1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois

1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois

← 1936 November 5, 1940 1942 →
 
Nominee Charles W. Brooks James M. Slattery
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 2,045,924 2,025,097
Percentage 50.07% 49.56%

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]

  1. ^ a b c "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.