John B. Stanchfield - Life

Life

He was the son of Dr. John K. Stanchfield. He graduated from Amherst College in 1876, and from Harvard Law School in 1878. He commenced the practice of law in Elmira in partnership with David B. Hill, later Governor of New York (1885–1891). Afterwards he was a partner in the Elmira law firm of Reynolds, Stanchfield & Collin (named Sayles & Evans since 1945).

Stanchfield was District attorney of Chemung County from 1880 to 1885, and Mayor of Elmira from 1886 to 1888. In 1886, he married Clara S. spaulding, and they had two children. He was a member from Chemung County of the New York State Assembly in 1895 and 1896. Afterwards he removed to New York City, and became a partner in the New York City law firm of Chadbourne, Stanchfield & Levy (now Chadbourne & Parke).

In 1900, he ran for Governor of New York, but was defeated by Republican Benjamin B. Odell, Jr.. In 1903, Stanchfield was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from New York, but was defeated by the incumbent Republican Thomas C. Platt.

In the Sept. 12 edition of The New York Times, his assumed gubernatorial nomination in Saratoga, NY, was announced:

"SARATOGA, Sept. 11.—Present indications are that John B. Stanchfield will be nominated for Governor by the Democratic Convention to-morrow, and his name will be presented to the convention by Judge S. S. Taylor of Chemung. William F. Mackey of Erie has been offered second place upon the ticket, and. has agreed to give an answer as to whether he will acceptmbefore the convention assembles at 11 o'clock to-morrow morning. Mr. Mackey will accept probably. The Croker-Murphy-McLaughlin combine leaders ended a three-hour conference at midnight. While no one of them would make a statement for publication, they all said privately that Stanchfield and Mackey will be nominated. As the result of the conference the following slate can be taken as being as nearly correct as it is possible to obtain now:

Governor—JOHN B. STANCHFIELD of Chemung. Lieutenant Governor—WILLIAM F. MACKEY of Erie. Secretary of State—JOHN T. NORTON of Rensselaer. Controller—EDWIN A. ATWATEK of Dutchess. Attorney General—GEORGE M. PALMER of Schoharie. For Attorney General—THOMAS F. CONWAY of Clinton. Treasurer—GUY H. CLARKE of Madison. Engineer and Surveyor—RUSSELL A. STEWART of Onondaga.

Only an absolute breach of faith. It is asserted, can prevent the selection of the two at the head of this ticket and only the persistent claims of up-State leaders will upset the completed ticket. This seems improbable, as the candidates are admirably distributed as to geographical conditions, and probably are as uniformly satisfactory to all factions as could be secured."

The next day, The Times reported:

SARATOGA, Sept. 12.—The Democracy of New York State, in convention assembled, after a thrilling, bitter factional struggle, nominated to-day the State ticket. Every stage of the proceedings was marked by great excitement. Richard Croker was pilloried. The trained orators of David B. Hill, with whips of logic and merciless sarcasm, pulled aside the curtain of State polities and exposed to public view the secrets of the bosses. At every mention of the Ice Trust there were derisive howls. For the first time in twenty years, Democratic orators in a Democratic convention exposed the political weakness of the candidates slated by the majority faction for the nominations. David B. Hill conducted the battle for the nomination of Controller Coler personally. He named Coler as his candidate and

marshaled his talkers to do the oratorical fighting after he had fired the first gun!"

Stanchfield was also a delegate to the 1904 and 1912 Democratic National Conventions, and a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1915.

He died of kidney failure, and was buried in Elmira.