The 1881 United States Senate special election in New York was held from May 31 to July 22, 1881, by the New York State Legislature to elect two U.S. senators (Class 1 and Class 3) to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate. Amid ongoing disputes with President James A. Garfield over federal patronage privileges in the state of New York, particularly the lucrative postings at the New York Customs House, Republican Senators Roscoe Conkling and Thomas C. Platt both resigned. Their resignations were designed to trigger special elections, in which they expected to be re-elected to affirm their support in the New York Legislature as a show of either popularity or political force. Instead, the legislature demurred for 52 days before electing Warner Miller and Elbridge Lapham in their place. On July 1, Platt withdrew from the election after 31 inconclusive joint ballots, most of them led by Chauncey Depew. The early ballots for Conkling's seat were generally led by former Vice President of the United States William A. Wheeler. On July 2, President Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau, who declared his support for Conkling's Stalwart faction immediately after the shooting. With no consensus emerging for either seat, a Republican caucus met on July 8 to nominate replacement candidates and settled on Warner Miller and Elbridge Lapham after Depew withdrew. Two weeks later, Warner Miller was elected to Platt's seat. Conkling's supporters held out for another week before acquiescing to the unanimous nomination of Lapham on July 22, ending the election. President Garfield died on September 19. With the Stalwart faction effectively eliminated by Conkling's removal from office, Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which was signed into law by Chester A. Arthur, a former Conkling protégé. (en)