135th New York State Legislature explained

Number:	135th
Start:	January 1
End:	December 31, 1912
Vp:	Lt. Gov. Thomas F. Conway (D)
Pro Tem:	Robert F. Wagner (D)
Speaker:	Edwin A. Merritt Jr. (R)
Senators:	51
Reps:	150
S-Majority:	Democratic (29-21)
H-Majority:	Republican (100-48-1)
Sessionnumber1:	1st
Sessionstart1:	January 3
Sessionend1:	March 29, 1912
Previous:	134th
Next:	136th

The 135th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to March 29, 1912, during the second year of John Alden Dix's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1906 and 1907, 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 were made up of entire counties, except New York County (twelve districts), Kings County (eight 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 this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

Elections

The New York state election, 1911, was held on November 7. No statewide elective offices were up for election. For the first time, a Socialist was elected to the Assembly.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 3, 1912; and adjourned on March 29.

Edwin A. Merritt Jr. (R) was elected Speaker with 95 votes against 45 for Al Smith (D).

On April 19, Bronx County was created by the Legislature, to be effectively separated from New York County on January 1, 1914. To date, this was the last county created in the State of New York.

State Senate

Members

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

District	Senator	Party	Notes
1st	James L. Long		Democrat
2nd	Dennis J. Harte		Democrat
3rd	Thomas H. Cullen		Democrat
4th	Loring M. Black Jr.		Democrat
5th	Barth S. Cronin		Democrat
6th	Eugene M. Travis		Republican
7th	Thomas C. Harden		Democrat
8th	James F. Duhamel		Democrat
9th	Felix J. Sanner		Democrat
10th	James H. O'Brien		Democrat	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
11th	Christopher D. Sullivan		Democrat
12th	Timothy D. Sullivan		Democrat	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
13th	James D. McClelland		Democrat
14th	(Thomas F. Grady)*		Democrat	did not take his seat, and died on February 3, 1912
15th	Thomas J. McManus		Democrat
16th	Robert F. Wagner		Democrat	President pro tempore
17th	John G. Saxe		Democrat
18th	Henry W. Pollock		Democrat
19th	Josiah T. Newcomb		Republican
20th	James J. Frawley		Democrat
21st	Stephen J. Stilwell		Democrat
22nd	Anthony J. Griffin		Democrat
23rd	Howard R. Bayne		Democrat
24th	J. Mayhew Wainwright		Republican
25th	John B. Rose		Republican
26th	Franklin D. Roosevelt		Democrat
27th	William P. Fiero		Democrat
28th	Henry M. Sage		Republican
29th	Victor M. Allen		Republican
30th	Edgar T. Brackett		Republican	Minority Leader
31st	Loren H. White		Democrat
32nd	Seth G. Heacock		Republican
33rd	James A. Emerson		Republican
34th	Herbert P. Coats		Republican
35th	George H. Cobb		Republican
36th	T. Harvey Ferris		Democrat
37th	Ralph W. Thomas		Republican
38th	J. Henry Walters		Republican
39th	Harvey D. Hinman		Republican
40th	Charles J. Hewitt		Republican
41st	John F. Murtaugh		Democrat
42nd	Frederick W. Griffith		Republican
43rd	Frank C. Platt		Republican
44th	Thomas H. Bussey		Republican
45th	George F. Argetsinger		Republican
46th	William L. Ormrod		Republican
47th	Robert H. Gittins		Democrat	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
48th	Frank M. Loomis		Democrat
49th	Samuel J. Ramsperger		Democrat
50th	George B. Burd		Democrat
51st	Charles Mann Hamilton		Republican	on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress

Employees

• Clerk: Patrick E. McCabe
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Harry E. Oxford
• Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: John J. Dillon
• Principal Doorkeeper: Fred W. Theobold
• Assistant Doorkeeper: Thomas Nolan
• Stenographer: William E. Reynolds

