92nd New York State Legislature

92nd New York State Legislature

The Old State Capitol (1879)
Duration: January 1 – December 31, 1869
President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. Allen C. Beach (D)
Temporary President of the State Senate: Charles J. Folger (R), from February 4;
Richard Crowley (R), on February 24
Speaker of the State Assembly: Truman G. Younglove (R)
Members: 32 Senators
128 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Republican (17-15)
Assembly Majority: Republican (75-53)
Sessions
1st: January 5 – May 11, 1869
<91st 93rd>

The 92nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 11, 1869, during the first year of John T. Hoffman's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators and 128 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts were made up of entire counties, except New York County (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,[1] forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.

According to the Constitution of 1846, twenty years after its elaboration the electorate was asked if they wanted a Constitutional Convention to be held, which was answered at the New York state election, 1866, in the affirmative. On April 23, 1867, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were elected, resulting in a Republican majority. On June 4, the Constitutional Convention met at Albany; adjourned on September 23; and met again on November 12. On February 28, 1868, the Constitutional Convention adjourned sine die. How to put the proposed amendments before the electorate was then debated throughout the 91st and the 92nd Legislature, and all amendments, except the re-organization of the judicial system, were eventually rejected by the voters at the New York state election, 1869.

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

Elections

The New York state election, 1868 was held on November 3. Mayor of New York John T. Hoffman and Allen C. Beach (both Democrats) were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The other three statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democrats 439,000 and Republicans 411,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1869; and adjourned on May 11.

Truman G. Younglove (R) was elected Speaker with 71 votes against 52 for William Hitchman (D).

On January 19, the Legislature elected Ex-Governor Reuben E. Fenton (R) to succeed Edwin D. Morgan as U.S. Senator from New York for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1869.

On February 4, Charles J. Folger (R) was elected President pro tempore of the State Senate "for this session."

On February 24, Richard Crowley (R) was elected President pro tempore of the State Senate "for this day."

On April 29, the Legislature elected Henry Smith (R) as a Metropolitan Police Commissioner, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas C. Acton.

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.

District Senator Party Notes
1st Lewis A. Edwards* Democrat
2nd James F. Pierce* Democrat
3rd Henry C. Murphy* Democrat
4th William M. Tweed* Democrat
5th Michael Norton* Democrat also an Alderman of New York City
6th Thomas J. Creamer* Democrat
7th John J. Bradley* Democrat
8th Henry W. Genet* Democrat
9th William Cauldwell* Democrat
10th William M. Graham* Democrat
11th Abiah W. Palmer* Republican
12th Francis S. Thayer* Republican
13th A. Bleecker Banks Democrat
14th George Beach* Democrat
15th Charles Stanford* Republican
16th Matthew Hale* Republican
17th Abraham X. Parker* Republican
18th John O'Donnell* Republican
19th Samuel Campbell* Republican
20th John B. Van Petten* Republican
21st Abner C. Mattoon* Republican
22nd George N. Kennedy* Republican
23rd John F. Hubbard Jr.* Democrat
24th Orlow W. Chapman* Republican
25th Stephen K. Williams* Republican
26th Charles J. Folger* Republican on February 4, elected President pro tempore
27th John I. Nicks* Republican
28th Lewis H. Morgan* Republican
29th Richard Crowley* Republican on February 24, elected President pro tempore
30th Wolcott J. Humphrey* Republican
31st Asher P. Nichols* Democrat
32nd Lorenzo Morris* Democrat

