Speaker of the New York State Assembly |
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Seal of New York |
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Style | The Honorable (diplomatic) Mister Speaker (within the assembly) |
Inaugural holder | Walter Livingston September 10, 1777 |
Formation | New York State Constitution |
Succession | Third |
Website | [2] |
The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party.
As in most countries with a British heritage, the speaker presides over the lower house of the legislature. (The position exists in every U.S. state and in the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of the Congress. New York's Assembly Speaker is very powerful. Effectively, the Speaker of the New York Assembly has the power to control much of the business in the Assembly and, in fact, throughout all of state government. Through almost single-handed control of the chamber, the Assembly Speaker is able to dictate what legislation makes it to the floor and what does not, and will punish the members of his caucus that do not vote in his favor (e.g. former assembly majority leader Michael Bragman losing his leadership post after running against current speaker Sheldon Silver). Through this and heavy gerrymandering that has given him a near-permanent supermajority, the Assembly Speaker rarely faces any challenge to his post.
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Originally, the legislative term lasted one year, from July 1 until June 30 of the next year. The members were elected at the state election in April, but the actual session began ordinarily only in January of the next calendar year which leads occasionally to some confusion. Only if the governor called for a special session, the Assembly convened earlier. For example, in presidential election years the Assembly convened already in November to elect the presidential electors. The speaker was always elected at the first meeting of the Assembly for the remainder of the term, expiring on June 30.
The State Constitution of 1821 moved the election to November, and the beginning of the term to January 1, and from 1823 on the legislative term coincides with the calendar year. The assembly convened usually on the first Tuesday in January and elected the speaker, who stayed in office until December 31.
An amendment to the State Constitution, adopted in November 1937, extended the assemblymen's term to two years, beginning with the electees of November 1938 who served the first two-year term in 1939-40. The elections are held in even-numbered years.
Speakers since 1823 are:[6][7][8]
Speaker | Party | County | Took office | Left office | Notes |
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Peter R. Livingston | Dem.-Rep./Bucktails | Dutchess | January 7, 1823 | December 31, 1823 | |
Richard Goodell | Dem.-Rep./Bucktails | Jefferson | January 6, 1824 | December 31, 1824 | |
Clarkson Crolius | Dem.-Rep./ Tammany Hall |
New York | January 4, 1825 | December 31, 1825 | |
Samuel Young | Dem.-Rep./Bucktails | Saratoga | January 3, 1826 | December 31, 1826 | |
Erastus Root | Dem.-Rep./Bucktails | Delaware | January 2, 1827 | December 31, 1828 | two terms |
Peter Robinson | Dem./Jacksonian | Broome | January 6, 1829 | December 31, 1829 | |
Erastus Root | Dem./Jacksonian | Delaware | January 5, 1830 | December 31, 1830 | third term |
George R. Davis | Democratic | Rensselaer | January 4, 1831 | December 31, 1831 | |
Charles L. Livingston | Democratic | New York | January 3, 1832 | December 31, 1833 | two terms |
William Baker | Democratic | Otsego | January 7, 1834 | December 31, 1834 | |
Charles Humphrey | Democratic | Tompkins | January 6, 1835 | December 31, 1836 | two terms |
Edward Livingston | Democratic | Suffolk | January 3, 1837 | December 31, 1837 | |
Luther Bradish | Whig | Franklin | January 2, 1838 | December 31, 1838 | |
George W. Patterson | Whig | Livingston | January 1, 1839 | December 31, 1840 | two terms |
