6th New York State Legislature

The 6th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from July 8, 1782, to March 27, 1783, during the sixth year of George Clinton's governorship, first at Poughkeepsie, then at Kingston.

6th New York State Legislature
←5th 7th→
Clinton House, Poughkeepsie (2007)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJuly 1, 1782 – June 30, 1783
Senate
Members24
PresidentLt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt
Assembly
Members70 (de facto 65)
SpeakerEvert Bancker
Sessions
1stJuly 8 – 25, 1782
2ndJanuary 27 – March 27, 1783

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, the State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the election in April 1778, every year six Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

On May 8, 1777, the Constitutional Convention had appointed the senators from the Southern District, and the assemblymen from Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties—the area which was under British control—and determined that these appointees serve in the Legislature until elections could be held in those areas, presumably after the end of the American Revolutionary War. Vacancies among the appointed members in the Senate should be filled by the Assembly, and vacancies in the Assembly by the Senate.

Elections

The State elections were held from April 30 to May 2, 1782. Under the determination by the Constitutional Convention, senators Isaac Roosevelt and John Morin Scott, whose seats were up for election, continued in office, as well as the assemblymen from Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties. Jacob G. Klock and Abraham Yates Jr. (both Western D.) were re-elected. William Allison (Middle D.) was also elected to the Senate. Two members who had been expelled previously were elected again to the Senate: Ephraim Paine (Middle D., to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Levi Pawling) and Assemblyman John Williams (Eastern D.)

Sessions
Senate House, Kingston

The State Legislature met in Poughkeepsie, the seat of Dutchess County. The Senate met first on July 8, 1782, the Assembly on July 11; and they adjourned on July 25. On July 22, James Duane was appointed by the Assembly to fill the vacancy caused by the absence of Sir James Jay. The Legislature reconvened in Kingston, the seat of Ulster County, on January 27, 1783; and the Assembly adjourned on March 23, the Senate on March 27.

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. In 1784, Charlotte Co. was renamed Washington Co., and Tryon Co. was renamed Montgomery Co.

Senators

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. John Williams changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Notes
Southern Jonathan Lawrence* 1 year holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention;
elected to the Council of Appointment
(Lewis Morris)* 1 year holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention;
did not attend
Stephen Ward* 1 year appointed by State Assembly
William Floyd* 2 years holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
William Smith* 2 years holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Isaac Stoutenburgh* 2 years holding over on appointment by State Assembly
James Duane 3 years appointed by the State Assembly on July 22, 1782, to fill vacancy,
in place of Sir James Jay
Isaac Roosevelt* 4 year holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
(John Morin Scott)* 4 year holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention;
also Secretary of State of New York;
did not attend
Middle Thomas Palmer* 1 year
Zephaniah Platt* 1 year
Arthur Parks* 2 years
John Haring* 3 years elected to the Council of Appointment
Ephraim Paine 3 years elected to fill vacancy, in place of Levi Pawling
William Allison 4 years
Eastern (Elkanah Day)*[1] 2 years elected to the Council of Appointment;[2]
did not attend
Alexander Webster* 3 years
John Williams* 4 years
Western Abraham Ten Broeck* 1 year also Mayor of Albany
Philip Schuyler* 2 years also New York State Surveyor General
Henry Oothoudt* 3 years
William B. Whiting* 3 years elected to the Council of Appointment
Jacob G. Klock* 4 years
Abraham Yates Jr.* 4 years

Employees
  • Clerk: Robert Benson

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. In 1784, Charlotte Co. was renamed Washington Co., and Tryon Co. was renamed Montgomery Co.

Assemblymen

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

County Assemblymen Notes
Albany Matthew Adgate*
John H. Beekman
John Ja. Beekman
Jacob Ford*
John Lansing Jr.*
Dirck Swart*
Samuel Ten Broeck*
Peter Van Ness
Christopher Yates
John Younglove
Charlotte Benjamin Baker
David Hopkins*
Hamilton McCollister*
Joseph McCracken
Cumberland none No election returns from these counties[3]
Gloucester
Dutchess Benjamin Birdsall
Jonathan Dennis*
Cornelius Humfrey*
Ebenezer Husted*
Matthew Patterson
Thomas Storm*
Jacobus Swartwout*
Kings William Boerum* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Henry Williams* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
New York Evert Bancker* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention;
re-elected Speaker
John Berrien* holding over on appointment by the State Senate
Abraham Brasher* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Daniel Dunscomb* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Robert Harpur* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Frederick Jay* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Abraham P. Lott* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Jacobus Van Zandt* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Peter P. Van Zandt* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Orange Jeremiah Clark*
Gilbert Cooper
John Hathorn*
John Stagg*
Queens Benjamin Birdsall* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Benjamin Coe* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Daniel Lawrence* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Nathaniel Tom* holding over on appointment by State Senate
Richmond Joshua Mersereau* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
vacant
Suffolk David Gelston* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Ezra L'Hommedieu* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Burnet Miller* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Thomas Tredwell* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Thomas Wickes* holding over on appointment by Constitutional Convention
Tryon Zephaniah Batchelor*
Frederick Fisher
John Frey
Andrew Finck Jr.
Christian Nellis
William Petrie*
Ulster Johannes Bruyn*
Charles DeWitt*
James Hunter*
William Malcom
John Nicholson
Cornelius C. Schoonmaker
Westchester Abijah Gilbert*
Samuel Haight
John Laurance
Zebediah Mills*
Ebenezer Purdy
Thomas Thomas*

Employees
  • Clerk: John McKesson
  • Doorkeeper: Richard Ten Eyck

Notes
  1. Elkanah Day is not listed among the senators in any session in the Civil List of 1858, which means that he did not attend any session, but it is certain that election returns were filed with the Secretary of State of New York in 1780, since he was elected to the Council of Appointment in 1782; the History of Eastern Vermont by Benjamin Homer Hall (Civil list appendix, page 768) lists him as a New York State Senator and stating "Commencement of Session September 10, 1781"
  2. Day, although absent, was elected because Webster was ineligible (no Senator could be a member of the Council of Appointment in consecutive years), and Williams was ostracised by the Assembly because of his previous dishonorable conduct and expulsion from the Senate.
  3. Cumberland and Gloucester counties seceded from the Province of New York in January 1777, and became part of the Vermont Republic, while the Constitutional Convention was still debating the new Constitution. The New York Constitution was approved in April 1777, not recognizing the secession. Neither county did file any election returns with the Secretary of State of New York in 1782.

Sources
  • The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858) [see pg. 108 for Senate districts; pg. 112 for senators; pg. 148f for Assembly districts; pg. 160f for assemblymen]
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