In 1917, there were only three officers to be elected statewide:
the Attorney General, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Egburt E. Woodbury. On April 25, 1917, First Deputy Attorney General Merton E. Lewis was elected by the New York State Legislature to fill the unexpired term until the end of the year.
a judge of the Court of Appeals, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Samuel Seabury who had run for Governor of New York in 1916. Democrat Benjamin N. Cardozo was appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily.
a judge of the Court of Appeals, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Frank H. HiscockasChief Judge. Republican Chester B. McLaughlin had been appointed to fill the vacancy temporarily.
The primaries were held on September 19. All nominees were unopposed.
^Coleridge Allen Hart (b. July 11, 1852 Peekskill), lawyer, of Brooklyn, ran also for Attorney General in 1889, and for the Court of Appeals in 1907, 1908, 1914 and 1916