116th New York State Legislature

116th New York State Legislature
116th New York State Legislature
	New York State Capitol (1893)
Overview
Legislative body	New York State Legislature
Jurisdiction	New York, United States
Term	January 1 – December 31, 1893
Senate
Members	32
President	Lt. Gov. William F. Sheehan (D)
Temporary President	Jacob A. Cantor (D)
Party control	Democratic (17-14-1)
Assembly
Members	128
Speaker	William Sulzer (D)
Party control	Democratic (74-54)
Sessions
1st
1st	January 3 – April 20, 1893

The 116th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 20, 1893, during the second 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. The senatorial districts were made up of entire counties, except New York County (seven districts) and Kings County (three districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards,^[1] forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.

On April 26, 1892, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate Districts and the number of assemblymen per county. Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Jefferson, Niagara, Oneida, Oswego, Otsego, Saratoga, Ulster, Washington and Wayne counties lost one seat each; St. Lawrence County lost two seats; Erie and Queens counties gained one seat each; and Kings and New York counties gained six seats each.^[2]

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 1892 New York state election was held on November 8. The only statewide elective offices up for election was carried by Charles Andrews, a Republican who was endorsed by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, was: Republican/Democratic 1,253,000; Prohibition 39,000; Socialist Labor 18,000; and People's Party 17,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1893; and adjourned on April 20.

William Sulzer (D) was elected Speaker with 71 votes against 52 for George R. Malby (R).^[3]

On January 17, the Legislature elected Edward Murphy Jr. (D) to succeed Frank Hiscock (R) as U.S. Senator from New York, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1893.

On January 27, 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.^[4]

State Senate

Districts

Note: The Senators in the 116th Legislature had been elected in November 1891 for a two-year term under the apportionment of 1879, as listed below. Although the 115th Legislature (1892) had re-apportioned the Senate districts, the only election under the new apportionment was held in November 1893, to elect the senators who sat in the 117th and 118th Legislatures.

1st District: Queens and Suffolk counties
2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of Flatbush, Gravesend and New Utrecht in Kings County
3rd District: 3rd, 4th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 23rd Ward of the City of Brooklyn
4th District: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of New Lots and Flatlands in Kings County
5th District: Richmond County and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 14th and parts of the 4th and 9th Ward of New York City
6th District: 7th, 11th, 13th and part of the 4th Ward of NYC
7th District: 10th, 17th and part of the 15th, 18th and 21st Ward of NYC
8th District: 16th and part of the 9th, 15th, 18th, 20th and 21st Ward of NYC
9th District: Part of the 18th, 19th and 21st Ward of NYC
10th District: Part of the 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd Ward of NYC
11th District: 23rd and 24th, and part of the 12th, 20th and 22nd Ward of NYC
12th District: Rockland and Westchester counties
13th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
14th District: Greene, Schoharie and Ulster counties
15th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties
16th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
17th District: Albany County
18th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
19th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
20th District: Franklin, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
21st District: Oswego and Jefferson counties
22nd District: Oneida County
23rd District: Herkimer, Madison and Otsego counties
24th District: Chenango, Delaware and Broome counties
25th District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
26th District: Cayuga, Seneca, Tompkins and Tioga counties
27th District: Allegany, Chemung and Steuben counties
28th District: Ontario, Schuyler, Wayne and Yates counties
29th District: Monroe and Orleans counties
30th District: Genesee, Livingston, Niagara 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.

