20th New York State Legislature explained

Number:20th
Imagename:The Old New York City Hall, where the Legislature first 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, and from 1795 to 1796, the State Legislature met again here. The building was demolished in 1812.
Imagedate:1798
Start:July 1, 1796
End:June 30, 1797
Vp:Lt. Gov. Stephen Van Rensselaer (Fed.)
Speaker:Gulian Verplanck (Fed.)
Senators:43
Reps:108
S-Majority:Federalist (36-6)
H-Majority:Federalist
Sessionnumber1:1st
Sessionstart1:November 1
Sessionend1:11, 1796
Sessionnumber2:2nd
Sessionstart2:January 3
Sessionend2:April 3, 1797
Previous:19th
Next:21st

The 20th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from November 1, 1796, to April 3, 1797, during the second year of John Jay's governorship, first in New York City, then in Albany.

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 July 1, 1795, Stephen Van Rensselaer took office as Lieutenant Governor of New York, leaving a vacancy in the Western District.

On March 4, 1796, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate and Assembly districts, based on the figures of the New York State Census of 1795. The number of State Senators was increased from 24 to 43, adding 1 to the Southern D.; and 6 each to the other three districts. The number of assemblymen was increased from 70 to 108, double-county districts were separated, and several new counties were created.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[1]

Elections

The State election was held from April 26 to 28, 1796. Senator Selah Strong (Southern D.) was re-elected. Assemblymen James Watson (Southern D.), Thomas Morris, Johannes Dietz, Jacob Morris, Leonard Bronck and Francis Nicoll (all five Western D.) were elected to the Senate. Samuel Haight, Andrew Onderdonk (both Southern D.), Robert Sands, Christopher Tappen, William Thompson (all three Middle D.), Ebenezer Clark, Moses Vail, James Savage, Peter Silvester, Anthony Ten Eyck (all five Eastern D.), Jedediah Sanger, James Gordon, Leonard Gansevoort, Thomas R. Gold, John Richardson, Vincent Mathews, Joseph White and Abraham Arndt (all eight Western D.) were also elected to the Senate. All, except Christopher Tappen, were Federalists.

Upon taking their seats, the new senators were classified: Ebenezer Clark, Anthony Ten Eyck, Thomas Morris and John Richardson drew 1-year terms; James Watson, Leonard Gansevoort, Francis Nicoll, Abraham Arndt, Johannes Dietz and Thomas R. Gold drew 2-year terms; Christopher Tappen, Moses Vail, Vincent Mathews and Joseph White drew 3-year terms; and Samuel Haight, Andrew Onderdonk, Selah Strong, Robert Sands, James Savage, Peter Silvester, William Thompson, Leonard Bronck, Jacob Morris, James Gordon and Jedediah Sanger drew 4-year terms.

Sessions

The Legislature met at Federal Hall in New York City on November 1, 1796, to elect presidential electors, and both Houses adjourned on November 11. This was the last session not held in Albany.

Federalist Gulian Verplanck was elected Speaker.

To balance the representation of the senatorial districts, the re-apportionment was amended, transferring Columbia Co. from the Eastern to the Middle District; and Albany and Saratoga counties from the Western to the Eastern D. Thus senators Spencer, Savage and Silvester moved from the Eastern to the Middle; and Bronck, Gansevoort, Gordon, Nicoll, Schuyler and Van Schoonhoven from the Western to the Eastern District.[2]

On November 7, 1796, the Legislature elected 12 presidential electors, all Federalists: Lewis Morris, Abijah Hammond, Richard Thorne, Peter Cantine Jr., Robert Van Rensselaer, Johannes Miller, Abraham Ten Broeck, Abraham Van Vechten, St. John Honeywood, William Root, Peter Smith and Charles Newkirk. They cast their votes for John Adams and Thomas Pinckney.

On November 9, 1796, the Legislature elected U.S. District Judge John Laurance to the U.S. Senate, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Rufus King.

The Legislature met for the regular session on January 3, 1797, at the Old City Hall in Albany, New York; and both Houses adjourned on April 3.

On January 24, 1797, the Legislature elected Senator Philip Schuyler to the U.S. Senate, to succeed Aaron Burr, for a 6-year term beginning on March 4, 1797.

Among the legislative acts of this session were: the declaration of Albany as the State capital, and plans to build a State capitol; the creation of the office of New York State Comptroller; and the creation of Delaware County, with 2 seats in the Assembly.

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. James Watson, Leonard Bronck, Francis Nicoll, Johannes Dietz, Jacob Morris and Thomas Morris changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Note: The table shows the Districts as re-apportioned after the election.

