121st New York State Legislature

New York state legislative session February 2025 October 2019 121st January 1 December 31, 1898 Lt. Gov. Timothy L. Woodruff (R) Timothy E. Ellsworth (R) James M. E. O'Grady (R) 50 150 Republican (36-14) Republican (80-70) 1st January 5 March 31, 1898 2nd July 11 16, 1898 120th 122nd The 121st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to July 16, 1898, during the second year of Frank S. Black's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, 50 Senators and 150 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 (twelve districts), Kings County (seven districts), Erie County (three districts) and Monroe County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county. At the 1895 New York state election, the state officers and state senators were elected to an exceptional three-year term (for the sessions of 1896, 1897 and 1898), so that the election of these officers would be held, beginning in 1898, in even-numbered years, at the same time as the gubernatorial election. At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Socialist Labor Party and the Prohibition Party also nominated tickets. Elections The 1897 New York state election was held on November 2. The only statewide elective office up for election was carried by Democrat Alton B. Parker. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, was: Democratic 555,000; Republican 494,000; Socialist Labor 21,000; and Prohibition 20,000. Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1898; and adjourned on March 31. James M. E. O'Grady (R) was re-elected Speaker, against Thomas F. Donnelly (D).PROCEEDINGS IN THE ASSEMBLY in NYT on January 6, 1898 On April 25, Congress declared that the Spanish–American War had begun four days previously. Many New Yorkers volunteered to fight for the independence of Cuba, among them Assistant U.S. Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt and Assemblyman William A. Chanler. The Legislature met for a special session on July 11;FEW ASSEMBLYMEN ABSENT in NYT on July 12, 1898 and adjourned on July 16.PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE in NYT on July 17, 1898 The Legislature enacted a Metropolitan District Elections law which took the organization of elections in New York City out of the hands of the metropolitan police force, then headed by Chief William Stephen Devery, and placed them instead in the hands of a State Superintendent of Elections, appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate. A few minutes after the law was passed, John McCullagh, Devery's predecessor as head of the metropolitan police, was appointed to the office. The Legislature also appropriated money to an additional war fund; and enacted a Soldiers Vote law, expecting it being necessary to take the vote of the New Yorkers engaged in the Spanish–American War in the field during the next state election. State Senate Districts 30em 1st District: Richmond and Suffolk counties 2nd District: Queens County 3rd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894 4th District: 7th, 13th, 19th and 21st Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894 5th District: 8th, 10th, 12th and 30th Ward of Brooklyn, and the annexed former Town of Gravesend, as constituted in 1894 6th District: 9th, 11th, 20th and 22nd Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894 7th District: 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894 8th District: 23rd, 24th, 25th and 29th Ward of Brooklyn; and the annexed former Town of Flatlands, as constituted in 1894 9th District: 18th, 26th, 27th and 28th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st District: Parts of the City of New York, defined geographically by their bordering streets, regardless of Wards or Assembly districts 22nd District: Westchester County 23rd District: Orange and Rockland counties 24th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam and counties 25th District: Greene and Ulster counties 26th District: Chenango, Delaware and Sullivan counties 27th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Schoharie counties 28th District: Saratoga, Schenectady and Washington counties 29th District: Albany County 30th District: Rensselaer County 31st District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties 32nd District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties 33rd District: Otsego and Herkimer counties 34th District: Oneida County 35th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties 36th District: Onondaga County 37th District: Oswego and Madison counties 38th District: Broome, Cortland and Tioga counties 39th District: Cayuga and Seneca counties 40th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Tompkins counties 41st District: Steuben and Yates counties 42nd District: Ontario and Wayne counties 43rd District: 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Brighton, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Menden, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, Rush