10th New York State Legislature explained

Number:10th
Imagename:The Old Royal Exchange, in New York City, where the Legislature met from 1785 to 1787.
Imagedate:undated
Start:July 1, 1786
End:June 30, 1787
Vp:Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt
Speaker:Richard Varick
Senators:24
Reps:70 (de facto 65)
Sessionnumber1:1st
Sessionstart1:January 12, 1787
Sessionend1:April 21, 1787
Previous:9th
Next:11th

The 10th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 12 to April 21, 1787, during the tenth year of George Clinton's governorship, at the Old Royal Exchange in New York City.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, the State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the election in April 1778, every year six Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

In March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. No general meeting place was determined, leaving it to each Legislature to name the place where to reconvene, and if no place could be agreed upon, the Legislature should meet again where it adjourned.

Elections

The State election was held from April 25 to 27, 1786. Gov. George Clinton and Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt were re-elected to a fourth term. Senators Lewis Morris (Southern D.), John Williams (Eastern D.) and Abraham Yates Jr. (Western D.) were re-elected; and John Hathorn (Middle D.), Peter Schuyler (Western D.) and Assemblyman John Vanderbilt (Southern D.), were elected to the Senate.

Sessions

The State Legislature was to meet on January 2, 1787, at the Old Royal Exchange in New York City, but the Assembly first assembled a quorum on January 12, the Senate on January 13; both Houses adjourned on April 21, 1787.

State Senate

Districts

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 Vanderbilt changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

DistrictSenatorsTerm leftNotes
SouthernIsaac Stoutenburgh1 year
Samuel Townsend1 year
Stephen Ward1 year
William Floyd2 yearselected to the Council of Appointment
Ezra L'Hommedieu2 years
vacant2 yearsAlexander McDougall died on June 9, 1786.
Thomas Tredwell3 years
Lewis Morris4 years
John Vanderbilt4 years
MiddleJoseph Gasherie1 year
Jacobus Swartwout1 year
Arthur Parks2 years
John Haring3 years
Cornelius Humfrey3 years
John Hathorn4 yearselected to the Council of Appointment
EasternEbenezer Russell2 yearselected to the Council of Appointment
David Hopkins3 years
John Williams4 years
WesternAndrew Finck1 year
Peter Van Ness2 years
Volkert P. Douw3 years
Philip Schuyler3 years
Peter Schuyler4 yearselected to the Council of Appointment
Abraham Yates Jr.4 years

Employees

State Assembly

Districts

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.

Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

CountyAssemblymenNotes
AlbanyLeonard Bronck
Henry Glen
James Gordon
John Lansing Jr.also Mayor of Albany
John Livingston
William Powers
Thomas Sickles
John Tayler
Matthew Visscher
Peter Vrooman
CumberlandnoneNo election returns from these counties[1]
Gloucester
Dirck Brinckerhoff
John DeWitt Jr.
Lewis DuBois
Jacob Griffin
Henry Ludington
Brinton Paine
Matthew Patterson
KingsCharles Doughty
Cornelius Wyckoff
Zephaniah Batchelor
James Cannon
Josiah Crane
John Frey
William Harper
James Livingston
New YorkEvert Bancker
Nicholas Bayard
David Brooks
William Denning
Alexander Hamilton
Robert C. Livingston
William Malcom
John Ray
Richard Varickelected Speaker;
also Recorder of New York City
Robert Armstrong
Jeremiah Clark
Gilbert Cooper
Peter Taulman
QueensSamuel Jones
John Schenck
Richard Thorne
James Townsend
RichmondJohn C. Dongan
Thomas Frost
SuffolkJonathan N. Havens
David Hedges
Daniel Osborn
Caleb Smith
John Smith
John Cantine
Ebenezer Clark
David Galatian
Cornelius C. Schoonmaker
Nathan Smith
Johannis Snyder
WashingtonAdam Martin
Ichabod Parker
Edward Savage
Peter B. Tierce
WestchesterEbenezer Lockwood
Ebenezer Purdy
Nathan Rockwell
Joseph Strang
Thomas Thomas
Jonathan G. Tompkins

Employees

Notes

  1. Cumberland and Gloucester counties seceded from the Province of New York in January 1777, and became part of the Vermont Republic, while the Constitutional Convention was still debating the new Constitution. The New York Constitution was approved in April 1777, not recognizing the secession. Neither county did file any election returns with the Secretary of State of New York in 1786.

Sources