State Assembly

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

Assemblymen

District		Assemblymen	Party	Notes
Albany	1st	Harold J. Hinman		Republican	Chairman of Judiciary
	2nd	John G. Malone		Republican
	3rd	John Gibeau		Republican
Allegany		Ransom L. Richardson		Republican
Broome		Arthur J. Ruland		Democrat
Cattaraugus		Ellsworth J. Cheney		Republican	Chairman of Public Education
Cayuga		Michael Grace		Republican
Chautauqua	1st	Julius Lincoln		Republican	Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies
	2nd	John Leo Sullivan		Republican	Chairman of Affairs of Villages
Chemung		Robert P. Bush		Democrat
Chenango		Walter A. Shepardson		Republican	Chairman of Soldiers' Home
Clinton		Charles J. Vert		Republican
Columbia		John L. Crandell		Republican
Cortland		Charles F. Brown		Republican	Chairman of Public Health
Delaware		Clayton L. Wheeler		Democrat
Dutchess	1st	Myron Smith		Republican	Chairman of Excise
	2nd	Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler		Democrat
Erie	1st	Charles C. Page		Republican
	2nd	Clinton T. Horton		Republican
	3rd	Henry J. Rahl		Republican
	4th	Edward D. Jackson		Democrat
	5th	Richard F. Hearn		Democrat
	6th	James M. Rozan		Democrat
	7th	Gottfried H. Wende		Democrat
	8th	Clarence MacGregor		Republican	Chairman of Codes
	9th	Frank B. Thorn		Republican	Chairman of General Laws
Essex		Spencer G. Prime II		Republican
Franklin		Alexander Macdonald		Republican	Chairman of Forestry, Fisheries and Game
Fulton and Hamilton		Alden Hart		Republican
Genesee		Clarence Bryant		Republican
Greene		J. Lewis Patrie		Democrat
Herkimer		Theodore Douglas Robinson		Republican
Jefferson	1st	Henry E. Machold		Republican
	2nd	John G. Jones		Republican	Chairman of Printed and Engrossed Bills
Kings	1st	Daniel V. Barnes		Republican
	2nd	William J. Gillen		Democrat
	3rd	Michael A. O'Neil		Democrat
	4th	George Langhorst		Republican
	5th	Abraham F. Lent		Republican
	6th	George Heiberger		Republican
	7th	Daniel F. Farrell		Democrat
	8th	John J. McKeon		Democrat
	9th	Albert H. T. Banzhaf		Republican
	10th	Fred M. Ahern		Republican
	11th	William W. Colne		Republican	Chairman of Affairs of Cities
	12th	Frederick W. Singleton		Republican
	13th	Charles Schmitt		Republican
	14th	James J. Garvey		Democrat
	15th	Thomas E. Willmott		Democrat
	16th	Forrest S. Chilton		Republican
	17th	Edward A. Ebbets		Republican	Chairman of Commerce and Navigation
	18th	Almeth W. Hoff		Republican
	19th	Jacob Schifferdecker		Democrat
	20th	Frank Bennett		Republican
	21st	Harry Heyman		Democrat
	22nd	Edward R. W. Karutz		Republican
	23rd	William F. Mathewson		Republican
Lewis		Humphrey E. Slocum		Republican	Chairman of Labor and Industries
Livingston		John C. Winters Jr.		Republican
Madison		Morell E. Tallett		Republican
Monroe	1st	Jared W. Hopkins		Republican
	2nd	Simon L. Adler		Republican
	3rd	August V. Pappert		Republican
	4th	Cyrus W. Phillips		Republican
	5th	William T. Keys		Republican
Montgomery		Walter A. Gage		Republican
Nassau		Jeremiah Wood		Republican
New York	1st	Thomas B. Caughlan		Democrat
	2nd	Al Smith		Democrat	Minority Leader
	3rd	John C. Fitzgerald		Democrat
	4th	Aaron J. Levy		Democrat
	5th	Jimmy Walker		Democrat
	6th	Harry Kopp		Republican	Chairman of Privileges and Elections
	7th	Peter P. McElligott		Democrat
	8th	Moritz Graubard		Democrat
	9th	John C. Hackett		Democrat
	10th	Meyer Greenberg		Democrat
	11th	John J. Boylan		Democrat
	12th	James A. Foley		Democrat
	13th	James C. Campbell		Democrat
	14th	John J. Herrick		Democrat
	15th	Henry J. Crawford		Republican
	16th	Martin G. McCue		Democrat
	17th	Franklin Brooks		Republican	Chairman of Military Affairs
	18th	Mark Goldberg		Democrat
	19th	Andrew F. Murray		Republican
	20th	Patrick J. McGrath		Democrat
	21st	Dean Nelson		Republican
	22nd	Edward Weil		Democrat
	23rd	Sidney C. Crane		Republican
	24th	Thomas A. Brennan		Democrat
