Mayoral elections in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the 20th century

Beginning shortly after the city's incorporation as a city in 1846, elections have been held in the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. The following article provides information on the elections for mayor in the city during the 20th century.

Election laws and history

[edit]

The city of Manchester, New Hampshire, held its first mayoral election in 1846.[1][2]

Throughout the 20th century, and still today, regularly-scheduled elections are for two-year terms. This had been the case since the 1880 election.[citation needed]

The city's mayoral elections are currently are nonpartisan, a change which was adopted before the 1997 election. While, prior to 1997, elections had long been partisan, there had been stretches previous to 1999 in which the city's mayoral elections had been nonpartisan, including the stretch of four elections held from 1953 through 1959.[3]

1902

[edit]
1902 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1900
1904 →

Mayor before election

William C. Clarke
Republican

Elected mayor

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic

The 1902 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Democratic candidate Eugene Elliott Reed, who defeated Republican candidate Walter M. Fulton, Independent Citizens candidate Murdock A. Weathers and Socialist candidate John E. Mansfield.[4]

1904

[edit]
1904 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1902
1906 →

Mayor before election

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic[5]

Elected mayor

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic

The 1904 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Eugene Elliott Reed, who defeated Charles J. Brygger and James E. Reed.[4]

1906

[edit]
1906 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1904
1908 →

Mayor before election

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic

Elected mayor

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic

The 1906 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Eugene Elliott Reed to a third consecutive term. Reed defeated Republican candidate Charles E. Cox and Socialist candidate Samuel F. Claflin.[4]

1908

[edit]
1908 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1906
1910 →

Mayor before election

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic

Elected mayor

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic

The 1908 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Eugene Elliott Reed to a fourth consecutive term. Reed defeated Republican candidate Lloyd T. Mead, Socialist candidate John C. Paine, and independent candidate George W. Rief.[4]

1910

[edit]
1910 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1908
1912 →
Candidate Edward Clarke Smith James Sullivan

Mayor before election

Eugene Elliott Reed
Democratic

Elected mayor

Edward Clarke Smith
Republican[5]

The 1910 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Edward Clarke Smith, who defeated James Sullivan.[4]

1912

[edit]
1912 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1910
1914 →

Mayor before election

Edward Clarke Smith
Republican[5]

Elected mayor

Charles C. Hayes
Democratic

The 1912 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Democratic candidate Charles C. Hayes, who defeated Republican candidate Victor W. Roy, Progressive candidate Lloyd T. Mead, Socialist candidate William J. Ryan.[4]

1914

[edit]
1914 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1912 December 8, 1914 1916 →
 
Candidate Harry W. Spaulding Charles C. Hayes
Party Republican Democratic

Mayor before election

Charles C. Hayes
Democratic

Elected mayor

Harry W. Spaulding
Republican

The 1914 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on December 8, 1914,[6] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Republican Harry W. Spaulding, who defeated Democratic incumbent Charles C. Hayes and Socialist candidate William J. Ryan.[5][4] Sapulding won by a margin of 386 votes.[6] The election was considered one of the most hotly contested elections in years.[6]

In the coinciding Board of Aldermen election, the Republican Party won full control of the board, winning seven of the board's nine seats.[6]

1915

[edit]
1915 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1914 November 2, 1915 1917 →
 
Candidate Harry W. Spaulding Charles C. Hayes
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 5,306 4,284

Mayor before election

Harry W. Spaulding
Republican

Elected mayor

Harry W. Spaulding
Republican

The 1915 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 2, 1915,[7] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Republican candidate Harry W. Spaulding, who defeated Democratic candidate Charles C. Hayes (himself a former mayor) and Socialist candidate James E. Dorren.[5][4] Spaulding's margin of victory was significantly greater than his margin of victory in the previous 1914 mayoral election.[8]

In the coinciding Board of Aldermen election, the Republican Party won ten of the thirteen seats on the board.[8][9] Also, notably, the Republican incumbent was elected the city's overseer of the poor against a Democratic challenger in that office's coinciding election.[8]

1915 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election results[5][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Harry W. Spaulding (incumbent) 5,306
Democratic Charles C. Hayes 4,284
Socialist James E. Dorren
Total votes 100

1917

[edit]
1917 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1915 November 6, 1917 1919 →
 
Candidate Moise Verrette Harry W. Spaulding
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 5,440 4,012
Percentage 57.55% 42.45%

