Elliot Danforth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New York State Treasurer | |
| In office 1890–1893 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1850-03-06)March 6, 1850 Middleburgh, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 1906(1906-01-07) (aged 55) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
| Signature | .png) |
Elliot Danforth (March 6, 1850 – January 7, 1906) was an American lawyer and politician.
He was born on March 6, 1850, inMiddleburgh,Schoharie County, New York, the son of Peter S. Danforth, a justice of theNew York Supreme Court.[1][2] He studied law with his father and was admitted to the bar in 1872.[3] On December 17, 1874, he married Ida Prince, and they had a son, Edward Danforth, and a daughter.[1] In 1878, he removed toBainbridge, N.Y., where his father-in-law was President of the First National Bank. There, Danforth practiced law in partnership with George H. Winsor, and was President of the Corporation of Bainbridge.[3]
He was a delegate to the1880 and1884,1888,1892,1896,1900 and1904 Democratic National Conventions.[2]
He was Deputy Treasurer underLawrence J. Fitzgerald from 1885 to 1889, and wasNew York State Treasurer from 1890 to 1893, elected in1889 and1891.[2]
In November 1891, he was a member of the State Board of Canvassers (made up by theSecretary of State,Treasurer,Comptroller,Attorney General andState Engineer), when theelectoral fraud in theDutchess County senatorial election happened by which GovernorDavid B. Hill gained control of theNew York State Senate. The Republican candidateGilbert A. Deane had received 78 votes more than DemocratEdward B. Osborne, but the Board changed 92 votes and declared Osborne elected by a plurality of 14. TheNew York Supreme Court issued awrit to Danforth, ordering him to certify the election of Deane, but Danforth refused to obey. For this he and the other members of the Board were fined $500 by JusticeD. Cady Herrick. The sentence was later upheld by theNew York Court of Appeals.
In August 1893, it became known that Danforth had received a loan of $50,000 (about seven times the annual salary of the Treasurer) from the Madison Square Bank in New York City in exchange for keeping a large amount of State monies in that bank. Danforth managed to withdraw the State's $250,000 from the bank in the early hours of August 9, the day the bank (of which Fitzgerald was a director)closed.
After leaving the Treasury, he resumed the practice of law at New York City. From 1896 to 1898, he was Chairman of theNew York State Democratic Committee, and in 1897 campaigned successfully for the election ofAlton B. Parker as Chief Judge of theNew York Court of Appeals. In1898, he ran forLieutenant Governor of New York withAugustus Van Wyck but they were narrowly defeated byTheodore Roosevelt andTimothy L. Woodruff.
He died on January 7, 1906, at his home at 51, East 58th Street inManhattan, ofpneumonia, and was buried atWoodlawn Cemetery inThe Bronx.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York State Treasurer 1890–1893 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by James W. Hinckley | New York State Democratic Committee Chairman September 1896 – September 1898 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Frederick C. Schraub | Democratic nominee forLieutenant Governor of New York 1898 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