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

District	Senator	Party	Notes
1st	Edward Floyd-Jones*	Democrat	Chairman of Game Laws
2nd	John McCarty*	Democrat	Chairman of State Prisons; and of Public Buildings
3rd	Joseph Aspinall*	Republican
4th	Patrick H. McCarren*	Democrat	Chairman of Commerce and Navigation; and of Public Expenditures
5th	William L. Brown*	Democrat	Chairman of Affairs of Cities; and of Grievances
6th	John F. Ahearn*	Democrat	Chairman of Banks; and of Public Printing
7th	George F. Roesch*	Democrat	Chairman of Judiciary; and of Privileges and Elections
8th	Martin T. McMahon*	Democrat	Chairman of General Laws; and of Military Affairs
9th	Edward P. Hagan	Democrat	Chairman of Claims; died on February 20, 1893
9th	Thomas F. Cunningham	Democrat	elected on March 21 to fill vacancy^[5]
10th	Jacob A. Cantor*	Democrat	President pro tempore; Chairman of Finance; and of Rules
11th	George W. Plunkitt*	Democrat	Chairman of Miscellaneous Corporations; and of Printed and Engrossed Bills
12th	Charles P. McClelland*	Democrat	Chairman of Insurance; and of Joint Library
13th	William P. Richardson*	Republican
14th	Clarence E. Bloodgood*	Democrat	Chairman of Roads and Bridges; and of Poor Laws
15th	Edward B. Osborne*	Democrat	Chairman of Affairs of Villages; and of Erection and Division of Towns and Counties; died on July 20, 1893
16th	John H. Derby*	Republican
17th	Amasa J. Parker Jr.*	Democrat	Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment; and of Public Health
18th	Harvey J. Donaldson*	Republican
19th	Louis W. Emerson*	Republican
20th	George Z. Erwin*	Republican	Minority Leader
21st	Joseph Mullin*	Republican
22nd	Henry J. Coggeshall*	Republican
23rd	John E. Smith*	Republican
24th	Edmund O'Connor*	Republican
25th	John A. Nichols*	Democrat	Chairman of Manufacture of Salt; and of Agriculture
26th	Thomas Hunter*	Republican
27th	Charles E. Walker	Democrat	Chairman of Internal Affairs of Towns and Counties; and of Manufactures; died on June 6, 1893
28th	Charles T. Saxton*	Republican
29th	Cornelius R. Parsons*	Republican
30th	Greenleaf S. Van Gorder*	Republican
31st	Matthias Endres*	Democrat	Chairman of Canals; and of Indian Affairs
32nd	James T. Edwards*	Ind. Rep./Dem.	Chairman of Railroads; and of Public Education

Employees

Clerk: Charles T. Dunning
Sergeant-at-Arms: Adelbert E. Tallmadge
Doorkeeper: Joseph Jerge
Stenographer: James M. Ruso
Assistant Clerk: Charles W. Sutherland
Librarian: James Oliver