Mayor before election

Harry W. Spaulding
Republican

Elected mayor

Moise Verrette
Democratic

The 1917 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 6, 1917,[10] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Democratic candidate Moise Verrette, who unseated Republican incumbent Harry W. Spaulding.[5][4]

In the municipal elections held in the city on November 6, Democrats won overall control of the city's government for the first time in 42 years.[10] Democrats nearly swept all of the city's elections, winning not just the mayoralty, but also control of all of the city's commissions and public service boards, as well as the offices of auditor, collector, city clerk, engineer, messenger, physician, sealer, solicitor, superintendent of buildings, treasurer, and weigher. Democrats also won numerous municipal clerkships.[11]

1917 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election results[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Moise Verrette 5,440 57.55
Republican Harry W. Spaulding (incumbent) 4,012 42.45
Total votes 9,452 100

1919

[edit]
1919 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1917
1921 →
 
Candidate Moise Verrette Andrew B. Bunton
Party Democratic

Mayor before election

Moise Verrette
Democratic[5]

Elected mayor

Moise Verrette
Democratic

The 1919 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Moise Verrette, who defeated Andrew B. Bunton.

Democratic primary

[edit]

In the Democratic primary, held on October 23, 1921, incumbent mayor Moise Verrette won renomination over challenger Charles D. Ward by a large margin. More than 3,300 votes were cast in the primary.[12]

General election

[edit]

Democratic incumbent Moise Verrette defeated Andrew B. Bunton.[4]

1921

[edit]
1921 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1919 November 8, 1921 1923 →
 
Candidate George E. Trudel John L. Barry
Party Republican Democratic

Mayor before election

Moise Verrette
Democratic[5]

Elected mayor

George E. Trudel
Republican

The 1921 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 8, 1921,[13] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Republican nominee George E. Trudel, who defeated Democratic nominee John L. Barry by a roughly 4,000-vote margin.

This was the first mayoral election in Manchester since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted women suffrage across the entire United States. Consequently, it was first Manchester mayoral election in which women voted.[citation needed]

Democratic primary

[edit]

The Democratic primary was held October 17, 1921.[14]

Republican primary

[edit]

George E. Trudel won the Republican primary, held on October 10, 1921.[14] Trudel was a successful businessman and an incumbent member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire under Governor Albert O. Brown. Trudel had never before run for office.[14] Among those he defeated in the primary was former mayor Edward Clarke Smith.[14]

1921 Manchester, New Hampshire Republican mayoral primary election results[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican George E. Trudel 2,003 41.80
Republican Edward Clarke Smith 1,389 28.99
Republican Aime E. Boisvert 1,265 26.40
Republican Frank H. Challis 135 2.82
Total votes 4,792 100

General election

[edit]

Republican nominee George E. Trudel, defeated Democratic nominee John L. Barry by a roughly 4,000-vote margin.[4][13]

1923

[edit]
1923 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1921 November 1, 1923 1925 →
 
Candidate George E. Trudel John L. Barry
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 10,836 9,618
Percentage 52.98 47.02

Mayor before election

George E. Trudel
Republican

Elected mayor

George E. Trudel
Republican

The 1923 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 1, 1923,[15] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent George E. Trudel, who defeated Democratic challenger John L. Barry.[4] The campaign was described by the Groton Times as one of the city's "most stirring" election campaigns in years.[15]

Democratic nominee John L. Barry was a former Manchester alderman, and had been Trudel's opponent in the previous 1921 election. While he again lost to Trudel, Barry did manage to cut Trudel's margin of victory by nearly half compared to the previous election.[16]

In the coinciding Board of Aldermen election, Republicans retained their control of the board.[15] The Republicans also nearly swept the races for citywide offices, with the exception of charity commissioner (which saw a Democratic incumbent reelected).

1923 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election results[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican George E. Trudel (incumbent) 10,836 52.98
Democratic John L. Barry 9,618 47.02
Total votes 20,454 100

1925

[edit]
1925 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1923 November 3, 1925 1927 →
 
Candidate Arthur E. Moreau Timothy F. O'Connor Adolph Wagner
Party Republican Democratic Independent
Popular vote '

Mayor before election

George E. Trudel
Republican

Elected mayor

Arthur E. Moreau
Republican

The 1925 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 3, 1925,[17] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Republican nominee Andrew E. Moreau, who defeated Democratic nominee Timothy F. Conner and independent candidate Adolph Wagner.

