121st New York State Legislature explained

Number:121st
Start:January 1
End:December 31, 1898
Vp:Lt. Gov. Timothy L. Woodruff (R)
Pro Tem:Timothy E. Ellsworth (R)
Speaker:James M. E. O'Grady (R)
Senators:50
Reps:150
S-Majority:Republican (36-14)
H-Majority:Republican (80-70)
Sessionnumber1:1st
Sessionstart1:January 5
Sessionend1:March 31, 1898
Sessionnumber2:2nd
Sessionstart2:July 11
Sessionend2:16, 1898
Previous:120th
Next: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 New York state election, 1895, 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 New York state election, 1897 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).[1]

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;[2] and adjourned on July 16.[3] 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

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.

DistrictSenatorPartyNotes
1stRichard HigbieRepublican
2ndTheodore KoehlerDemocrat
3rdFrank GallagherDemocrat
4thGeorge W. BrushRepublican
5thMichael J. CoffeyDemocrat
6thPeter H. McNultyDemocrat
7thPatrick H. McCarrenDemocrat
8thAlbert A. WrayRepublican
9thJulius L. WiemanRepublican
10thJohn F. AhearnDemocrat
11thTimothy D. SullivanDemocrat
12thSamuel J. FoleyDemocrat
13thBernard F. MartinDemocrat
14thThomas F. GradyDemocrat
15thFrank D. PaveyRepublican
16thLouis MunzingerDemocrat
17thCharles B. PageRepublican
18thMaurice FeathersonDemocrat
19thJohn FordRepublican
20thJacob A. CantorDemocratMinority Leader
21stCharles L. GuyDemocrat
22ndJ. Irving BurnsRepublican
23rdClarence LexowRepublican
24thWilliam C. DaleyRepublican
25thCharles DavisRepublican
26thJohn GrantRepublican
27thHobart KrumRepublican
28thEdgar T. BrackettRepublican
29thMyer NussbaumRepublican
30thLeGrand C. TibbitsRepublican
31stGeorge ChahoonRepublican
32ndGeorge R. MalbyRepublican
33rdWalter L. BrownRepublican
34thHenry J. CoggeshallInd. Rep.
35thElon R. BrownRepublicanelected to fill vacancy, in place of Joseph Mullin
36thHorace WhiteRepublican
37thNevada N. StranahanRepublican
38thWilliam Elting JohnsonRepublican
39thBenjamin M. WilcoxRepublican
40thEdwin C. StewartRepublican
41stJohn S. SheppardRepublican
42ndJohn RainesRepublican
43rdCornelius R. ParsonsRepublican
44thHenry HarrisonRepublican
45thTimothy E. EllsworthRepublicanPresident pro tempore
46thLester H. HumphreyRepublican
47thCharles LamyRepublican
48thSimon SeibertRepublican
49thGeorge Allen DavisRepublican
50thFrank W. HigginsRepublican