Employees

State Assembly

Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany 1st Hugh Conger Republican
2nd Adam W. Smith Democrat
3rd John M. Kimball Democrat
4th John Tighe Democrat
Allegany Silas Richardson* Republican
Broome William M. Ely Republican
Cattaraugus 1st Claudius V. B. Barse Republican
2nd William H. Stuart Republican
Cayuga 1st Charles H. Weed* Republican
2nd Sanford Gifford* Republican
Chautauqua 1st Matthew P. Bemus* Republican
2nd Winfield S. Cameron* Republican
Chemung Edward L. Patrick Democrat
Chenango Charles Pearsall Republican
Clinton Daniel Stewart Republican
Columbia 1st Edward Sturges Democrat
2nd Moses Y. Tilden Democrat
Cortland Hiram Whitmarsh Republican
Delaware 1st Benjamin J. Bassett Republican
2nd John Ferris Republican
Dutchess 1st David R. Gould Republican
2nd William W. Hegeman Republican
Erie 1st George J. Bamler* Democrat
2nd Philip H. Bender Republican
3rd James A. Chase Republican
4th Charles B. Rich Republican
5th Abbot C. Calkins Republican
Essex Samuel Root* Republican
Franklin Edmund F. Sargent* Republican
Fulton and Hamilton William F. Barker Republican
Genesee Edward C. Walker Republican
Greene Baldwin Griffin Democrat
Herkimer Erasmus W. Day Republican
Jefferson 1st Jay Dimick Republican
2nd William W. Butterfield Republican
Kings 1st Hugh M. Clark Democrat
2nd Henry J. Cullen Jr. Democrat
3rd Dennis O'Keeffe Democrat
4th William W. Moseley Democrat
5th James R. Allaben Republican
6th Andrew B. Hodges Republican
7th George L. Fox Democrat
8th DeWitt C. Tower* Democrat
9th John C. Jacobs* Democrat
Lewis Chester Ray Republican
Livingston Lewis E. Smith* Republican
Madison 1st Wesley M. Carpenter Republican
2nd Leonard C. Kilham Republican
Monroe 1st Charles S. Wright Republican
2nd Nehemiah C. Bradstreet* Democrat
3rd Andrew J. Randall Republican
Montgomery Darius V. Berry Republican
New York 1st Michael C. Murphy* Democrat
2nd Dennis Burns* Democrat
3rd Owen Cavanagh Democrat
4th John Galvin* Democrat
5th Peter Mitchell Democrat
6th Timothy J. Campbell* Democrat unsuccessfully contested by Frederick Zimmer[2]
7th James A. Richmond Republican
8th Martin Nachtmann Democrat
9th William G. Bergen* Democrat
10th Anthony Hartman* Democrat
11th Peter Trainer* Democrat
12th Henry Woltman Democrat
13th William Halpin Democrat contested, seat vacated on April 23[3]
Alexander McLeod Republican seated on April 23
14th Charles H. Whalen Democrat contested; seat vacated on April 2[4]
James McKiever Democrat seated on April 2
15th Alexander Frear* Democrat
16th James Irving* Democrat
17th George W. Plunkitt Democrat
18th Lawrence D. Kiernan* Democrat
19th Josiah Porter Democrat
20th John Keegan Democrat
21st William Hitchman* Democrat
Niagara 1st Ransom M. Skeels* Democrat
2nd Benjamin Farley* Republican
Oneida 1st Eli B. Avery Republican
2nd Addison B. Tuttle Republican
3rd James Stevens* Democrat
4th Erastus Ely Republican
Onondaga 1st James V. Kendall Republican
2nd Moses Summers Republican
3rd Miles B. Hackett Republican
Ontario 1st Henry Ray* Republican
2nd George Cook Republican
Orange 1st J. C. Bancroft Davis Republican seat vacated on March 26 upon appointment
as United States Assistant Secretary of State
2nd Thomas J. Lyon Democrat
Orleans Marvin Harris Republican
Oswego 1st Benjamin Doolittle Republican
2nd James D. Lasher* Republican
3rd Nathan B. Smith Republican
Otsego 1st William W. Campbell Republican
2nd Clifford S. Arms Republican
Putnam Morgan Horton Democrat
Queens 1st James B. Pearsall Democrat
2nd John B. Madden* Democrat
Rensselaer 1st John L. Flagg* Democrat
2nd Edward Akin Republican
3rd Harris B. Howard* Democrat
Richmond John Decker* Democrat contested; seat vacated on April 27[5]
Willett N. Hawkins seated on April 27
Rockland James Suffern Democrat
St. Lawrence 1st George M. Gleason* Republican
2nd Julius M. Palmer* Republican
3rd Alexander H. Andrews* Republican
Saratoga 1st Truman G. Younglove* Republican elected Speaker
2nd DeWitt C. Hoyt Republican
Schenectady Henry M. Crane Republican
Schoharie Peter R. Dyckman Democrat
Schuyler George Clark* Republican
Seneca Josiah T. Miller Democrat
Steuben 1st Monroe Brundage Republican
2nd Samuel Mitchell Republican
Suffolk William A. Conant Republican
Sullivan James L. La Moree Democrat
Tioga Lyman Truman Republican
Tompkins John H. Selkreg* Republican
Ulster 1st Patrick J. Flynn Democrat
2nd Abraham E. Hasbrouck* Democrat
3rd James O. Schoonmaker Republican
Warren Nicholas B. La Bau* Republican
Washington 1st William J. Perry Republican
2nd Isaac V. Baker Jr. Republican
Wayne 1st Merritt Thornton Republican
2nd Elijah M. K. Glenn* Republican
Westchester 1st Clairborne Ferris Democrat
2nd Edward D. Lawrence Democrat
3rd James W. Husted Republican
Wyoming Marcus A. Hull Republican
Yates Foster A. Hixson Republican

Employees

Notes

  1. ↑ Except New York City where the wards were apportioned into election districts, and then some whole wards and some election districts of other wards were gerrymandered together into Assembly districts.
  2. ↑ see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 434–438)
  3. ↑ see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 439–448)
  4. ↑ see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 430–434)
  5. ↑ see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 448–456)

Sources