29th New York State Legislature

29th New York State Legislature

The Old Albany City Hall (undated)
Duration: July 1, 1805 – June 30, 1806
President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. John Broome (Dem.-Rep.)
Temporary President of the State Senate:
Speaker of the State Assembly: Alexander Sheldon (Dem.-Rep.)
Members: 32 Senators
100 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Democratic-Republican (30-0)
Assembly Majority: Democratic-Republican
Sessions
1st: January 28 – April 7, 1806
<28th 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.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
Southern John Schenck* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
DeWitt Clinton 2 years Dem.-Rep. elected to fill vacancy, in place of John Broome;
elected to the Council of Appointment;
also Mayor of New York City
William Denning* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer Purdy* 3 years Dem.-Rep. resigned on March 16, 1806, to avoid expulsion for bribery
Thomas Thomas* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Ezra L'Hommedieu* 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Middle Abraham Adriance* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
James Burt* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Joshua H. Brett* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Robert Johnston* 2 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Samuel Brewster* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Stephen Hogeboom* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Peter C. Adams 4 years Dem.-Rep.
James G. Graham 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Eastern (Jacob Snell*) 1 year Dem.-Rep. did not attend
Edward Savage* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
John Tayler* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Tredwell* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
John Woodworth* 2 years Dem.-Rep. also New York Attorney General
Stephen Thorn* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Adam Comstock 4 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
John Veeder 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Joseph C. Yates 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Western Joseph Annin* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Asa Danforth* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
vacant 1 year Matthias B. Tallmadge was appointed to the
United States District Court for the District of New York
George Tiffany* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Caleb Hyde* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Henry Huntington* 3 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Jedediah Peck* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Nathaniel Locke 4 years Dem.-Rep.
John Nicholas 4 years Dem.-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.

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany David Burhans* Federalist
Asa Colvard Federalist
Adam Dietz Jr.* Federalist
Stephen Lush* Federalist
Joseph Shurtleff* Federalist
Abraham Van Vechten* Federalist
Cayuga John Grover Jr.* Dem.-Rep.
Amos Rathbun* Dem.-Rep. unsuccessfully contested by Salmon Buell[4]
Chenango Benjamin Jones
Jonathan Morgan
Samuel Payne*
Sylvanus Smalley Dem.-Rep.
Clinton William Bailey
Columbia Moncrief Livingston* Federalist
Peter Silvester* Federalist
William W. Van Ness* Federalist
Jason Warner* Federalist
Delaware Anthony Marvine* Federalist
Gabriel North Dem.-Rep.
Dutchess Barnabas Carver Dem.-Rep.
Joseph C. Field Dem.-Rep.
Benjamin Herrick Dem.-Rep.
Abraham H. Schenck* Dem.-Rep.
John Van Benthuysen* Dem.-Rep.
William D. Williams Dem.-Rep.
Veniah Woolley Dem.-Rep.
Essex Theodorus Ross* Dem.-Rep.
Genesee
and Ontario		 Daniel W. Lewis* Federalist
Ezra Patterson
Alexander Rea* Dem.-Rep.
Greene John Ely
James Thompson Federalist
Herkimer Eldad Corbet Dem.-Rep.
George Widrig* Dem.-Rep.
Samuel Wright* Dem.-Rep.
Jefferson,
Lewis and
St. Lawrence		 Henry Coffeen
Kings John Hicks* Dem.-Rep.
Montgomery John Herkimer Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Samuel Jackson Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
James McIntyre* Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Alexander Sheldon* Dem.-Rep./Clintonian re-elected Speaker
Joseph Waggoner Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
New York Francis Cooper Dem.-Rep.
Clarkson Crolius Dem.-Rep.
Benjamin Ferris Dem.-Rep.
William W. Gilbert* Dem.-Rep.
Richard Riker Dem.-Rep. also District Attorney of the First District
Samuel Russell Dem.-Rep.
Peter A. Schenck*
Arthur Smith Dem.-Rep.
James Warner Dem.-Rep.
Oneida George Brayton* Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Hart
Joseph Jennings*
Onondaga Jasper Hopper Dem.-Rep.
William I. Vredenbergh* Dem.-Rep.
Orange William Crist Dem.-Rep.
David Dill Dem.-Rep.
Andrew McCord Dem.-Rep./Lewisite
John Wood Dem.-Rep.
Otsego Daniel Hawks
Gurdon Huntington* Dem.-Rep.
Luther Rich Dem.-Rep.
Rufus Steere
Queens Benjamin Coe* Dem.-Rep.
Henry O. Seaman* Dem.-Rep.
John W. Seaman Dem.-Rep.
Rensselaer Jonathan Niles
William W. Reynolds Dem.-Rep.
John Ryan* Dem.-Rep.
Nicholas Staats Dem.-Rep.
Jacob Yates Dem.-Rep.
Richmond John Dunn* Federalist
Rockland John Haring Dem.-Rep.
Saratoga John Cramer
John McClelland
Jesse Mott Dem.-Rep.
Asahel Porter* Federalist
Schoharie Henry Bellinger
Henry Shafer Dem.-Rep.
Seneca Cornelius Humfrey Dem.-Rep.
Steuben John Wilson* Dem.-Rep.
Suffolk Israel Carll* Dem.-Rep.
David Hedges Dem.-Rep.
Jared Landon* Dem.-Rep.
Tioga John Miller* Dem.-Rep.
Ulster Josiah Hasbrouck Dem.-Rep.
John Lounsbery Dem.-Rep.
Peter P. Roosa Dem.-Rep.
Elnathan Sears Dem.-Rep.
Washington Kitchel Bishop
William Livingston*
John McLean* Dem.-Rep.
Nathaniel Pitcher Dem.-Rep.
Daniel Shepherd
vacant
Westchester Joel Frost Dem.-Rep.
Philip Honeywell
Ezra Lockwood
Caleb Tompkins* Dem.-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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