The 1918 New York gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1918, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Al Smith, president of the New York City aldermen, was elected to the first of his five terms as Governor.
New York gubernatorial Republican primary, 1918[1]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Republican
Charles S. Whitman (incumbent)
295,471
71.31%
Republican
Merton E. Lewis
118,879
28.69%
Total votes
414,350
100%
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
William C. Osborn, former Chair of the New York Democratic Party
Al Smith, President of the New York City Board of Aldermen
Osborn's candidacy was endorsed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, then serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. His nomination was put forth at the convention by Samuel Seabury. Al Smith handily defeated Osborn in the 1918 primary.[2]
Results[]
New York gubernatorial Democratic primary, 1918[3]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
Al Smith
199,752
85.91%
Democratic
William C. Osborn
32,761
14.09%
Total votes
232,513
100%
Independents and third parties[]
Socialist Party of America[]
Charles W. Ervin
Socialist Labor Party of America[]
Olive M. Johnson, newspaper editor and political activist
