143rd New York State Legislature

New York state legislative session February 2025 October 2019 143rd January 1 December 31, 1920 Lt. Gov. Harry C. Walker (D) J. Henry Walters (R) Thaddeus C. Sweet (R) 51 150 Republican (30–21) Republican (110–35–5) 1st January 7 April 25, 1920 2nd September 20 24?, 1920 142nd 144th The 143rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to September 1920, during the second year of Al Smith's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1917, 51 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 consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were New York (nine districts), Kings (eight), Bronx (three), Erie (three), Monroe (two), Queens (two) and Westchester (two). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county. At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Socialist Party also nominated tickets. Elections The 1919 New York state election was held on November 4. No statewide elective offices were up for election. Two women were elected to the State Assembly: Elizabeth V. Gillette (Dem.), a physician, of Schenectady; and Marguerite L. Smith (Rep.), an athletics teacher, of Harlem. Sessions The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1920. Thaddeus C. Sweet (R) was re-elected Speaker. At the beginning of the session, the five Socialist assemblymen were suspended by Speaker Sweet, pending a trial before the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary to determine whether they were fit to take their seats. Charles Evans Hughes (Rep.) and Governor Al Smith (Dem.) condemned Speaker Sweet and the Republican majority for taking this course of action.SWEET DEFENDS ASSEMBLY'S ACTION in NYT on January 11, 1920 On March 30, a majority of 7 members of the 13-member Judiciary Committee recommended the expulsion the five Socialists. Minority reports recommended the seating of all or part of the Socialist assemblymen.EXPEL THE FIVE SOCIALIST ASSEMBLYMEN, URGES MAJORITY REPORT, CHARGING TREASON; ROOSEVELT TO OPPOSE OUSTER MOTION in NYT on March 31, 1920 In the early morning of April 1, the five Socialist assemblymen were expelled.DEMOCRATIC FILIBUSTERS DELAY VOTE ON EXPULSION OF SOCIALISTS IN STORMY DEBATE IN ASSEMBLY in NYT on April 1, 1920 The Legislature adjourned at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, April 25, after a session of 37 hours.LEGISLATURE ENDS AFTER 37–HOUR SESSION; PASSES BEER AND ANTI-SOCIALIST BILLS; FAVORS TEACHERS' AND EX-SOLDIERS BONUS in NYT on April 25, 1920 During this last session, Marguerite L. Smith occupied for about half an hour the Speaker's chair.ACTING SPEAKER SMITH in NYT on April 26, 1920; the editorialist of the New York Times envisioned a woman being elected Speaker of the New York Assembly in some near future, but to date, almost hundred years later, no woman has ever been elected to the office. On August 12, Gov. Al Smith called a special session of the Legislature for September 20, and ordered special elections to be held on September 16 to fill the vacancies caused by the expulsion of the Socialist members. The session was called to consider the housing situation in New York City.GOVERNOR CALLS SPECIAL SESSION ON HOUSING CRISIS in NYT on August 13, 1920 On September 16, all five Socialists were re-elected to the Assembly. The Legislature met for a special session at the State Capitol in Albany on September 20, 1920.MOVE TO EXPEL SOCIALISTS AGAIN IS SIDETRACKED in NYT on September 21, 1920 On September 21, Claessens, Solomon and Waldman were again expelled, while DeWitt and Orr were permitted by a majority vote to take