93rd New York State Legislature

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators and 128 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts were made up of entire counties, except New York County (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

Elections

The 1869 New York state election was held on November 3. All nine statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Democrats. All amendments proposed by the Constitutional Convention, except the re-organization of the judicial system, were rejected by the voters. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Democrats 331,000 and Republicans 310,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1870; and adjourned on April 26.

William Hitchman (D) was again elected Speaker with 72 votes against 51 for James W. Husted (R).

On January 17, Henry C. Murphy (D) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.

On February 10, the Legislature re-elected Joseph S. Bosworth (D) as a Metropolitan Police Commissioner, for a term of eight years beginning on March 1, 1870.

State Senate

Districts

• 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
• 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 19th and 20th wards of the City of Brooklyn
• 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th wards of the City of Brooklyn; and all towns in Kings County
• 4th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th wards of New York City
• 5th District: 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th wards of New York City
• 6th District: 10th, 11th and 17th wards of New York City
• 7th District: 18th, 20th and 21st wards of New York City
• 8th District: 12th, 19th and 22nd wards of New York City
• 9th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
• 10th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
• 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
• 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
• 13th District: Albany County
• 14th District: Greene and Ulster counties
• 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
• 16th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
• 17th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
• 18th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
• 19th District: Oneida County
• 20th District: Herkimer and Otsego counties
• 21st District: Madison and Oswego counties
• 22nd District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
• 23rd District: Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties
• 24th District: Broome, Tompkins and Tioga counties
• 25th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
• 26th District: Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties
• 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
• 28th District: Monroe County
• 29th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
• 30th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
• 31st District: Erie County
• 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties

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.

Party affiliations follow the vote for Senate Clerk and Police Commissioner.

Employees

• Clerk: Hiram Calkins
• Sergeant-at-Arms: George Graham
• Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Abraham J. Meyers
• Doorkeeper: Alexander H. Waterman
• Assistant Doorkeeper: W. W. McKinney
• Assistant Doorkeeper: John Drew
• Assistant Doorkeeper: Orson Root
• Assistant Doorkeeper: Cornelius V. Simpkins
• Stenographer: Andrew Devine, from February 10

State Assembly

Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

Party affiliations follow the vote for Speaker.

Employees

• Clerk: Cornelius W. Armstrong
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Jeriah G. Rhoads
• Doorkeeper: James C. Pierce
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: M. W. Wall
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Hugh Ryan
• Stenographer: George Wakeman

Notes

Sources

• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1870; see pg. 439 for Senate districts; pg. 444 for senators; pg. 450–463 for Assembly districts; pg. 512f for assemblymen)
• Journal of the Senate (93rd Session) (1870)
• Journal of the Assembly (93rd Session) (1870; Vol. I)
• Life Sketches of Executive Officers, and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York, Vol. III by H. H. Boone & Theodore P. Cook (1870)

References

1. Except New York City where the wards were apportioned into election districts, and then some whole wards and some election districts of other wards were gerrymandered together into Assembly districts.
2. Harpending had been elected in a special election on December 28, 1869, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator-elect [[Charles J. Folger]] who had been appointed as Assistant [[United States Treasurer]] in New York.
3. see [https://books.google.com/books?id=6yMUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA465 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1871; pg. 465–468)
4. see [https://books.google.com/books?id=6yMUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA456 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1871; pg. 456–462)
5. John Henry White (born 1821), served previously in the Assembly of 1850, brother of Assemblyman [[Marshall F. White]] (1866 and 1867, from Rensselaer Co.)
6. John Brown (born 1816), served previously in the Assembly of 1852, Naturalization Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas from 1853
7. see [https://books.google.com/books?id=6yMUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA470 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1871; pg. 470)
8. see [https://books.google.com/books?id=6yMUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA462 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1871; pg. 462ff)
9. see [https://books.google.com/books?id=6yMUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA468 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1871; pg. 468f)