1949 New Jersey gubernatorial election
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 County results Driscoll: 50–60% 60–70% Wene: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1949 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1949. Primary elections were held on April 19, 1949.[1] Incumbent Republican Alfred E. Driscoll defeated Democratic former U.S. Representative Elmer H. Wene with 51.54% of the vote.
Under the 1947 New Jersey Constitution, Driscoll was the first Governor in state history eligible to succeed himself in a second consecutive term in a popular election. For the first time, the governor was elected to a four-year term, as opposed to three years. This is the most recent time the Republican Party won more than two consecutive gubernatorial elections in New Jersey.
Background
[edit]Alfred E. Driscoll was elected Governor of New Jersey in a landslide in 1946 and quickly embarked on a transformative agenda of constitutional reform and political liberalization. His efforts culminated in the 1947 New Jersey constitution, which greatly consolidated state government and increased the power of the office of Governor, and the 1948 Republican Party primaries, in which Driscoll was put forward for the presidential nomination as the favorite son of the New Jersey delegation and successfully maneuvered to have his longtime ally, Robert C. Hendrickson, nominated for United States Senator. Hendrickson supplanted Republican incumbent Albert W. Hawkes, who was viewed as too conservative and unelectable by Driscoll and other party leaders; the move to force out Hawkes and hand-pick a loyal successor alienated some conservative leaders, including Burlington County chair Clifford Ross Powell.
As part of the 1947 constitutional reforms, this was the first popular election in which an incumbent governor was eligible for a second consecutive term.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Robert L. Adams, Somerset County Freeholder[2]
- Alfred E. Driscoll, incumbent Governor of New Jersey
Campaign
[edit]Neither candidate led an aggressive campaign for the nomination. Driscoll reported no expenditures but accepted a few speaking engagements at key county party organization meetings in Monmouth, Essex, Union, and his native Camden County. He campaigned largely on his administration's liberal record and his support for universal health insurance, public housing, and civil rights.[2]
Adams largely failed to raise his profile outside of Somerset and relied primarily on opposition to Driscoll within the party, as well as farmers disaffected by the Governor's suspension of retail milk price controls in January 1942. He accused Governor Driscoll of attempting to "out-deal the New Deal." His campaign spent $1,433 and his personal appearances were confined to rural north-central parts of the state.[2]
Results
[edit]
Adams:
50–60%
60–70%
Driscoll:
50–60%
60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alfred E. Driscoll (incumbent) | 207,144 | 69.51 | |
| Republican | Robert L. Adams | 90,885 | 30.50 | |
| Total votes | 298,029 | 100.00 | ||
Adams's strength was primarily in rural areas, with an unexpectedly strong showing in Union County.[2]
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Elmer H. Wene, state senator for Cumberland County, former U.S. representative, and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1944
Campaign
[edit]Wene was recruited to run by Jersey City political boss Frank Hague as early as January 1, 1948, when a spokesman for Hague referred to Wene as the "logical candidate" for governor.[3] Though Hague had retired as mayor in 1947 in favor of his nephew, Frank H. Eggers, he remained in control of the Hudson County and state party machines and remained in office as a member of the Democratic National Committee.[4]
Wene officially filed his petitions one day ahead of the March 10 deadline, appearing personally with his campaign manager, former governor A. Harry Moore. He claimed 60,879 signatures, with about 5,000 coming from Hudson County.[5]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene | 152,054 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 152,054 | 100.00 | ||
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- John C. Butterworth (Socialist Labor)
- Alfred E. Driscoll, incumbent governor since 1947 (Republican)
- James Imbrie (Progressive)
- Edson R. Leach (Prohibition)
- Elmer H. Wene, state senator for Cumberland County, former U.S. representative, and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1944 (Democratic)
Campaign
[edit]Despite securing the Democratic nomination in the April primary, Wene faced continued opposition from within his party over his refusal to repudiate Hague as party leader. In May, after Hague's nephew lost the Jersey City mayoral election to John V. Kenny, Democratic opposition grew against Wene's candidacy as a symbol of Hague's power, led by Stephen J. Moran, a Newark city commissioner and executive director of the CIO-PAC.[4] Hague initially stepped down as head of the Wene campaign in favor of A. Harry Moore, a close ally, and Wene and Moore did not appoint either Hague or Kenny to an official campaign position, though Moore did praise Hague as "one of the best Democrats in the state."[6] Some Hague critics suggested that the Harry S. Truman administration could offer Wene a federal appointment so compelling as to cause him to give up his campaign for the nomination.[4] Later in the campaign, Hague spoke on behalf of Wene, arguing at a Jersey City rally on October 5 that "every time [the Republicans] bring in Hagueism or cry 'Hague is the issue', we lick them."[7]
