117th New York State Legislature

New York state legislative session February 2025 October 2019 117th NewYorkStateCapitol1893.jpg 1893 January 1 December 31, 1894 Lt. Gov. William F. Sheehan (D) Charles T. Saxton (R) George R. Malby (R) 32 128 Republican (19-13) Republican (75-53) 1st January 2 April 27, 1894 116th 118th The 117th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 27, 1894, during the third year of Roswell P. Flower'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. On April 26, 1892, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate Districts and the number of assemblymen per county.WALKER'S FIRMNESS WINS in NYT on April 27, 1892 The senatorial districts were made up of entire counties, except New York County (nine districts), Kings County (five districts) and Erie County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,Except New York City where the 19th and the 22nd Ward were divided into several districts. forming a contiguous area, all within the same county. On January 27, 1893, the Legislature passed "An Act to amend chapter 398, of the Laws of 1892, entitled 'An Act to provide for a convention to revise and amend the Constitution'", calling a Constitutional Convention to meet in 1894.Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the State of New York 1894 (Albany, 1895; pg. 1) At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Prohibition Party, the Socialist Labor Party and a "People's Party" also nominated tickets. Elections The 1893 New York state election was held on November 7. All six statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Republican 545,000; Democratic 521,000; Prohibition 34,000; Socialist Labor 20,000; and People's Party 17,000. Also elected were 175 delegates to the Constitutional Convention; five delegates in each senatorial district, and 15 delegates-at-large elected statewide. This was the only election of State Senators under the apportionment of 1892. Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1894; and adjourned on April 27. George R. Malby (R) was elected Speaker. Charles T. Saxton (R) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate. The Constitutional Convention met at the State Capitol in Albany on May 8; and adjourned on September 29. Joseph H. Choate (R) was elected president; and Thomas G. Alvord (R) First Vice President. The new Constitution increased the number of state senators from 32 to 50, and the number of assemblymen from 128 to 150; and re-apportioned the Senate districts, and the number of assemblymen per county. Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Suffolk counties gained one seat each; Erie County gained two; Kings County three; and New York County five. The new Constitution also shortened the governor's and lieutenant governor's term to two years; and moved the election of state officers and state senators from odd-numbered to even-numbered years. The new Constitution was submitted to the voters at the New York state election, 1894, and was adopted. State Senate Districts 30em 1st District: Queens and Suffolk counties 2nd District: 7th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Ward of Brooklyn 3rd District: 13th, 19th, 21st, 23rd and 25th Ward of Brooklyn 4th District: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 27th Ward of Brooklyn 5th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th and 20th Ward of Brooklyn 6th District: 8th, 24th, 26th and 28th Ward of the City of Brooklyn; all towns in Kings County; and Richmond County 7th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th and 16th Ward of NYC 8th District: 4th, 6th, 7th, 11th and 13th Ward of NYC 9th District: 10th, 14th, 15th and 17th Ward of New York City 10th District: 18th, 20th and 21st Ward of NYC 11th District: Southern parts of the 19th and 22nd Ward of NYC 12th District: Middle parts of the 19th and 22nd Ward of NYC 13th District: Northern parts of the 19th and 22nd; and 23rd Ward of NYC 14th District: Northeastern part of the 19th Ward of NYC 15th District: 24th Ward of NYC; and Putnam and Westchester counties 16th District: Dutchess, Orange and Rockland counties 17th District: Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties 18th District: Columbia and Rensselaer counties 19th District: Albany County 20th District: Herkimer, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties 21st District: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Warren and Washington counties 22nd District: Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties 23rd District: Lewis, Oneida County and Otsego counties 24th District: Madison and Onondaga counties 25th District: Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware and Tioga counties 26th District: Cayuga, Ontario, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates counties 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca and Steuben counties 28th District: Monroe County 29th District: Genesee, Livingston, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties 30th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th Ward of the City of Buffalo 31st District: 