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
Albany	1st	James Hilton	Democrat	Chairman of Agriculture
	2nd	Howard P. Foster	Republican
	3rd	Myer Nussbaum	Republican
	4th	George S. Rivenburgh	Republican
Allegany		Marcus M. Congdon*	Republican
Broome		Israel T. Deyo*	Republican
Cattaraugus		William E. Wheeler*	Republican
Cayuga		Charles Clinton Adams*	Republican
Chautauqua		Egburt E. Woodbury*	Republican
Chemung		John M. Diven	Republican
Chenango		Charles H. Stanton*	Republican
Clinton		Henry E. Barnard	Democrat
Columbia		Charles M. Bell	Republican	died on May 6, 1893^[6]
Cortland		James H. Tripp*	Republican
Delaware		DeWitt Griffin	Republican
Dutchess	1st	Edward H. Thompson	Republican
Dutchess	2nd	James A. Vanderwater*	Democrat
Erie	1st	John J. Clahan*	Democrat	Chairman of Canals
	2nd	Jacob Goldberg*	Democrat	Chairman of Excise
	3rd	Joseph Lenhard	Democrat
	4th	Edward Gallagher*	Republican
	5th	Henry H. Guenther*	Democrat	Chairman of General Laws
	6th	Frank D. Smith	Democrat	Chairman of Public Lands and Forestry
Essex		George A. Stevens	Republican
Franklin		Allen S. Matthews*	Republican
Fulton and Hamilton		Philip Keck	Republican
Genesee		Charles N. Reed*	Republican
Greene		James Stead	Republican
Herkimer		William C. Prescott	Republican
Jefferson		Harrison Fuller*	Republican
Kings	1st	William J. Plant*	Democrat
	2nd	John Cooney*	Democrat	Chairman of Judiciary
	3rd	John J. O'Connor*	Democrat	Chairman of Fisheries and Game
	4th	Joseph J. Cahill*	Democrat	Chairman of Unfinished Business
	5th	Hubert G. Taylor	Republican
	6th	Patrick McGowan	Democrat	died on April 17, 1893^[7]
	7th	Thomas F. Byrnes*	Democrat	Chairman of Federal Relations
	8th	John A. Hennessey	Democrat
	9th	John Kelly*	Democrat	Chairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply
	10th	William E. Melody	Democrat
	11th	William E. Shields*	Democrat	Chairman of Revision; died on August 14, 1893^[8]
	12th	Louis C. Ott*	Democrat	Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills
	13th	James F. Quigley*	Democrat	Majority Leader; Chairman of Ways and Means
	14th	Joseph Bender	Democrat
	15th	George H. Deitsch	Democrat
	16th	Walter L. Durack	Democrat
	17th	Michael E. Finnigan	Democrat
	18th	James Graham	Democrat
Lewis		Hugh Hughes	Republican
Livingston		Jesse Roberts*	Republican
Madison		Clarence W. Dexter*	Republican
Monroe	1st	Samuel H. Stone	Republican
	2nd	James M. E. O'Grady	Republican
	3rd	William H. Denniston*	Republican
Montgomery		Edward J. Hand	Democrat
New York	1st	Patrick H. Duffy*	Democrat	Chairman of Public Health
	2nd	Timothy D. Sullivan*	Democrat	Chairman of Commerce and Navigation
	3rd	Jacob A. Mittnacht	Democrat
	4th	Patrick H. Roche*	Democrat	Chairman of Insurance
	5th	Samuel J. Foley*	Democrat	Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment
	6th	Moses Dinkelspiel*	Democrat	Chairman of Public Institutions
	7th	Otto Kempner	Democrat
	8th	William H. Walker*	Democrat	Chairman of Claims
	9th	Walter W. Bahan	Democrat
	10th	William Sulzer*	Democrat	elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules
	11th	Percival Farquhar*	Democrat	Chairman of Military Affairs
	12th	Frank A. O'Donnel	Democrat
	13th	James H. Southworth*	Democrat	Chairman of Public Education
	14th	Daniel F. Martin*	Democrat	Chairman of Codes
	15th	Louis Drypolcher*	Democrat	Chairman of Labor and Industries
	16th	Joseph C. Wolff	Democrat	Chairman of Soldiers' Home
	17th	John Kerrigan	Democrat	Chairman of Trades and Manufactures
	18th	Thomas J. McManus*	Democrat
	19th	Thomas C. O'Sullivan	Democrat	Chairman of Privileges and Elections
	20th	William H. McKeon	Democrat
	21st	Louis H. Hahlo*	Democrat	Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies
	22nd	Morris Jacoby	Democrat
	23rd	William Bruce Ellison	Democrat
	24th	Frederick P. Hummel	Democrat
	25th	John Keleher	Democrat
	26th	Louis Davidson	Democrat
	27th	George P. Webster*	Democrat	Chairman of Affairs of Cities
	28th	James F. Reilly	Democrat
	29th	Arthur C. Butts	Democrat
	30th	Charles C. Marrin	Democrat
Niagara		Elton T. Ransom	Democrat
Oneida	1st	Cornelius Haley*	Dem./Labor
Oneida	2nd	Chester W. Porter*	Republican
Onondaga	1st	Duncan W. Peck	Democrat	Chairman of Indian Affairs
	2nd	Jonathan Wyckoff	Republican
	3rd	William H. Hotaling	Republican
Ontario		William L. Parkhurst	Republican
Orange	1st	Howard Thornton*	Republican
Orange	2nd	John Kinsila	Democrat
Orleans		Adelbert J. McCormick*	Republican
Oswego		Danforth E. Ainsworth	Republican
Otsego		Walter L. Brown*	Republican
Putnam		Hamilton Fish II	Republican
Queens	1st	James Robinson	Democrat
	2nd	Samuel V. Searing	Democrat
	3rd	Solomon S. Townsend*	Democrat	Chairman of Railroads
Rensselaer	1st	William M. Keenan	Democrat
	2nd	John M. Chambers	Republican
	3rd	John J. Cassin*	Democrat	Chairman of Public Printing
Richmond		Hubbard R. Yetman*	Democrat	Chairman of Affairs of Villages
Rockland		Thomas Finegan*	Democrat
St. Lawrence		George R. Malby*	Republican	Minority Leader
Saratoga		James Frank Terry	Republican
Schenectady		Alvin J. Quackenbush*	Democrat	Chairman of Banks
Schoharie		Benjamin H. Avery	Democrat
Schuyler		William H. Wait*	Republican
Seneca		Henry Van De Mark	Democrat
Steuben	1st	Gordon M. Patchin*	Republican
Steuben	2nd	Herman E. Buck*	Republican
Suffolk		Richard Higbie	Republican
Sullivan		Uriah S. Messiter	Republican
Tioga		Edward G. Tracy*	Republican
Tompkins		Albert H. Pierson*	Republican
Ulster	1st	Jacob Rice*	Democrat	Chairman of State Prisons
Ulster	2nd	James Lounsbery	Republican	unsuccessfully contested by George H. Bush (D)^[9]
Warren		Howard Conkling*	Republican
Washington		William R. Hobbie	Republican
Wayne		John E. Hough	Republican
Westchester	1st	Thomas K. Fraser*	Democrat	Chairman of Internal Affairs
	2nd	Alfred Hennen Morris	Democrat
	3rd	Edgar L. Ryder	Democrat
Wyoming		Milo H. Olin*	Republican
Yates		Morris F. Sheppard	Republican

