Elmer H. Wene
Elmer H. Wene | |
|---|---|
Wene in 1937 | |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from Cumberland County | |
| In office 1947–1950 | |
| Preceded by | George H. Stanger |
| Succeeded by | W. Howard Sharp |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1939 | |
| Preceded by | Isaac Bacharach |
| Succeeded by | Walter S. Jeffries |
| In office January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Walter S. Jeffries |
| Succeeded by | T. Millet Hand |
| Member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Cumberland County, New Jersey | |
| In office 1939–1941 | |
| Member of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture | |
| In office 1925–1934 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1892 Pittstown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 1957 (aged 64) |
| Resting place | Locust Grove Cemetery, Quakertown, New Jersey, US |
| Party | Democratic |
| Parent(s) | Emanuel S. Wene Mary J. Kiley |
| Alma mater | New Jersey State Agricultural College |
| Profession | Politician |
Elmer Hartpence Wene (May 1, 1892 – January 25, 1957) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1941 to 1945. He twice ran unsuccessfully for the New Jersey governorship.[1]
Biography
He was born on a farm near Pittstown, New Jersey, on May 1, 1892, to Emanuel S. Wene and Mary J. Kiley. He attended the public schools and Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Wene graduated from New Jersey State Agricultural College with a degree in Poultry husbandry on March 4, 1914. In 1918, he engaged in agricultural pursuits near Vineland, New Jersey.
Wene served on the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture 1925-1934 and was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fifth Congress (January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1939). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1938 to the Seventy-sixth Congress. After leaving Congress, he was a member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Cumberland County, New Jersey 1939-1941. He was again elected to the Seventy-seventh and Seventy-eighth Congresses (January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1945) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1944. Wene was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate the same year.
Wene resumed agricultural pursuits and poultry raising. He was also president and owner of two radio stations in New Jersey. In 1945, he served as an adviser to the Secretary of Agriculture. He was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1946 and a delegate to the New Jersey State constitutional convention in 1947 that drafted the current New Jersey State Constitution. On June 26, 1948, he was given a recess appointment by President Harry S. Truman as Undersecretary of Agriculture. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1949 and an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1950 to the Eighty-second Congress as well. Wene was unsuccessful for the gubernatorial nomination in 1953.
He died of cancer at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 25, 1957. He had never married or had children.[1] He was buried in Locust Grove Cemetery, Quakertown, New Jersey.
Electoral history
United States House of Representatives
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | T. Millet Hand (incumbent) | 54,897 | 54.34 | 7.38 | |
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene | 46,121 | 45.66 | ||
| Total votes | 101,018 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene (incumbent) | 40,478 | 52.98 | 0.83 | |
| Republican | Benjamin D. Foulois | 35,930 | 47.02 | ||
| Total votes | 76,408 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene | 60,392 | 52.15 | 3.09 | ||
| Republican | Walter S. Jeffries (incumbent) | 55,382 | 47.82 | 1.24 | ||
| Prohibition | Joseph B. Sharp | 35 | 0.03 | |||
| Total votes | 115,809 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Walter S. Jeffries | 57,090 | 50.60 | |||
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene (incumbent) | 55344 | 49.06 | 0.93 | ||
| Roosevelt Liberal Independent | Isaac Stalberg | 222 | 0.20 | |||
| Prohibition | Margaret V. Moody | 91 | 0.08 | |||
| Independent People's | Anthon B. Ferretti | 47 | 0.04 | |||
| Roosevelt Independent | Frank B. Hubin | 23 | 0.02 | |||
| Total votes | 112,817 | 100.0 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene | 55,580 | 49.99 | |||
| Republican | Isaac Bacharach (incumbent) | 50958 | 45.83 | 4.60 | ||
| Union | Ted Lenore | 3,241 | 2.91 | |||
| Property Home Protection | U. G. Robinson | 1,206 | 1.08 | |||
| Socialist | Franklin L. Watkins | 97 | 0.09 | 0.14 | ||
| National Union for Social Justice | Frank A. Yacovelli | 86 | 0.08 | |||
| End Poverty | Thomas F. Ogilvie | 17 | 0.02 | |||
| Total votes | 111,185 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
External links
- United States Congress. "Elmer H. Wene (id: W000294)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Elmer H. Wene at The Political Graveyard
- Elmer H. Wene at Find a Grave
References
- ^ a b "Elmer Wene Dies. Jersey Politician. Former Member of House and State Senate Failed in Two Governorship Attempts. Operated Chicken Farm. 'Battle of Bachelors' Tactics Paid Off". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 25, 1957. Retrieved 2014-12-28.
Elmer H. Wene, unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor in 1949, died last night of cancer at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. He was 64 years old. ...
- ^ "STATE OF NEW JERSEY Result of the General Election Held November 7th, 1950" (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "STATE OF NEW JERSEY Result of the General Election Held November 3rd, 1942" (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ "STATE OF NEW JERSEY Result of the General Election Held November 5th, 1940" (PDF). p. 5. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ "STATE OF NEW JERSEY Result of the General Election Held November 8th, 1938" (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "STATE OF NEW JERSEY Result of the General Election Held November 3rd, 1936" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 15 October 2025.