29th New York State Legislature explained

Number:29th
Imagename:The Old Albany City Hall
Imagedate:undated
Start:July 1, 1805
End:June 30, 1806
Vp:Lt. Gov. John Broome (Dem.-Rep.)
Speaker:Alexander Sheldon (Dem.-Rep.)
Senators:32
Reps:100
S-Majority:Democratic-Republican (30-0)
H-Majority:Democratic-Republican
Sessionnumber1:1st
Sessionstart1:January 28
Sessionend1:April 7, 1806
Previous:28th
Next:30th

The 29th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 28 to April 7, 1806, during the second year of Morgan Lewis's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the Constitutional Convention of 1801, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in the four senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year eight Senate seats came up for election. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since. In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the last Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.

State Senator John Broome had been elected lieutenant governor, leaving a vacancy in the Southern District.

In 1805, Jefferson and Lewis counties were split from Oneida County. In 1802, St. Lawrence had been formed from parts of Clinton, Herkimer and Montgomery counties, but had not been sufficiently organized to hold separate elections. Now these three counties were joined in one Assembly district which was apportioned one seat, taken from Oneida.

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

In 1805, the 28th Legislature had chartered the Merchant's Bank of New York which had been founded by Federalists in competition to the Democratic-Republican Bank of the Manhattan Company. The Democratic-Republican majority of the 27th Legislature had not only refused to grant a charter, but actually ordered the Merchant's Bank to shut down by May 1805. During the next session, the bank bribed enough legislators to have the charter approved, although the Democratic-Republican leaders advocated strongly against it. Gov. Morgan Lewis spoke out in favor of granting the charter[2] what was resented by the party leaders DeWitt Clinton and Ambrose Spencer, and soon led to the split of the party into "Lewisites" and "Clintonians".[3]

Elections

The State election was held from April 30 to May 2, 1805. Senator Ezra L'Hommedieu (Southern D.) was re-elected. Peter C. Adams, James G. Graham (both Middle D.), Adam Comstock, John Veeder, Joseph C. Yates (all three Eastern D.), Nathaniel Locke and John Nicholas (both Western D.) were also elected to full terms in the Senate. DeWitt Clinton (Southern D.) was elected to fill the vacancy. All nine were Democratic-Republicans.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 28, 1806; and adjourned on April 7.

Clintonian Alexander Sheldon was re-elected Speaker.

On March 15, 1806, DeWitt Clinton offered a resolution in the Senate for the expulsion of Ebenezer Purdy for the reason that he had been bribed and that he had attempted to bribe Stephen Thorn and Obadiah German during the controversial chartering of the Merchant's Bank of New York during the previous session. Purdy resigned his seat on the next day, before the Senate could take a vote on the issue.

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
SouthernJohn Schenck1 yearDem.-Rep.
DeWitt Clinton2 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to fill vacancy, in place of John Broome;
elected to the Council of Appointment;
also Mayor of New York City
William Denning3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Ebenezer Purdy3 yearsDem.-Rep.resigned on March 16, 1806, to avoid expulsion for bribery
Thomas Thomas3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Ezra L'Hommedieu4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleAbraham Adriance1 yearDem.-Rep.
James Burt1 yearDem.-Rep.
Joshua H. Brett2 yearsDem.-Rep.
Robert Johnston2 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
Samuel Brewster3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Stephen Hogeboom3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Peter C. Adams4 yearsDem.-Rep.
James G. Graham4 yearsDem.-Rep.
Eastern(Jacob Snell*)1 yearDem.-Rep.did not attend
Edward Savage2 yearsDem.-Rep.
John Tayler2 yearsDem.-Rep.
Thomas Tredwell2 yearsDem.-Rep.
John Woodworth2 yearsDem.-Rep.also New York Attorney General
Stephen Thorn3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Adam Comstock4 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
John Veeder4 yearsDem.-Rep.
Joseph C. Yates4 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternJoseph Annin1 yearDem.-Rep.
Asa Danforth1 yearDem.-Rep.
vacant1 yearMatthias B. Tallmadge was appointed to the
United States District Court for the District of New York
George Tiffany1 yearDem.-Rep.
Caleb Hyde2 yearsDem.-Rep.
Henry Huntington3 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
Jedediah Peck3 yearsDem.-Rep.
Nathaniel Locke4 yearsDem.-Rep.
John Nicholas4 yearsDem.-Rep.

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. Abraham Van Vechten changed from the Senate to the Assembly.

DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
AlbanyDavid BurhansFederalist
Asa ColvardFederalist
Adam Dietz Jr.Federalist
Stephen LushFederalist
Joseph ShurtleffFederalist
Abraham Van VechtenFederalist
CayugaJohn Grover Jr.Dem.-Rep.
Amos RathbunDem.-Rep.unsuccessfully contested by Salmon Buell[4]
ChenangoBenjamin Jones
Jonathan Morgan
Samuel Payne
Sylvanus SmalleyDem.-Rep.
William Bailey
ColumbiaMoncrief LivingstonFederalist
Peter SilvesterFederalist
William W. Van NessFederalist
Jason WarnerFederalist
DelawareAnthony MarvineFederalist
Gabriel NorthDem.-Rep.
DutchessBarnabas CarverDem.-Rep.
Joseph C. FieldDem.-Rep.
Benjamin HerrickDem.-Rep.
Abraham H. SchenckDem.-Rep.
John Van BenthuysenDem.-Rep.
William D. WilliamsDem.-Rep.
Veniah WoolleyDem.-Rep.
EssexTheodorus RossDem.-Rep.
Genesee
and Ontario		Daniel W. LewisFederalist
Ezra Patterson
Alexander ReaDem.-Rep.
GreeneJohn Ely
James ThompsonFederalist
HerkimerEldad CorbetDem.-Rep.
George WidrigDem.-Rep.
Samuel WrightDem.-Rep.
Jefferson,
Lewis and
St. Lawrence		Henry Coffeen
KingsJohn HicksDem.-Rep.
John HerkimerDem.-Rep./Clintonian
Samuel JacksonDem.-Rep./Clintonian
James McIntyreDem.-Rep./Clintonian
Alexander SheldonDem.-Rep./Clintonianre-elected Speaker
Joseph WaggonerDem.-Rep./Clintonian
New YorkFrancis CooperDem.-Rep.
Clarkson CroliusDem.-Rep.
Benjamin FerrisDem.-Rep.
William W. GilbertDem.-Rep.
Richard RikerDem.-Rep.also District Attorney of the First District
Samuel RussellDem.-Rep.
Peter A. Schenck
Arthur SmithDem.-Rep.
James WarnerDem.-Rep.
OneidaGeorge BraytonDem.-Rep.
Thomas Hart
Joseph Jennings
Jasper HopperDem.-Rep.
William I. VredenberghDem.-Rep.
William CristDem.-Rep.
David DillDem.-Rep.
Andrew McCordDem.-Rep./Lewisite
John WoodDem.-Rep.
OtsegoDaniel Hawks
Gurdon HuntingtonDem.-Rep.
Luther RichDem.-Rep.
Rufus Steere
QueensBenjamin CoeDem.-Rep.
Henry O. SeamanDem.-Rep.
John W. SeamanDem.-Rep.
RensselaerJonathan Niles
William W. ReynoldsDem.-Rep.
John RyanDem.-Rep.
Nicholas StaatsDem.-Rep.
Jacob YatesDem.-Rep.
RichmondJohn DunnFederalist
RocklandJohn HaringDem.-Rep.
SaratogaJohn Cramer
John McClelland
Jesse MottDem.-Rep.
Asahel PorterFederalist
SchoharieHenry Bellinger
Henry ShaferDem.-Rep.
SenecaCornelius HumfreyDem.-Rep.
SteubenJohn WilsonDem.-Rep.
SuffolkIsrael CarllDem.-Rep.
David HedgesDem.-Rep.
Jared LandonDem.-Rep.
TiogaJohn MillerDem.-Rep.
UlsterJosiah HasbrouckDem.-Rep.
John LounsberyDem.-Rep.
Peter P. RoosaDem.-Rep.
Elnathan SearsDem.-Rep.
WashingtonKitchel Bishop
William Livingston
John McLeanDem.-Rep.
Nathaniel PitcherDem.-Rep.
Daniel Shepherd
vacant
WestchesterJoel FrostDem.-Rep.
Philip Honeywell
Ezra Lockwood
Caleb TompkinsDem.-Rep.

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. Lewis put thus his personal opinion above party discipline. He had been Chief Justice and was wealthy beyond corruptibility—nobody ever accused him of taking a bribe—and formed his opinion on legal and technical grounds. On the other side, he had been elected governor with the help of a minority of Federalists against his party-splitting opponent Aaron Burr.
  3. see Hammond, pg. 219f
  4. see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 20ff)

Sources

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