Employees

Clerk: Charles R. DeFreest
Sergeant-at-Arms: Michael B. Redmond
Doorkeeper: Edward A. Moore
Stenographer: Thomas Hassett

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.
^ WALKER'S FIRMNESS WINS in The New York Times on April 27, 1892
^ THE LEGISLATURE OPENED in The New York Times on January 4, 1893
^ Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the State of New York 1894 (Albany, 1895; pg. 1)
^ SENATOR THOMAS F. CUNNINGHAM in The New York Times on March 22, 1893
^ "Death of Hon. Charles M. Bell". Hillsdale Harbinger. Vol. VI, no. 30. Hillsdale, N.Y. May 12, 1893. p. 5 – via Digital Archives of the Roeliff Jansen Community Library.
^ "An Assemblyman Dead". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 53, no. 106. April 17, 1893. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Assemblyman Shields Dead". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 14, 1893.
^ The Committee on Elections reported in favor of Bush on April 19, but Bush withdrew his claim, refusing to be seated on the last day of the session. The seating would have entitled him to receive the wages paid to the sitting members for the full session, but Bush would not accept "compensation for services not rendered"; see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 634–644)

Sources

The New York Red Book compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; see pg. 384f for senate districts; pg. 404 for senators; pg. 410–417 for Assembly districts; and pg. 510 for assemblymen)
New York State Legislative Souvenir for 1893 with Portraits of the Members of Both Houses by Henry P. Phelps
MOVED LIKE CLOCKWORK in The New York Times on January 3, 1893

[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] WALKER'S FIRMNESS WINS in The New York Times on April 27, 1892

[3] THE LEGISLATURE OPENED in The New York Times on January 4, 1893

[4] Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the State of New York 1894 (Albany, 1895; pg. 1)

[5] SENATOR THOMAS F. CUNNINGHAM in The New York Times on March 22, 1893

[:0-6] "Death of Hon. Charles M. Bell". Hillsdale Harbinger. Vol. VI, no. 30. Hillsdale, N.Y. May 12, 1893. p. 5 – via Digital Archives of the Roeliff Jansen Community Library.

[:1-7] "An Assemblyman Dead". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 53, no. 106. April 17, 1893. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Assemblyman Shields Dead". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 14, 1893.

[9] The Committee on Elections reported in favor of Bush on April 19, but Bush withdrew his claim, refusing to be seated on the last day of the session. The seating would have entitled him to receive the wages paid to the sitting members for the full session, but Bush would not accept "compensation for services not rendered"; see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 634–644)

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