64th New York State Legislature

64th New York State Legislature

The Old State Capitol (1879)
Duration: January 1 – December 31, 1841
President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. Luther Bradish (W)
Temporary President of the State Senate:
Speaker of the State Assembly: Peter B. Porter, Jr. (W)
Members: 32 Senators
128 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Whig (21-11)
Assembly Majority: Whig (66-62)
Sessions
1st: January 5 – May 26, 1841
<63rd 65th>

The 64th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 25, 1841, during the third year of William H. Seward's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight 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.

At this time there were two political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.

On September 2, the Democratic state convention met at Syracuse, and nominated William C. Bouck for Governor, and State Senator Daniel S. Dickinson for Lieutenant Governor.

The Whig state convention nominated Gov. Seward and Lt. Gov. Bradish for re-election.

Elections

The State election was held from November 2 to 4, 1840. Gov. William H. Seward and Lt. Gov. Luther Bradish were re-elected. Also, the Whig electoral ticket won, and New York's 42 electoral votes were cast for William Henry Harrison and John Tyler.

State Senator Samuel Works (8th D.) was re-elected.

1840 New York State Senate election result
District Whig Democrat
First Samuel Stevens[1] 24,847 John B. Scott 26,246
Second John T. Jansen 26,049 Robert Denniston 30,049
Third Jonas C. Heartt 26,766 Henry W. Strong 28,334
Fourth John W. Taylor 29,387 Gardner Stow 27,659
Fifth Chester Buck 28,139 Henry A. Foster 29,196
Sixth Nehemiah Platt 29,100 James Faulkner 27,971
Seventh Elijah Rhoades 27,877 John Watson 26,068
Eighth Samuel Works 31,430 John T. Hudson 20,381

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1841; and the Assembly adjourned on May 25, the Senate on May 26.

Peter B. Porter, Jr. (W) was elected Speaker with 65 votes against 60 for Levi S. Chatfield (D).

On January 27, the Legislature elected John A. Collier (W) to succeed Bates Cooke (W) as State Comptroller.

The Legislature re-elected State Treasurer Jacob Haight (W), and Surveyor General Orville L. Holley.

In February, the Governor and Senate removed Robert H. Morris from the office of Recorder of New York City. Three months later Morris was elected Mayor of New York City.

On May 19, Wyoming County was split from Genesee County, and was apportioned two seats in the Assembly. Genesee County remained with the other two seats.[2]

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. Robert Denniston changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
First Gulian C. Verplanck* 1 year Whig
Gabriel Furman* 2 years Whig
Minthorne Tompkins* 3 years Democrat resigned on March 8, 1841
John B. Scott 4 years Democrat
Second Henry A. Livingston* 1 year Whig
Daniel Johnson* 2 years Democrat
John Hunter* 3 years Democrat
Robert Denniston* 4 years Democrat
Third Friend Humphrey* 1 year Whig
Alonzo C. Paige* 2 years Democrat
Erastus Root* 3 years Whig
Henry W. Strong 4 years Democrat also Recorder of Troy
Fourth Martin Lee* 1 year Whig
Bethuel Peck* 2 years Whig
James G. Hopkins* 3 years Whig
John W. Taylor 4 years Whig
Fifth Avery Skinner* 1 year Democrat also Postmaster of Union Square
Joseph Clark* 2 years Democrat
Sumner Ely* 3 years Democrat
Henry A. Foster 4 years Democrat
Sixth Laurens Hull* 1 year Whig
Alvah Hunt* 2 years Whig
Andrew B. Dickinson* 3 years Whig
Nehemiah Platt 4 years Whig
Seventh John Maynard* 1 year Whig in November 1840 elected to the 27th U.S. Congress;
resigned on March 4, 1841
Robert C. Nicholas* 2 years Whig
Mark H. Sibley* 3 years Whig resigned on May 28, 1841
Elijah Rhoades 4 years Whig
Eighth William A. Moseley* 1 year Whig
Henry Hawkins* 2 years Whig
Abram Dixon* 3 years Whig
Samuel Works* 4 years Whig

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.