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th Ward of Buffalo; and the remaining area of Erie County 32nd District: Allegany, 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. Timothy D. Sullivan, Frank A. O'Donnel, Joseph C. Wolff, Thomas C. O'Sullivan and Jacob Rice changed from the Assembly to the Senate. District Senator Party Notes1stJohn Lewis Childs Republican2ndMichael J. Coffey Democratunsuccessfully contested by William H. Quinn (R)3rdWilliam H. Reynolds Republican4thGeorge A. Owens Republican5thDaniel Bradley Ind. Dem. 6thJohn McCarty* Democratre-elected; contested; seat vacatedHenry WolfertHenry Wolfert (1826–1898), see DEATH LIST OF A DAY; Henry Wolfert in NYT on December 18, 1898 Republicanseated in February7thMartin T. McMahon* Democratre-elected8thJohn F. Ahearn* Democratre-elected9thTimothy D. Sullivan* Democrat10thFrank A. O'Donnel* Democrat11thJoseph C. Wolff* Democrat12thThomas C. O'Sullivan* Democrat13thCharles L. Guy Democrat14thJacob A. Cantor* Democratre-elected; Minority Leader15thGeorge W. Robertson Republican16thClarence Lexow Republican17thJacob Rice* Democrat18thMichael F. Collins Democratunsuccessfully contested by Sheppard Tappan (R)19thAmasa J. Parker Jr.* Democratre-elected20thHarvey J. Donaldson* Republicanre-elected21stFrederick D. Kilburn Republican22ndJoseph Mullin* Republicanre-elected23rdHenry J. Coggeshall* Republicanre-elected24thCharles W. Stapleton Republican25thEdmund O'Connor* Republicanre-elected26thCharles T. Saxton* Republicanre-elected; elected president pro tempore; on November 6, 1894, elected Lieutenant Governor of New York27thBaxter T. Smelzer Republican28thCornelius R. Parsons* Republicanre-elected29thCuthbert W. Pound Republican30thCharles Lamy Republican31stHenry H. Persons Republican32ndFrank W. Higgins Republican Employees Clerk: John S. Kenyon Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles V. Schram Doorkeeper: Edward Dowling Stenographer: Lucius A. Waldo State Assembly Assemblymen The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature. Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..." District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stWilliam Lasch Democratunsuccessfully contested by Frank Bloomingdale (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 647f)2ndWilliam A. Carroll Democrat3rdJames Brennan Democrat4thCurtis N. Douglas Democratunsuccessfully contested by Amos J. Ablett (R)The Committee on Elections reported in favor of Ablett, but no action was taken by the Assembly; see http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=744;num=736 A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York 1899 736–760 New York (State) AlleganyFred A. Robbins Republican BroomeJoseph H. Brownell Republican CattaraugusCharles W. Terry RepublicanChairman of Indian Affairs CayugaBenjamin M. Wilcox Republican ChautauquaS. Frederick Nixon RepublicanChairman of Public Institutions ChemungRobert P. Bush Democrat ChenangoDavid Sherwood Republican ClintonEverett C. Baker RepublicanChairman of Prisons ColumbiaJacob H. Hoysradt Democrat CortlandBenjamin F. Lee Republican DelawareWesley Gould RepublicanChairman of Military Affairs Dutchess1stEdward H. Thompson* RepublicanChairman of Banks2ndAugustus B. Gray RepublicanChairman of Federal Relations Erie1stCornelius Coughlin Democratunsuccessfully contested by Jules O'Brien (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 724–731)2ndSimon Seibert Republican3rdCharles Braun RepublicanChairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills4thJoseph L. Whittet Republican5thPhilip Gerst RepublicanChairman of Canals6thCharles F. Schoepflin RepublicanChairman of Public Printing EssexGeorge A. Stevens* RepublicanChairman of Public Lands and Forestry FranklinAllen S. Matthews* RepublicanChairman of Taxation and Retrenchment Fulton and HamiltonPhilip Keck* RepublicanChairman of General Laws GeneseeThomas B. Tuttle Republican GreeneIra B. Kerr Democrat HerkimerWilliam C. Prescott* RepublicanChairman of Codes JeffersonHarrison Fuller* RepublicanChairman of Trades and Manufactures Kings1stWilliam J. Plant* Democratunsuccessfully contested by William Dwyer (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 685–689)2ndJohn A. Hennessey* Democrat3rdJohn F. Houghton Republican4thJoseph J. Cahill* Democrat5thJohn H. Burtis RepublicanChairman of Charitable and Religious Societies6thMichael E. Finnigan* Democrat 7thWilliam Hughes Democratcontested; seat vacated on April 4see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 704–718)Stillman F. Kneeland Republicanseated on April 48thJohn J. Cain Democrat9thWilliam E. Melody* Democratunsuccessfully contested by George R. Pasfield (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 733f)10thFrank F. Schulz RepublicanChairman of Unfinished Business11thHarry Schulz Republican12thJoseph F. Loonan Democratunsuccessfully contested by Thomas W. Campbell (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 648f)13thFrancis E. Clark Republican14thJames Taylor RepublicanChairman of Public Health15thAlbert A. Wray Republican 16thJames Graham* Democratcontested; seat vacated on February 