54th New York State Legislature

The 54th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to April 26, 1831, during the third year of Enos T. Throop's governorship, in Albany.

54th New York State Legislature
53rd 55th
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJanuary 1 – December 31, 1831
Senate
Members32
PresidentLt. Gov. Edward P. Livingston (J)
Party controlJacksonian (24-8)
Assembly
Members128
SpeakerGeorge R. Davis (J)
Party controlJacksonian
Sessions
1stJanuary 4 – April 26, 1831

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.

State Senator Moses Hayden died on February 13, 1830, leaving a vacancy in the Eighth District.

At this time, there were three political parties: the Jacksonians (supporting President Andrew Jackson; led by U.S. Secretary of State Martin Van Buren), the Anti-Masons, and the National Republicans (supporting Henry Clay for the presidency).

The Anti-Masonic state convention met in August 1830 at Utica, and nominated Assemblyman Francis Granger for governor, and Samuel Stevens, of New York City, for lieutenant governor. The National Republicans did not call a convention, and supported the Anti-Masonic ticket.

The Jacksonian state convention met on September 8, 1830, at Herkimer and nominated Gov. Throop for re-election, and Edward P. Livingston for lieutenant governor.

Elections

The State election was held from November 1 to 3, 1830. Gov. Enos T. Throop was re-elected, and Edward P. Livingston was elected lieutenant governor.

State Senator Jonathan S. Conklin (1st D.) was re-elected. David M. Westcott (2nd D.), William I. Dodge (4th D.), Henry A. Foster (5th D.), Charles W. Lynde (6th D.), William H. Seward (7th D.), Trumbull Cary (8th D.); and Assemblymen Herman I. Quackenboss (3rd D.) and Philo C. Fuller (8th D.) were also elected to the Senate. Lynde, Seward, Cary and Fuller were Anti-Masons, the other five were Jacksonians.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1831; and adjourned on April 26.

George R. Davis (J) was elected Speaker with 91 votes against 30 for John C. Spencer (A-M).

On January 6, Cary and Fuller drew lots to decide which one of the two senators elected in the 8th District would serve the short term, and which one the full term. Fuller drew the short term, and Cary the full term.[1]

On February 1, the Legislature elected Supreme Court Justice William L. Marcy (J) to succeed Nathan Sanford as U.S. Senator for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1831.

On February 1, the Legislature re-elected State Treasurer Abraham Keyser, Jr..

On June 3, a National Republican state convention met at Albany, Peter R. Livingston was Chairman. The convention chose delegates to the National Republican national convention which would nominate Henry Clay for U.S. president, among them Stephen Van Rensselaer and Ambrose Spencer.

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. Herman I. Quackenboss and Philo C. Fuller changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
First John I. Schenck* 1 year Jacksonian
Stephen Allen* 2 years Jacksonian
Alpheus Sherman* 3 years Jacksonian
Jonathan S. Conklin* 4 years Jacksonian
Second Walker Todd* 1 year Jacksonian also Postmaster of Carmel
Samuel Rexford* 2 years Jacksonian
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge* 3 years Jacksonian
David M. Westcott 4 years Jacksonian
Third Moses Warren* 1 year Jacksonian
Lewis Eaton* 2 years Jacksonian
William Dietz* 3 years Jacksonian
Herman I. Quackenboss* 4 years Jacksonian
Fourth Reuben Sanford* 1 year Jacksonian also Postmaster of Wilmington
John McLean Jr.* 2 years Jacksonian
Isaac Gere* 3 years Jacksonian
William I. Dodge 4 years Jacksonian
Fifth Nathaniel S. Benton* 1 year Jacksonian resigned on April 13, 1831, to take office as
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York[2]
William H. Maynard* 2 years Anti-Mason
Alvin Bronson* 3 years Jacksonian
Henry A. Foster 4 years Jacksonian
Sixth Grattan H. Wheeler* 1 year Jacksonian in November 1830, elected to the 22nd U.S. Congress, and
resigned his seat in the State Senate on March 3, 1831[3]
John F. Hubbard* 2 years Jacksonian
Levi Beardsley* 3 years Jacksonian
Charles W. Lynde 4 years Anti-Mason
Seventh George B. Throop* 1 year Jacksonian
Hiram F. Mather* 2 years Anti-Mason
Thomas Armstrong* 3 years Jacksonian also Supervisor of Butler, and Chairman
of the Board of Supervisors of Wayne Co.
William H. Seward 4 years Anti-Mason
Eighth Timothy H. Porter* 1 year Anti-Mason
Philo C. Fuller* 2 years Anti-Mason elected to fill vacancy, in place of Moses Hayden
Albert H. Tracy* 3 years Anti-Mason
Trumbull Cary 4 years Anti-Mason

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.