their seats. However, DeWitt and Orr resigned their seats in protest against the ouster of their three comrades.ASSEMBLY AGAIN EXPELS THREE SOCIALISTS; DECIDES TO OUST THEM BY VOTE OF 90 TO 45; DE WITT AND ORR SEATED, BUT RESIGN in NYT on September 22, 1920 State Senate Districts 30em 1st District: Nassau and Suffolk counties 2nd and 3rd District: Parts of Queens County, i.e the Borough of Queens 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th District: Parts of Kings County, i.e. the Borough of Brooklyn 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th District: Parts of New York County, i.e. the Borough of Manhattan 21st, 22nd and 23rd District: Parts of Bronx County, i.e. the Borough of the Bronx 24th District: Richmond County, i.e. the Borough of Richmond (now the Borough of Staten Island), and Rockland County 25th District: Part of Westchester County 26th District: Cortlandt, Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, Ossining and part of Yonkers; in Westchester County 27th District: Orange and Sullivan counties 28th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties 29th District: Delaware, Greene and Ulster counties 30th District: Albany County 31st District: Rensselaer County 32nd District: Saratoga and Schenectady counties 33rd District: Clinton, Essex, Warren and Washington counties 34th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties 35th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer and Lewis counties 36th District: Oneida County 37th District: Jefferson and Oswego counties 38th District: Onondaga County 39th District: Madison, Montgomery, Otsego and Schoharie counties 40th District: Broome, Chenango and Cortland counties 41st District: Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins counties 42nd District: Cayuga, Seneca and Wayne counties 43rd District: Ontario, Steuben and Yates counties 44th District: Allegany, Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming 45th and 46th District: Monroe County 47th District: Niagara and Orleans counties 48th, 49th and 50th District: Erie County 51st District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties Members The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. District Senator Party Notes1stGeorge L. Thompson* Republican2ndJohn L. Karle Republicanelected to fill vacancy, in place of Frank F. Adel3rdPeter J. McGarry* Democrat4thKenneth F. Sutherland* Democrat5thDaniel F. Farrell* Democrat6thLoring M. Black Jr.* Democrat7thCharles C. Lockwood* Republican8thAlvah W. Burlingame Jr.* Republican9thCharles E. Russell* Democrat10thJeremiah F. Twomey* Democrat11thDaniel J. Carroll* Democrat12thJimmy Walker* DemocratMinority Leader13thJohn J. Boylan* Democrat14thBernard Downing* Democrat15thAbraham Kaplan* Democrat16thJoseph D. Kelly Democratelected to fill vacancy, in place of James A. Foley17thJulius Miller* Democrat18thSalvatore A. Cotillo* Democrat19thEdward J. Dowling* Democrat20thWilliam C. Dodge* Democrat21stHenry G. Schackno* Democrat22ndPeter A. Abeles* Republican23rdJohn J. Dunnigan* Democrat24thJohn A. Lynch* Democrat25thGeorge T. Burling* Republican26thWalter W. Law Jr.