In October, Wene supporters were buoyed by an address by Secretary of Labor Maurice J. Tobin in Newark, in which he told labor leaders, including officials from the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), that Wene had "the unreserved backing of the national administration."[8] However, CIO officials emphasized that their "attendance was a tribute to Secretary of Labor Tobin and candidates on the county ticket and is not to be construed as indicating any change in our previously formulated position on the gubernatorial contest."[8]
In an effort to turn the issue of corruption on his opponent, Wene charged Driscoll with "one-man rule [which] means government by fakery, scandal, slander and deceit."[9]
Endorsements
[edit]- Federal executive branch officials
- Maurice J. Tobin, U.S. Secretary of Labor and former governor of Massachusetts
Results
[edit]Ultimately, Wene lost the election, his second close defeat in two statewide campaigns.[10] To prevent Hague from reasserting his dominion over the state and Jersey City, Kenny made a deal to deliver Jersey City to the Republicans, and Driscoll was the first Republican to carry the city since 1920.[10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alfred E. Driscoll (incumbent) | 885,882 | 51.54% |  5.54
| |
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene | 810,022 | 47.13% |  5.71
| |
| Progressive | James Imbrie | 10,840 | 0.63% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | John C. Butterworth | 6,515 | 0.38% | 0.28
| |
| Prohibition | Edson R. Leach | 5,529 | 0.32% | 0.22
| |
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Aftermath
[edit]After the election, Wene launched a campaign against Hague on the Democratic National Committee, claiming support from thirty-two out of forty-two state committee members, representing sixteen counties. The other five counties (Camden, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset), led by anti-Hague reformers, denounced his campaign as an effort to retain control of the party through a front.[12]
Wene's defeat ended Frank Hague's efforts at a political comeback.[10] Fearing legal action, Hague spent the remainder of his life living in Manhattan and his mansion on Biscayne Bay, Florida. He died on January 1, 1956, and his body was returned to Jersey City to be laid to rest in a large mausoleum in Holy Name Cemetery.
Wene ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House in 1950, losing narrowly to Republican incumbent T. Millet Hand, and for governor again in 1953, narrowly losing the Democratic nomination to establishment favorite Robert B. Meyner. He died in 1957.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Candidates for the Office of Governor - State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1949. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "DRISCOLL IS VICTOR IN JERSEY PRIMARY". The New York Times. April 20, 1949. p. 16. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (January 2, 1948). "Hague Backs Wene". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (June 18, 1949). "JERSEY DEMOCRATS MOVE AGAINST WENE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (March 10, 1949). "WENE FILES PETITIONS FOR JERSEY GOVERNOR". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (June 7, 1949). "HAGUE IS LEFT OFF WENE COMMITTEE; Jersey Democrats Also Pass Up Mayor Kenny as Drive for Governorship Starts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (October 6, 1949). "VICTORY FOR WENE FORECAST BY HAGUE; Former Mayor of Jersey City Makes First Election Speech in Jersey Campaign". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ a b TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (October 7, 1949). "ELECTION OF WENE IS URGED BY TOBIN; Labor Secretary in Newark Also Appeals for Other Candidates in State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ "Wene Charges 'Fakery' (Published 1949)". November 4, 1949. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "ELMER WENE DIES; JERSEY POLITICIAN; Former Member of House and State Senate Failed in 2 Governorship Attempts Operated Chicken Farm 'Battle of Bachelors' Tactics Paid Off". The New York Times. January 27, 1957. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ "Votes Cast for the Office of Governor of the State of New Jersey" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1949. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (November 21, 1949). "WENE CLAIMS VOTE TO REPLACE HAGUE; Pledges of Support Asserted on Jersey Democratic Committee -- 'Ridiculous,' Foes Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2025.