21see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 689–704)William H. FridayWilliam H. Friday (died 1915), see WILLIAM H. FRIDAY DIES in NYT on November 5, 1915 Republicanseated on February 2117thJames Scanlon Republican18thJulius L. Wieman Republican LewisMelville W. Van Amber RepublicanChairman of Fisheries and Game LivingstonOtto Kelsey Republican MadisonLambert B. Kern Republican Monroe1stSamuel H. Stone* RepublicanChairman of Claims2ndJames M. E. O'Grady* RepublicanChairman of Public Education3rdWilliam H. Denniston* RepublicanChairman of Excise MontgomeryE. Watson Gardiner Republican New York1stJohn H. G. Vehslage Democrat2ndMichael J. Callahan Democrat3rdJacob A. Mittnacht* Democrat4thPatrick H. Roche* Democrat5thSamuel J. Foley* Democratunsuccessfully contested by Albert W. Baillie (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 645ff)6thMoses Dinkelspiel* Democrat7thJohn C. Stein Democrat8thThomas J. O'Donnell Democratunsuccessfully contested by Charles La Maida (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 719–724)9thJohn F. McDermott Democrat10thWilliam Sulzer* DemocratMinority Leader; on November 6, 1894, elected to the 54th U.S. Congress11thJames R. Sheffield Republican12thEdward B. La Fetra Democrat13thJames H. Southworth* Democrat14thJohn P. Corrigan Democrat15thAdolph Schillinger Democratunsuccessfully contested by Seth Wilks (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 734ff)16thVictor J. Dowling Democrat17thPatrick F. Trainor Democratunsuccessfully contested by Robert Miller (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 724ff)18thDaniel J. Gleason Democrat19thPatrick J. Kerrigan Democratunsuccessfully contested by Edward R. Duffy (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 680–685)20thWilliam H. McKeon* Democrat21stMoses Herrman Democrat22ndMichael F. Tobin Democratunsuccessfully contested by Henry B. Page (R)see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 731f)23rdJudson Lawson Republican24thRobert V. Stadtfeld Democrat25thJohn Keleher* Democrat26thLouis Davidson* Democrat27thThomas H. Robertson Republican28thJames F. Reilly* Democrat29thArthur C. Butts* Democrat30thCharles C. Marrin* Democrat NiagaraJohn H. Clark Republican Oneida1stHenry P. Hoefler Republican2ndJoseph Porter RepublicanChairman of Soldiers' Home Onondaga1stJ. Emmett Wells Republican2ndJonathan Wyckoff* RepublicanChairman of Agriculture3rdWilliam H. Hotaling* RepublicanChairman of Labor and Industries OntarioWilliam L. Parkhurst* RepublicanChairman of Railroads Orange1stHoward Thornton* RepublicanChairman of Judiciary2ndJoseph Dean Republican OrleansSamuel W. Smith Republican OswegoDanforth E. Ainsworth* RepublicanMajority Leader; Chairman of Ways and Means OtsegoJohn J. Rider Republican PutnamHamilton Fish II* RepublicanChairman of Affairs of Cities Queens1stJames Robinson* Democrat2ndJames S. Fairbrother Republican3rdEugene F. Vacheron Republican Rensselaer1stWilliam M. Keenan* Democrat2ndJohn M. Chambers* RepublicanChairman of Affairs of Villages3rdJohn J. Cassin* Democrat RichmondMichael McGuire Democratcontested; seat vacated on April 4Michael Conklin Republicanseated on April 4see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 649–680) RocklandOtis H. Cutler Republican St. LawrenceGeorge R. Malby* Republicanelected Speaker; Chairman of Rules SaratogaJames Frank Terry* RepublicanChairman of Revision SchenectadyJohn C. Myers Democrat SchoharieCharles Chapman Democrat SchuylerGeorge A. Snyder Republican SenecaHarry M. Glen Republican Steuben1stWilloughby W. Babcock Republican2ndMerritt F. Smith Republican SuffolkRichard Higbie* RepublicanChairman of Commerce and Navigation SullivanUriah S. Messiter* RepublicanChairman of Internal Affairs TiogaEpenetus Howe Republican TompkinsEdwin C. Stewart Republican Ulster1stHenry McNamee Democrat2ndJames Lounsbery* RepublicanChairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply WarrenTaylor J. Eldredge Republican WashingtonWilliam R. Hobbie* RepublicanChairman of Insurance WayneGeorge S. Horton RepublicanChairman of Privileges and Elections Westchester1stJohn C. Harrigan Democrat2ndJohn Berry Democrat3rdEdgar L. Ryder* Democrat WyomingReuben J. Tilton Republican YatesA. Flagg Robson Republican Employees Clerk: George W. Dunn Assistant Clerk: Haines D. Cunningham Financial Clerk: William C. Stevens Sergeant-at-Arms: James H. Manville Doorkeeper: Joseph Bauer Stenographer: Henry F. Gilson Notes Sources New York State Legislative Souvenir for 1894 with Portraits of the Members of Both Houses by Henry P. Phelps The New York Red Book compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; see pg. 385 for senate districts; pg. 404 for senators; pg. 410–417 for Assembly districts; and pg. 510f for assemblymen) LEGISLATURE REPUBLICAN in NYT on November 9, 1893 THE LEGISLATURE AT WORK in NYT on January 3, 1894 FINAL PROTEST BY SHEEHAN in NYT on February 7, 1894 THE WORK OF M'KANE UNDONE in NYT on February 22, 1894 McGUIRE AND HUGHES MUST GO in NYT on April 4, 1894 LEGISLATURE'S WORK IS DONE and RECORD OF THE LEGISLATURE in NYT on April 28, 1894 117 Category:1894 in New York (state) Category:1894 U.S. legislative sessions