List of speakers of the New York State Assembly explained

Post:Speaker
Body:the
New York State Assembly
Insignia:Seal of New York.svg
Insigniasize:100px
Insigniacaption:Seal of New York
Incumbent:Carl Heastie
Incumbentsince:February 3, 2015
Style:The Honorable (diplomatic)
Mister Speaker (within the assembly)
Succession:Third
Formation:New York State Constitution
Inaugural:Walter Livingston
September 10, 1777
Website:http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/

The speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party.

As in most countries with a British heritage, the speaker presides over the lower house of the legislature. The position exists in every U.S. state and in the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of the Congress. New York's Assembly Speaker is very powerful, effectively, having the power to control much of the business in the Assembly and, in fact, throughout all of state government. Through almost single-handed control of the chamber, the Assembly Speaker is able to dictate what legislation makes and does not make it to the floor.

Selection

The Assembly elects its speaker at the beginning of a new term following the state elections, or after a vacancy in the office has occurred. The Clerk of the Assembly from the previous year will convene the Assembly and preside over the election process. Traditionally, each party caucus nominates a member from among their senior leadership. To be elected speaker a member must receive a majority of votes cast.

List of speakers

Note

Originally, the legislative term lasted one year, from July 1 until June 30 of the next year. The members were elected at the state election in April, but the actual session began ordinarily only in January of the next calendar year, which leads occasionally to some confusion. Only if the governor called for a special session is the Assembly convened earlier. For example, in presidential election years the Assembly convened already in November to elect the presidential electors. The speaker was always elected at the first meeting of the Assembly for the remainder of the term, expiring on June 30.

The State Constitution of 1821 moved the election to November, and the beginning of the term to January 1, and from 1823 on, the legislative term coincides with the calendar year. The assembly convened usually on the first Tuesday in January and elected the speaker, who stayed in office until December 31.

An amendment to the State Constitution, adopted in November 1937, extended the assemblymen's term to two years, beginning with the electees of November 1938 who served the first two-year term in 1939–40. The elections are held in even-numbered years.

From 1777 to 1822

Since 1823

Speakers since 1823 are:[6] [7] [8]