Peter B. Porter, Jr. | Whig | Niagara | January 5, 1841 | December 31, 1841 | |
Levi S. Chatfield | Democratic | Otsego | January 4, 1842 | December 31, 1842 | |
George R. Davis | Democratic | Rensselaer | January 3, 1843 | December 31, 1843 | second term |
Elisha Litchfield | Democratic | Onondaga | January 2, 1844 | December 31, 1844 | |
Horatio Seymour | Democratic | Oneida | January 7, 1845 | December 31, 1845 | |
William C. Crain | Democratic | Herkimer | January 6, 1846 | December 31, 1846 | |
William C. Hasbrouck | Whig | Orange | January 5, 1847 | December 31, 1847 | |
Amos K. Hadley | Whig | Rensselaer | January 4, 1848 | December 31, 1849 | two terms |
Noble S. Elderkin | Democratic | St. Lawrence | January 1, 1850 | January 30, 1850 | left the Assembly to return home to his sick wife |
Robert H. Pruyn | Whig | Albany | January 30, 1850[9] | March 14, 1850 | elected when Elderkin left the Assembly |
Ferral C. Dininny | Democratic | Steuben | March 14, 1850 | December 31, 1850 | |
Henry Jarvis Raymond | Whig | New York | January 7, 1851 | June 10, 1851 | |
Joseph B. Varnum, Jr. | Whig | Albany | June 10, 1851 | December 31, 1851 | elected when Raymond failed to attend special session |
Jonas C. Heartt | Whig | Rensselaer | January 6, 1852 | December 31, 1852 | |
William H. Ludlow | Democratic | Suffolk | January 4, 1853 | December 31, 1853 | |
Robert H. Pruyn | Whig | Albany | January 3, 1854 | December 31, 1854 | second term |
DeWitt C. Littlejohn | American[10] | Oswego | January 2, 1855 | December 31, 1855 | |
Orville Robinson | Democratic | Oswego | January 16, 1856 | December 31, 1856 | The Assembly convened on January 1, but it took more than two weeks to elect the Speaker. |
DeWitt C. Littlejohn | Republican | Oswego | January 6, 1857 | December 31, 1857 | second term |
Thomas G. Alvord | Democratic | Onondaga | February 2, 1858 | December 31, 1858 | |
DeWitt C. Littlejohn | Republican | Oswego | January, 1859 | December 31, 1861 | three terms (third, fourth and fifth) |
Henry Jarvis Raymond | Republican | New York | January, 1862 | December 31, 1862 | second term |
Theophilus C. Callicot | Democratic | Kings | January 26, 1863 | February 1863 | suspended during the investigation of the circumstances of his election |
Chauncey M. Depew | Republican | Westchester | February, 1863 | April, 1863 | Acting Speaker during Callicot's suspension |
Theophilus C. Callicot | Democratic | Kings | April, 1863 | December 31, 1863 | reinstated |
Thomas G. Alvord | Republican | Onondaga | January, 1864 | December 31, 1864 | second term |
George G. Hoskins | Republican | Wyoming | January, 1865 | December 31, 1865 | |
Lyman Tremain | Republican | Albany | January, 1866 | December 31, 1866 | |
Edmund L. Pitts | Republican | Orleans | January, 1867 | December 31, 1867 | |
William Hitchman | Democratic | New York | January, 1868 | December 31, 1868 | |
Truman G. Younglove | Republican | Saratoga | January, 1869 | December 31, 1869 | |
William Hitchman | Democratic | New York | January, 1870 | December 31, 1871 | two terms (second and third) |
Henry Smith | Republican | Albany | January, 1872 | December 31, 1872 | |
Alonzo B. Cornell | Republican | New York | January, 1873 | December 31, 1873 | |
James W. Husted | Republican | Westchester | January, 1874 | December 31, 1874 | |
Jeremiah McGuire | Democratic | Chemung | January, 1875 | December 31, 1875 | |
James W. Husted | Republican | Westchester | January, 1876 | December 31, 1876 | second term |
George B. Sloan | Republican | Oswego | January, 1877 | December 31, 1877 | |
James W. Husted | Republican | Westchester | January, 1878 | December 31, 1878 | third term |
Thomas G. Alvord | Republican | Onondaga | January, 1879 | December 31, 1879 | third term |
George H. Sharpe | Republican | Ulster | January, 1880 | December 31, 1881 | two terms |
Charles E. Patterson | Democratic | Rensselaer | February 2, 1882 | December 31, 1882 | |
