| Number: | 156th |
| Start: | January 1 |
| End: | December 31, 1933 |
| Vp: | Lt. Gov. M. William Bray (D) |
| Pro Tem: | John J. Dunnigan (D) |
| Speaker: | Joseph A. McGinnies (R) |
| Senators: | 51 |
| Reps: | 150 |
| S-Majority: | Democratic (26–25) |
| H-Majority: | Republican (77–73) |
| Sessionnumber1: | 1st |
| Sessionstart1: | January 4 |
| Sessionend1: | April 10, 1933 |
| Sessionnumber2: | 2nd |
| Sessionstart2: | July 26 |
| Sessionend2: | August 24, 1933 |
| Sessionnumber3: | 3rd |
| Sessionstart3: | October 18 |
| Sessionend3: | 19, 1933 |
| Previous: | 155th |
| Next: | 157th |
The 156th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to October 19, 1933, during the first year of Herbert H. Lehman's governorship, in Albany.
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 Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Socialist Party, the Communist Party and the Socialist Labor Party also nominated tickets. The Prohibition Party adopted at this time the name Law Preservation Party: to emphasize that Prohibition should be preserved while encountering rampant opposition to it. They endorsed the "dry" Republicans and nominated own candidates in many districts where "wet" Republicans were running.
The New York state election, 1932, was held on November 8. Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected U.S. President; Lieutenant Governor Herbert H. Lehman was elected Governor; and M. William Bray was elected Lieutenant Governor; all three Democrats. Of the other six statewide elective offices, five were carried by Democrats and one by a Republican judge with Democratic endorsement. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democrats 2,660,000; Republicans 1,812,000; Socialists 103,000; Law Preservation 83,000; Communists 26,000; and Socialist Labor 7,000.
Assemblywoman Rhoda Fox Graves (Rep.), of Gouverneur, a former school teacher who after her marriage became active in women's organisations and politics, ran for the State Senate in the 34th district, but was defeated in the Republican primary by the incumbent Warren T. Thayer. No women were elected to the 156th Legislature.
The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1933;[1] and adjourned on April 10.[2]
Joseph A. McGinnies (Rep.) was re-elected Speaker.
John J. Dunnigan (Dem.) was elected Temporary President of the State Senate.
On June 27, a state convention met to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution which proposed to repeal Prohibition.
The Legislature met for a special session at the State Capitol in Albany on July 26;[3] and adjourned on August 24.[4]
The Legislature met for another special session at the State Capitol in Albany on October 18;[5] and adjourned on the next day.[6]
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Joseph A. Esquirol and Samuel Mandelbaum changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | Senator | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | George L. Thompson | Republican | re-elected | |
| 2nd | Joseph D. Nunan Jr. | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Civil Service | |
| 3rd | Frank B. Hendel | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Public Printing | |
| 4th | Philip M. Kleinfeld | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Excise | |
| 5th | John J. Howard | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Penal Institutions | |
| 6th | Marcellus H. Evans | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of General Laws | |
| 7th | George Blumberg | Republican | ||
| 8th | Joseph A. Esquirol | Democrat | Chairman of Public Health | |
| 9th | Henry L. O'Brien | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Labor and Industry | |
| 10th | Jeremiah F. Twomey | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Finance | |
| 11th | James J. Crawford | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Pensions | |
| 12th | Elmer F. Quinn | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Codes | |
| 13th | Thomas F. Burchill | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Public Service | |
| 14th | Samuel Mandelbaum | Democrat | Chairman of Cities | |
| 15th | John L. Buckley | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Taxation and Retrenchment | |
| 16th | John J. McNaboe | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Conservation; and of Re-Apportionment | |
| 17th | Albert Wald | Democrat | Chairman of Revision; and of Printed and Engrossed Bills | |
| 18th | John T. McCall | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Banks | |
| 19th | Duncan T. O'Brien | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Insurance | |
| 20th | A. Spencer Feld | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Public Education | |
| 21st | Henry G. Schackno | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Judiciary; on November 7, 1933, elected to the City Court (Bronx); resigned his seat on November 21[7] | |
| 22nd | Julius S. Berg | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Privileges and Elections | |
| 23rd | John J. Dunnigan | Democrat | re-elected; elected Temporary President; Chairman of Rules | |