and Webster, in Monroe County 44th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 19th and 20th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Chili, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Ogden, Parma, Riga, Sweden and Wheatland, in Monroe County 45th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties 46th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties 47th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Ward of Buffalo 48th District: 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th Ward of Buffalo 49th District: 17th, 18th and 25th Ward of the City of Buffalo; and all area in Erie County outside Buffalo 50th District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties Note: In 1897, New York County (the boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx), Kings County (the borough of Brooklyn), Richmond County (the borough of Staten Island) and the Western part of Queens County (the borough of Queens) were consolidated into the present-day City of New York. The Eastern part of Queens County (the non-consolidated part) was separated in 1899 as Nassau County. Parts of the 1st and 2nd Assembly districts of Westchester County were annexed by New York City in 1895, and became part of the Borough of the Bronx in 1898. Members The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. District Senator Party Notes1stRichard Higbie* Republican2ndTheodore Koehler* Democrat3rdFrank Gallagher* Democrat4thGeorge W. Brush* Republican5thMichael J. Coffey* Democrat6thPeter H. McNulty* Democrat7thPatrick H. McCarren* Democrat8thAlbert A. Wray* Republican9thJulius L. Wieman* Republican10thJohn F. Ahearn* Democrat11thTimothy D. Sullivan* Democrat12thSamuel J. Foley* Democrat13thBernard F. Martin* Democrat14thThomas F. Grady* Democrat15thFrank D. Pavey* Republican16thLouis Munzinger* Democrat17thCharles B. Page* Republican18thMaurice Featherson* Democrat19thJohn Ford* Republican20thJacob A. Cantor* DemocratMinority Leader21stCharles L. Guy* Democrat22ndJ. Irving Burns* Republican23rdClarence Lexow* Republican24thWilliam C. Daley* Republican25thCharles Davis* Republican26thJohn Grant* Republican27thHobart Krum* Republican28thEdgar T. Brackett* Republican29thMyer Nussbaum* Republican30thLeGrand C. Tibbits* Republican31stGeorge Chahoon* Republican32ndGeorge R. Malby* Republican33rdWalter L. Brown* Republican34thHenry J. Coggeshall* Ind. Rep.35thElon R. Brown Republicanelected to fill vacancy, in place of Joseph Mullin36thHorace White* Republican37thNevada N. Stranahan* Republican38thWilliam Elting Johnson* Republican39thBenjamin M. Wilcox* Republican40thEdwin C. Stewart* Republican41stJohn S. Sheppard* Republican42ndJohn Raines* Republican43rdCornelius R. Parsons* Republican44thHenry Harrison* Republican45thTimothy E. Ellsworth* RepublicanPresident pro tempore46thLester H. Humphrey* Republican47thCharles Lamy* Republican48thSimon Seibert* Republican49thGeorge Allen Davis* Republican50thFrank W. Higgins* Republican Employees Clerk: James S. Whipple Sergeant-at-Arms: Garret J. Benson Doorkeeper: Nathan Lewis Stenographer: Edward Shaughnessy State Assembly Assemblymen District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stWilliam L. Coughtry Republican2ndJames B. McEwan* Republican3rdGeorge T. Kelly* Democrat4thGeorge W. Stedman Republican AlleganyAlmanzo W. Litchard Republican Broome1stCharles E. Fuller* Republican2ndEdgar L. Vincent Republican Cattaraugus1stGeorge A. Stoneman Republican2ndGirvease A. Matteson* Republican Cayuga1stElias Q. Dutton Republican2ndGeorge S. Fordyce Republican Chautauqua1stFrederick R. Peterson* Republican2ndS. Frederick Nixon* RepublicanMajority Leader ChemungJohn H. Holbert* Republican ChenangoJotham P. Allds* Republican ClintonEdmund J. Pickett Democrat ColumbiaRobert Hoes* Republican CortlandDavid W. Van Hoesen Democrat DelawareDelos Axtell Republican Dutchess1stJohn A. Hanna* Republican2ndWilliam A. Tripp Republican Erie1stAnthony J. Boland Democrat2ndHenry W. Hill* Republican3rdWilliam Maloney* Democrat4thJohn C. Mohring Democrat5thHenry Streifler Democrat6thNicholas J. Miller* Republican7thJohn K. Patton Republican8thE. Freeman Baker Republican EssexJames H. Pierce* Republican FranklinThomas A. Sears* Republican Fulton and HamiltonDaniel Hays Republican GeneseeJohn J. Ellis Republican GreeneSylvester B. Sage Democrat HerkimerE. LaGrange Smith Republican Jefferson1stWalter Zimmerman* Republican2ndCornelius J. Clark* Republican Kings1stHenry S. Griggs Democrat2ndJohn McKeown* Democrat3rdThomas H. Cullen* Democrat4thDavid Floyd Davis Republican5thAbram C. DeGraw Republican6thWilliam R. McGuire Democrat7thFrancis P. Gallagher Democrat8thThomas J. Farrell Democrat9thJohn J. Cain* Democrat10thSamuel M. Hubbard Democrat11thJoseph A. Guider Democrat12thCharles C. Schoeneck Democrat13thBartley J. Wright Democrat14thAugust F. Schmid Democrat15thHarry