1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois

1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois
	Results by county; Brooks: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%; Slattery: 50–60%
U.S. senator before election; James M. Slattery; Democratic	Elected U.S. senator ; Charles W. Brooks; Republican

The 1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois took place on November 5, 1940.^[1] The election was triggered by the vacancy left by the death in office of Democrat J. Hamilton Lewis. After Lewis' death, James M. Slattery was appointed to fill the seat in the interim period until the individual elected in the special election would be sworn-in. Slattery was the Democratic Party's nominee in the special election. He was defeated by Republican nominee Charles W. Brooks. Brooks' father-in-law, Senator John Thomas of Idaho also won a special election that same day and the two would serve in the Senate together until Thomas' death in 1945.

The primaries and general election coincided with those for other federal elections (president and House) and those for state elections.^[1]

Primaries were held April 9, 1940.^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Benjamin S. Adamowski, State Representative from Chicago
James M. Slattery, interim Senator and former chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission

Results

Democratic primary^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James M. Slattery (incumbent)	796,036	60.89
	Democratic	Benjamin S. Adamowski	511,231	39.11
Total votes			1,307,267	100

Republican primary

Candidates

C. Wayland Brooks, nominee for Governor in 1936
Ralph E. Church, U.S. Representative from Evanston

Results

Republican primary^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	C. Wayland Brooks	618,857	59.61
	Republican	Ralph E. Church	419,315	40.39
Total votes			1,038,172	100

General election

1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	C. Wayland Brooks	2,045,924	50.07
	Democratic	James M. Slattery (incumbent)	2,025,097	49.56
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	3,844	0.21
	Socialist	Clarence H. Mayer	2,281	0.16
	Write-in	Others	7	0.00
Majority			20,827	0.51
Turnout			4,086,179
	Republican gain from Democratic

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, NOV. 5, 1940 JUDICIAL ELECTIONS, 1939-1940 PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 9, 1940" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
^ "Statistics of the Congressional and Presidential election of November 5, 1940" (PDF). Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House. Retrieved November 26, 2014.

[results-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, NOV. 5, 1940 JUDICIAL ELECTIONS, 1939-1940 PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 9, 1940" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2020.

[2] "Statistics of the Congressional and Presidential election of November 5, 1940" (PDF). Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House. Retrieved November 26, 2014.

[1]

[2]

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
Presidential	1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 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 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 (Dem primary, Rep primary) 2012 2016 (Dem primary) 2020 (Dem primary)
U.S. Senate	1885 1913 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022
U.S. House	2000 (1st) 2006 2008 2010 (17th) 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
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

v t e (1939 ←) 1940 United States elections (→ 1941)
U.S. President	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
U.S. Senate	Arizona California Connecticut Delaware Florida Idaho (Special) Illinois (Special) Indiana Kentucky (Special) Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Vermont (Special) Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
U.S. House of Representatives	Alabama 7th sp Arizona Arkansas California Colorado 3rd sp Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia 8th sp Hawaii Territory Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa 6th sp Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine 2nd sp Maryland Massachusetts Michigan 5th sp Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska 1st sp Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York 14th sp 22nd sp 31st sp North Carolina 1st sp North Dakota Ohio 7th sp 22nd sp Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee 9th (sp) Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Gubernatorial	Arizona Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Lt. Gov Missouri Lt. Gov Montana Nebraska Lt. Gov New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Lt. Gov North Dakota Ohio Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Washington West Virginia Wisconsin
State legislatures	Iowa Senate
General	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

See also

References