* Republican27thCaleb H. Baumes* Republican28thJames E. Towner* Republican29thCharles W. Walton* Republican30thHenry M. Sage* Republican31stJohn J. Mackrell* Democrat32ndJames W. Yelverton* Republican33rdMortimer Y. Ferris* Republican34thN. Monroe Marshall* Republicanon November 2, 1920, elected New York State Treasurer35thBurt Z. Kasson* Republican36thFrederick M. Davenport* Republican37thFred B. Pitcher* Republican38thJ. Henry Walters* RepublicanPresident pro tempore39thAdon P. Brown* RepublicanChairman of Agriculture40thClayton R. Lusk* Republican41stSeymour Lowman* Republican42ndCharles J. Hewitt* Republican43rdWilliam A. Carson* Republican44thJohn Knight* Republican45thJames L. Whitley* Republican46thJohn B. Mullan* Republican47thGeorge F. Thompson* Republican 48thvacantRoss Graves resigned on December 27, 1919Parton Swift Republicanelected to fill vacancy on February 3, 1920Elect Republican State Senator in NYT on February 4, 1920 49thSamuel J. Ramsperger* Democrat50thLeonard W. H. Gibbs* Republican51stJ. Samuel Fowler* Republican Employees Clerk: Ernest A. Fay Sergeant-at-Arms: Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Principal Doorkeeper: First Assistant Doorkeeper: Stenographer: State Assembly Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..." Assemblymen District Assemblymen Party Notes Albany1stEdgar C. Campbell Republican2ndCharles F. Moss Republican3rdFrank L. Wiswall Republican AlleganyWilliam Duke Jr.* Republican Bronx1stAlbert H. Henderson Democrat2ndEdward J. Flynn* Democrat3rd(Samuel A. DeWitt) Socialistsuspended on January 7; expelled on April 1; elected to fill vacancy on September 16, resigned on September 214th(Samuel Orr) Socialistsuspended on January 7; expelled on April 1; elected to fill vacancy on September 16, resigned on September 215thWilliam S. Evans* Democrat6thThomas J. McDonald* Democrat7thJoseph V. McKee* Democrat8thJ. Fairfax McLaughlin* Democrat Broome1stEdmund B. Jenks* Republican2ndForman E. Whitcomb* Republican CattaraugusDeHart H. Ames* Republican CayugaL. Ford Hager* Republican Chautauqua1stHermes L. Ames* Republicandied on August 23, 19202ndJoseph A. McGinnies* Republican ChemungJohn J. Richford* Republican ChenangoBert Lord* Republican ClintonCharles M. Harrington Republican ColumbiaRansom H. Gillett Republican CortlandIrving F. Rice* Republican DelawareLincoln R. Long* Republican Dutchess1stJ. Griswold Webb* Republican2ndFrank L. Gardner* Republican Erie1stGeorge E. D. Brady* Republican2ndJohn W. Slacer* Republican3rdAugust Seelbach Republican4thAndrew T. Beasley* Democrat5thAlexander A. Patrzykowski* Democrat6thGeorge H. Rowe* Republican7thHerbert A. Zimmerman* Republican8thNelson W. Cheney* Republican EssexRaymond T. Kenyon* Republican FranklinWarren T. Thayer* Republican Fulton and HamiltonEberly Hutchinson* Republican GeneseeCharles P. Miller* Republican GreeneFrank G. Jacobs Republican HerkimerEdward O. Davies* Republican JeffersonH. Edmund Machold* Republican Kings1stJohn J. Griffith* Democrat2ndJames J. Mullen Republican3rdFrank J. Taylor* Democrat4thPeter A. McArdle* Democrat5thJames H. Caulfield Jr.* RepublicanChairman of Commerce and Navigation6thHarry Dimin Republican7thJohn J. Kelly* Democrat8thMichael J. Reilly Democrat9thJames T. Carroll Republican10thLeo V. Doherty Republican11thJames F. Bly Republican12thWilliam T. Simpson Republican13thGeorge W. Lindsay Democrat14thJoseph Lentol* Democrat15thJohn J. McLoughlin Democrat16thHarvey J. Ross Republican17thFrederick A. Wells* RepublicanChairman of Military Affairs18thTheodore Stitt Republican19thJohn Damico Republican20thJohn O. Gempler Republican21stWarren I. Lee Republican22ndGeorge U. Forbell Republican23rd(Charles Solomon)* Socialistsuspended on January 7; expelled on April 1; elected to fill vacancy on September 16, expelled on September 21 LewisFrederick S. Easton Jr. Democrat LivingstonGeorge F. Wheelock* Republican MadisonMorell E. Tallett* Republican Monroe1stJames A. Harris* Republican2ndSimon L. Adler* RepublicanMajority Leader3rdHarry B. Crowley* Republican4thFrank Dobson* Republican5thFranklin