94th New York State Legislature

The 94th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 21, 1871, during the third year of John T. Hoffman's governorship, in Albany.

94th New York State Legislature
93rd 95th
The Old State Capitol (1879)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJanuary 1 – December 31, 1871
Senate
Members32
PresidentLt. Gov. Allen C. Beach (D)
Party controlDemocratic (17-14)
Assembly
Members128
SpeakerWilliam Hitchman (D)
Party controlDemocratic (65-63)
Sessions
1stJanuary 3 – April 21, 1871

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.

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

Elections

The New York state election, 1870 was held on November 8. Gov. John T. Hoffman and Lt. Gov. Allen C. Beach were re-elected. The other four 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 399,000 and Republicans 366,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1871; and adjourned on April 21.

William Hitchman (D) was re-elected Speaker with 64 votes against 62 for James W. Husted (R).

On April 4, the Legislature re-elected Abram B. Weaver (D) to a second term of three years as Superintendent of Public Instruction.

On April 7, Assemblyman James Irving had an altercation with Assemblyman Smith M. Weed, during which Irving hit Weed forceful in the face. Subsequently, Irving resigned his seat, and the Democrats could not pass any bills anymore, a vote of 65 being required. After a week of deadlock, Republican Assemblyman Orange S. Winans voiced his opinion that the Democrats were entitled to a majority, and voted with them, thus passing the pending bills. Winans was denounced as a traitor, and disappeared from politics.[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.

District Senator Party Notes
1st Samuel H. Frost* Democrat
2nd James F. Pierce* Democrat
3rd Henry C. Murphy* Democrat
4th William M. Tweed* Democrat
5th Michael Norton* Democrat
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 George Morgan* Democrat until March 1871, also Mayor of Poughkeepsie
12th Francis S. Thayer* Republican
13th A. Bleecker Banks* Democrat
14th Jacob Hardenbergh* Democrat
15th vacant Senator Isaiah Blood died on November 29, 1870
16th Christopher F. Norton* Democrat
17th Abraham X. Parker* Republican
18th Norris Winslow* Republican
19th George H. Sanford* Democrat died on November 25, 1871
20th Augustus R. Elwood* Republican
21st William H. Brand* Republican
22nd George N. Kennedy* Republican
23rd John F. Hubbard Jr.* Democrat
24th Orlow W. Chapman* Republican
25th William B. Woodin* Republican also Surrogate of Cayuga County
26th Abraham V. Harpending* Republican died on April 23, 1871
27th Theodore L. Minier* Republican
28th Jarvis Lord* Democrat
29th George Bowen* Republican
30th James Wood* Republican
31st Loran L. Lewis* Republican
32nd Allen D. Scott* Republican

Employees

  • Clerk: Hiram Calkins
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: George Graham
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Abraham J. Meyers
  • Doorkeeper: Alexander H. Waterman
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: W. W. McKinney
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: John Drew
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Orson Root
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Cornelius V. Simpkins
  • Stenographer: Andrew Devine

