The 1921 New York state election was held on November 8, 1921, to elect a judge of the New York Court of Appeals

New York Court of Appeals

The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...

, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

. Besides, six amendments to the State Constitution were proposed.

History

In 1921, there was only one state officer to be elected statewide: a judge of the Court of Appeals, to succeed Emory A. Chase

Emory A. Chase

Emory Albert Chase was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Biography:He was born on August 31, 1854 to Albert Chase and Laura Chase in Hensonville, New York. He attended the public school at Hensonville, and continued his studies at the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, but did not...

, who had died on June 25. William S. Andrews, who had been sitting on an additional seat by designation since 1917, was appointed to fill the vacancy until the end of the year.

State conventions had been abolished, and replaced with direct primaries

Primary election

A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

 since 1914. Now, a new law permitted state conventions again which the Republicans celebrated and the Democrats repudiated.

The Republican state convention met on September 22 and 23 at Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

. U.S. Senator William M. Calder

William M. Calder

William Musgrave Calder I was an American politician from New York.-Biography:He was born in Brooklyn on March 3, 1869 to Alexander G. Calder. He trained as a carpenter, attended night classes at Cooper Union....

 was Permanent Chairman. The incumbent William S. Andrews was nominated for the Court of Appeals unanimously.

The Democratic state convention met on September 26 at the Hotel Commodore in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Ex-Governor Al Smith

Al Smith

Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...

 was Temporary Chairman until the choice of Harriet May Mills

Harriet May Mills House

The Harriet May Mills House or Harriet May Mills Residence is a historic home on the west side of Syracuse, New York. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002...

 as Permanent Chairman. Ex-Supreme Court Justice Townsend Scudder was nominated for the Court of Appeals unanimously.

Result

The incumbent Republican judge was re-elected.

1921 state election result

Ticket / Office	Judge of the Court of Appeals New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...
Republican	William S. Andrews	1,146,337
Democratic	Townsend Scudder Townsend Scudder Townsend Scudder was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Northport, he was a nephew of Henry Joel Scudder, also a U.S. Representative from New York. Townsend attended preparatory schools in Europe and was graduated from Columbia Law School in 1888; he was admitted to the bar in...	1,081,185
Socialist Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...	Hezekiah D. Wilcox	141,153

Obs.:

• "Blank and void" votes: 265,316

Amendments

• The amendment proposing to give civil service preference to war veterans was rejected: 699,679 For and 1,090,418 Against.
• The amendment proposing to increase the salaries of the members of the New York State Legislature from $1,500 to $3,000 was rejected: 556,560 For and 1,027,624 Against.
• The amendment proposing to require a literacy test for voters was accepted: 869,355 For and 632,144 Against.
• The amendment proposing to establish governing bodies in Westchester
  Westchester County, New York
  Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
  
   and Nassau
  Nassau County, New York
  Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
  
   counties was accepted: 655,506 For and 640, 701 Against.
• The amendment proposing to authorize the Legislature to establish children's courts and courts of domestic relations was accepted: 930,929 For and 537,610 Against.
• The amendment proposing to dispose of abandoned lands of the Erie Canal
  Erie Canal
  The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
  
   in Rome
  Rome, New York
  Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
  
   and Mohawk
  Mohawk, New York
  Mohawk is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Mohawk, Herkimer County, New York, a village*Mohawk, Montgomery County, New York, a town...
  
   was accepted.
• The amendment proposing to dispose of abandoned lands of the Erie Canal
  Erie Canal
  The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
  
   in Herkimer County
  Herkimer County, New York
  Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
  
  was accepted: 781,665 For and 552,994 Against.

Sources

• The tickets: MANY OFFICES TO BE FILLED ON TUESDAY in NYT on November 6, 1921
• Result in New York City (includes mayoral election): THE CITY VOTE.; Hylan's Plurality 417,986 in NYT on November 10, 1921
• Result: ANDREW'S ELECTED BY 65,152 MAJORITY in NYT on December 16, 1921