The1974 New York state election was held on November 5, 1974, to elect thegovernor, thelieutenant governor, thestate comptroller, theattorney general, two judges of theNew York Court of Appeals and aU.S. Senator, as well as all members of theNew York State Assembly and theNew York State Senate.
In 1973, GovernorNelson A. Rockefeller resigned, and was succeeded by Lt. Gov. Malcolm Wilson.
In 1973, JudgeCharles D. Breitel was electedChief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, and JudgeAdrian P. Burke resigned, effective December 31, 1973, thus leaving two vacancies on the Court of Appeals. In January 1974, RepublicanSamuel Rabin and Democrat Harold A. Stevens, the Presiding Justices of the Appellate Division's First and Second Departments, were appointed by Governor Malcolm Wilson to fill the vacancies temporarily.[1]
TheDemocratic State Committee met from June 13 to 15 atNiagara Falls, New York, and designated Howard J. Samuels for governor, but Congressman Hugh L. Carey polled enough votes to force a primary election.[2] They also designated Mario M. Cuomo for lieutenant governor;[3] the incumbent Arthur Levitt for Comptroller; Robert R. Meehan for attorney general; Judge Harold A. Stevens andAppellate Justice Lawrence H. Cooke for the Court of Appeals; andMayor of Syracuse Lee Alexander for the U.S. Senate.[4] Despite the state committee's stance, Carey and his reformist slate found support in disparate quarters. In August he was strongly endorsed by former New York City mayorRobert F. Wagner who, drawing a pointed comparison to Samuels, called Carey "free of boss ties and obligations".[5] Theprimary election was held on September 10.[6] Carey and his allies swept to victory: all the state party's designees were defeated, with only the unopposed Comptroller Levitt and one unopposed judge surviving the upset.Basil Paterson, who in1970 received the most votes in the Democratic primary was not mentioned as a candidate for governor in 1974.
| Office | Party designees | Challengers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Howard J. Samuels | 380,326 | Hugh L. Carey | 582,406 | ||
| Lieutenant Governor | Mario M. Cuomo | 284,821 | Mary Anne Krupsak | 390,123 | Antonio G. Olivieri | 218,583 |
| Comptroller | Arthur Levitt | (unopposed) | ||||
| Attorney General | Robert R. Meehan[7] | 264,681 | Robert Abrams | 515,642 | ||
| Judge of the Court of Appeals | Lawrence H. Cooke | |||||
| Judge of the Court of Appeals | Harold A. Stevens | Jacob D. Fuchsberg | ||||
| U.S. Senator | Lee Alexander | 255,250 | Ramsey Clark | 414,327 | Abraham Hirschfeld | 194,076 |
TheRepublican State Committee met on June 12 at theNassau Coliseum, and designated the incumbents Wilson, Lefkowitz, Rabin, Stevens and Javits for re-election; and completed the ticket withNassau County Executive Ralph G. Caso for lieutenant governor; and Ex-Mayor of Rochester Stephen May for Comptroller.[8] On June 28, Rabin declined to run because he was already 69, just one year short of the constitutional age limit,[9] and on July 22, Appellate Justice Louis M. Greenblott, ofBinghamton, was designated instead.[10]
TheConservative State Committee met on June 15, and designated the incumbent Republican governor Wilson for re-election. T. David Bullard polled enough votes to force a primary election, but withdrew on June 29.[11] They also designated Republican Ralph G. Caso for lieutenant governor; Bradley J. Hurd (born c. 1902), "lumber dealer," ofBuffalo, for Comptroller; Edward F. Campbell (born c. 1920), ofHuntington, for attorney general; the incumbent Democrat Harold A. Stevens, and Manhattan lawyer Henry S. Middendorf, Jr., for the Court of Appeals; and Barbara A. Keating, ofLarchmont, for the U.S. Senate.[12]
TheLiberal State Committee met on June 15, and designated Ex-Deputy Mayor of New York Edward A. Morrison for governor; and Raymond B. Harding, ofThe Bronx, for lieutenant governor; with the understanding that both would step aside in favor of the winners of the Democratic primary to be held in September. They also endorsed the incumbents Levitt (Dem.), Lefkowitz (Rep.), Stevens (Dem.) and Javits (Rep.) for re-election.[13] On September 14, Morrison and Harding withdrew, and the State Committee endorsed the Democratic nominees Hugh L. Carey for governor; and Mary Anne Krupsak for lieutenant governor. Morrison and Harding were nominated to run for theNew York Supreme Court.[14]
The Republican, Liberal and Conservative tickets designated by the state committees were not challenged in primaries.