W. Judson* Republican MontgomeryAlton A. Walrath* Republican Nassau1stThomas A. McWhinney* Republican2ndTheodore Roosevelt Jr. Republican New York1stPeter J. Hamill* Democrat2ndCaesar B. F. Barra* Democrat3rdThomas F. Burchill Democrat4thSamuel Dickstein* Democrat5thCharles D. Donohue* DemocratMinority Leader6thSol Ullman* Republican7thNoel B. Fox Republican8th(Louis Waldman) Socialistsuspended on January 7; expelled on April 1; elected to fill vacancy on September 16, expelled on September 219thMartin Bourke Republican10thWilliam W. Pellet* Republican11thWilliam C. Amos* Republican12thMartin G. McCue* Democrat13thRobert B. Wallace Republican14thEdward Healey Democrat15thJoseph Steinberg* Republican16thMaurice Bloch* Democrat17th(August Claessens)* Socialistsuspended on January 7; expelled on April 1; elected to fill vacancy on September 16, expelled on September 2118thOwen M. Kiernan* Democrat19thMarguerite L. Smith Republican20thLouis A. Cuvillier Democrat21stJohn Clifford Hawkins* Republican22ndOscar J. Smith Republican23rdGeorge N. Jesse Republican Niagara1stDavid E. Jeffery Republican2ndAlan V. Parker Republican Oneida1stHartwell W. Booth* Republican2ndLouis M. Martin* RepublicanChairman of Judiciary3rdChauncey J. Williams Republican Onondaga1stManuel J. Soule* Republican2ndGardner J. Chamberlin* Republican3rdGeorge R. Fearon* RepublicanChairman of Affairs of Cities OntarioGeorge M. Tyler* Republican Orange1stArthur E. Brundage Republican2ndCharles L. Mead* Republican OrleansFrank H. Lattin* Republican OswegoThaddeus C. Sweet* Republicanre-elected Speaker OtsegoAllen J. Bloomfield* Republican PutnamJohn P. Donohoe* Republican Queens1stPeter A. Leininger* Democrat2ndBernard Schwab* Democrat3rdEdward J. Neary Republican4thNicholas M. Pette Republican5thRalph Halpern Republican6thHenry Baum Republican Rensselaer1stHugh C. Morrissey Republican2ndArthur Cowee* Republican Richmond1stThomas F. Cosgrove Democrat2ndGeorge P. Reynaud Democrat RocklandGordon H. Peck* Republican St. Lawrence1stFrank L. Seaker* Republican2ndEdward A. Everett* Republican SaratogaClarence C. Smith* Republican Schenectady1stHarold E. Blodgett Republican2ndElizabeth V. Gillette Democrat SchoharieJared Van Wagenen Jr. Democrat SchuylerClarence W. Hausner Republican SenecaGeorge A. Dobson Republican Steuben1stErnest E. Cole Republican2ndDelevan C. Hunter* Republican Suffolk1stJohn G. Downs* Republican2ndWilliam G. Carroll Democrat SullivanGuernsey T. Cross Democrat TiogaDaniel P. Witter* Republican TompkinsCasper Fenner* Republican UlsterSimon B. Van Wagenen Republican WarrenStewart MacFarland Republican WashingtonEugene R. Norton* Republican WayneCharles H. Betts Republican Westchester1stThomas Channing Moore Republican2ndWalter W. Westall* Republican3rdEdward J. Wilson* Republican4thMitchell A. Trahan Jr. Republican5thGeorge Blakely* Republican WyomingBert P. Gage* Republican YatesJames M. Lown* Republican Employees Clerk: Fred W. Hammond Deputy Clerk: Wilson Messer Sergeant-at-Arms: Harry W. Haines Principal Doorkeeper: First Assistant Doorkeeper: Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Stenographer: Edwin Van Cett Postmaster: James H. UnderwoodMalcolm James https://books.google.com/books?id=fjE0AQAAMAAJ The New York Red Book J. B. Lyon Company 1920 Albany, N.Y. 215 Google Books Notes Sources New York Legislative Documents (143rd Session) (1920; Vol. I, No. 1 to 5) SENATE DEMOCRATS SPLIT OVER LEADER in NYT on January 7, 1920 TWO CHAIRMANSHIPS FOR NEW YORK CITY in NYT on January 13, 1920 143 Category:1920 in New York (state) Category:1920 U.S. legislative sessions