Summary
The 1913 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on January 28, 1913. Republican incumbent Frank O. Briggs ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democratic judge and former U.S. Representative William Hughes.
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Resolution of the New Jersey Legislature | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Prior to passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, New Jersey elected United States senators by a resolution of the New Jersey Legislature.
On September 24, 1912, direct "advisory" primaries were held. Hughes defeated former Senator James Smith Jr. and John McDermitt of Newark for the Democratic nomination, while Briggs easily won the Republican nomination.[1] Thus, Hughes or Briggs stood likely to be elected Senator if their respective party won the 1910 fall legislative elections.
Republican primary edit
Candidates edit
- Frank O. Briggs, incumbent Senator since 1907
- Wescott
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank O. Briggs (incumbent) | 68,903 | 94.70% | |
| Republican | Wescott | 3,859 | 5.30% | |
| Total votes | 72,762 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary edit
Candidates edit
- William Hughes, U.S. Representative from Paterson
- Frank M. McDermit, Newark resident and candidate for Senate in 1911
- James Smith Jr., former U.S. Senator (1893–1899) and candidate for Senate in 1911
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Hughes | 62,532 | 61.72% | |
| Democratic | James Smith Jr. | 33,490 | 33.06% | |
| Democratic | John McDermitt | 5,291 | 5.22% | |
| Total votes | 101,313 | 100.00% | ||
Three days after winning the primary, Hughes resigned from the House and was appointed judge of Court of Common Pleas of Passaic County.
Results edit
Senate edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Hughes | 12 | 57.14% | |
| Republican | Frank O. Briggs (incumbent) | 9 | 42.86% | |
| Total votes | 21 | 100.00% | ||
Assembly edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Hughes | 51 | 86.44% | |
| Republican | Frank O. Briggs (incumbent) | 8 | 13.56% | |
| Total votes | 59 | 100.00% | ||
Briggs, died just a few months later on May 8, 1913. Hughes would not serve the complete term, dying January 30, 1918, just before the next scheduled election.