Employees

State Assembly

Assemblymen

DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
Albany1stWilliam L. CoughtryRepublican
2ndJames B. McEwanRepublican
3rdGeorge T. KellyDemocrat
4thGeorge W. StedmanRepublican
AlleganyAlmanzo W. LitchardRepublican
Broome1stCharles E. FullerRepublican
2ndEdgar L. VincentRepublican
Cattaraugus1stGeorge A. StonemanRepublican
2ndGirvease A. MattesonRepublican
Cayuga1stElias Q. DuttonRepublican
2ndGeorge S. FordyceRepublican
Chautauqua1stFrederick R. PetersonRepublican
2ndS. Frederick NixonRepublicanMajority Leader
ChemungJohn H. HolbertRepublican
ChenangoJotham P. AlldsRepublican
ClintonEdmund J. PickettDemocrat
ColumbiaRobert HoesRepublican
CortlandDavid W. Van HoesenDemocrat
DelawareDelos AxtellRepublican
Dutchess1stJohn A. HannaRepublican
2ndWilliam A. TrippRepublican
Erie1stAnthony J. BolandDemocrat
2ndHenry W. HillRepublican
3rdWilliam MaloneyDemocrat
4thJohn C. MohringDemocrat
5thHenry StreiflerDemocrat
6thNicholas J. MillerRepublican
7thJohn K. PattonRepublican
8thE. Freeman BakerRepublican
EssexJames H. PierceRepublican
FranklinThomas A. SearsRepublican
Fulton and HamiltonDaniel HaysRepublican
GeneseeJohn J. EllisRepublican
GreeneSylvester B. SageDemocrat
HerkimerE. LaGrange SmithRepublican
Jefferson1stWalter ZimmermanRepublican
2ndCornelius J. ClarkRepublican
Kings1stHenry S. GriggsDemocrat
2ndJohn McKeownDemocrat
3rdThomas H. CullenDemocrat
4thDavid Floyd DavisRepublican
5thAbram C. DeGrawRepublican
6thWilliam R. McGuireDemocrat
7thFrancis P. GallagherDemocrat
8thThomas J. FarrellDemocrat
9thJohn J. CainDemocrat
10thSamuel M. HubbardDemocrat
11thJoseph A. GuiderDemocrat
12thCharles C. SchoeneckDemocrat
13thBartley J. WrightDemocrat
14thAugust F. SchmidDemocrat
15thHarry H. DaleDemocrat
16thEdward C. BrennanRepublican
17thHenry MarshallRepublican
18thGeorge TiffanyRepublican
19thFrederick SchmidDemocrat
20thOtto WickeDemocrat
21stJohn E. ReisertDemocrat
LewisAddison L. ClarkRepublican
LivingstonOtto KelseyRepublican
MadisonRobert J. FishRepublican
Monroe1stJames B. PerkinsRepublican
2ndJames M. E. O'GradyRepublicanre-elected Speaker;
on November 8, 1898, elected to the 56th U.S. Congress
3rdWilliam W. ArmstrongRepublican
4thJacob S. HaightDemocrat
MontgomeryRichard MurphyRepublican
New York1stDaniel E. FinnDemocrat
2ndJames OliverDemocrat
3rdDominick F. MullaneyDemocrat
4thPatrick H. RocheDemocrat
5thWilliam A. ChanlerDemocratdid not attend the special session, due to
engagement in the Spanish–American War;
on November 8, 1898, elected to the 56th U.S. Congress
6thTimothy P. SullivanDemocrat
7thJohn F. MaherDemocrat
8thCharles S. AdlerRepublican
9thN. Taylor PhillipsDemocrat
10thJulius HarburgerDemocrat
11thJohn J. O'ConnorDemocrat
12thJoseph SchulumDemocrat
13thPatrick F. TrainorDemocrat
14thJacob FritzDemocrat
15thThomas SmithDemocrat
16thBenjamin HoffmanDemocrat
17thJohn F. BrennanDemocrat
18thCharles P. DillonDemocrat
19thSolomon C. WeillDemocratcontested in the courts;[4] election vacated after his death;[5]
died on April 28, 1898[6]
Perez M. StewartCitizens Unionseated on July 11, by order of the Court of Appeals
20thCornelius F. CollinsDemocrat
21stThomas J. MurrayDemocrat
22ndHenry HachemeisterDemocrat
23rdMark J. LowenthalRepublican
24thJohn B. FitzgeraldDemocrat
25thJohn A. Weekes Jr.Republican
26thCharles S. SinsheimerDemocrat
27thFrancis E. LaimbeerInd. Rep.
28thJoseph I. GreenDemocrat
29thAlfred F. SeligsbergGold Dem.
30thGeorge W. Meyer Jr.Democrat
31stAlbert E. CrabtreeDemocrat
32ndThomas F. DonnellyDemocratMinority Leader
33rdJohn J. EganDemocrat
34thLyman W. RedingtonDemocrat
35thRichard H. MitchellDemocrat
Niagara1stDow VromanDemocrat
2ndHenry S. TompkinsDemocrat
Oneida1stJohn WilliamsRepublican
2ndLouis M. MartinRepublican
3rdJohn E. MasonRepublican
Onondaga1stWilliam G. CottleInd. Rep.
2ndEdward G. Ten EyckRepublican
3rdJoseph BondyRepublican
4thJohn T. DelaneyRepublican
OntarioRobert B. SimmonsRepublican
Orange1stLouis F. GoodsellRepublican
2ndDaniel P. ShultzDemocrat
OrleansDennis W. EvartsRepublican
Oswego1stLouis P. TaylorRepublican
2ndThomas M. CostelloRepublican
OtsegoLeland M. CowlesRepublican
PutnamEmerson W. AddisRepublican
Queens1stGeorge L. GlaserDemocrat
2ndCyrus B. GaleDemocrat
3rdGeorge WallaceRepublican
Rensselaer1stBenjamin O. BrewsterRepublican
2ndWilliam Hutton Jr.Democrat
3rdMichael RussellRepublican
RichmondCharles J. KullmanDemocrat
RocklandIrving BrownDemocrat
St. Lawrence1stIra C. MilesRepublican
2ndMartin V. B. IvesRepublican
SaratogaGeorge W. KavanaughRepublican
SchenectadyJohn C. MyersDemocrat
SchoharieGeorge M. PalmerDemocrat
SchuylerCharles A. SloaneRepublican
SenecaWilliam V. Van RensselaerRepublican
Steuben1stEdward D. CrossRepublican
2ndHyatt C. HatchRepublican
Suffolk1stErastus F. PostRepublican
2ndCarll S. Burr Jr.Republican
SullivanGeorge McLaughlinRepublican
TiogaDaniel P. WitterRepublican
TompkinsTheron JohnsonRepublican
Ulster1stJacob H. TremperRepublican
2ndCharles J. AckertDemocrat
WarrenTaylor J. EldridgeRepublican
WashingtonCharles R. ParisRepublican
WayneMarvin I. GreenwoodRepublican
Westchester1stJared SandfordDemocrat
2ndWilliam J. GraneyDemocrat
3rdJohn GibneyDemocrat
WyomingDaniel P. WhippleRepublican
YatesMiles W. RapleeRepublican

Employees

Notes

  1. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1898/01/06/102066920.pdf PROCEEDINGS IN THE ASSEMBLY
  2. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1898/07/12/102564215.pdf FEW ASSEMBLYMEN ABSENT
  3. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1898/07/17/105963542.pdf PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE
  4. For more information see THE CITIZENS' UNION WINS in NYT on November 10, 1897; CITIZENS' ELECTION APPEALS in NYT on March 1, 1898
  5. 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
  6. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1898/05/01/102071889.pdf DEATH LIST OF A DAY; Solomon C. Weill
  7. Book: Murlin, Edgar L.. The New York Red Book. James B. Lyon. 1898. Albany. 747. en.

Sources

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