Party affiliations follow the result given in The New Yorker.[3]

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Aaron Houghtailing Whig
Francis Lansing Democrat
Henry G. Wheaton* Whig
Allegany Lorenzo Dana* Whig
Horace Hunt Whig
Broome Gideon M. Hotchkiss Whig
Cattaraugus Alonzo Hawley Whig
Chester Howe Whig
Cayuga Darius Adams Whig
John W. McFadden* Whig
Osman Rhoades Whig
Chautauqua Benjamin Douglass Whig
George A. French* Whig
Robertson Whiteside Whig
Chemung Jefferson B. Clark Whig
Chenango Calvin Cole Whig
Eber Dimmick Whig
Benson H. Wheeler Whig
Clinton George M. Beckwith Whig
Columbia Waterman Lippitt Democrat
William G. Mandeville Democrat
John Milham Democrat
Cortland Nathan Heaton Whig
Lovel G. Mickels Whig
Delaware Stephen H. Keeler Democrat
Charles Knapp Democrat
Dutchess Jonathan Akin Democrat
Edmund Elmendorf Democrat
John Thompson Democrat
Erie Carlos Emmons Whig
Seth C. Hawley* Whig
Stephen Osborn* Whig
Essex George A. Simmons* Whig
Franklin John S. Eldridge* Whig
Fulton and Hamilton Jenison G. Ward Whig
Genesee John W. Brownson* Whig
Samuel Richmond Whig
David Scott Whig
Isaac N. Stoddard Whig
Greene Turhand K. Cooke Democrat
Daniel G. Quackenboss Democrat
Herkimer Michael Hoffman Democrat
Arphaxed Loomis Democrat
Jefferson William McAllister Whig
William C. Pierrepoint Whig
Joseph Webb Whig
Kings William Conselyea Whig
Jeremiah Johnson* Whig
Lewis Eliphalet Sears Democrat
Livingston Augustus Gibbs Whig
Reuben P. Wisner Whig
Madison Seneca B. Burchard Whig
Oliver Pool Whig
Daniel Van Vleck Whig
Monroe Alexander Kelsey Whig
Lucius Lilley Whig
Enoch Strong* Whig
Montgomery Reuben Howe Democrat
Daniel F. Nellis Democrat
New York Cornelius H. Bryson* Democrat
Abraham B. Davis Democrat
David R. Floyd-Jones Democrat
Paul Grout* Democrat
Norman Hickok* Democrat
William B. Maclay* Democrat
William McMurray Democrat
Absalom E. Miller[4] Democrat
John L. O'Sullivan Democrat
Edmund J. Porter* Democrat
Conrad Swackhamer Democrat
Solomon Townsend* Democrat
George Weir* Democrat
Niagara Peter B. Porter, Jr.* Whig elected Speaker
Francis O. Pratt* Whig
Oneida Calvin Dawley Democrat
Joseph Halleck Democrat
Luke Hitchcock Democrat
Nathaniel Odell Democrat
Onondaga Moses D. Burnet Democrat
William Fuller Democrat
David Munro Democrat
William Taylor Democrat
Ontario Isaac Mills Whig
Daniel A. Robinson Whig
Alvah Worden Whig
Orange Gideon W. Cock Democrat
Lewis Cuddeback Democrat
Robert Sly Democrat
Orleans Richard W. Gates Whig
Oswego William Duer* Whig
Edward B. Judson Whig
Otsego Olcott C. Chamberlin Democrat
Levi S. Chatfield* Democrat
Joel Gillett Democrat also Postmaster of Westville
Putnam James H. Cornwall Democrat
Queens John W. Lawrence Democrat
Rensselaer Claudius Moffit Whig also Postmaster of South Stephentown
John Tilley Whig
William H. Van Schoonhoven* Whig
Richmond Israel Oakley Whig
Rockland Edward De Noyelles Democrat
St. Lawrence Zenas Clark* Democrat
Solomon Pratt Democrat
Saratoga Jesse H. Mead Whig
Abijah Peck Jr. Whig
Schenectady Abraham Pearse Whig
Schoharie Nicholas Beekman Democrat
Jacob C. Skillman Democrat
Seneca Daniel Holman Democrat
Steuben Andrew G. Chatfield* Democrat
William S. Hubbell Democrat
Samuel A. Johnson Democrat
Suffolk Josiah C. Dayton Democrat
Alanson Seaman Democrat
Sullivan William F. Brodhead Democrat
Tioga Washington Smith Democrat
Tompkins Levi Hubbell Whig
Alpha H. Shaw Whig
Ulster Conrad Brodhead Whig
George G. Graham Whig
Warren George Sanford Democrat
Washington Erastus D. Culver Whig
Reuben Skinner Whig
Wayne Esbon Blackmar Whig
John M. Holley Whig
Westchester Joseph T. Carpenter Democrat
Horatio Lockwood Democrat
Yates Heman Chapman Democrat

Employees

Notes

  1. ↑ Samuel Stevens, of New york City, Anti-Masonic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1830 and 1832
  2. ↑ see Laws of the State of New York (1841; pg. 169ff)
  3. ↑ see The New Yorker (issue of November 14, 1840; pg. 139)
  4. ↑ Due to misprinted ballots, the election inspectors certified Absalom "A." Miller as elected, but the Assembly admitted Absalom "E." Miller to the seat; see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 143–146)

Sources