| 24th | Harry J. Palmer | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Internal Affairs | |
| 25th | Walter W. Westall | Republican | re-elected | |
| 26th | Seabury C. Mastick | Rep./Law P. | re-elected; contested by Richard E. FitzGibbons (D)[8] | |
| 27th | Thomas C. Desmond | Republican | re-elected | |
| 28th | J. Griswold Webb | Republican | re-elected | |
| 29th | Arthur H. Wicks | Rep./Law P. | re-elected | |
| 30th | William T. Byrne | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Agriculture | |
| 31st | Ogden J. Ross | Democrat | Chairman of Military Affairs | |
| 32nd | Alexander G. Baxter | Rep./Law P. | re-elected | |
| 33rd | Benjamin F. Feinberg | Republican | ||
| 34th | Warren T. Thayer | Republican | re-elected | |
| 35th | Henry I. Patrie | Rep./Law P. | re-elected | |
| 36th | Michael J. Kernan | Democrat | Chairman of Affairs of Villages | |
| 37th | Perley A. Pitcher | Republican | re-elected | |
| 38th | George R. Fearon | Republican | re-elected; Minority Leader | |
| 39th | Walter W. Stokes | Republican | ||
| 40th | Bert Lord | Rep./Law P. | re-elected | |
| 41st | Frank A. Frost | Rep./Law P. | re-elected | |
| 42nd | Charles J. Hewitt | Republican | re-elected | |
| 43rd | Earle S. Warner | Republican | ||
| 44th | Joe R. Hanley | Rep./Law P. | re-elected | |
| 45th | Cosmo A. Cilano | Republican | re-elected | |
| 46th | Fred J. Slater | Republican | re-elected | |
| 47th | William H. Lee | Republican | ||
| 48th | Lawrence G. Williams | Republican | ||
| 49th | Stephen J. Wojtkowiak | Democrat | re-elected; Chairman of Commerce and Navigation | |
| 50th | Nelson W. Cheney | Republican | re-elected | |
| 51st | Leigh G. Kirkland | Rep./Law P. | re-elected | |
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | Assemblymen | Party | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 1st | John H. Cahill | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | John P. Hayes | Democrat | |||
| 3rd | S. Earl McDermott | Democrat | |||
| Allegany | Harry E. Goodrich | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Bronx | 1st | Nicholas J. Eberhard | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | William F. Smith | Democrat | |||
| 3rd | Carl Pack | Democrat | |||
| 4th | Herman M. Albert | Democrat | |||
| 5th | Harry A. Samberg | Democrat | |||
| 6th | Christopher C. McGrath | Democrat | |||
| 7th | John F. Reidy | Democrat | |||
| 8th | John A. Devany Jr. | Democrat | |||
| Broome | 1st | Albert L. Brown | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | Martin W. Deyo | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Cattaraugus | James W. Riley | Republican | |||
| Cayuga | Fred Lewis Palmer | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Chautauqua | 1st | David L. Brunstrom | Republican | ||
| 2nd | Joseph A. McGinnies | Rep./Law P. | re-elected Speaker; Chairman of Rules | ||
| Chemung | G. Archie Turner | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Excise | ||
| Chenango | Irving M. Ives | Republican | |||
| Clinton | Leo E. Trombly | Democrat | |||
| Columbia | Frederick A. Washburn | Republican | |||
| Cortland | Irving F. Rice | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Public Education | ||
| Delaware | E. Ogden Bush | Republican | |||
| Dutchess | 1st | Howard N. Allen | Rep./Law P. | ||
| 2nd | Charles F. Close | Republican | |||
| Erie | 1st | Charles J. Gimbrone | Republican | ||
| 2nd | William L. Marcy Jr. | Republican | |||
| 3rd | Frank X. Bernhardt | Republican | |||
| 4th | Anthony J. Canney | Democrat | |||
| 5th | Edwin L. Kantowski | Democrat | |||
| 6th | Howard W. Dickey | Republican | |||
| 7th | Arthur L. Swartz | Republican | |||
| 8th | R. Foster Piper | Republican | |||
| Essex | Fred L. Porter | Republican | Chairman of Ways and Means | ||
| Franklin | James A. Latour | Republican | |||
| Fulton and Hamilton | Harry F. Dunkel | Republican | |||
| Genesee | Herbert A. Rapp | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Greene | Ellis W. Bentley | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Conservation | ||
| Herkimer | Edward O. Davies | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Jefferson | Jasper W. Cornaire | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Motor Vehicles | ||
| Kings | 1st | Crawford W. Hawkins | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | Albert D. Schanzer | Democrat | |||
| 3rd | Michael J. Gillen | Democrat | |||
| 4th | George E. Dennen | Democrat | |||
| 5th | John J. Cooney | Democrat | |||
| 6th | Jacob J. Schwartzwald | Democrat | |||
| 7th | William Kirnan | Democrat | |||
| 8th | Luke O'Reilly | Democrat | |||
| 9th | Daniel McNamara Jr. | Democrat | |||
| 10th | William C. McCreery | Democrat | |||
| 11th | Edward J. Coughlin | Democrat | |||
| 12th | Edward S. Moran Jr. | Democrat | |||
| 13th | William Breitenbach | Democrat | |||
| 14th | Jacob P. Nathanson | Democrat | |||
| 15th | Edward P. Doyle | Democrat | |||
| 16th | Maurice Z. Bungard | Democrat | |||
| 17th | George W. Stewart | Democrat | |||
| 18th | Irwin Steingut | Democrat | Minority Leader | ||