SpeakerPartyCountyTook office Left officeNotes
Peter R. LivingstonDem.-Rep./BucktailsDutchessalign=right January 7, 1823align=right December 31, 1823
Richard GoodellDem.-Rep./BucktailsJeffersonalign=right January 6, 1824align=right December 31, 1824
Clarkson CroliusDem.-Rep./
Tammany Hall		New Yorkalign=right January 4, 1825align=right December 31, 1825
Samuel YoungDem.-Rep./BucktailsSaratogaalign=right January 3, 1826align=right December 31, 1826
Erastus RootDem.-Rep./BucktailsDelawarealign=right January 2, 1827align=right December 31, 1828two terms
Peter RobinsonDem./JacksonianBroomealign=right January 6, 1829align=right December 31, 1829
Erastus RootDem./JacksonianDelawarealign=right January 5, 1830align=right December 31, 1830third term
George R. DavisDemocraticRensselaeralign=right January 4, 1831align=right December 31, 1831
Charles L. LivingstonDemocraticNew Yorkalign=right January 3, 1832align=right December 31, 1833two terms
William BakerDemocraticOtsegoalign=right January 7, 1834align=right December 31, 1834
Charles HumphreyDemocraticTompkinsalign=right January 6, 1835align=right December 31, 1836two terms
Edward LivingstonDemocraticSuffolkalign=right January 3, 1837align=right December 31, 1837
Luther BradishWhigFranklinalign=right January 2, 1838align=right December 31, 1838
George W. PattersonWhigLivingstonalign=right January 1, 1839align=right December 31, 1840two terms
Peter B. Porter Jr.WhigNiagaraalign=right January 5, 1841align=right December 31, 1841
Levi S. ChatfieldDemocraticOtsegoalign=right January 4, 1842align=right December 31, 1842
George R. DavisDemocraticRensselaeralign=right January 3, 1843align=right December 31, 1843second term
Elisha LitchfieldDemocraticOnondagaalign=right January 2, 1844align=right December 31, 1844
Horatio SeymourDemocraticOneidaalign=right January 7, 1845align=right December 31, 1845
William C. CrainDemocraticHerkimeralign=right January 6, 1846align=right December 31, 1846
William C. HasbrouckWhigOrangealign=right January 5, 1847align=right December 31, 1847
Amos K. HadleyWhigRensselaeralign=right January 4, 1848align=right December 31, 1849two terms
Noble S. ElderkinDemocraticSt. Lawrencealign=right January 1, 1850align=right January 30, 1850left the Assembly to return home to his sick wife
Robert H. PruynWhigAlbanyalign=right January 30, 1850[9] align=right March 14, 1850elected when Elderkin left the Assembly
Ferral C. DininnyDemocraticSteubenalign=right March 14, 1850align=right December 31, 1850
Henry Jarvis RaymondWhigNew Yorkalign=right January 7, 1851align=right June 10, 1851
Joseph B. Varnum Jr.WhigAlbanyalign=right June 10, 1851align=right December 31, 1851elected when Raymond failed to attend special session
Jonas C. HearttWhigRensselaeralign=right January 6, 1852align=right December 31, 1852
William H. LudlowDemocraticSuffolkalign=right January 4, 1853align=right December 31, 1853
Robert H. PruynWhigAlbanyalign=right January 3, 1854align=right December 31, 1854second term
DeWitt C. LittlejohnWhigOswegoalign=right January 2, 1855align=right December 31, 1855
Orville RobinsonDemocraticOswegoalign=right January 16, 1856align=right December 31, 1856The Assembly convened on January 1, but it took more than two weeks to elect a Speaker.
DeWitt C. LittlejohnRepublicanOswegoalign=right January 6, 1857align=right December 31, 1857second term
Thomas G. AlvordDemocraticOnondagaalign=right January 26, 1858align=right December 31, 1858
DeWitt C. LittlejohnRepublicanOswegoalign=right January, 1859align=right December 31, 1861three terms (third, fourth and fifth)
Henry J. RaymondRepublicanNew Yorkalign=right January, 1862align=right December 31, 1862second term
Theophilus C. CallicotDemocraticKingsalign=right January 26, 1863align=right December 31, 1863elected by the Republicans in a split assembly
Thomas G. AlvordRepublicanOnondagaalign=right January, 1864align=right December 31, 1864second term
George G. HoskinsRepublicanWyomingalign=right January, 1865align=right December 31, 1865
Lyman TremainRepublicanAlbanyalign=right January, 1866align=right December 31, 1866
Edmund L. PittsRepublicanOrleansalign=right January, 1867align=right December 31, 1867
William HitchmanDemocraticNew Yorkalign=right January, 1868align=right December 31, 1868
Truman G. YoungloveRepublicanSaratogaalign=right January, 1869align=right December 31, 1869
William HitchmanDemocraticNew Yorkalign=right January, 1870align=right December 31, 1871two terms (second and third)
Henry SmithRepublicanAlbanyalign=right January, 1872align=right December 31, 1872
Alonzo B. CornellRepublicanNew Yorkalign=right January, 1873align=right December 31, 1873
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesteralign=right January, 1874align=right December 31, 1874
Jeremiah McGuireDemocraticChemungalign=right January, 1875align=right December 31, 1875
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesteralign=right January, 1876align=right December 31, 1876second term
George B. SloanRepublicanOswegoalign=right January, 1877align=right December 31, 1877
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesteralign=right January, 1878align=right December 31, 1878third term
Thomas G. AlvordRepublicanOnondagaalign=right January, 1879align=right December 31, 1879third term
George H. SharpeRepublicanUlsteralign=right January, 1880align=right December 31, 1881two terms
Charles E. PattersonDemocraticRensselaeralign=right February 2, 1882align=right December 31, 1882
Alfred C. ChapinDemocraticalign=right January, 1883align=right December 31, 1883
Titus SheardRepublicanHerkimeralign=right January, 1884align=right December 31, 1884
George Z. ErwinRepublicanSt. Lawrencealign=right January, 1885align=right December 31, 1885
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesteralign=right January, 1886align=right December 31, 1887two terms (fourth and fifth)
Fremont ColeRepublicanSchuyleralign=right January, 1888align=right December 31, 1889two terms
James W. HustedRepublicanWestchesteralign=right January, 1890align=right December 31, 1890sixth term
William F. SheehanDemocraticalign=right January, 1891align=right December 31, 1891
Robert P. BushDemocraticChemungalign=right January 5, 1892align=right December 31, 1892
William SulzerDemocraticNew Yorkalign=right January, 1893align=right December 31, 1893
George R. MalbyRepublicanSt. Lawrencealign=right January, 1894align=right December 31, 1894
Hamilton Fish IIRepublicanPutnamalign=right January, 1895align=right December 31, 1896two terms
James M. E. O'GradyRepublicanMonroealign=right January 5, 1897align=right December 31, 1898two terms
S. Frederick NixonRepublicanChautauquaalign=right January, 1899align=right October 10, 1905died in office during his seventh term
James W. Wadsworth Jr.RepublicanLivingstonalign=right January, 1906align=right December 31, 1910five terms
Daniel D. FrisbieDemocraticSchohariealign=right January 4, 1911align=right December 31, 1911
Edwin A. Merritt Jr.RepublicanSt. Lawrencealign=right January 3, 1912align=right November 5, 1912resigned to take his seat in Congress
Alfred E. SmithDemocraticNew Yorkalign=right January, 1913align=right December 31, 1913
Thaddeus C. SweetRepublicanOswegoalign=right January 7, 1914align=right December 31, 1920seven terms
H. Edmund MacholdRepublicanJeffersonalign=right January 5, 1921align=right December 31, 1924four terms
Joseph A. McGinniesRepublicanChautauquaalign=right January 7, 1925align=right December 31, 1934ten terms
Irwin SteingutDemocraticKingsalign=right January 2, 1935align=right December 31, 1935father of Speaker Stanley Steingut
Irving M. IvesRepublicanChenangoalign=right January 1, 1936align=right December 31, 1936
Oswald D. HeckRepublicanSchenectadyalign=right January 13, 1937align=right May 21, 1959longest serving Speaker (22 years and 4 months), died in office during his thirteenth term [10]
Joseph CarlinoRepublicanNassaualign=right May 21, 1959align=right December 31, 1964as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon the death of Oswald D. Heck, elected Speaker on July 1 for the remainder of the term, then re-elected to another two terms
Anthony J. TraviaDemocraticKingsalign=right February 4, 1965align=right July 22, 1968vacated his seat during his second term upon appointment as a federal judge
Moses M. WeinsteinDemocraticQueensalign=right July 23, 1968align=right December 31, 1968as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Travia's resignation for the remainder of the term[11]
Perry B. Duryea Jr.RepublicanSuffolkalign=right January 8, 1969align=right December 31, 1974three terms, last Republican Speaker to date
Stanley SteingutDemocraticKingsalign=right January 8, 1975align=right December 31, 1978two terms, son of Speaker Irwin Steingut
Stanley FinkDemocraticKingsalign=right January 2, 1979align=right December 31, 1986four terms
Mel MillerDemocraticKingsalign=right January 8, 1987align=right December 13, 1991removed from office upon federal conviction in the middle of his third term
James R. Tallon Jr.DemocraticBroomealign=right December 13, 1991align=right December 16, 1991as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Miller's removal from office until the election of a successor
Saul WeprinDemocraticQueensalign=right December 16, 1991align=right February 11, 1994elected for the remainder of Miller's term, then re-elected to another term, died in office
Sheldon SilverDemocraticNew Yorkalign=right February 11, 1994align=right February 2, 2015elected Interim Speaker on January 24, 1994, after Weprin's incapacitation;[12] elected Speaker for the remainder of the term after Weprin's death, and re-elected eleven times; announced resignation to take effect one minute before midnight on February 2, 2015, after conviction;[13] Second longest serving assembly speaker in New York history
Joseph D. MorelleDemocraticMonroealign=right February 3, 2015align=right February 3, 2015as Majority Leader became Acting Speaker upon Silver's resignation. Served for less than 12 hours.
Carl HeastieDemocraticBronxalign=right February 3, 2015align=right present

