1920 United States Senate election in Illinois

1920 United States Senate election in Illinois
	Results by county; McKinley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%; Waller: 40–50% 50–60%
U.S. senator before election; Lawrence Yates Sherman; Republican	Elected U.S. senator ; William B. McKinley; Republican

The 1920 United States Senate election in Illinois took place on November 2, 1920.^[1]

Incumbent Republican senator Lawrence Yates Sherman opted to retire rather than seeking reelection. Fellow Republican William B. McKinley was elected to succeed him in office.

Background

The primaries and general election coincided with those for House and those for state elections, but not those for president.^[1] Primaries were held September 15, 1920.^[1]

The 1920 United States Senate elections were the first to be held since the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granted national women's suffrage. This was the first Illinois U.S. Senate election in which women could vote.

In 1916, incumbent Lawrence Yates Sherman made the decision to retire from politics and to not seek reelection in 1920, due to his failing hearing, which prevented him from hearing what was said on the Senate floor.^[2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Robert Emmet Burke
Peter A. Waller, Kewanee glove manufacturer^[3]

Campaign

Burke, known as "O.K. Bobby" by supporters, stood on a platform opposed to the League of Nations and ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. He was also opposed to Prohibition and critical of President Wilson.^[3] Waller had the support of the Democratic establishment.^[3] Neither ran an active campaign.^[3]

Results

Democratic primary^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Peter A. Waller	87,643	51.17
	Democratic	Robert Emmet Burke	83,624	48.83
Total votes			171,267	100

Republican primary

Candidates

Burnett M. Chiperfield, former U.S. Representative at-large (from Canton)
William B. McKinley, U.S. Representative from Champaign
Frank L. Smith, U.S. Representative from Dwight

Results

Republican primary^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William B. McKinley	372,530	46.60
	Republican	Frank L. Smith	361,130	45.18
	Republican	Burnett M. Chiperfield	65,742	8.22
Total votes			799,402	100

Socialist primary

Candidates

Gustave T. Fraenckel

Results

Socialist primary^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Socialist	Gustave T. Fraenckel	2,013	100
Total votes			2,013	100

General election

Candidates

George Dodd Carrington Jr. (Single Tax)
John Fitzpatrick, trade union leader
Gustave T. Fraenckel (Socialist)
William B. McKinley (Democratic), U.S. congressman
Joseph B. Moody (Socialist Labor)
Peter A. Waller (Republican)
Frank B. Vennum (Prohibition Party), activist, capitalist, philanthropist, 1912 candidate for Illinois treasurer, 1918 U.S. Senate candidate^[4]

Results

1920 United States Senate election in Illinois^[1]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William B. McKinley	1,381,384	66.83
	Democratic	Peter A. Waller	554,372	26.82
	Socialist	Gustave T. Fraenckel	66,463	3.22
	Farmer–Labor	John Fitzpatrick	50,749	2.46
	Prohibition	Frank B. Vennum	10,186	0.49
	Socialist Labor	Joseph B. Moody	3,107	0.15
	Single Tax	George Dodd Carrington Jr.	784	0.04
Majority			827,012	40.01
Turnout			2,067,045
	Republican hold

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, Nov. 2, 1920 Delegeates to Constitutional Convention Questions of Public Policy, Nov, 4, 1919, Judicial Elections, 1919-1920 PRIMARY ELECTIONS, General Primary, Sept, 15, 1920 Delegates to the Constitutional Convention, Sept. 10, 1919 Presidential Preference April 13, 1920" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 17, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
^ Stone, Ralph A. (1970). The Irreconcilables: The Fight Against the League of Nations. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 67.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Igoe Defeats Hoyne 15,000 in Democrat Race; Burke, Anti-League, Leads in Chicago". The Chicago Tribune. September 16, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Frank B. Vennum". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1920" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2019.

[results-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, Nov. 2, 1920 Delegeates to Constitutional Convention Questions of Public Policy, Nov, 4, 1919, Judicial Elections, 1919-1920 PRIMARY ELECTIONS, General Primary, Sept, 15, 1920 Delegates to the Constitutional Convention, Sept. 10, 1919 Presidential Preference April 13, 1920" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 17, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.

[2] Stone, Ralph A. (1970). The Irreconcilables: The Fight Against the League of Nations. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 67.

[tribprimary-3] "Igoe Defeats Hoyne 15,000 in Democrat Race; Burke, Anti-League, Leads in Chicago". The Chicago Tribune. September 16, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved August 31, 2022.

[4] "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Frank B. Vennum". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.

[5] "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1920" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2019.

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v t e Elections in Illinois
By year	1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1998 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
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Special	2nd congressional, 1995 14th congressional, 2008 5th congressional, 2009 2nd congressional, 2013 18th congressional, 2015 Comptroller, 2016
Gubernatorial	1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Lieutenant gubernatorial	1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968
Other state executive offices	Attorney General 2018 2022 Secretary of State 2022 Comptroller 2016
State Senate	2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State House	2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State judicial	1936 1938 1940 1942 1948 1960 1962 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Ballot measures and referendums	State capitol referendum (1834) Cutback Amendment (1980) Crime Victim Rights Amendment (1992) Governor Recall Amendment (2010) Public Pension Amendment (2012) Marsy's Law (2014) Right to Vote Amendment (2014) Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment (2016) Fair Tax (2020) Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment (2022)
Chicago mayoral	1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 (Mar) 1844 (Apr) 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1876 (Apr) 1876 (Jul) 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 (Apr) 1893 (Dec) 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1977 1979 1983 1987 1989 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Chicago City Council	1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Other municipal	1924 Cicero
Cook County	1946 1980 (State's Attorney) 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

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Background

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Socialist primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Candidates

Results

See also

References