| Election Name: | 1959 New Jersey Senate elections |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Country: | New Jersey |
| Previous Election: | 1957 New Jersey State Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 1957 |
| Next Election: | 1961 New Jersey State Senate election |
| Next Year: | 1961 |
| Seats For Election: | 12 of the 21 seats in the New Jersey State Senate |
| Majority Seats: | 11 |
| Election Date: | November 3, 1959 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Races won |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Last Election1: | 13 |
| Seats Before1: | 12 |
| Seats1: | 11 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| 1Data1: | 5 |
| 2Data1: | 9 |
| Leader2: | Joseph W. Cowgill |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Leaders Seat2: | Camden |
| Last Election2: | 8 |
| Seats Before2: | 7 |
| Seats2: | 10 |
| Seat Change2: | 3 |
| 1Data2: | 6 |
| 2Data2: | 2 |
| Senate President | |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1959 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 3.
The elections took place midway through the second term of Governor Robert Meyner. Eleven of New Jersey's 21 counties held regular elections for Senator; Cumberland County also held a special election to complete the unexpired term of W. Howard Sharp, who died in December 1958.[1]
Democrats gained three seats (including the vacant seat in Cumberland) and nearly won control of the New Jersey Senate for the first time since 1915; only 567 votes separated victorious Republican Robert C. Crane and Democrat H. Roy Wheeler in Union County.
All ten incumbents ran for re-election.
| County | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | Frank S. Farley | Rep | No election | ||||
| Bergen | Walter H. Jones | Rep | No election | ||||
| Burlington | Albert McCay | Rep | Henry S. Haines | Dem | |||
| Camden | Joseph W. Cowgill | Dem | Joseph W. Cowgill | Dem | |||
| Cape May | Charles W. Sandman | Rep | Charles W. Sandman | Rep | |||
| Cumberland | Vacant | Robert H. Weber | Dem | ||||
| Essex | Donal C. Fox | Dem | Donal C. Fox | Dem | |||
| Gloucester | Vacant | Thomas F. Connery Jr. | Dem | ||||
| Hudson | William F. Kelly Jr. | Dem | No election | ||||
| Hunterdon | Wesley Lance | Rep | No election | ||||
| Mercer | Sido Ridolfi | Dem | No election | ||||
| Middlesex | John A. Lynch | Dem | John A. Lynch | Dem | |||
| Monmouth | Richard R. Stout | Rep | Richard R. Stout | Rep | |||
| Morris | Thomas J. Hillery | Rep | No election | ||||
| Ocean | W. Steelman Mathis | Rep | No election | ||||
| Passaic | Anthony J. Grossi | Dem | No election | ||||
| Salem | John A. Waddington | Dem | John A. Waddington | Dem | |||
| Somerset | William E. Ozzard | Rep | William E. Ozzard | Rep | |||
| Sussex | George B. Harper | Rep | No election | ||||
| Union | Robert C. Crane | Rep | Robert C. Crane | Rep | |||
| Warren | Wayne Dumont | Rep | Wayne Dumont | Rep | |||
Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%: