The 1883 New York state election was held on November 6, 1883, to elect the Secretary of State

Secretary of State of New York

The Secretary of State of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York.The current Secretary of State of New York is Cesar A...

, the State Comptroller

New York State Comptroller

The New York State Comptroller is a state cabinet officer of the U.S. state of New York. The duties of the comptroller include auditing government operations and operating the state's retirement system.-History:...

, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer

New York State Treasurer

The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the new Department of Audit and Control headed by the...

 and the State Engineer

New York State Engineer and Surveyor

The New York State Engineer and Surveyor was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Department of Public Works which was...

, 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...

 and the New York State Senate

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

. Besides, a constitutional amendment to abolish contract labor from the state prisons was proposed and accepted with 498,402 votes for and 269,377 against.

History

The Greenback-Labor

United States Greenback Party

The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...

 state convention met on September 5, and nominated Thomas K. Beecher for Secretary of State, Louis A. Post for Attorney General, Gaius L. Halsey for Comptroller, Jurian Winne for Treasurer and Edwin A. Stillman for State Engineer.

The Republican state convention met on September 19 at Richfield Springs, New York

Richfield Springs, New York

Richfield Springs is a village located in the Town of Richfield, on the north-central border of Otsego County, New York. The population was 1,255 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from some local sulfur springs....

. Elbridge G. Lapham

Elbridge G. Lapham

Elbridge Gerry Lapham was a U.S. Senator from New York from 1881-1885.-Life:Lapham attended the public schools and the Canandaigua Academy. He studied civil engineering and law and was admitted to the bar in 1844 and practiced in Canandaigua, New York.He was a delegate to the New York State...

 was Temporary Chairman until the choice of Warner Miller

Warner Miller

Warner Miller was a Representative and a United States Senator from New York.-Birth and early life:Miller was born in Hannibal, Oswego County, New York on August 12, 1838. He attended the common schools and the Charlottesville Academy...

 as President. The incumbents, Secretary of State Joseph B. Carr, Comptroller Ira Davenport, State Engineer Silas Seymour and Attorney General Leslie W. Russell, were re-nominated by acclamation. Pliny T. Sexton was nominated for Treasurer on the first ballot (vote: Sexton 260, Ethan Allen 215).

The Prohibition

Prohibition Party

The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...

 state convention met on September 26 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...

, and nominated Frederick Gates for Secretary of State, Stephen Merritt for Comptroller, James Baldwin for Treasurer, George A. Dudley for State Engineer and Virgil A. Willard for Attorney General.

The Democratic state convention met on September 27 at Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

.

Results

The incumbents Carr and Maxwell were re-elected. The incumbents Davenport, Russell and Seymour were defeated.

1883 state election results

Office	Democratic ticket		Republican ticket		Prohibition Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...  ticket		Greenback United States Greenback Party The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...  ticket
Secretary of State Secretary of State of New York The Secretary of State of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York.The current Secretary of State of New York is Cesar A...	Isaac H. Maynard Isaac H. Maynard Isaac Horton Maynard was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...	427,491	Joseph B. Carr	446,088	Frederick Gates	18,205	Thomas K. Beecher	7,066
Comptroller New York State Comptroller The New York State Comptroller is a state cabinet officer of the U.S. state of New York. The duties of the comptroller include auditing government operations and operating the state's retirement system.-History:...	Alfred C. Chapin Alfred C. Chapin Alfred Clark Chapin was an American lawyer and politician.-Early life:...	445,975	Ira Davenport	429,873	Stephen Merritt		Gaius L. Halsey
Attorney General New York State Attorney General The New York State Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of New York. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York.The current Attorney General is Eric Schneiderman...	Denis O'Brien Denis O'Brien (New York Politician) Denis O'Brien was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:He was admitted to the bar in 1861, and commenced practice in Watertown...	443,824	Leslie W. Russell Leslie W. Russell Leslie Wead Russell was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:...	430,058	Virgil A. Willard		Louis F. Post
Treasurer New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the new Department of Audit and Control headed by the...	Robert A. Maxwell Robert A. Maxwell Robert A. Maxwell was an American politician-Life:As a Democrat, he was New York State Treasurer from 1882 to 1885, elected in 1881 and 1883. On December 28, 1885, he was appointed State Superintendent of Insurance by Governor David B...	446,618	Pliny T. Sexton	428,923	James Baldwin		Jurian Winne
State Engineer New York State Engineer and Surveyor The New York State Engineer and Surveyor was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1848 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Department of Public Works which was...	Elnathan Sweet Elnathan Sweet Elnathan Sweet was an American civil engineer and politician from New York. He was New York State Engineer and Surveyor from 1884 to 1887.-Life:...	447,198	Silas Seymour Silas Seymour Silas Seymour was an American civil engineer and politician from New York.-Life:...	428,327	George A. Dudley		Edwin A. Stillman

Sources

• The tickets: CANDIDATES IN NEW-YORK in NYT on November 5, 1883
• Result: COMPLETE VOTE OF THE STATE AS CANVASSED BY THE COUNTY SUPERVISORS in NYT on November 23, 1883
• A possible explanation for Maynards defeat: DEMOCRATS WILL CUT COOK, BECAUSE HE AND HIS FRIENDS SLAUGHTERED JUDGE MAYNARD TWO YEARS AGO in NYT on October 30, 1885