43rd New York State Legislature

43rd New York State Legislature

The Old State Capitol (1879)
Duration: July 1, 1819 – June 30, 1820
President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. John Tayler (Dem.-Rep.)
Temporary President of the State Senate:
Speaker of the State Assembly: John C. Spencer (Clint.)
Members: 32 Senators
126 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Bucktail
Assembly Majority: Clintonian-Federalist
Sessions
1st: January 4 – April 14, 1820
<42nd 44th>

The 43rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to April 14, 1820, during the third year of DeWitt Clinton'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 met there since. In 1818, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.

State Senator Darius Crosby died on November 18, 1818, leaving a vacancy in the Southern District.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[1] The Democratic-Republican Party was split into two factions: the Clintonians (supporters of Gov. DeWitt Clinton) and the Bucktails (led by Martin Van Buren, and including the Tammany Hall organization in New York City).

Elections

The State election was held from April 27 to 29, 1819. The Federalists ran their own tickets in counties where they had a majority, but endorsed and supported the Clintonians in most places where they were a minority.

Senator Peter R. Livingston (Southern D.) was re-elected. Charles E. Dudley, John T. More (both Middle D.), Benjamin Mooers, Thomas Frothingham (both Eastern D.), Gideon Granger, Lyman Paine (both Western D.), and Assemblyman Duncan McMartin Jr. (Eastern D.) were also elected to full terms in the Senate. John Townsend (Southern D.) was elected to fill the vacancy. Livingston, Dudley, More and Townsend were Bucktails, the other five Clintonians.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1820, and adjourned on April 14.

John C. Spencer (Clint.) was elected Speaker by a combined Clintonian/Federalist majority with 64 votes against 50 for Peter Sharpe (Buckt.). Aaron Clark (Dem.-Rep.) was re-elected Clerk of the Assembly with 87 votes against 32 for James Van Ingen (Fed.).

After resolutions for the call of a Constitutional convention had been rejected during the two previous sessions, Gov. DeWitt Clinton now recommended to call a convention with limited powers to amend the State Constitution. This convention should have the power to abolish the Council of Appointment, and consider such other amendments as designated by the Legislature.[2] The Bucktails wanted a Convention with unlimited powers, and nothing came of it at this session either. The issue was pursued further by the Bucktails at the next session, and led to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821, and a new Constitution.

On January 8, the Legislature re-elected unanimously Rufus King (Fed.) as U.S. Senator from New York, to fill the vacancy caused by the failure to elect a successor during the previous session.

On January 18, a caucus of 64 Bucktail legislators nominated U.S. Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins for Governor and State Senator Benjamin Mooers for Lieutenant Governor.

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. Duncan McMartin Jr. changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
Southern Walter Bowne* 1 year Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
John D. Ditmis* 1 year Dem.-Rep./Bucktail elected to the Council of Appointment
Stephen Barnum* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Jonathan Dayton* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
John Townsend 3 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail elected to fill vacancy, in place of Darius Crosby
Peter R. Livingston* 4 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Middle John Noyes* 1 year Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Peter Swart* 1 year Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Martin Van Buren* 1 year Dem.-Rep./Bucktail until July 8, 1819, also New York Attorney General
Jabez D. Hammond* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
John Lounsbery* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian elected to the Council of Appointment
Moses Austin* 3 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
William Ross* 3 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Charles E. Dudley 4 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
John T. More 4 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Eastern Roger Skinner* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail until November 24, 1819, also U.S. Attorney
for the Northern District of New York;
from November 24, 1819, Judge of the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of New York
Henry Yates Jr.* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Samuel Young* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail also an Erie Canal Commissioner
Levi Adams* 3 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian elected to the Council of Appointment
George Rosecrantz* 3 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Thomas Frothingham 4 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Duncan McMartin Jr.* 4 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Benjamin Mooers 4 years Dem.-Rep.[3]
Western Ephraim Hart* 1 year Dem.-Rep./Clintonian elected to the Council of Appointment
John Knox* 1 year Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
William Mallery* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Isaac Wilson* 2 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Gamaliel H. Barstow* 3 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian also First Judge of the Tioga County Court
Perry G. Childs* 3 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
David E. Evans* 3 years Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Gideon Granger 4 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Lyman Paine 4 years Dem.-Rep./Clintonian

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. Henry Seymour changed from the Senate to the Assembly.