In the coinciding Board of Aldermen election, Republicans retained their majority of the board,[17] with Republicans winning eight seats and Democrats winning five.[18]

Republican caucus

[edit]

In the October 19 caucus for the Republican nomination, Andrew E. Moreau, a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, won the party's nomination over city alderman Adolph Wagner.[19]

1925 Manchester, New Hampshire Republican mayoral caucus results[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Arthur E. Moreau 3,497 60.89
Republican Adolph Wagner 2,246 39.11
Total votes 5,743 100

General election

[edit]

Republican nominee Andrew E. Moreau defeated Democratic nominee Timothy F. Conner and independent candidate Adolph Wagner (the latter of whom had, before becoming an independent candidate, unsuccessfully run for the Republican nomination).[4] Wagner won a strong plurality of the vote.[21]

Democratic nominee Conner was an attorney.[17]

The campaign was later described by the Groton Times as, "one of the most stirring" three-way races "in recent years".[21]

When it was a two-candidate campaign between Moreau and Conner, the general election had originally been seen as a likely victory for Moreau. However, upon the entrance of alderman Adolph Wagner as an independent candidate, the race began to be considered a tossup between Moreau and Conner.[17]

1927

[edit]
1927 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1925 November 8, 1927 1929 →
 
Candidate Arthur E. Moreau William G. McCarthy
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 13,775 6,194
Percentage 68.98% 31.02%

Mayor before election

Arthur E. Moreau
Republican

Elected mayor

Arthur E. Moreau
Republican

The 1927 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 8, 1927,[22] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Andrew E. Moreau, who defeated state senator William G. McCarthy, the Democratic nominee.[22]

In the coinciding municipal elections, the Republican nominee won a surprise victory in the race for commissioner of charities, and the Republican Party also increased its majority on the Board of Aldermen by a single seat (now holding nine of the board's ten seats) by unseating a ten-year incumbent.[23]

1927 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Arthur E. Moreau (incumbent) 13,775 68.98
Democratic William G. McCarthy 6,194 31.02
Total votes 19,969 100

1929

[edit]
1929 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1927 November 5, 1929 1931 →
 
Candidate Arthur E. Moreau C.J. Belanger
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 12,421 8,695
Percentage 58.82% 41.18%

Mayor before election

Arthur E. Moreau
Republican

Elected mayor

Arthur E. Moreau
Republican

The 1929 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 5, 1929,[24] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Republican incumbent Andrew E. Moreau to a third consecutive term. Moreau defeated Democratic nominee C. J. Belanger.[24]

In the city's coinciding Board of Aldermen election, the Republicans won nine of the board's thirteen seats, the same exact majority they had held before the election.[24]

1929 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Arthur E. Moreau (incumbent) 12,421 58.82
Democratic William G. McCarthy 8,695 41.18
Total votes 21,116 100

1931

[edit]
1931 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1929 November 3, 1931 1933 →
 
Candidate Damase Caron Arthur E. Moreau
Party Democratic Republican

Mayor before election

Arthur E. Moreau
Republican

Elected mayor

Damase Caron
Democratic

The 1931 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 3, 1931, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the election of Democratic nominee Damase Caron, who unseated Republican incumbent Arthur E. Moreau by a roughly 1,500-vote margin of victory.[25] Caron's victory was viewed as a landslide victory.[26]

Caron was a local physician.[25]

Coinciding elections in the city, as well as much of the region, saw significant wins for Democrats, proving to be a regional wave election.[26] This included Democrats gaining the majority of the city's Board of Aldermen.[25] Also, a coinciding referendum saw the voters approve limited hours of sports and amusements to take place on Sundays, partially rolling-back the city's blue laws.[25][27]

1933

[edit]
1933 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1931 November 7, 1933 1935 →
 
Candidate Damase Caron John Jacobson Jr.
Party Democratic Republican

Mayor before election

Damase Caron
Democratic

Elected mayor

Damase Caron
Democratic

The 1933 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 7, 1933,[28] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Damase Caron, who defeated Republican nominee John Jacobson Jr. by a margin of 2,924 votes.[29]

On the eve of the election, the Portsmouth Herald described the campaign as having been "lively", and wrote that the result was expected to be very close.[30]

In the coinciding municipal elections, the Democratic Party won a majority of eleven of the thirteen seats on the city's Board of Aldermen (with Republicans winning the remaining two), and the Democratic incumbent commissioner of charities won reelection over their Republican opponent by a landslide 7,055 vote margin.[29]

1935

[edit]
1935 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1933 November 5, 1935 1937 →
 
