nomination, eulogized the retiring U.S. Senator Platt, and declared war on GovernorCharles Evans Hughes's reforms.
The Democratic caucus met also on January 18. They nominated ex-lieutenant governorLewis S. Chanler unanimously. Chanler had been elected lieutenant governor in1906 on the Democratic/Independence League ticket, and had served under Republican governor Hughes. Chanler had just been defeated when running against Hughes for governor inNovember 1908.
Elihu Root was the choice of both the Assembly and the state senate, and was declared elected.
| Office | House | Republican | Democrat | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senator (Class 3) | State Senate (50 members) | Elihu Root | 35 | Lewis S. Chanler | 15 |
| State Assembly (150 members) | Elihu Root | 90 | Lewis S. Chanler | 30 | |
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.
Root resigned asU.S. Secretary of State on January 27, 1909, and was succeeded by his Assistant SecretaryRobert Bacon for the remaining five weeks of Roosevelt's presidency. Root then served a single term and remained in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1915, when he retired. After the 74-day deadlock to elect a successor to U.S. SenatorChauncey M. Depew in1911, theU.S. Constitution was amended, and at theState election in November 1914, for the first time a U.S. Senator was elected by statewide popular vote.James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr. won the nomination in the Republican primary election, and was then elected to succeed Root.
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