26th New York State Legislature

26th New York State Legislature

The Old Albany City Hall (undated)
Duration: July 1, 1802 – June 30, 1803
President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer (Dem.-Rep.)
Temporary President of the State Senate:
Speaker of the State Assembly: Thomas Storm (Dem.-Rep.)
Members: 32 Senators
100 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Democratic-Republican (19-11)
Assembly Majority: Democratic-Republican
Sessions
1st: January 25 – April 6, 1803
<25th 27th>

The 26th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 25 to April 6, 1803, during the second year of George Clinton's second tenure as Governor of New York, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the Constitutional Convention of 1801, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in the four senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year eight Senate seats came up for election. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since. In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the last Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[1]

Elections

The State election was held from April 27 to 29, 1802. Senators John Schenck (Southern D.) and Solomon Sutherland (Middle D.) were re-elected. Joseph Annin, Matthias B. Tallmadge, George Tiffany (all three Western D.); and Assemblymen Abraham Adriance (Middle D.), Asa Danforth and Jacob Snell (both Western D.) were also elected to the Senate. All eight were Democratic-Republicans.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 25, 1803; and adjourned on April 6.

Dem.-Rep. Thomas Storm was re-elected Speaker. Solomon Southwick (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 42 votes against 31 for the incumbent James Van Ingen (Fed.).

On February 1, 1803, the Legislature elected Theodorus Bailey (Dem.-Rep.) to the U.S. Senate, to succeed Gouverneur Morris (Fed.).

On February 8, 1803, the Legislature elected Abraham G. Lansing (Dem.-Rep.) State Treasurer, to succeed Robert McClellan (Fed.).

State Senate

Districts

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Abraham Adriance, Asa Danforth and Jacob Snell changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
Southern Richard Hatfield* 1 year Federalist
William Denning* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Benjamin Huntting* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer Purdy* 2 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Ezra L'Hommedieu* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
John Schenck* 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Middle John Hathorn* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
John Suffern* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
John C. Hogeboom* 2 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
James W. Wilkin* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Jacobus S. Bruyn* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Peter A. Van Bergen* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
(Solomon Sutherland*) 4 years Dem.-Rep. died September 10, 1802, before the Legislature met[2]
Abraham Adriance* 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Eastern Zina Hitchcock* 1 year Federalist
Ebenezer Russell* 1 year Federalist
Edward Savage* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
James Gordon* 2 years Federalist
Jacobus Van Schoonhoven* 3 years Federalist elected to the Council of Appointment
Abraham Van Vechten* 3 years Federalist also Recorder of the City of Albany
(Christopher Hutton*) 3 years Dem.-Rep./Fed.
Western Vincent Mathews* 1 year Federalist
Moss Kent* 1 year Federalist
Robert Roseboom* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Jedediah Sanger* 2 years Federalist also First Judge of the Oneida County Court
Lemuel Chipman* 3 years Federalist
Isaac Foote 3 years Federalist
Joseph Annin 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Asa Danforth* 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Jacob Snell* 4 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Matthias B. Tallmadge 4 years Dem.-Rep.
George Tiffany 4 years Dem.-Rep.

Employees

State Assembly

Districts

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature. Stephen Lush changed from the Senate to the Assembly.

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Johann Jost Dietz* Federalist
John Frisby
Stephen Lush* Federalist
Maus Schermerhorn
Peter S. Schuyler* Federalist
Jacob Ten Eyck* Federalist
Cayuga Salmon Buell*
Silas Halsey Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Hewitt
Chenango James Green
Stephen Hoxie
Joel Thompson Federalist previously a member from Albany Co.
Uri Tracy Dem.-Rep. also Chenango County Clerk
Clinton Peter Sailly Dem.-Rep.
Columbia Samuel Edmonds Federalist
Aaron Kellogg Federalist
Moncrief Livingston Federalist
Peter Silvester Federalist
Delaware John Lamb
Elias Osborn Dem.-Rep.
Dutchess Joseph C. Field Dem.-Rep.
John Jewett Dem.-Rep.
John Martin Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Mitchell Dem.-Rep.
Philip Spencer Jr. Dem.-Rep.
Theodorus R. Van Wyck Dem.-Rep.
James Winchell Dem.-Rep.
Essex Thomas Stower
Genesee
and Ontario		 Thaddeus Chapin
Augustus Porter Dem.-Rep.
Polydore B. Wisner
Greene George Hale Federalist
Martin G. Schuneman Dem.-Rep. previously a member from Ulster Co.
Herkimer Stephen Miller Dem.-Rep.
George Widrig* Dem.-Rep.
Samuel Wright Dem.-Rep.
Kings John Hicks
Montgomery Henry Kennedy
John Roof
Alexander Sheldon* Dem.-Rep.
Daniel Walker
Charles Ward* Dem.-Rep.
New York John Brower
John Burger
William Few* Dem.-Rep.
William W. Gilbert Dem.-Rep.
Peter Irving
Cornelius C. Roosevelt
Ezekiel Robins* Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Storm* Dem.-Rep. re-elected Speaker
Daniel D. Tompkins Dem.-Rep.
Oneida James Dean Sr.
Abel French* Federalist
John Lay
Aaron Morse
Onondaga John Lamb Dem.-Rep.
John McWhorter Dem.-Rep.
Orange James Burt* Dem.-Rep.
William A. Clark
James Finch Jr.
Reuben Neely
Otsego Daniel Hawks
James Moore
Jedediah Peck* Dem.-Rep.
Luther Rich
Queens Stephen Carman Federalist
Abraham Monfoort* Dem.-Rep.
Henry O. Seaman Dem.-Rep.
Rensselaer John Green* Dem.-Rep.
Jonathan Rouse Dem.-Rep.
John Ryan Dem.-Rep.
John Woodworth Dem.-Rep.
vacant Nicholas Staats (Dem.-Rep.) and Arent Van Dyck (Fed.) were tied
in fifth place with 1,271 votes each, so there was "no choice".[3]
Richmond Paul I. Micheau* Federalist
Rockland Peter Denoyelles* Dem.-Rep.
Saratoga Samuel Clark*
Adam Comstock* Dem.-Rep.
Gideon Goodrich Dem.-Rep.
Othniel Looker Dem.-Rep.
Schoharie Henry Becker Dem.-Rep.
Lawrence Lawyer Jr.* Dem.-Rep.
Steuben James Faulkner Dem.-Rep.
Suffolk Israel Carll* Dem.-Rep.
Jonathan Dayton Dem.-Rep.
Josiah Reeve
Tioga Caleb Hyde* Dem.-Rep.
Ulster Moses Cantine Jr. Dem.-Rep.
James Kain
Cornelius Low Federalist
Elnathan Sears* Dem.-Rep.
Washington David Austin Dem.-Rep.
Kitchel Bishop* Dem.-Rep.
Alexander Cowan* Dem.-Rep.
Jason Kellogg* Dem.-Rep.
John McLean* Dem.-Rep.
Isaac Sargent* Dem.-Rep.
Westchester Abijah Gilbert* Dem.-Rep.
Abraham Odell* Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Thomas* Dem.-Rep.
Joseph Travis* Dem.-Rep.

Employees

Notes

  1. ↑ The Anti-Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic and Republican parties.
  2. ↑ see Burial place at Find a Grave
  3. ↑ Staats claimed the seat, but was not admitted; see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 18f)

Sources