97th New York State Legislature
The 97th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to April 30, 1874, during the second year of John A. Dix's governorship, in Albany.
| 97th New York State Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 The Old State Capitol (1879) | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | New York State Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | New York, United States | ||||
| Term | January 1 – December 31, 1874 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 32 | ||||
| President | Lt. Gov. John C. Robinson (R) | ||||
| Temporary President | William H. Robertson (R) | ||||
| Party control | Republican (18-12-2) | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 128 | ||||
| Speaker | James W. Husted (R) | ||||
| Party control | Republican (71-53-3) | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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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. The Liberal Republican Party also nominated a ticket.
Elections
The New York state election, 1873 was held on November 4. The statewide elective offices up for election were carried by five Democrats and two Republicans, all of which had been nominated also on the Liberal Republican ticket.
Sessions
The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1874; and adjourned on April 30.
James W. Husted (R) was elected Speaker against Smith M. Weed (D).
On April 7, the Legislature elected Neil Gilmour as Superintendent of Public Instructions, with 87 votes against 51 for Abram B. Weaver, to succeed Weaver for a term of three years.[2]
State Senate
Districts
- 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
- 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 19th and 20th wards of the City of Brooklyn
- 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th wards of the City of Brooklyn; and all towns in Kings County
- 4th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th wards of New York City
- 5th District: 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th wards of New York City
- 6th District: 10th, 11th and 17th wards of New York City
- 7th District: 18th, 20th and 21st wards of New York City
- 8th District: 12th, 19th and 22nd wards of New York City
- 9th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
- 10th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
- 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
- 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
- 13th District: Albany County
- 14th District: Greene and Ulster counties
- 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
- 16th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
- 17th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
- 18th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
- 19th District: Oneida County
- 20th District: Herkimer and Otsego counties
- 21st District: Madison and Oswego counties
- 22nd District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
- 23rd District: Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties
- 24th District: Broome, Tompkins and Tioga counties
- 25th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
- 26th District: Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties
- 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
- 28th District: Monroe County
- 29th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
- 30th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
- 31st District: Erie County
- 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties
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. John C. Jacobs, Frank Abbott, Benjamin Ray and Franklin W. Tobey changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | John A. King | Republican | |
| 2nd | John W. Coe | Lib. Rep./Dem. | |
| 3rd | John C. Jacobs* | Democrat | |
| 4th | John Fox | Democrat | |
| 5th | James W. Booth | Republican | |
| 6th | Jacob A. Gross | Democrat | |
| 7th | Thomas A. Ledwith | Democrat | |
| 8th | Hugh H. Moore | Democrat | contested by Walter S. Pinckney (R), decision postponed to the next session |
| 9th | William H. Robertson* | Republican | re-elected; elected president pro tempore |
| 10th | Frank Abbott | Lib. Rep./Dem. | contested; seat vacated on February 4[3] |
| Edward M. Madden | Republican | seated on February 5 | |
| 11th | Benjamin Ray* | Democrat | |
| 12th | Roswell A. Parmenter | Democrat | |
| 13th | Jesse C. Dayton | Democrat | |
| 14th | Henry C. Connelly | Republican | |
| 15th | Webster Wagner* | Republican | re-elected |
