1922 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania
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| Elections in Pennsylvania |
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The 1922 United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania was held on November 7, 1922. Incumbent
1920. Pepper comfortably defeated five other candidates, including Democratic nominee Fred Kerr of Clearfield County.[1]
Background
Incumbent Senator Boies Penrose, who had been elected in 1920 for a term expiring in 1927, died on December 31, 1921. Governor of Pennsylvania William Cameron Sproul appointed George W. Pepper to fill Penrose's seat until a successor could be duly elected. The special election for the remainder of Penrose's term was scheduled for November 7, simultaneous with the general election.
Primary elections were held on May 16.[2] Pepper was a candidate to complete the term.
Republican primary
Candidates
- William J. Burke, U.S. Representative from Pittsburgh (representing Pennsylvania at-large)
- George W. Pepper, former University of Pennsylvania Law School professor and interim U.S. Senator
- Edward R. Wood, retired Philadelphia businessman
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican
|
George W. Pepper (inc.) | 577,534 | 58.65% | |
Republican
|
William J. Burke | 336,375 | 34.16% | |
Republican
|
Edward R. Wood | 70,727 | 7.18% | |
| Write-in | 47 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 984,636 | 100.00% | ||
After losing the Republican primary, Burke campaigned as the Progressive nominee in the regularly scheduled election for Pennsylvania's other U.S. Senate seat.
General election
Candidates
- Fred Kerr, Clearfield businessman and U.S. Army veteran (Democratic)[3]
- Frank Lewis (Prohibition)
- George Wharton Pepper, former University of Pennsylvania Law School professor and interim U.S. Senator[4](Republican)
- James Robinson (Single Tax)
- Earl Thompson (Progressive)
- William Van Essen (Socialist)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican
|
George Pepper (incumbent) | 819,507 | 57.60% | -2.34% | |
Democratic
|
Fred Kerr | 468,330 | 32.91% | +5.73% | |
Progressive
|
Earl Thompson | 57,075 | 4.01% | N/A | |
| Socialist | William Van Essen | 38,440 | 2.70% | -1.08% | |
| Prohibition | Frank Lewis | 34,089 | 2.40% | -5.04% | |
| Single Tax | James Robinson | 5,356 | 0.38% | +0.26% | |
| N/A | Other | 59 | 0.00% | N/A | |
References
- ^ "Washington's Eyes On Pennsylvania". The New York Times. May 16, 1922. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ a b Smull's Legislative Handbook and Manual of the State of Pennsylvania, 1921–22. Pennsylvania State University. pp. 769–75. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ "Col. Frederick B. Kerr". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 16, 1922. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ "PEPPER, George Wharton". The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. The United States Congress. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1922" (PDF). Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House. Retrieved July 9, 2014.