The party affiliations follow the vote for U.S. Senator and state treasurer.[4]

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Peter Gansevoort* Jacksonian
Wheeler Watson Jacksonian
Peter W. Winne Jacksonian
Allegany Daniel Ashley* Anti-Mason
Broome Peter Robinson* Jacksonian
Cattaraugus Russell Hubbard Anti-Mason
Cayuga Solomon Love* Jacksonian
Elias Manchester Anti-Mason
George S. Tilford Jacksonian
Peter Yawger Jacksonian
Chautauqua John Birdsall Anti-Mason
Squire White* Anti-Mason
Chenango Joseph Juliand Anti-Mason
Jarvis K. Pike*
Ira Willcox Anti-Mason
Clinton John Walker Jacksonian
Columbia John W. Edmonds Jacksonian
John S. Harris Jacksonian
Pliny Hudson
Cortland Fredus Howard Jacksonian
Charles Richardson Jacksonian
Delaware David P. Mapes Jacksonian
Peter Pine Jacksonian
Dutchess Joel Benton Jacksonian
Samuel B. Halsey Jacksonian
William Hooker Jacksonian
John E. Townsend Jacksonian
Erie Millard Fillmore* Anti-Mason
Nathaniel Knight
Essex Joseph S. Weed Jacksonian
Franklin James B. Spencer Jacksonian
Genesee Robert Earll Jr. Anti-Mason
Stephen Griswold* Anti-Mason
Charles Woodworth Anti-Mason
Greene Lewis Benton Jacksonian
John I. Brandow Jacksonian
Hamilton and
Montgomery
Josiah O. Brown Jacksonian
Platt Potter Jacksonian
William Rob Jacksonian
Herkimer Atwater Cooke Jr. Jacksonian
Olmsted Hough Jacksonian
Nicholas Lawyer Jacksonian
Jefferson Joseph C. Budd Jacksonian
Walter Cole Jacksonian
Fleury Keith Jacksonian
Kings Coe S. Downing* Jacksonian
Lewis Harrison Blodget Jacksonian
Livingston Jerediah Horsford Anti-Mason
James Percival Anti-Mason
Madison Robert Henry Jacksonian
Stephen B. Hoffman Jacksonian
John Whitman Jacksonian
Monroe Samuel G. Andrews Anti-Mason
Isaac Lacey Anti-Mason
Peter Price Anti-Mason
New York Jacob S. Bogert* Jacksonian
Abraham Cargill* Jacksonian
Nathaniel Jarvis Jacksonian
Charles L. Livingston* Jacksonian
Dennis McCarthy* Jacksonian
James Morgan Jacksonian
Mordecai Myers Jacksonian
Gideon Ostrander* Jacksonian
Dudley Selden Jacksonian
Silas M. Stilwell* Jacksonian
Isaac L. Varian Jacksonian
Niagara Henry Norton Anti-Mason
Oneida Reuben Bettis Jacksonian
Arnon Comstock* Jacksonian
David Moulton Jacksonian
Riley Shepard Jacksonian
John F. Trowbridge Jacksonian
Onondaga Otis Bigelow Jacksonian
Thomas J. Gilbert* Jacksonian
Elisha Litchfield Jacksonian
Jared H. Parker
Ontario Thomas Ottley Anti-Mason
Samuel Rawson Anti-Mason
John C. Spencer Anti-Mason
Orange Edward Blake Jacksonian
Robert Fowler Jacksonian
James Hulse Jacksonian
Orleans John H. Tyler* Anti-Mason
Oswego Joel Turrill Jacksonian also First Judge of the Oswego County Court
Otsego Henry Clark
Peter Collier
Schuyler Crippen Jacksonian
Eben B. Morehouse Jacksonian
Putnam Bennet Boyd
Queens Thomas Tredwell Nat. Rep.
Rensselaer George R. Davis* Jacksonian elected Speaker;
also a Bank Commissioner
Chester Griswold Jacksonian
Martin Springer Jacksonian
Aaron Worthington Jacksonian
Richmond John T. Harrison* Jacksonian
Rockland John J. Eckerson Jacksonian
St. Lawrence Joseph Freeman Jacksonian
Asa Sprague Jr.* Jacksonian
Saratoga Howell Gardner Jacksonian
John Gilchrist Jacksonian
Oran G. Otis Jacksonian
Schenectady Aaron Carroll Jacksonian
Schoharie Robert Eldredge Jacksonian
Daniel Hager Jr. Jacksonian
Seneca John Sayre Anti-Mason
Benjamin Woodruff Anti-Mason
Steuben Paul C. Cook
Josiah Dunlap* Anti-Mason
Suffolk George L. Conklin Jacksonian
George S. Phillips Jacksonian
Sullivan James C. Curtis Jacksonian also Supervisor of Cochecton
Tioga John G. McDowell* Jacksonian
David Williams Jacksonian
Tompkins John Ellis
Jehiel Ludlow Anti-Mason
John Sayler Anti-Mason
Ulster Jacob J. Schoonmaker
John Van Buren Jacksonian
Warren Samuel Stackhouse Jacksonian
Washington George W. Jermain Jacksonian
Henry Thorn Jacksonian
William Townsend Jacksonian
Wayne Seth Eddy* Anti-Mason
Ananias Wells Anti-Mason
Westchester St. John Constant Jacksonian
Thomas Murphy Jacksonian
Aaron Vark Jacksonian also Postmaster of Yonkers
Yates Aaron Remer Jacksonian

Employees

  • Clerk: Francis Seger
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Pomeroy Jones
  • Doorkeeper: Alonzo Crosby
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Oliver Scovil

Notes

  1. see Journal of the Senate, pg. 40
  2. His letter of resignation, dated April 13, was read on the next day in the State Senate, and formally accepted; see Journal of the Senate (54th Session, 1831; pg. 271)
  3. see Journal of the Senate (54th Session, 1831; pg. 144)
  4. Journal of the Assembly, 54th Session (pg. 178ff)

Sources

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