| 16th | Franklin W. Tobey* | Republican | |
| 17th | Wells S. Dickinson* | Republican | re-elected |
| 18th | Andrew C. Middleton | Ind./Lib. Rep./Dem.[4] | |
| 19th | Samuel S. Lowery* | Republican | re-elected |
| 20th | Archibald C. McGowan* | Republican | re-elected |
| 21st | Charles Kellogg | Republican | |
| 22nd | Daniel P. Wood* | Republican | re-elected |
| 23rd | James G. Thompson | Republican | contested by William Yeomans Jr.[5] |
| 24th | John H. Selkreg | Republican | |
| 25th | William B. Woodin* | Republican | re-elected |
| 26th | William Johnson* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 27th | George B. Bradley | Democrat | |
| 28th | Jarvis Lord* | Democrat | re-elected |
| 29th | Dan H. Cole | Republican | |
| 30th | Abijah J. Wellman | Republican | |
| 31st | John Ganson | Democrat | died on September 28, 1874 |
| 32nd | Albert G. Dow | Republican | |
Employees
- Clerk: Henry A. Glidden
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Daniel K. Schram
- Doorkeeper: Frederick M. Burton
State Assembly
Assemblymen
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
| District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 1st | Frederick Schifferdecker | Republican | |
| 2nd | Leopold C. G. Kshinka | Democrat | ||
| 3rd | Terrence J. Quinn | Democrat | ||
| 4th | Waters W. Braman | Republican | ||
| Allegany | Orrin T. Stacy | Republican | ||
| Broome | George Sherwood | Republican | ||
| Cattaraugus | 1st | Commodore P. Vedder* | Republican | |
| 2nd | John Manley* | Republican | ||
| Cayuga | 1st | Leonard F. Hardy* | Republican | |
| 2nd | Erastus H. Hussey | Republican | ||
| Chautauqua | 1st | Francis B. Brewer* | Republican | |
| 2nd | John D. Hiller* | Republican | ||
| Chemung | Edmund Miller | Democrat | ||
| Chenango | Harris H. Beecher | Republican | ||
| Clinton | Smith M. Weed* | Democrat | ||
| Columbia | 1st | Henry Lawrence | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Alonzo H. Farrar | Republican | ||
| Cortland | George W. Phillips* | Republican | ||
| Delaware | 1st | Benjamin J. Bassett | Republican | |
| 2nd | Matthew Griffin* | Republican | ||
| Dutchess | 1st | James Mackin* | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Harvey G. Eastman | Republican | ||
| Erie | 1st | Patrick Hanrahan | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Joseph W. Smith | Democrat | ||
| 3rd | Franklin A. Alberger* | Republican | ||
| 4th | John Nice* | Republican | ||
| 5th | Robert B. Foote* | Republican | ||
| Essex | Gardiner Pope | Democrat | ||
| Franklin | John P. Badger* | Republican | ||
| Fulton and Hamilton | John Sunderlin | Republican | ||
| Genesee | Elbert Townsend* | Republican | ||
| Greene | Augustus Hill* | Democrat | ||
| Herkimer | Warner Miller | Republican | ||
| Jefferson | 1st | Elam Persons* | Republican | |
| 2nd | Hugh Smith[6] | Republican | ||
| Kings | 1st | James F. Donohue* | Democrat | |
| 2nd | John J. Allen | Republican | ||
| 3rd | Michael J. Coffey | Democrat | ||
| 4th | Theodore N. Melvin | Democrat | ||
| 5th | Eugene D. Berri | Republican | ||
| 6th | Jacob Worth* | Republican | ||
| 7th | Stephen J. Colahan | Democrat | ||
| 8th | George C. Bennett | Republican | ||
| 9th | John McGroarty | Democrat | ||
| Lewis | John Herrick | Democrat | ||
| Livingston | Jonathan B. Morey | Republican | ||
| Madison | 1st | Edward C. Philpot* | Republican | |
| 2nd | Henry W. Carpenter | Republican | ||
| Monroe | 1st | George A. Goss* | Republican | |
| 2nd | George Taylor | Democrat | ||
| 3rd | Leonard Burritt* | Republican | ||
| Montgomery | Martin L. Stover | Republican | ||
| New York | 1st | James Healey* | Democrat | |
| 2nd | William P. Kirk | Democrat | ||
| 3rd | James Hayes* | Democrat | ||
| 4th | James Ryan* | Democrat | ||
| 5th | Austin Leake | Republican | ||
| 6th | Matthew Patten | Democrat | ||
| 7th | Alfred Wagstaff Jr. | Democrat | ||
| 8th | George Scherman | Rep./Apollo H. | ||
| 9th | George B. Deane Jr. | Republican | ||
| 10th | Louis C. Waehner | Democrat | ||
| 11th | Knox McAfee | Republican | ||
| 12th | Francis Murray | Democrat | ||
| 13th | Charles S. Spencer | Republican | ||
| 14th | James Daly | Democrat | ||
| 15th | Joseph Blumenthal* | Democrat | ||
| 16th | Peter Woods* | Democrat | ||
| 17th | Andrew Blessing* | Democrat | ||
| 18th | Bernard Biglin* | Republican | ||
| 19th | Thomas O'Callaghan | Democrat | ||
| 20th | John D. Coughlin | Democrat | ||
| 21st | vacant | Assemblyman-elect Henry W. Genet (D) forfeited his seat[7] | ||