H. Dale Democrat16thEdward C. Brennan* Republican17thHenry Marshall* Republican18thGeorge Tiffany Republican19thFrederick Schmid* Democrat20thOtto Wicke Democrat21stJohn E. Reisert Democrat LewisAddison L. Clark Republican LivingstonOtto Kelsey* Republican MadisonRobert J. Fish* Republican Monroe1stJames B. Perkins Republican2ndJames M. E. O'Grady* Republicanre-elected Speaker; on November 8, 1898, elected to the 56th U.S. Congress3rdWilliam W. Armstrong* Republican4thJacob S. Haight Democrat MontgomeryRichard Murphy Republican New York1stDaniel E. Finn* Democrat2ndJames Oliver Democrat3rdDominick F. Mullaney Democrat4thPatrick H. Roche* Democrat5thWilliam A. Chanler Democratdid not attend the special session, due to engagement in the Spanish–American War; on November 8, 1898, elected to the 56th U.S. Congress6thTimothy P. Sullivan* Democrat7thJohn F. Maher Democrat8thCharles S. Adler* Republican9thN. Taylor Phillips Democrat10thJulius Harburger Democrat11thJohn J. O'Connor Democrat12thJoseph Schulum* Democrat13thPatrick F. Trainor* Democrat14thJacob Fritz* Democrat15thThomas Smith Democrat16thBenjamin Hoffman* Democrat17thJohn F. Brennan Democrat18thCharles P. Dillon Democrat 19thSolomon C. Weill Democratcontested in the courts;For more information see THE CITIZENS' UNION WINS in NYT on November 10, 1897; CITIZENS' ELECTION APPEALS in NYT on March 1, 1898 election vacated after his death;Weill died before the final decision was taken by the Court of Appeals, two weeks after his death the case was still pending in the Appellate Division, see NINETEENTH DISTRICT VOTE in NYT on May 13, 1898 died on April 28, 1898DEATH LIST OF A DAY; Solomon C. Weill in NYT on May 1, 1898Perez M. Stewart Citizens Unionseated on July 11, by order of the Court of Appeals20thCornelius F. Collins Democrat21stThomas J. Murray Democrat22ndHenry Hachemeister Democrat23rdMark J. Lowenthal Republican24thJohn B. Fitzgerald* Democrat25thJohn A. Weekes Jr. Republican26thCharles S. Sinsheimer Democrat27thFrancis E. Laimbeer* Ind. Rep.28thJoseph I. Green* Democrat29thAlfred F. Seligsberg Gold Dem.30thGeorge W. Meyer Jr.* Democrat31stAlbert E. Crabtree Democrat32ndThomas F. Donnelly* DemocratMinority Leader33rdJohn J. Egan Democrat34thLyman W. Redington Democrat35thRichard H. Mitchell Democrat Niagara1stDow Vroman Democrat2ndHenry S. Tompkins Democrat Oneida1stJohn Williams Republican2ndLouis M. Martin Republican3rdJohn E. Mason Republican Onondaga1stWilliam G. Cottle Ind. Rep.2ndEdward G. Ten Eyck* Republican3rdJoseph Bondy* Republican4thJohn T. Delaney Republican OntarioRobert B. Simmons Republican Orange1stLouis F. Goodsell* Republican2ndDaniel P. Shultz Democrat OrleansDennis W. Evarts Republican Oswego1stLouis P. Taylor* Republican2ndThomas M. Costello* Republican OtsegoLeland M. Cowles Republican PutnamEmerson W. Addis* Republican Queens1stGeorge L. Glaser Democrat2ndCyrus B. Gale Democrat3rdGeorge Wallace Republican Rensselaer1stBenjamin O. Brewster Republican2ndWilliam Hutton Jr.* Democrat3rdMichael Russell Republican RichmondCharles J. Kullman Democrat RocklandIrving Brown Democrat St. Lawrence1stIra C. Miles* Republican2ndMartin V. B. Ives* Republican SaratogaGeorge W. Kavanaugh* Republican SchenectadyJohn C. Myers Democrat SchoharieGeorge M. Palmer* Democrat SchuylerCharles A. Sloane Republican SenecaWilliam V. Van Rensselaer Republican Steuben1stEdward D. Cross Republican2ndHyatt C. Hatch Republican Suffolk1stErastus F. Post* Republican2ndCarll S. Burr Jr.* Republican SullivanGeorge McLaughlin* Republican TiogaDaniel P. Witter* Republican TompkinsTheron Johnson Republican Ulster1stJacob H. Tremper Republican2ndCharles J. Ackert Democrat WarrenTaylor J. Eldridge* Republican WashingtonCharles R. Paris Republican WayneMarvin I. Greenwood Republican Westchester1stJared Sandford Democrat2ndWilliam J. Graney Democrat3rdJohn Gibney Democrat WyomingDaniel P. Whipple Republican YatesMiles W. Raplee* Republican Employees Clerk: Archie E. Baxter Assistant Clerk: Ray B. SmithMurlin Edgar L. https://books.google.com/books?id=yW5IAAAAYAAJ The New York Red Book James B. Lyon 1898 Albany 747 en Sergeant-at-Arms: James C. Crawford Notes Sources The New York Red Book compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; see pg. 133–177 for senators' bios; between pg. 136 and 137 for senators' portraits; pg. 404 for list of senators; and pg. 712–716 for senate districts) Official New York from Cleveland to Hughes by Charles Elliott Fitch (Hurd Publishing Co., New York and Buffalo, 1911, Vol. IV; see pg. 338f for assemblymen; and 364 for senators) Public Service by James S. Barcus (The Globe Publishing Co., New York, 1898; see pg. 164 for senators; 165–168 for assemblymen; 168 for senate employees; and 169 for assembly employees; has also maps of senate and assembly districts) THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS in NYT on January 5, 1898 121 Category:1898 in New York (state) Category:1898 U.S. legislative sessions