See also

Notes and References

  1. Franklin B. Hough, The New York Civil List, Weed, Parsons & Co.: Albany, 1858.
  2. The New York Civil List lists John Hathorn as Speaker of the 8th Session, disagreeing with other sources.
  3. All following Sessions were held at Albany
  4. The Assembly convened on January 30, but there was no quorum
  5. The Assembly convened on January 5, but it took until the next day to elect the Speaker.
  6. John Stilwell Jenkins, History of Political Parties in the State of New-York. Alden & Markham: Auburn, New York, 1846. Page 50.
  7. [Jabez D. Hammond]
  8. See "List of Speakers," pages 337-338, D. T. Valentine, Historical Index to the Manuals of the Corporation of the City of New York for the Year of 1851, McSpedon & Baker, New York, 1851. Contains a few erroneous names and dates
  9. Journal of the Senate of the State of New-York at Their Seventy-Third Session. Weed, Parsons & Co.: Albany, 1850.
  10. Until 1938 one term was one year long, since 1939-40 one term has been two years long.
  11. The vacancy occurred after the end of the legislative session, so no Speaker election could take place anymore.
  12. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/25/nyregion/interim-assembly-speaker-is-elected.html Interim Assembly Speaker Is Elected
  13. https://nypost.com/2015/01/30/sheldon-silver-resigns-as-ny-assembly-speaker/ Sheldon Silver resigns as NY Assembly speaker

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