Wikipedia

1936 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

The 1936 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 3. Incumbent Democratic Senator Marcus A. Coolidge declined to stand for re-election. Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. won the race to succeed him over Democratic Boston mayor James Michael Curley and former Suffolk County prosecutor Thomas C. O'Brien.

1936 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
← 1930 November 3, 1936 1942 →
 
Nominee Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. James Michael Curley Thomas C. O'Brien
Party Republican Democratic Union
Popular vote 875,160 739,751 134,245
Percentage 48.53% 41.02% 7.44%
Lodge:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100%
Curley:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
U.S. senator before election

Marcus A. Coolidge
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Republican

The election was notable because although Democrats expanded their overall Senate majority to 74 seats, Massachusetts was the only seat gained by Republicans. Curley's campaign may have been damaged by President Roosevelt's decision to remain aloof and the candidacy of O'Brien, who siphoned many usually Democratic Irish-American votes in Boston.

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Withdrew

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Convention

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At the Springfield convention, held June 18–21, the fight between Lodge and Weeks came to a head. Observers considered the race the closest of any in the state and both candidates claimed a substantial lead in delegates.[1] James Cavanaugh, by then a decided third, declared that he would not throw his delegates to Weeks in the event of a second ballot, but did not say he would throw them to Lodge.[1]

Weeks received a major boost on the third day, when his candidacy was backed by Joseph W. Martin and John W. Haigis, the candidate for Governor.[3]

The voting itself was not decided until the final state senate district, the Worcester and Hampden district, declared its vote. Although it was a Weeks district, Lodge needed only six of its votes, which he secured about halfway through the roll call.[4]

1936 Republican convention[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 336 52.42%
Republican Sinclair Weeks 299 46.65%
Republican J. T. Cavanaugh 6 0.94%
Total votes 641 100.00

After the voting concluded, Weeks took the podium to make the endorsement unanimous and give his personal support to Lodge.[4]

Primary results

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1936 Republican U.S. Senate primary[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 356,756 83.99%
Republican Alonzo B. Cook 42,261 9.95%
Republican Guy M. Gray 18,076 4.26%
Republican Thomas C. O'Brien 6,834 1.61%
Write-in 821 0.19%
Total votes 424,748 100.00

All three losing candidates entered the general election as the nominees of third parties. Cook ran on an "Economy" ticket, Gray ran on the Social Justice ticket, and O'Brien ran on the national Union Party ticket.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Declined

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Results

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The Democratic nominee was Governor and former (and future) Mayor of Boston James Michael Curley. President Franklin Roosevelt declined to endorse Curley, which may have affected the final results.

1936 Democratic U.S. Senate primary[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Michael Curley 245,606 62.97%
Democratic Robert E. Greenwood 104,615 26.81%
Democratic Thomas C. O'Brien 39,035 10.01%
Write-in 806 0.21%
Total votes 390,062 100.00

General election

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Candidates

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  • Alonzo B. Cook, former Massachusetts Auditor (Economy)
  • Albert Sprague Coolidge (Socialist)
  • James Michael Curley, Governor of Massachusetts and former mayor of Boston and U.S. Representative (Democratic)
  • Ernest L. Dodge (Socialist Labor)
  • Charles Flaherty (Communist)
  • Guy M. Gray, State Representative (Social Justice)
  • Moses H. Gulesian (Townsend)
  • Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., State Representative from Beverly, journalist, and grandson of former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge (Republican)
  • Wilbur D. Moon (Prohibition)
  • Thomas C. O'Brien, Suffolk County District Attorney (Union)

Campaign

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Lodge was highly critical of Curley's tenure as Governor, but did not mention him by name. Curley resorted to personal attacks, referring to Lodge, who was only 34 years old, as "Little Boy Blue"[7] and "a young man who parts both his hair and his name in the middle."[8] He accused Lodge of being a reactionary in the supposed mold of his grandfather, Henry Cabot Lodge.[8] Lodge criticized Curley for his failure to achieve federal funding for Massachusetts during the Great Depression, which may have been the result of Curley's personal feud with President Roosevelt.[9] He defended his own record as supportive of labor and economic intervention and his grandfather's as protective of the laboring classes via restriction on immigration and opposition to international adventurism.[10]

O'Brien, who ran at the urging of Charles Coughlin, campaigned for the urban Irish Catholic vote. His campaign was spurred by Curley's efforts to align with President Roosevelt, from whom Coughlin had broken earlier in his term.[8]

Roosevelt made a personal swing through the state as part of his re-election campaign, but when Curley tried to get a photograph with Roosevelt, he made a point of turning away.[8]

Later in the race,[when?] Curley tried to have Lodge's name removed from the ballot by arguing, through his political ally and Lodge's primary opponent Alonzo B. Cook, that "Jr." was reserved for the son of a man with the same name, and Lodge was instead the grandson. This controversy was quashed when Lodge produced a birth certificate reading "Jr." In fact, Curley's own legal name did not include "Michael", but he was listed on the ballot as "James Michael Curley" nonetheless. The Lodge campaign did not challenge this discrepancy.[11]

Results

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General election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 875,160 48.53%  3.86
Democratic James Michael Curley 739,751 41.02%  12.99
Union Thomas C. O'Brien 134,245 7.44% N/A
Economy Alonzo B. Cook 11,519 0.64% N/A
Social Justice Guy M. Gray 9,906 0.55% N/A
Socialist Albert Sprague Coolidge 9,763 0.54%  0.06
Townsend Moses H. Gulesian 7,408 0.41% N/A
Socialist Labor Ernest L. Dodge 7,091 0.39%  0.01
Communist Charles Flaherty 4,821 0.27%  0.06
Prohibition Wilbur D. Moon 3,677 0.20% N/A
Write-in 16 0.00%
Total votes 1,803,357 100.00%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Weeks-Lodge Contest". The Boston Globe. June 18, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Whalen, Thomas J. (2000). Kennedy versus Lodge: The 1952 United States Senate Election in Massachusetts. Northeastern University Press. p. 40. ISBN 9781555534622.
  3. ^ "Weeks Candidacy Strongly Backed: Support of Martin and Haigis Gives Newton Man Edge Over Lodge". The Boston Globe. June 20, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "One Holyoke Vote Cast for Lodge in Senatorial Contest". Holyoke Transcript-Telegram. June 22, 1936. p. 12. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  5. ^ "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate- R Primary Race - Sep 15, 1936".
  6. ^ "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate- D Primary Race - Sep 15, 1936".
  7. ^ Whalen 2000, p. 40.
  8. ^ a b c d Whalen 2000, p. 41.
  9. ^ Whalen 2000, pp. 40–41.
  10. ^ Whalen 2000, pp. 41–42.
  11. ^ Whalen 2000, p. 52.
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