James Smith

One of the closest statewide primaries in New Jersey history was for United States Senator in 1910, one of the last Senate contests before the 17th amendment, which allowed for the direct election of Senators by the voters.

Three Republicans ran in the primary for the seat of John Kean, who was not seeking re-election to a third term: former Governor Franklin Murphy, who served from 1902 to 1905; Edward Stokes, who served as Governor from 1905 to 1908; and Congressman Charles Fowler, the Chairman of the House Banking and Currency Committee.

Stokes won by 736 votes statewide, a 34.4%-33.8% victory over Fowler.  Murphy finished third with 31.8%, just 3,214 votes behind Stokes.

WATSON COLEMAN ON IMPROVING SAFETY, SECURITY AT TRENTON PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

(TRENTON) - At a news conference today, Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer and Department of Human Services (DHS) acting-Commissioner James Smith unveiled the results of a meeting and dialogue they had with Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, Ewing Mayor Wendell Pribila, DHS police, and local law enforcement regarding safety and security issues involving Trenton Psychiatric Hospital.

CODEY CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO GREYSTONE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL AFTER SMOKE INCIDENT REVEALS UNSAFE PRACTICES

TRENTON -- Senate President Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, today called on the NJ Department of Human Services (DHS) to investigate Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Parsippany after an incident last week involving heavy smoke conditions exposed serious procedural and mechanical failures that could potentially jeopardize the safety and well-being of residential clients.

From the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University: "In the spring of 1910, Col. George Harvey, editor of Harper's Weekly, persuaded [former U.S. Senator] James Smith of Newark, "boss" of the New Jersey Democratic Party, to support [Woodrow] Wilson for the gubernatorial nomination. Wilson, who had recently lost an internal struggle at Princeton with one of his deans, agreed to accept the nomination if it were offered without conditions. Smith's well-oiled machine worked perfectly, but his plan to elect a dignified puppet soon went awry. Wilson accepted the Democratic state convention's nomination, aligned himself with the progressive forces that had been fighting Smith, and won in a landslide on Nov. 8, 1910. It was only the beginning of the revolution. Before his inauguration Wilson prevented Smith's election to the United States Senate by the state legislature. Inaugurated on Jan. 17, 1911, the new governor maintained such heavy pressure on the legislature at Trenton that he won enactment of most of his program in one session: direct primaries; effective state regulations of public utilities; workmen's compensation; municipal reform; and reorganization of the school system. In early 1913 he won the last of his important demands--antitrust legislation to drive industrial monopolies from New Jersey."