Willimantic's First City Election
In 1893, the local government of Willimantic underwent important structural change; it transitioned from being a borough of Windham to its own city. This came after decades of growth around the Willimantic River, which was the prime location for water-powered mills and industry. Willimantic had seen decades of growth following the construction of the railroad; by the 1890’s the population increased enough for Willimantic to become a city - but not without some scandal in the first city election.
On October 30, 1893 at 9 o’clock in the morning, the people of Willimantic voted and approved of the new city charter. While the Hartford Courant explains there was little “organized effort for or against the charter,” they also claim there was opposition to the charter from the Democratic party, who feared that the change in government would limit their power and open positions to be filled by Republicans. Further, there were questions of the vote’s legitimacy the next day. In the charter, a clause was written: “The vote shall be polled under the same regulations as govern the meetings in said borough for the annual elections of warden and burgesses.” This indicates that the vote should have used booths and envelopes, rather than the open vote. The author of the clause, future State Attorney John L. Hunter, told The Courant that the clause’s purpose was to reduce potential voter intimidation of the mill workers by mill owners, specifically the Linen Company. If the mill owners watched the open vote, they may have been able to pressure their workers to vote for their preferred candidate. Others claimed that the clause was unnecessary because the vote was not an “election,” as no authority figure was being voted on. Regardless of the dispute, the charter was accepted with 465 votes for and 312 against and the election was scheduled for December.
On November 15th, The Courant wrote that the slates for the election had still not been made up, as citizens understood how important it was for the first city government to be successful. Only two days later, on the 17th, the Courant reported that the Republican party received widespread support and seemed in a position to win the first mayor.
The decision of who would be the first mayor was certainly a hot topic in the month leading to the election; the mayor himself had the power to shape the future growth of the city - or decline. Economics were key to the election, as the borough-turned-city had a debt of $350,000 and was discussing increasing infrastructure that would add $150,000 more. According to officialdata.org, $350,000 would be worth over ten million dollars today.
A raised debt would certainly not be easy for the working families of the industrial area- so they became increasingly involved in the election to try to ensure the government was run responsibly. Interestingly enough, The Courant uses a perfect analogy for the mill-focused city:
“The first year’s work of the new city government will be the most difficult probably for years to come. The machinery will be new and must be studied carefully.”
Of the Republican candidates for mayor, some of the most popular before the election were First National Bank Treasurer O.H.K Risley, Natchaug Silk Company’s General Manager Colonel J. Dwight Chaffe, and grocer George M. Harrington. It is unsurprising that each of these candidates showed financial prowess, considering the debt the city faced. The Courant wrote highly of each candidate, particularly Harrington, who represented the people best being a smaller business owner. The other two were also noted for personality; Riley for his wisdom and Colonel Chaff for his dignity.
On the Democrat side, Bank Commissioner Edwin A. Buck was most prominent. The Courant wrote about his “gray beard and imposing figure” which would “lend dignity to the office.” It also stressed his experience as a property manager and businessman, showing his conservative leadership.
Like the passing of the city charter, the first election was not without a hitch. On November 20, 1893, a Special to the Courant announced that Charles A. Capen, a Willimantic resident, had requested an Injunction to prevent the election, because the city charter had been accepted with an illegal vote. There were immediately questions: was the injunction filed as a ploy by the current borough government to maintain their power? The election then became an even stronger point of public interest - a potential scandal on top of an important first election! After all, why was the complaint only filed a few weeks before the mayoral election and not immediately after the charter was accepted?
The question arose again: did the vote to accept Willimantic as a city require a secret vote? The Courant claimed “The point seems to rest on whether the people had a fair opportunity to express their preferences on the acceptance of the charter, and everyone believes they did.” Furthermore, if the injunction was allowed, all of the funds allocated for the city charter would be wasted!
Luckily for the city, a compromise was reached via Judge Elisha Carpenter: the city election could be held before the injunction. If the charter was deemed valid, then the newly elected city officials would take their determined positions, otherwise the borough government would remain.
On December 4th 1893, the election was held, with slight uncertainty. The top candidates were Mr. Harrington, the grocer, for the Republicans, and Mr. Buck for the Democrats. However, the election was for the entire city government, not only mayors, so the voters had to consider which candidates would be able to cooperate - no one wanted “loggerheads,” to prevent efficient city management - meaning gridlock from arguments. There was some distrust held against Mr. Capen, the Republican candidate for alderman, because of his filing the injunction - despite his claim that he was not against the charter.
The polls were open early that morning - by evening, the Republican George Harrington was elected by a small margin, along with the rest of the Republican candidates - even Capen despite his doubt in the city charter. The Courant reported, in hindsight, that it seemed the Democrats were expected to win (perhaps this is why the Republican Capen filed with the courts…). The Democrats heartily congratulated the Republican victors - it seems all were working towards the goal of helping serve the city’s needs.
After the election, city politics became a waiting game as the injunction was discussed. Many hoped it would simply be dissolved - particularly the newly-elected Republicans, who would lose their positions if the charter was deemed invalid. The court cases were also costly, a major issue for Willimantic. On December 15, arguments were made at court in Hartford for and against the charter. The charter must have been accepted, as Mayor Harrison was making his acceptance speech on December 19th. Sadly, his acceptance speech is nearly illegible in the digital version of the 1893 newspaper, but it was met with widespread acceptance and applause.
The Courant reported that the people of the city showed their appreciation of the detailed coverage by buying all of the extra copies of the newspapers. I appreciate their coverage nearly as much, as it gave me plenty of details to work with!