Alfred C. Chapin | Democratic | Kings | January, 1883 | December 31, 1883 | |
Titus Sheard | Republican | Herkimer | January, 1884 | December 31, 1884 | |
George Z. Erwin | Republican | St. Lawrence | January, 1885 | December 31, 1885 | |
James W. Husted | Republican | Westchester | January, 1886 | December 31, 1887 | two terms (fourth and fifth) |
Fremont Cole | Republican | Schuyler | January, 1888 | December 31, 1889 | two terms |
James W. Husted | Republican | Westchester | January, 1890 | December 31, 1890 | sixth term |
William F. Sheehan | Democratic | Erie | January, 1891 | December 31, 1891 | |
Robert P. Bush | Democratic | Chemung | January 5, 1892 | December 31, 1892 | |
William Sulzer | Democratic | New York | January, 1893 | December 31, 1893 | |
George R. Malby | Republican | St. Lawrence | January, 1894 | December 31, 1894 | |
Hamilton Fish II | Republican | Putnam | January, 1895 | December 31, 1896 | two terms |
James M. E. O'Grady | Republican | Monroe | January 5, 1897 | December 31, 1898 | two terms |
S. Frederick Nixon | Republican | Chautauqua | January, 1899 | October 10, 1905 | died in office during his seventh term |
James W. Wadsworth, Jr. | Republican | Livingston | January, 1906 | December 31, 1910 | five terms |
Daniel D. Frisbie | Democratic | Schoharie | January 4, 1911 | December 31, 1911 | |
Edwin A. Merritt, Jr. | Republican | St. Lawrence | January 3, 1912 | November 5, 1912 | resigned to take his seat in Congress |
Alfred E. Smith | Democratic | New York | January, 1913 | December 31, 1913 | |
Thaddeus C. Sweet | Republican | Oswego | January 7, 1914 | December 31, 1920 | seven terms |
H. Edmund Machold | Republican | Jefferson | January 5, 1921 | December 31, 1924 | four terms |
Joseph A. McGinnies | Republican | Chautauqua | January 7, 1925 | December 31, 1934 | ten terms |
Irwin Steingut | Democratic | Kings | January 2, 1935 | December 31, 1935 | father of Speaker Stanley Steingut |
Irving M. Ives | Republican | Chenango | January 1, 1936 | December 31, 1936 | |
Oswald D. Heck | Republican | Schenectady | January 13, 1937 | May 21, 1959 | longest serving Speaker (22 years and 4 months), died in office during his thirteenth term [11] |
Joseph Carlino | Republican | Nassau | May 21, 1959 | December 31, 1964 | as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon the death of Oswald D. Heck, elected Speaker on July 1 for the remainder of the term, then re-elected to another two terms |
Anthony J. Travia | Democratic | Kings | February 4, 1965 | July 22, 1968 | vacated his seat during his second term upon appointment as a federal judge |
Moses M. Weinstein | Democratic | Queens | July 23, 1968 | December 31, 1968 | as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Travia's resignation for the remainder of the term[12] |
Perry B. Duryea, Jr. | Republican | Suffolk | January 8, 1969 | December 31, 1974 | three terms, last Republican Speaker to date |
Stanley Steingut | Democratic | Kings | January 8, 1975 | December 31, 1978 | two terms, son of Speaker Irwin Steingut |
Stanley Fink | Democratic | Kings | January 2, 1979 | December 31, 1986 | four terms |
Mel Miller | Democratic | Kings | January 8, 1987 | December 13, 1991 | removed from office upon federal conviction in the middle of his third term |
James R. Tallon, Jr. | Democratic | Broome | December 13, 1991 | December 16, 1991 | as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Miller's removal from office until the election of a successor |
Saul Weprin | Democratic | Queens | December 16, 1991 | February 11, 1994 | elected for the remainder of Miller's term, then re-elected to another term, died in office |
Sheldon Silver | Democratic | New York | February 11, 1994 | Present | as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Weprin's death, elected Speaker for the remainder of the term, and re-elected eight times, still in office |
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