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1930 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

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1930 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
← 1924 November 4, 1930 1936 →
 
Nominee Marcus A. Coolidge William M. Butler
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 651,939 539,226
Percentage 54.01% 44.67%
County results
Coolidge:      40–50%      50–60%      70–80%
Butler:      50–60%      60–70%
Senator before election

Frederick H. Gillett
Republican

Elected Senator

Marcus A. Coolidge
Democratic

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The United States Senate election of 1930 in Massachusetts was held on November 4, 1930. Incumbent Republican Senator Frederick H. Gillett did not run for re-election. In the open race to succeed him, Democratic Mayor of Fitchburg Marcus A. Coolidge defeated former U.S. Senator William M. Butler.

Republican primary

Candidates

Withdrew

Declined

  • Calvin Coolidge, former President of the United States (1923–1929) and Governor of Massachusetts (1919–1921)
  • Frederick Gillett, incumbent Senator since 1925

Campaign

Citing old age, Senator Frederick Gillett announced his retirement in December 1929. Alvan Fuller and Calvin Coolidge were speculated as potential candidates, and Eben S. Draper Jr. announced his plans to run for the open seat.[2]

Alvan Fuller announced his intention to run on February 18, in response to a call by Joseph Simon, chairman of the Salem Republican Committee.[3] Fuller entered on the heels of his opposition to any pre-primary convention, accusing the Republican State Committee of being a "corrupt outfit" which was headed for defeat in November. He also declared his opposition to Republicans William Scott Vare and Hiram Bingham III, who had both been censured by the Senate.[4]

Former Senator William Morgan Butler was made his campaign formal on March 13, running as an unreserved "bone-dry" supporter of prohibition.[5]

In March, the divide between Butler and Draper over the prohibition of alcohol took shape. Draper announced his unequivocal opposition to prohibition, including the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, on March 26.[6] Butler soon criticized Draper for changing his position and failing to uphold the Constitution.[7] As the campaign went on, Butler de-emphasized his position on prohibition, instead focusing on his support for business in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash.[1]

In the campaign's final week, Constance Williams, the daughter of the late Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, accused Butler of politically abusing her late father in his final years. After Butler publicly claimed to have been friendly with Senator Lodge and declared himself Lodge's ideal successor, Williams publicly denounced Butler's candidacy and claimed Butler held a long grudge against her father stemming from his defeat of Butler's preferred candidate, William W. Crapo, in the 1893 Senate election.[8]

Results

Republican primary [9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William M. Butler 163,336 47.61%
Republican Eben S. Draper Jr. 156,745 45.69%
Republican Andrew J. Gillis 22,996 6.70%
Total votes 343,077 100.00%

Despite the late attack against him and the general sentiment for prohibition repeal in the state,[1] Butler narrowly defeated Draper by just under 6,600 votes.

Draper got a much smaller than expected margin in the cities, winning Boston by only 200 votes.[1] Draper's loss was also attributed to the spoiler effect, with Newburyport mayor Andrew Gillis pulling 20,000 wet votes away.[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Withdrew

Campaign

Roland D. Sawyer entered the race as a wet candidate on March 25.[6][10] The next two candidates to formally announce, Marcus A. Coolidge and Joseph F. O'Connell, joined the campaign on May 11. Coolidge ran as a wet, while O'Connell said he would announce his platform at a later date, expressing confidence that Democrats would carry the state in November.[11]

Coolidge faced some difficulty winning over the party's Catholic base; he was a Protestant who had supported William Gibbs McAdoo over Al Smith for President in 1924, though he had actively campaigned for Smith in 1928.[11] Coolidge overcame this deficiency by tying his campaign to that of the aging Irish Catholic icon John F. Fitzgerald for Governor, but he suffered a major setback when Fitzgerald withdrew due to illness. The paper Coolidge-Fitzgerald ticket was buoyed when Boston mayor James Michael Curley declared that Fitzgerald's Protestant opponent was anti-Irish.[1]

Results

Democratic primary [12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marcus A. Coolidge 81,451 40.71%
Democratic Joseph F. O'Connell 54,829 27.41%
Democratic Thomas C. O'Brien 45,272 22.63%
Democratic Eugene Foss 12,824 6.41%
Democratic Peter J. Joyce 5,680 2.84%
Total votes 200,056 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Results

General election [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Marcus A. Coolidge 651,939 54.01% Increase5.40
Republican William M. Butler 539,226 44.67% Decrease5.59
Socialist Sylvester J. McBride 7,244 0.60% N/A
Socialist Labor Oscar Kinsalas 4,640 0.38% N/A
Communist Max Lerner 3,962 0.34% Decrease0.80
Total votes 1,207,011 100.00%

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "THE BAY STATE PRIMARY". The New York Times. 18 Sep 1930. p. 26. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  2. ^ "SENATOR GILLETT SAYS HE WILL RETIRE IN 1931". The New York Times. 3 Dec 1929. p. 2. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  3. ^ "FULLER "EXPECTS" TO RUN FOR SENATE; Ex-Governor of Massachusetts Thanks Man Who Wants to Be on His 'Band Wagon.'". The New York Times. 19 Feb 1930. p. 18. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  4. ^ "FULLER DENOUNCES STATE PARTY CHIEFS". The New York Times. 16 Feb 1930. p. 18. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  5. ^ "BUTLER AS BONE DRY SEEKS SENATE SEAT". The New York Times. 14 Mar 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  6. ^ a b "DRAPER, IN BAY STATE, WILL RUN AS A WET; Republican Senatorial Candidate Advocates Repeal--Sawyer, Democrat, Also Is Wet". 27 Mar 1930. p. 18.
  7. ^ "CHANGING ONE'S MIND". The New York Times. 31 Mar 1930. p. 16. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  8. ^ "LODGE'S DAUGHTER ASSAILS CANDIDATE". The New York Times. 11 Sep 1930. p. 29. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  9. ^ "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate - R Primary Race - Sep 16, 1930".
  10. ^ "Minister, Wet and a Democrat, Seeks Bay State Senate Seat". The New York Times. 26 Mar 1930. p. 1. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  11. ^ a b "MORE DEMOCRATS IN BAY STATE RACE; Marcus A. Coolidge and Former Representative O'Connell Enter Lists for Senate". The New York Times. 12 May 1930. p. 7. Retrieved 9 Jun 2022.
  12. ^ "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 16, 1930".
  13. ^ "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate Race - Nov 04, 1930".


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