15th New York State Legislature explained

Number:15th
Imagename:The Old New York City Hall, where the Legislature met in 1784. From January 1785 to August 1790, the Congress of the Confederation and the 1st United States Congress met here, and the building was renamed Federal Hall. From 1791 to 1793, the State Legislature met again here, and the building was demolished in 1812.
Imagedate:1798
Start:July 1, 1791
End:June 30, 1792
Vp:Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt
Speaker:John Watts (Fed.)
Senators:24
Reps:70
Sessionnumber1:1st
Sessionstart1:January 5, 1792
Sessionend1:April 12, 1792
Previous:14th
Next:16th

The 15th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to April 12, 1792, during the fifteenth year of George Clinton's governorship, 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.

On February 7, 1791, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate and Assembly districts, according to the figures of the United States Census of 1790. The area of Columbia and Rensselaer counties were transferred from the Western to the Eastern District; and the Southern and the Western districts lost one senator each, which were added to the Eastern District. The total number of assemblymen was again set at 70; but several new counties were established: Herkimer (1 seat), Ontario (1), Otsego (1), Rensselaer (5), Saratoga (4) and Tioga (1); Kings, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester lost 1 seat, and Montgomery and New York lost 2; and Columbia won 3 seats.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[1] Party lines were not as distinctly drawn then as they became during the 19th century. Some politicians changed sides, for example the Livingston faction of the Federalist Party who felt betrayed after the election of Rufus King over their candidate James Duane in the United States Senate election in New York, 1789 and later voted down Schuyler for re-election in 1791.

Elections

The State election was held from April 26 to 28, 1791. Senators Samuel Jones (Southern D.), Thomas Tillotson and Jacobus Swartwout (both Middle D.) were re-elected; and Joshua Sands (Southern D.), William Powers (Eastern D.) and Ex-U.S. Senator Philip Schuyler (Western D.) were also elected to the Senate.

Sessions

The legislature was to meet for the regular session on January 3, 1792, at Federal Hall in New York City; both Houses assembled a quorum two days later; and adjourned on April 12.

On April 12, 1792, they enacted that the legislature should meet on the first Tuesday of November every four years, beginning in 1792, to choose presidential electors. The electors should then meet as electoral college at Poughkeepsie.

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.

DistrictSenatorsTerm leftPartyNotes
SouthernEzra L'Hommedieu1 yearFed./Dem.-Rep.
Paul Micheau1 yearFederalist
Isaac Roosevelt1 yearFederalist
Philip Livingston 2 yearsFederalist
David Gelston3 yearsDem.-Rep.also Surrogate of New York County
Philip Van Cortlandt3 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
Samuel Jones4 yearsDem.-Rep.also Recorder of New York City
Joshua Sands4 yearsFederalist
MiddleJames Clinton1 yearDem.-Rep.
John Cantine2 yearsDem.-Rep.
James Carpenter2 years
David Pye3 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
Thomas Tillotson4 yearsDem.-Rep.
Jacobus Swartwout4 yearsDem.-Rep.
EasternEdward Savage1 yearDem.-Rep.
Peter Van Ness1 yearDem.-Rep.[3] Van Ness lived in Columbia Co., and
was elected in the old Western D. in 1788
Alexander Webster2 yearsDem.-Rep.
John Williams3 yearsDem.-Rep.
William Powers4 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
WesternVolkert P. Douw2 years
Leonard Gansevoort2 yearsFederalist
(Peter Schuyler)*[4] 3 yearsFederalistdied January 4, 1792,[5] before the Legislature convened
Stephen Van Rensselaer3 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
Philip Schuyler4 yearsFederalist

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.

CountyAssemblymenPartyNotes
AlbanyJellis A. FondaFederalist
Stephen Lush
David McCartyDem.-Rep.
Francis NicollFederalist
William NorthFederalist
John Ten Broeck
Henry Ten Eyck
ColumbiaBenjamin Birdsall
Jared Coffin
Jacob FordFederalistpreviously a member from Albany Co.
Lawrence Hogeboom
Henry LivingstonFederalist
James SavageFederalist
DutchessJonathan AkinsDem.-Rep.
Samuel A. Barker
Isaac Bloom
Daniel GrahamDem.-Rep.
Morgan Lewis
Matthew Patterson
James Tallmadge
HerkimerMichael Myerspreviously a member from Montgomery Co.;
unsuccessfully contested[6]
KingsCharles Doughty
Douw Fonda
John FreyDem.-Rep.
David McMasters
Silas TalbotFederalist
New YorkJosiah Ogden HoffmanFederalist
William S. Livingston
Melancton SmithDem.-Rep.
William Pitt Smith
John WattsFederalistre-elected Speaker
Henry Will
John Wylly
OntarioEleazer Lindsley
John D. CoeFederalist
Seth MarvinFederalist
John Smith
OtsegoJames Cannonpreviously a member from Montgomery Co.
QueensSamuel Clowes
Whitehead CornwellDem.-Rep.
Nathaniel LawrenceDem.-Rep.
RensselaerJonathan Brownpreviously a member from Albany Co.
John Knickerbacker Jr.Federalist
John W. SchermerhornFederalistpreviously a member from Albany Co.
Thomas SicklesFederalistpreviously a member from Albany Co.
Moses Vail
RichmondGozen RyerssFederalist
Saratoga[7] Sidney Berrypreviously a member from Albany Co.;
seat vacated on January 20, 1792
Andrew Mitchellseat vacated on January 20, 1792
Elias Palmer
Benjamin Rosekrans
SuffolkJohn Gelston
Jonathan N. HavensDem.-Rep.
Henry ScudderDem.-Rep.
John SmithDem.-Rep.
TiogaJonathan Fitchseat in doubt, but retained[8]
UlsterEbenezer ClarkDem.-Rep.
Jacob De Lametter
Ebenezer FooteFederalist
Joseph Hasbrouck
vacant
Washington
and Clinton		John Conger
Thomas Converse
Zina Hitchcock
David HopkinsDem.-Rep.
WestchesterSamuel Haight
Elias Newman
Ebenezer Purdy
Jonathan G. TompkinsDem.-Rep.
Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr.Dem.-Rep.

Employees

Sources

Notes and References

  1. The Anti-Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic and Republican parties.
  2. Philip Livingston (1740-1810), son of Peter Van Brugh Livingston, father of Charles L. Livingston
  3. Van Ness was elected in 1788 as an Anti-Federalist, but presided on February 13, 1792, over the Federalist meeting in New York City which nominated John Jay for Governor and Stephen Van Rensselaer for Lt. Gov.; see The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constitution to December, 1840 by Jabez D. Hammond (4th ed., Vol. 1, H. & E. Phinney, Cooperstown, 1846; page 55)
  4. Peter Schuyler, of Canajoharie (now Danube, New York), nephew of Philip Schuyler
  5. Death notice in The Gentleman's Magazine (London, England, 1792; Vol. 72, pg. 182)
  6. see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 14ff)
  7. The seats of Sidney Berry and Andrew Mitchell were contested by Beriah Palmer and Adam Comstock. The ballots cast in the Town of Ballston were not counted because two persons who claimed to be Supervisor of the Town held separate elections; and all ballots from the county were burned by the canvass committee, so that the result could not be revised. The Assembly vacated the seats of Berry and Mitchell, but did not admit Palmer and Comstock, since the true election result could not be determined; see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 10–14)
  8. see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 17f)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "15th New York State Legislature".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.