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 William D. Murphy* Democrat
2nd Robert C. Blackall Republican
3rd Edward Coyle Democrat
4th William D. Sunderlin Republican
Allegany Charles N. Flenagin* Republican
Broome William M. Ely* Republican
Cattaraugus 1st Claudius V. B. Barse Republican
2nd Stephen C. Green* Republican
Cayuga 1st Charles H. Curtis Democrat
2nd Stephen S. Hewitt* Republican
Chautauqua 1st Matthew P. Bemus* Republican
2nd Orange S. Winans* Republican
Chemung David B. Hill Democrat
Chenango Andrew Shepardson Republican
Clinton Smith M. Weed Democrat
Columbia 1st Benjamin Ray Democrat
2nd Perkins F. Cady Republican
Cortland Henry S. Randall Democrat
Delaware 1st Alpheus Bolt* Republican
2nd James H. Graham Republican
Dutchess 1st James A. Seward* Republican
2nd David H. Mulford* Republican
Erie 1st George Chambers Democrat
2nd John Howell Democrat
3rd Franklin A. Alberger Republican
4th Harry B. Ransom* Democrat
5th John M. Wiley Democrat
Essex Clayton H. DeLano* Republican
Franklin James H. Pierce* Republican
Fulton and Hamilton Mortimer Wade Republican
Genesee Volney G. Knapp Republican
Greene Hiram Van Steenburgh* Democrat
Herkimer Daniel A. Northup* Republican
Jefferson 1st Oliver C. Wyman Republican
2nd James Johnson Republican
Kings 1st David C. Aitken Democrat
2nd Smith C. Baylis Democrat
3rd Dominick H. Roche Democrat
4th William W. Moseley* Democrat
5th William W. Goodrich Republican
6th Bernard Haver* Democrat
7th William Wainwright Democrat
8th Samuel F. Conselyea Democrat
9th John C. Jacobs* Democrat
Lewis Joseph Pahud Republican
Livingston Richard Johnson* Republican
Madison 1st David L. Fisk Republican
2nd Leonard C. Kilham* Republican
Monroe 1st Richard D. Cole Democrat
2nd George D. Lord Democrat
3rd Volney P. Brown* Republican
Montgomery Webster Wagner Republican
New York 1st Michael Madigan Democrat
2nd Dennis Burns* Democrat
3rd John Hayes Democrat
4th John J. Blair* Democrat
5th George L. Loutrel Democrat
6th Timothy J. Campbell* Democrat
7th John Carey* Democrat unsuccessfully contested by Horatio N. Twombly (R)[3]
8th Martin Nachtmann* Democrat
9th James O'Neill Democrat
10th Christopher Flecke Democrat
11th Lawrence O'Brien Democrat
12th William W. Cook* Democrat
13th Richard Flanagan* Democrat
14th John Tyler Kelly Democrat
15th Alexander Frear* Democrat
16th James Irving* Democrat resigned his seat on April 10
17th Edmond Connelly Democrat
18th Leander Buck Democrat
19th Thomas C. Fields* Democrat
20th John Brown*[4] Democrat
21st William Hitchman* Democrat re-elected Speaker
Niagara 1st John E. Pound Republican
2nd Lee R. Sanborn* Republican
Oneida 1st George W. Chadwick Republican
2nd Sidney A. Bunce Republican
3rd Thomas Mulhall Democrat
4th Isaac McDougal Republican
Onondaga 1st Thomas G. Alvord* Republican
2nd Peter Burns Republican
3rd Gustavus Sniper* Republican
Ontario 1st George W. Nicholas Democrat
2nd David E. Wilson* Republican
Orange 1st Robert H. Strahan Republican
2nd Isaac V. Montanye Democrat
Orleans John Berry* Republican
Oswego 1st DeWitt C. Littlejohn* Republican
2nd Abraham Howe* Democrat
3rd Chauncey S. Sage Republican
Otsego 1st Alfred Chamberlain Democrat
2nd J. Lee Tucker Republican
Putnam Sarles Drew Democrat
Queens 1st L. Bradford Prince Republican
2nd James M. Oakley Democrat
Rensselaer 1st John L. Flagg* Democrat
2nd Horace C. Gifford Republican
3rd Sylvester Waterbury Democrat
Richmond John Decker* Democrat
Rockland James M. Nelson* Democrat
St. Lawrence 1st George M. Gleason* Republican
2nd Dolphus S. Lynde Republican
3rd William Bradford* Republican
Saratoga 1st Isaiah Fuller* Democrat
2nd Joseph W. Hill Republican
Schenectady Gershom Banker* Democrat
Schoharie Silas Sweet* Democrat
Schuyler William C. Coon* Democrat
Seneca Sanford R. Ten Eyck Democrat
Steuben 1st James G. Bennett* Democrat
2nd Alvin C. Barney Republican
Suffolk George F. Carman Republican
Sullivan Frank Buckley Democrat
Tioga Burnett B. Bignall Republican
Tompkins John H. Selkreg* Republican
Ulster 1st Cyrus Burhans Republican
2nd C. Meech Woolsey Republican
3rd Charles H. Krack* Democrat
Warren Duncan Griffin Democrat
Washington 1st Thomas Stevenson* Republican
2nd Isaac V. Baker Jr.* Republican
Wayne 1st Anson S. Wood* Republican
2nd Henry R. Durfee Republican
Westchester 1st G. Hilton Scribner Republican on November 7, 1871, elected Secretary of State of New York
2nd Alfred W. Bartlett Democrat
3rd James W. Husted* Republican
Wyoming Henry S. Joy Democrat
Yates George P. Lord Republican

Employees

  • Clerk: Cornelius W. Armstrong
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Jeriah G. Rhoads
  • Doorkeeper: Andrew S. Scobey
  • First Assistant Doorkeeper: James Keenan
  • Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Allen W. Seaman

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. Thirty Years of New York Politics Up-to-date by Matthew P. Breen (reprinted 1974; pg. 278–291, "LETTER XXV")
  3. see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 471–482)
  4. John Brown (born 1816), served previously in the Assembly of 1852, Naturalization Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas from 1853

Sources

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