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Asa Colvard Federalist
James McKown Federalist
Peter S. Schuyler Federalist
Stephen Willes Federalist
Allegany
and Steuben		 Clark Crandall Federalist
John Dow* Federalist
Broome Chester Patterson* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua
and Niagara		 Elial T. Foote[4]
Oliver Forward Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Cayuga William Allen*
Samuel Dill
John Haring
Chenango Samuel Campbell Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Thomas Humphrey* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Samuel A. Smith Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Clinton and
Franklin		 Platt Newcomb Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Columbia Thomas Brodhead
Azariah Platt
John I. Van Valkenburgh
Elisha Williams Federalist
Cortland John Miller Dem.-Rep.
Delaware Peter Pine
Erastus Root* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Dutchess Abraham Bockee Federalist
Jacob Doughty Federalist
Matthew Mesier Federalist
Thomas J. Oakley* Federalist from July 8, 1819, also New York Attorney General
John W. Wheeler Federalist
Essex John Hoffnagle* Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Genesee Fitch Chipman
Gideon T. Jenkins
Robert McKay
Greene Abijah Reed
Perez Steele Federalist
Hamilton and
Montgomery 		Henry J. Diefendorf Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Henry Fonda Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
John T. Francisco Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Lawrence Gros Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Jacob Hees* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Herkimer Philo M. Hackley Federalist
Jacob Markell Federalist
James Orton Federalist
Jefferson Calvin McKnight Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Hiram Steele Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Kings Teunis Schenck* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Lewis Nathaniel Merriam
Madison Amos Crocker
Eliphalet S. Jackson
Levi Morton
New York Clarkson Crolius* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Jacob Drake Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Richard Hatfield* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Cornelius Heeney* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Robert R. Hunter* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
John T. Irving* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Reuben Munson
Samuel B. Romaine* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Peter Sharpe* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Michael Ulshoeffer* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Samuel Watkins* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Oneida and
Oswego		 James Dean Jr.
George Huntington* Federalist
Henry McNeil Federalist
Theophilus S. Morgan Federalist
John Storrs Federalist
Onondaga Jonas Earll, Jr.
Henry Field
Henry Seymour* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail also an Erie Canal Commissioner
Lewis Smith
Ontario Valentine Brother Federalist
Byram Green*
John Price
John C. Spencer Dem.-Rep./Clintonian elected Speaker
Elisha B. Strong Federalist
John Van Vossen
Matthew Warner
Orange James Finch Jr. Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Nathaniel P. Hill* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Selah Tuthill Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Abraham Vail Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Otsego Samuel Caldwell
Seth Chase*
Willard Coye
James Hawkes Dem.-Rep.
Henry Ogden Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Putnam David Knapp
Queens William Jones Federalist
John A. King* Federalist
Thomas Tredwell Federalist
Rensselaer John Babcock
David Doolittle
William C. Elmore
George Tibbits Federalist
Ebenezer W. Walbridge Federalist
Richmond Harmanus Guyon* Federalist
Rockland Samuel G. Verbryck Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
St. Lawrence Joseph York* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Saratoga Billy J. Clark
Jonathan Delano Jr.
Abraham Moe
Elisha Powell
Schenectady Christian Haverly
Marinus Willet
Schoharie Heman Hickock Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Jedediah Miller* Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Peter Swart Jr.* Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Seneca Thomas Armstrong Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Robert S. Rose Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Suffolk Ebenezer W. Case
Charles H. Havens
Abraham Parsons
Sullivan
and Ulster		 Joseph Deyo* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Isaac Elting Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Charles H. Ruggles Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Jacob Snyder Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Tioga Judson Jennings
Tompkins Herman Camp Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Joshua Philips Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Warren and
Washington		 David Austin Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Peleg Bragg Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Norman Fox* Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
James Hill Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
John Kirtland Dem.-Rep./Clintonian
Westchester James Guyon* Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
Abraham Miller Dem.-Rep./Bucktail
William Nelson Dem.-Rep./Bucktail

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. ↑ see Hammond, pg. 521
  3. ↑ elected as a Clintonian, but changed sides and was nominated for Lt. Gov. on the Bucktail ticket
  4. ↑ Dr. Elial Todd Foote (1796-1877), physician and lawyer, First Judge of the Chautauqua County Court 1824-1843

Sources

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