Six minor parties filed petitions to nominate candidates and appeared on the ballot.[15]
The "Courage Party," the New York state branch of theAmerican Party, nominated Dr. Wayne S. Amato (born c. 1941),Ph.D. in chemical engineering, assistant professor atSyracuse University, for governor; Charles R. Schanger, ofRedford, for lieutenant governor; and Dr. William F. Dowling, Jr., dentist, ofGarden City, for the U.S. Senate.[16]
TheFree Libertarian Party nominated Jerry Tuccille, ofTarrytown, for governor; Louis J. Sicilia, ofManhattan, for lieutenant governor; Robert S. Flanzer, ofBrooklyn, for Comptroller; Leland W. Schubert, ofManhattan, for attorney general; Melvin J. Hirshowitz and Jack A. Martin, both ofManhattan, for the Court of Appeals; andPercy L. Greaves, Jr., for the U.S. Senate.[17]
TheSocialist Workers Party nominated Derrick Morrison (born 1946), ofManhattan, a writer forThe Militant, for governor. Morrison was actually ineligible for the office which requires a minimum age of 30. They also nominated James Mendietta, ofBrooklyn, for lieutenant governor; Sam Manuel for Comptroller; Raymond Markey (born c. 1940), librarian, for attorney general; and Rebecca Finch (born c. 1944) for the U.S. Senate.[18]
TheCommunist Party nominated Jose A. Ristorrucci (born c. 1943 inPuerto Rico) for governor; Carol Twigg, ofBuffalo, for lieutenant governor; Daniel Spector, ofBrooklyn, for Comptroller; Michael Zagarell for attorney general; and Mildred Edelman, ofManhattan, for the U.S. Senate.
TheSocialist Labor Party nominated John Emanuel for governor; and Robert E. Massi (born c. 1944), lawyer, ofBrooklyn, for the U.S. Senate.
TheU.S. Labor Party nominated Anton Chaitkin for governor; Victoria Staton for lieutenant governor; Leif O. Johnson, ofManhattan, for comptroller; Raymond M. Martino, ofGoshen, for attorney general; and Elijah C. Boyd, Jr. (born c. 1944), ofManhattan, for the U.S. Senate.
The incumbents Levitt, Lefkowitz and Javits were re-elected. The incumbents Wilson and Stevens were defeated.
| Office | Democratic ticket | Republican ticket | Conservative ticket | Liberal ticket | Courage ticket | Free Libertarian ticket | Socialist Workers ticket | Communist ticket | Socialist Labor ticket | Labor ticket | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Hugh L. Carey | 2,807,724 | Malcolm Wilson | 1,950,587 | Malcolm Wilson | 269,080 | Hugh L. Carey | 220,779 | Wayne S. Amato | 12,459 | Jerry Tuccille | 10,503 | Derrick Morrison | 8,857 | Jose A. Ristorrucci | 5,232 | John Emanuel[19] | 4,574 | Anton H. Chaitkin | 3,151 |
| Lieutenant Governor | Mary Anne Krupsak | Ralph G. Caso | Ralph G. Caso | Mary Anne Krupsak | Charles R. Schanger | Louis J. Sicilia | James Mendietta | Carol Twigg | (none) | Victoria Staton | ||||||||||
| Comptroller | Arthur Levitt | 3,068,473 | Stephen May | 1,288,538 | Bradley J. Hurd | 244,701 | Arthur Levitt | 231,667 | Robert S. Flanzer | 10,535 | Sam Manuel | 14,504 | Daniel Spector | 8,085 | (none) | Leif O. Johnson | 7,691 | |||
| Attorney General | Robert Abrams | 2,189,654 | Louis J. Lefkowitz | 2,367,014 | Edward F. Campbell | 232,631 | Louis J. Lefkowitz | 257,623 | Leland W. Schubert | 8,092 | Raymond H. Markey | 12,283 | Michael Zagarell[20] | 6,424 | (none) | Raymond M. Martino | 10,161 | |||
| Judge of the Court of Appeals | Lawrence H. Cooke | 2,461,771 | Louis M. Greenblott | 1,433,016 | Henry S. Middendorf, Jr.[21] | 296,682 | Lawrence H. Cooke | 232,080 | Melvin J. Hirshowitz | 13,826 | (none) | |||||||||
| Judge of the Court of Appeals | Jacob D. Fuchsberg | 2,465,926 | Harold A. Stevens | 2,321,004 | Harold A. Stevens | Harold A. Stevens | Jack A. Martin | 14,779 | (none) | |||||||||||
| U.S. Senator | Ramsey Clark | 1,973,781 | Jacob K. Javits | 2,098,529 | Barbara A. Keating | 822,584 | Jacob K. Javits | 241,659 | William F. Dowling, Jr. | 7,459 | Percy L. Greaves, Jr. | Rebecca Finch | 7,727 | Mildred Edelman | 3,876 | Robert E. Massi | 4,037 | Elijah C. Boyd, Jr. | 3,798 | |
Obs.:
This was the last time judges of the Court of Appeals were elected by popular ballot. After the election of Jacob D. Fuchsberg, who had entered the Democratic primary by petition, gathering signatures, the political and legal establishment thought that the filling of vacancies on the State's highest court could not be entrusted to the electorate anymore. Traditionally, the nominees had been selected by the party leaders and ratified by the state conventions from among the most experienced and respected judges of lower courts, with occasional intrusions of well-respected politicians who were lawyers, likeKenneth Keating. Even theNew York City Bar Association had urged the defeat of Fuchsberg,[22] a trial lawyer without any experience on the bench, who campaigned vigorously and spent much money on his campaign.
Traditionally, the nominees for the Court of Appeals did not campaign at all and just accompanied the remainder of the ticket, most of the nominees having bipartisan backing during the last 60 years. The impression arose that anyshyster orambulance chaser could get on the Court of Appeals if he was an enrolled party member and gathered signatures to get into the primary by petition and then spent a lot of money to make his name known to the voters. Thus, in 1977, the State Constitution was amended, and, since 1978, vacancies on the Court of Appeals have been filled by appointment: a judicial selection panel submits names to the governor, who nominates one from the list for confirmation by theNew York State Senate.
New York State Red Book 1975