| James E. Sullivan | elected to fill vacancy | |||
| Niagara | 1st | Artemas W. Comstock | Republican | |
| 2nd | Orville C. Bordwell | Republican | ||
| Oneida | 1st | George W. Chadwick | Republican | |
| 2nd | Arthur F. Brown | Republican | ||
| 3rd | John J. Parry | Republican | ||
| 4th | Griffith O. Jones | Republican | ||
| Onondaga | 1st | Thomas G. Alvord | Independent | |
| 2nd | George Barrow[8] | Republican | ||
| 3rd | Charles Simon | Democrat | ||
| Ontario | 1st | Stephen H. Hammond | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Cyrillo S. Lincoln* | Republican | ||
| Orange | 1st | Augustus Denniston* | Republican | |
| 2nd | Charles B. Wood | Democrat | ||
| Orleans | Elisha S. Whalen* | Republican | ||
| Oswego | 1st | George B. Sloan | Republican | |
| 2nd | Willard Johnson* | Democrat | ||
| 3rd | J. Lyman Bulkley* | Republican | ||
| Otsego | 1st | William H. Ely | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Henry Thorp | Lib. Rep./Dem. | ||
| Putnam | Hamilton Fish II | Republican | ||
| Queens | 1st | L. Bradford Prince* | Republican | |
| 2nd | James M. Oakley* | Democrat | ||
| Rensselaer | 1st | William V. Cleary* | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Robert Dickson | Republican | ||
| 3rd | Jacob M. Witbeck | Democrat | ||
| Richmond | Stephen D. Stephens Jr. | Democrat | ||
| Rockland | William R. Knapp | Democrat | ||
| St. Lawrence | 1st | Seth G. Pope | Republican | |
| 2nd | Dolphus S. Lynde* | Republican | ||
| 3rd | Jonah Sanford[9] | Republican | ||
| Saratoga | 1st | George West* | Republican | |
| 2nd | George S. Batcheller* | Republican | ||
| Schenectady | Daniel P. McQueen* | Republican | ||
| Schoharie | John B. Hoag | Democrat | ||
| Schuyler | Harmon L. Gregory | Republican | ||
| Seneca | William C. Hazelton | Democrat | ||
| Steuben | 1st | Stephen D. Shattuck | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Charles F. Houghton | Republican | ||
| Suffolk | Nathan D. Petty | Republican | ||
| Sullivan | George M. Beebe* | Democrat | on November 3, 1874, elected to the 44th U.S. Congress | |
| Tioga | Jerome B. Landfield* | Republican | ||
| Tompkins | William S. Bostwick | Republican | ||
| Ulster | 1st | Robert A. Snyder | Republican | |
| 2nd | Hector Abeel | Democrat | ||
| 3rd | John D. Winfield | Democrat | ||
| Warren | Austin W. Holden | Democrat | ||
| Washington | 1st | Alexander B. Law | Republican | |
| 2nd | Emerson E. Davis | Democrat | ||
| Wayne | 1st | Emory W. Gurnee | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Henry M. Clark | Ind. Rep. | ||
| Westchester | 1st | William Cauldwell | Democrat | |
| 2nd | Amherst Wight Jr.* | Republican | ||
| 3rd | James W. Husted* | Republican | elected Speaker | |
| Wyoming | Samuel W. Tewksbury | Republican | ||
| Yates | George W. Spencer | Democrat | ||
Employees
- Clerk: John O'Donnell
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Frederick C. Fiske
- Doorkeeper: Eugene L. Demers
- Assistant Doorkeeper: James Hogan
- Assistant Doorkeeper: Michael Maher
- Stenographer: Worden E. Payne
Notes
- 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.
- Journal of the State Senate (1874; pg. 568)
- see Abbott vs. Madden in Utica Daily Observer on February 5, 1874
- Middleton was nominated as an Independent by a convention of farmers in favor of reform, and then endorsed by the Liberal Republicans and Democrats; and defeated the Republican incumbent Norris Winslow at the election.
- THE STATE LEGISLATURE; SENATE in NYT on February 5, 1874
- Hugh Smith, brother-in-law of State Senator James A. Bell
- Genet was elected on November 4, but was convicted in December 1873 for fraud, and fled from justice before sentencing. He thus forfeited the right to the seat, and a special election was called for January 20, 1874.
- George Barrow (born 1839 NYC), brother of Edmund P. Barrow (c.1829–1857) who was assemblyman in 1854
- Jonah Sanford (born 1821), son of Congressman Jonah Sanford
Sources
- Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York compiled by Edgar Albert Werner (1884; see pg. 276 for Senate districts; pg. 290 for senators; pg. 298–304 for Assembly districts; and pg. 374f for assemblymen)
- Journal of the Senate (97th Session) (1874)
- REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY CAUCUSES in NYT on January 6, 1874
- THE STATE GOVERNMENT in The Newtown Register on January 15, 1874
- Life Sketches of Government Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1874 by W. H. McElroy and Alexander McBride
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