Two special elections in Nebraska were held on November 2, 1954, alongside a regular election. The Class I election was to finish Hugh A. Butler's term, with Samuel W. Reynolds appointed to the vacancy on July 3, 1954. The Class II election was to finish Kenneth S. Wherry's term, with Eva Bowring as incumbent at the time of the election. Both seats were held by Republicans, with Roman Hruska winning the Class I election and Hazel Abel winning the Class II election.
Class I
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 County results Hruska: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Green: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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In the 1952 election, incumbent Senator Hugh A. Butler was re-elected to a third term. Following his death on July 1, 1954, Samuel W. Reynolds was appointed to the vacant seat. Roman Hruska won the special election to complete Butler's term, defeating James F. Green.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- James F. Green, president of the Omaha-Douglas County Health Board[1]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James F. Green | 60,469 | 99.95 | |
| Democratic | Scattering | 29 | 0.05 | |
| Total votes | 60,498 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Roman Hruska, Representative for Nebraska's 2nd district
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roman Hruska | 118,084 | 99.77 | |
| Republican | Scattering | 272 | 0.23 | |
| Total votes | 118,356 | 100 | ||
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roman Hruska | 250,341 | 60.88 | -2.69 | |
| Democratic | James F. Green | 160,881 | 39.12 | +2.70 | |
| N/A | Scattering | 3 | 0.00 | N/A | |
| Majority | 89,460 | 21.76 | -5.39 | ||
| Turnout | 411,225 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
Class II
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 County results Abel: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Meier: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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In the 1948 election, Kenneth S. Wherry was re-elected to a second term. Following his death on November 29, 1951, Fred A. Seaton was appointed to the seat until the special election the following year, when Dwight Griswold was elected to finish Wherry's term. He died on April 12, 1954, and Eva Bowring was appointed to the vacancy, the first woman to represent Nebraska in the Senate. Hazel Abel (on the ballot as Mrs. George P. Abel), became the first woman elected to the Senate from Nebraska on November 2, 1954. She resigned on December 31, 1954, to give the incoming Senator Carl Curtis a seniority advantage. Curtis was appointed the following day.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Mabel Gillespie, former State Senator for the 7th district
- William H. Meier, Democratic candidate for Nebraska's 1st district in 1946[4]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William H. Meier | 26,885 | 39.83 | |
| Democratic | Mabel Gillespie | 21,029 | 31.15 | |
| Democratic | Charles R. Herrick | 19,559 | 28.97 | |
| Democratic | Scattering | 33 | 0.05 | |
| Total votes | 67,506 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Hazel Abel, vice president of the State Republican Central Committee
- Hugh Carson, State Senator for the 29th district[5]
- Howard M. Baldrige, Former Representative of Nebraska's 2nd congressional district
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mrs. George P. Abel | 32,321 | 22.63 | |
| Republican | Richard R. Dempster | 13,895 | 9.73 | |
| Republican | N. W. Anderson | 12,862 | 9.01 | |
| Republican | John R. Jirdon | 11,396 | 7.98 | |
| Republican | Hugh Carson | 10,436 | 7.31 | |
| Republican | Chris C. Beck | 8,939 | 6.26 | |
| Republican | S. E. Torgeson | 8,826 | 6.18 | |
| Republican | Max A. Denney | 8,824 | 6.18 | |
| Republican | Myles Standish | 6,846 | 4.79 | |
| Republican | E. W. Gustafson | 6,696 | 4.69 | |
| Republican | Mac Baldrige | 5,937 | 4.16 | |
| Republican | Joseph Alexis | 4,461 | 3.12 | |
| Republican | William Keeshan | 3,193 | 2.24 | |
| Republican | H. P. Heiliger | 2,844 | 1.99 | |
| Republican | Gerald Merritt | 2,729 | 1.91 | |
| Republican | John S. Samson | 2,544 | 1.78 | |
| Republican | Scattering | 65 | 0.05 | |
| Total votes | 142,814 | 100 | ||
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mrs. George P. Abel | 233,589 | 57.76 | -5.81 | |
| Democratic | William H. Meier | 170,828 | 42.24 | +5.82 | |
| N/A | Scattering | 5 | 0.00 | N/A | |
| Majority | 62,761 | 15.52 | -11.63 | ||
| Turnout | 404,422 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
References
edit- ^ "Obituary for James F. GREEN (Aged 51)". Lincoln Journal Star. June 15, 1968. p. 5.
- ^ a b c d Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska (primary election). Available at: https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/previous-elections
- ^ a b Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska (general election). Available at: https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/previous-elections
- ^ "William Henry Meier, 1904-1997 [RG3563.AM]". History Nebraska. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "LEGISLATIVE JOURNAL OF THE STATE OF NEBRASKA SIXTY-THIRD (Extraordinary) SESSION" (PDF). Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved July 31, 2021.