1899 Boston mayoral election
Election in Massachusetts, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Boston mayoral election of 1899 occurred on Tuesday, December 12, 1899. Republican candidate (and former mayor) Thomas N. Hart defeated Democratic nominee Patrick Collins and two other contenders, to become mayor for a second tenure. Incumbent mayor Josiah Quincy (a Democrat) had announced in July 1899 that he would not seek re-election.[1]
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December 12, 1899
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Hart benefitted from strife within the Democratic party, where John R. Murphy had lost the nomination to Collins.[2] Murphy subsequently announced his intent to cross party lines and vote for Hart.[3] The votes of Murphy and his followers in support of the Republican candidate contributed to Collins' defeat, and was referred to as a "knifing" in contemporary news reports.[4]
Hart was inaugurated on Monday, January 1, 1900.[5]
Party conventions
Democratic
The Democratic convention was held on November 20, 1899, at Bumstead Hall. Incumbent mayor Patrick Collins defeated former state senator and state representative John R. Murphy.[6]
| Democratic Mayoral Ballot[6] | ||
| Candidates | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Collins | 187 | 64.26% |
| John R. Murphy | 104 | 35.74% |
Republican
The Republican convention was held on November 21, 1899, at Association Hall. Former Mayor Thomas N. Hart defeated former common councilor, alderman, and state representative Alpheus Sanford.[7]
| Republican Mayoral Ballot[7] | ||
| Candidates | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas N. Hart | 239 | 69.08% |
| Alpheus Sanford | 107 | 30.92% |
General election
Candidates
- Patrick Collins (Democrat), former member of the United States House of Representatives (1883â1889), Massachusetts Senate (1870â1871), and Massachusetts House of Representatives (1868â1869)
- Thomas N. Hart (Republican), former Mayor of Boston (1889â1890), Postmaster of Boston (1891â1895), member of the Boston Board of Aldermen (1882â1886), and member of the Boston Common Council (1879â1881)
- John Weaver Sherman (Socialist)[8]
- James F. Stevens (Socialist Labor)[9]
Results
| Candidates | General Election[10][11] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ||
| R | Thomas N. Hart | 40,838 | 50.2% |
| D | Patrick Collins | 38,557 | 47.4% |
| SLP | James F. Stevens | 978 | 1.2% |
| S | John Weaver Sherman | 976 | 1.2% |
| all others | 1 | 0.0% | |