DistrictSenatorsTerm leftPartyNotes
SouthernEzra L'Hommedieu1 yearFederalist
Richard Hatfield2 yearsFederalist
Philip Livingston 2 yearsFederalist
James Watson2 yearsFederalist
Samuel Jones3 yearsFederalistuntil March 15, 1797, also Recorder of New York City,
from March 15, 1797, also New York State Comptroller
Joshua Sands3 yearsFederalistvacated his seat on April 26, 1797, upon
appointment as Collector of the Port of New York
Samuel Haight4 yearsFederalist
Andrew Onderdonk4 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
Selah Strong4 yearsFederalist
MiddleJohn Cantine1 yearDem.-Rep.
Reuben Hopkins1 yearDem.-Rep.
vacant[4] 1 year
John D. Coe2 yearsDem.-Rep.
Ambrose Spencer2 yearsFederalistalso Assistant Attorney General (3rd D.);
Spencer lived in Columbia Co., and
had been elected in the old Eastern D. in 1795;
elected to the Council of Appointment
Abraham Schenck3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Christopher Tappen3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Thomas Tillotson3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Robert Sands[5] 4 yearsFederalist
James Savage4 yearsFederalist
Peter Silvester4 yearsFederalist
William Thompson4 yearsFederalist
EasternEbenezer Clark1 yearFederalist
Zina Hitchcock1 yearFederalist
Anthony Ten Eyck1 yearFederalist
nowrap Jacobus Van Schoonhoven1 yearFederalistVan Schoonhoven lived in Saratoga Co., and
had been elected in the old Western D. in 1793
Leonard Gansevoort2 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
Francis Nicoll2 yearsFederalist
Ebenezer Russell3 yearsFederalist
Philip Schuyler3 yearsFederalistSchuyler lived in Albany Co., and
had been elected in the old Western D. in 1795;
elected on January 24, 1797, to the U.S. Senate
Moses Vail3 yearsFederalist
Leonard Bronck4 yearsFederalist
James Gordon4 yearsFederalist
WesternThomas Morris1 yearFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
Michael Myers1 yearFederalist
John Richardson1 yearFederalist
Abraham Arndt2 yearsFederalist
Johannes Dietz2 yearsFederalist
John Frey2 yearsFederalist
Thomas R. Gold2 yearsFederalistalso Assistant Attorney General (7th D.)
Vincent Mathews3 yearsFederalist
Joseph White3 yearsFederalist
Jacob Morris4 yearsFederalist
Jedediah Sanger4 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
AlbanyJames Bill
Philip Conine Jr.
James C. Duane
Jacob Hochstrasser
James Holcomb
Nathaniel Ogden
John Prince
Philip P. Schuyler
Dirck Ten BroeckFederalist
John H. Wendell
ClintonCharles Platt
ColumbiaCaleb Benton
Palmer Cady
John C. HogeboomDem.-Rep.
John McKinstry
Peter I. Vosburgh
Jonathan Warner
DutchessSamuel A. BarkerFederalist
Jacob BockéeFederalist
Joseph Crane Jr.
Richard Davis
Jesse OakleyFederalist
William Pearce
Jacob Smith
Jesse ThompsonFederalist
William B. VerplanckFederalist
William Wheeler
HerkimerIsaac Brayton
Arthur Breese
Matthew Brown Jr.
Ludwick Campbell
Gaylord GriswoldFederalist
Joshua Leland
Henry McNeilFederalist
KingsPeter VandervoortFederalist
Jacob Eaker
Frederick GettmanFederalist
George Metcalfefrom February 16, 1797, also Assistant Attorney General (5th D.)
John C. Van Eps
Peter V. Veeder
Simon Veeder
New YorkLeonard Bleecker
Richard FurmanFederalist
Josiah Ogden HoffmanFederalistalso New York State Attorney General
James KentFederalistpreviously a member from Dutchess Co.;
from March 28, 1797, also Recorder of New York City
Alexander LambDem.-Rep.
Herman LeRoy
Jonathan Little
Jacob MortonFederalist
Jotham Post Jr.Federalist
James RooseveltFederalist
James Tylee
Gulian VerplanckFederalistelected Speaker
Henry Will
Silas Halsey
Comfort Tyler
OntarioLemuel Chipman
Charles Williamson
Isaac Blanch
Jonathan Cooley
Seth Marvin
OtsegoJoshua H. Brett
Francis HenryFederalist
Timothy Morse
Isaac Nash
Abraham C. Ten Broeck
QueensLewis Cornwall
David KissamFederalist
William PearsallFederalist
John M. SmithFederalist
RensselaerJohn BirdFederalist
Federalist
Jacob A. FortFederalist
Daniel GrayFederalist
James McKownFederalist
Hosea MoffittFederalist
RichmondLewis Ryerss
SaratogaSeth C. Baldwin
Samuel Clark
Adam ComstockDem.-Rep.
John McClelland
John Taylor
SchoharieJohn RiceFederalist
SuffolkJared Landon
Abraham Miller
Joshua Smith Jr.
Silas WoodFederalist
TiogaEmanuel CoryellFederalist
vacant
UlsterJohannes BruynDem.-Rep.
John Burr
Francis Crawford
John C. DeWittDem.-Rep.
Ebenezer FooteFederalistfrom March 20, 1797, also Delaware County Clerk
Josiah HasbrouckDem.-Rep.
James OliverFederalist
Benjamin Sears
WashingtonAnthony I. Blanchardalso Assistant Attorney General (4th D.)
Gerrit G. Lansing
Timothy Leonard
Daniel Mason
Edward SavageDem.-Rep.
Andrew White
WestchesterJohn BarkerFederalist
Joseph CarpenterFederalist
Mordecai HaleFederalist
Charles TeedFederalist
Samuel YoungsFederalist

Employees

Notes

  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. https://books.google.com/books?id=bu8SPTyhrF8C&pg=PA99 The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constitution to 1840
  3. Philip Livingston, son of Peter Van Brugh Livingston
  4. It is unclear what caused this vacancy, since none of the sources mention any other person elected to the Senate. The Civil List of 1858 states that the number of Senators was 43 (page 108), and subsequent Legislatures had 43 members, until the re-apportionment by the Constitutional Convention of 1801.
  5. Original owner of Robert Sands Estate in Rhinebeck, Dutchess Co.

Sources