	25th	Francis R. Stoddard Jr.		Republican
	26th	Abram Goodman		Republican
	27th	Charles A. Dana		Republican
	28th	Jacob Levy		Democrat
	29th	Thomas S. Coleman		Republican
	30th	Louis A. Cuvillier		Democrat
	31st	Max Shlivek		Republican	Chairman of Claims
	32nd	Morris S. Schector		Republican
	33rd	William B. Ruddick		Republican
	34th	Charles I. Fleck		Republican
	35th	John Yule		Republican
Niagara	1st	Karl S. Brong		Republican
	2nd	Henry A. Constantine		Republican
Oneida	1st	Ralph Entwistle		Republican
	2nd	Herbert E. Allen		Republican	Chairman of Banks
	3rd	James T. Cross		Republican	Chairman of Insurance
Onondaga	1st	Charles R. Milford		Republican
	2nd	David L. Edwards		Republican
	3rd	Thomas K. Smith		Republican	Chairman of Revision
Ontario		Thomas B. Wilson		Republican	Chairman of Agriculture
Orange	1st	Caleb H. Baumes		Republican	Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment
	2nd	John D. Stivers		Republican	Chairman of Public Printing
Orleans		Frank A. Waters		Republican
Oswego		Thaddeus C. Sweet		Republican	Chairman of Canals
Otsego		Willard G. Bullion		Republican
Putnam		John R. Yale		Republican	Chairman of Electricity, Gas and Water Supply
Queens	1st	Andrew Zorn		Democrat
	2nd	Alfred J. Kennedy		Democrat
	3rd	Adam Metz Jr.		Republican
	4th	James A. Bell		Republican
Rensselaer	1st	Charles Fred Schwarz		Democrat
	2nd	(Bradford R. Lansing)*		Republican	Chairman of Internal Affairs; did not take his seat, and died on February 4, 1912^[1]
Richmond		Ralph R. McKee		Democrat
Rockland		George A. Blauvelt		Democrat
St. Lawrence	1st	Frank L. Seaker		Republican
	2nd	Edwin A. Merritt Jr.		Republican	elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules; on November 5, 1912, elected to the 62nd and 63rd U.S. Congresses
Saratoga		George H. Whitney		Republican	Chairman of Ways and Means
Schenectady		Herbert M. Merrill		Socialist
Schoharie		Daniel D. Frisbie		Democrat
Schuyler		John W. Gurnett		Democrat
Seneca		Nelson Duntz		Republican
Steuben	1st	Thomas Shannon		Republican
	2nd	John Seeley		Democrat
Suffolk	1st	DeWitt C. Talmage		Republican
	2nd	George L. Thompson		Republican	Chairman of Public Institutions
Sullivan		John K. Evans		Democrat
Tioga		John G. Pembleton		Republican
Tompkins		Minor McDaniels		Democrat
Ulster	1st	Andrew J. Cook		Republican
	2nd	Samuel C. Waring		Republican
Warren		Henry E. H. Brereton		Republican
Washington		James S. Parker		Republican	Chairman of Railroads; on November 5, 1912, elected to the 63rd U.S. Congress
Wayne		Albert Yeomans		Republican
Westchester	1st	Tracy P. Madden		Democrat
	2nd	William S. Coffey		Republican	Chairman of Penal Institutions
	3rd	Frank L. Young		Republican	Majority Leader
	4th	George A. Slater		Republican
Wyoming		Henry A. Pierce		Republican
Yates		Edward C. Gillett		Republican

Employees

• Clerk: Fred W. Hammond
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Harry W. Haines
• Principal Doorkeeper: Michael Kehoe
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: James B. Hulse
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: D. C. Easton
• Stenographer: Henry C. Lammert
• Postmaster: James H. Underwood^[2]

Notes

1. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/02/05/100348223.pdf Assemblyman B. R. Lansing
2. Book: Murlin, Edgar L.. The New York Red Book. J. B. Lyon Company. 1912. Albany, N.Y.. 675. Google Books.

Sources

• Official New York from Cleveland to Hughes by Charles Elliott Fitch (Hurd Publishing Co., New York and Buffalo, 1911, Vol. IV; see pg. 367 for senators)
• Journal of the Senate (135th Session) (1912; Vol. I)
• Journal of the Assembly (135th Session) (1912; Vol. I; from January 3 to March 20)
• Journal of the Assembly (135th Session) (1912; Vol. II; from March 20 to 29)
• REPUBLICANS SEE BIG GAINS AHEAD in NYT on October 29, 1911
• COMMITTEE PLUMS GO TO MERRITT BACKERS in NYT on January 11, 1912