| 19th | Jerome G. Ambro | Democrat | |||
| 20th | Joseph J. Monahan | Democrat | |||
| 21st | Charles H. Breitbart | Democrat | |||
| 22nd | Jacob H. Livingston | Democrat | |||
| 23rd | Albert M. Cohen | Democrat | |||
| Lewis | Edward M. Sheldon | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Livingston | James J. Wadsworth | Republican | |||
| Madison | Arthur A. Hartshorn | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Monroe | 1st | Daniel J. O'Mara | Republican | ||
| 2nd | George B. Kelly | Democrat | |||
| 3rd | Haskell H. Marks | Republican | |||
| 4th | Richard L. Saunders | Republican | |||
| 5th | W. Ray Austin | Republican | Chairman of Public Health | ||
| Montgomery | L. James Shaver | Republican | |||
| Nassau | 1st | Edwin W. Wallace | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Villages | |
| 2nd | Edwin R. Lynde | Republican | |||
| New York | 1st | James J. Dooling | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | Millard E. Theodore | Democrat | |||
| 3rd | Sylvester A. Dineen | Democrat | |||
| 4th | Leonard Farbstein | Democrat | |||
| 5th | John F. Killgrew | Democrat | |||
| 6th | Irving D. Neustein | Democrat | |||
| 7th | Saul S. Streit | Democrat | |||
| 8th | Joseph Hamerman | Democrat | |||
| 9th | Ira H. Holley | Democrat | |||
| 10th | Herbert Brownell Jr. | Republican | |||
| 11th | Patrick H. Sullivan | Democrat | |||
| 12th | John A. Byrnes | Democrat | |||
| 13th | William J. Sheldrick | Democrat | |||
| 14th | Edward V. Loughlin | Democrat | |||
| 15th | Abbot Low Moffat | Republican | |||
| 16th | William Schwartz | Democrat | |||
| 17th | Meyer Alterman | Democrat | |||
| 18th | Sol A. Hyman | Democrat | |||
| 19th | James E. Stephens | Democrat | |||
| 20th | Louis A. Cuvillier | Democrat | |||
| 21st | David Paris | Democrat | |||
| 22nd | Benjamin B. Mittler | Democrat | |||
| 23rd | Alexander A. Falk | Democrat | |||
| Niagara | 1st | Fayette E. Pease | Rep./Law P. | ||
| 2nd | Roy Hewitt | Republican | |||
| Oneida | 1st | Frank T. Quinn | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | Russell G. Dunmore | Rep./Law P. | Majority Leader | ||
| 3rd | Walter W. Abbott | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Onondaga | 1st | Horace M. Stone | Republican | Chairman of Judiciary | |
| 2nd | Willis H. Sargent | Republican | Chairman of Banks | ||
| 3rd | Richard B. Smith | Republican | Chairman of Affairs of Cities | ||
| Ontario | Robert A. Catchpole | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Public Service | ||
| Orange | 1st | William J. Lamont | Republican | ||
| 2nd | Rainey S. Taylor | Republican | |||
| Orleans | John S. Thompson | Republican | |||
| Oswego | Victor C. Lewis | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Canals | ||
| Otsego | Frank M. Smith | Republican | Chairman of Agriculture | ||
| Putnam | D. Mallory Stephens | Republican | |||
| Queens | 1st | Harold J. Crawford | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | George F. Torsney | Democrat | |||
| 3rd | Peter T. Farrell | Democrat | |||
| 4th | James A. Burke | Democrat | |||
| 5th | Maurice A. FitzGerald | Democrat | |||
| 6th | Frederick L. Zimmerman | Democrat | |||
| Rensselaer | 1st | Michael F. Breen | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | Maurice Whitney | Republican | Chairman of Commerce and Navigation | ||
| Richmond | 1st | Francis P. Heffernan | Democrat | ||
| 2nd | William L. Vaughan | Democrat | |||
| Rockland | Fred R. Horn Jr. | Democrat | |||
| St. Lawrence | 1st | W. Allan Newell | Republican | ||
| 2nd | Walter L. Pratt | Republican | Chairman of Taxation | ||
| Saratoga | Burton D. Esmond | Republican | Chairman of Codes | ||
| Schenectady | 1st | Oswald D. Heck | Rep./Law P. | ||
| 2nd | John H. Buhrmaster | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Schoharie | William S. Dunn | Dem./Soc. | |||
| Schuyler | Edward K. Corwin | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Seneca | James D. Pollard | Republican | |||
| Steuben | 1st | Wilson Messer | Republican | Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies | |
| 2nd | J. Austin Otto | Republican | |||
| Suffolk | 1st | John G. Downs | Republican | ||
| 2nd | Hamilton F. Potter | Republican | |||
| Sullivan | Benjamin R. Gerow | Democrat | |||
| Tioga | Frank G. Miller | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Tompkins | James R. Robinson | Republican | Chairman of Labor and Industry | ||
| Ulster | J. Edward Conway | Republican | |||
| Warren | Harry A. Reoux | Republican | |||
| Washington | Herbert A. Bartholomew | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Internal Affairs | ||
| Wayne | Harry L. Averill | Republican | |||
| Westchester | 1st | Herbert R. Smith | Rep./Law P. | ||
| 2nd | Ralph A. Gamble | Rep./Law P. | |||
| 3rd | Hickson F. Hart | Republican | |||
| 4th | Alexander H. Garnjost | Rep./Law P. | Chairman of Insurance | ||
| 5th | William F. Condon | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Wyoming | Harold C. Ostertag | Rep./Law P. | |||
| Yates | Fred S. Hollowell | Republican | |||