Candidate Damase Caron Joseph H. Geisel
Party Democratic Republican

Mayor before election

Damase Caron
Democratic

Elected mayor

Damase Caron
Democratic

The 1935 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 5, 1935,[31] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Damase Caron to a third consecutive term. Caron defeated former postmaster Joseph H. Geisel, the Republican nominee, by a margin of roughly 3,300 votes. This was considered a landslide victory. At the time, this margin of victory was the greatest any Democrat had ever won in a Manchester mayoral election.[32]

In the coinciding municipal elections, the Democratic Party won a majority of ten of the thirteen seats on the city's Board of Aldermen.[32]

1937

[edit]
1937 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1935 November 3, 1937 1939 →
 
Candidate Damase Caron Gerard A. Hamel
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 15,622 10,765
Percentage 59.20% 40.80%

Mayor before election

Damase Caron
Democratic

Elected mayor

Damase Caron
Democratic

The 1937 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 3, 1937,[33] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Damase Caron to a fourth consecutive term. Caron defeated Republican nominee Gerard A. Hamel.[33] He won by a vote margin even greater than his previous win, thus, setting a new record for the greatest margin of victory any Democrat had won in terms of vote numbers for a Manchester mayoral election.[32][33]

In the previous two years, Caron had helped lead the city through turbulent times, being credited with helping to diversify its economy with smaller industrial operations in the aftermath of the bankruptcy of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, a major employer in the city.[33][34]

1937 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Damase Caron (incumbent) 15,622 59.20
Republican Gerard A. Hamel 10,765 40.80
Total votes 26,387 100

1939

[edit]
1939 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1937 November 7, 1939 1941 →
 
Candidate Damase Caron Wilfred A. LaFlamme
Party Democratic Republican

Mayor before election

Damase Caron
Democratic

Elected mayor

Damase Caron
Democratic

The 1939 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 7, 1939, to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Damase Caron to a fifth consecutive term. Caron defeated Caron defeated Republican nominee Wilfred A. LaFlamme.[35] Caron was the first mayor of the city to win a fifth consecutive term.[5][4] Caron won by a 903-vote margin of victory, which was significantly smaller than the margins he had won his previous four elections by.

In the initial vote count, Caron won by a 1,009 vote margin of victory. However, on November 22, the city's Board of Aldermen approved a petition by the Republican City Committee to recount the vote in the city's ninth ward, where a discrepancy had the mayoral vote totals exceed the number of ballots cast by 74. The results of this recount were announced on November 29, and saw Caron's margin of victory decreased to 903 votes.[35][36]

1941

[edit]
1941 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1939 November 4, 1941 1943 →
 
Candidate Wilfred A. LaFlamme Damase Caron
Party Republican Democratic

Mayor before election

Damase Caron
Democratic

Elected mayor

Wildred A. LaFlamme
Republican

The 1941 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 4, 1941,[37] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw Republican nominee Wilfred A. LaFlamme unseat five-term Democratic incumbent Damase Caron.[4][37] The race was a rematch of the previous election.[4]

In the initial count, LaFlamme had a lead of 638 votes.[37] After a recount of the city's municipal elections was held, LaFlamme's final margin of victory over Caron was 618 votes.

1943

[edit]
1943 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1941 November 2, 1943 1945 →
 
Candidate Josephat T. Benoit Wilfred A. LaFlamme
Party Democratic Republican

Mayor before election

Wildred A. LaFlamme
Republican

Elected mayor

Josephat T. Benoit
Democratic

The 1943 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 2, 1943,[38] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw Democratic nominee Josephat T. Benoit unseat first-term Republican incumbent Wilfred A. Laflamme.[4] Benoit won election by a 1,229 vote margin of victory.[39] Benoit's win was considered an upset victory.[38]

Before resigning to run for mayor, Benoit had been the editor of the local French language newspaper L'Avenir National.[38]

1945

[edit]
1945 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election
← 1943 November 6, 1945 1947 →
 
Candidate Josephat T. Benoit Leo F. Donnelly
Party Democratic Republican

Mayor before election

Josephat T. Benoit
Democratic

Elected mayor

Josephat T. Benoit
Democratic

The 1945 Manchester, New Hampshire, mayoral election was held on November 6, 1945,[40] to elect the mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. It saw the reelection of Democratic incumbent Josephat T. Benoit, who defeated Republican nominee Leo F. Donnelly. Benoit won by a large margin.[40]

After the coinciding Board of Aldermen election, control of the board belonged to the Democrats. The election also coincided with a school board election.[40]

1947

[edit]