16th New York State Legislature

16th New York State Legislature

The Old New York City Hall, where the Legislature met in 1784. From January 1785 to August 1790, the Congress of the Confederation and the 1st United States Congress met here, and the building was renamed Federal Hall. From 1791 to 1793, the State Legislature met again here, and the building was demolished in 1812. (1798)
Duration: July 1, 1792 – June 30, 1793
President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt
Temporary President of the State Senate:
Speaker of the State Assembly: John Watts (Fed.)
Members: 24 Senators
70 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Democratic-Republican (13-11)
Assembly Majority: Democratic-Republican
Sessions
1st: November 6, 1792 – March 12, 1793
<15th 17th>

The 16th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from November 6, 1792, to March 12, 1793, during the sixteenth year of George Clinton's governorship, in New York City.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, the State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the election in April 1778, every year six Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

In March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. No general meeting place was determined, leaving it to each Legislature to name the place where to reconvene, and if no place could be agreed upon, the Legislature should meet again where it adjourned.

On February 7, 1791, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate and Assembly districts, according to the figures of the 1790 United States Census.

State Senator Peter Schuyler died on January 4, 1792, leaving a vacancy in the Western District.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[1] Since the first appearance of the political parties, many politicians changed sides for a variety of reasons, but the highly controversial gubernatorial election of 1792 re-aligned the politicians more clearly.

Elections

The State election was held from April 24 to 26, 1792. Gov. George Clinton and Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt were re-elected to a sixth term after the Canvass Committee[2] rejected the votes of Otsego, Clinton and Tioga counties on technicalities.

Henry Cruger, John Schenck, Selah Strong (all three Southern D.), John Livingston, Robert Woodworth (both Eastern D.) and Assemblyman Joseph Hasbrouck (Middle D.) were elected to full terms in the Senate. Assemblyman John Frey was elected to fill the vacancy in the Western District.

Sessions

This time, the Legislature was called to meet early to elect presidential electors. Both Houses met at Federal Hall in New York City; assembled a quorum on November 6, 1792; and adjourned on March 12, 1793.

On November 20, 1792, the Legislature chose 12 presidential electors: William Floyd, Samuel Osgood, Edward Savage, Stephen Ward, John Bay, Jesse Woodhull, David Van Ness, Johannes Bruyn, Volkert Veeder, Abraham Yates Jr., Samuel Clark and Abraham Ten Eyck. All were Democratic-Republicans, elected on the first ballot in both Houses, and all cast their votes for George Washington and Gov. George Clinton.[3]

After the 1790 United States Census, Congress re-apportioned the seats, increasing New York's representation from 6 to 10 seats. This required the Legislature to re-apportion the congressional districts in the State what was belatedly done on December 18, 1792. Subsequently the congressional elections were held in January 1793.

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. Joseph Hasbrouck and John Frey changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

The party affiliations follow the vote on the contested election of John Livingston. The Democratic-Republicans voted to seat Livingston, affirming that the decision of the Canvass Committee was final for both the governor's and the senators' vote. The Federalists voted against this, supporting the claim of Thomas Jenkins, the Federalist candidate who had lost the election after the rejection of the ballots from Clinton County, affirming that under the Constitution it was the right and duty of the Senate to revise the decision of the Canvass Committee concerning the election of senators.[4]

District Senators Term left Party Notes
Southern Philip Livingston*[5] 1 year Federalist
David Gelston* 2 years Dem.-Rep. also Surrogate of New York County;
elected to the Council of Appointment
Philip Van Cortlandt* 2 years Dem.-Rep. elected in January 1793 to the 3rd United States Congress
Samuel Jones* 3 years Federalist also Recorder of New York City
Joshua Sands* 3 years Federalist
Henry Cruger 4 years Federalist
John Schenck 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Selah Strong 4 years Federalist
Middle John Cantine* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
James Carpenter* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
David Pye* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Tillotson* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Jacobus Swartwout* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Joseph Hasbrouck* 4 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Eastern Alexander Webster* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
John Williams* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
William Powers* 3 years Federalist
John Livingston[6] 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Robert Woodworth 4 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Western Volkert P. Douw* 1 year Federalist
Leonard Gansevoort 1 year Federalist
John Frey* 2 years Federalist elected to fill vacancy, in place of Peter Schuyler;
elected to the Council of Appointment
Stephen Van Rensselaer* 2 years Federalist
Philip Schuyler* 3 years Federalist

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.

County Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Leonard Bronck Federalist
Johannes Dietz Federalist
Jellis A. Fonda* Federalist
Stephen Lush*
Francis Nicoll* Federalist
John Ten Broeck*
Cornelius A. Van Slyck
Columbia Matthew Adgate Dem.-Rep.
Benjamin Birdsall*
Jared Coffin*
Philip Frisbee
Stephen Hogeboom
Samuel Ten Broeck
Dutchess Jonathan Akins* Dem.-Rep.
Josiah Holly
James Kent Federalist
Ebenezer Mott
Matthew Patterson*
Barnabas Payen
William Radclift
Herkimer Michael Myers* Federalist
Kings Aquila Giles
Montgomery Jacob Eaker
David McMasters*
Silas Talbot* Federalist elected in January 1793 to the 3rd United States Congress
Simon Veeder
New York William Cock
John DeLancey
William W. Gilbert
Josiah Ogden Hoffman* Federalist
William S. Livingston*
John Watts* Federalist re-elected Speaker;
elected in January 1793 to the 3rd United States Congress
John Wylly*
Ontario Isaac Chapin or Israel Chapin
Orange Reuben Hopkins Dem.-Rep.
John Smith*
Daniel Thew
Otsego Jacob Morris Federalist
Queens Samuel Clowes*
Whitehead Cornwell* Dem.-Rep.
Jacob Hicks
Rensselaer Benjamin Hicks Federalist
Christopher Hutton
Josiah Masters Dem.-Rep.
Jonathan Niles
Nicholas Staats
Richmond Gozen Ryerss* Federalist
Saratoga Adam Comstock
Beriah Palmer Dem.-Rep.
vacant
vacant
Suffolk John Gelston*
Jonathan N. Havens* Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer Platt
John Smith* Dem.-Rep.
Tioga John Paterson Dem.-Rep.
Ulster John Addison Dem.-Rep.
Philip D. Bevier Dem.-Rep.
Severyn T. Bruyn Dem.-Rep.
John C. DeWitt Dem.-Rep.
Nathan Smith Dem.-Rep.
Washington
and Clinton		 Daniel Curtis
Zina Hitchcock* Federalist
David Hopkins* Dem.-Rep.
Stanton Tifft
Westchester[7] Hezekiah Brown
Richard Hatfield Federalist
Elias Newman*
Thomas Thomas
vacant

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. ↑ The Canvass Committee at the time consisted of 6 state senators and 6 assemblymen; however, Hammond lists only 11 names: 7 Democratic-Republicans (Senators David Gelston and Thomas Tillotson; Assemblymen Melancton Smith, Daniel Graham, Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr., David McCarty and Jonathan N. Havens) and 4 Federalists (Senators Samuel Jones, Isaac Roosevelt, Leonard Gansevoort and Joshua Sands)
  3. ↑ At the time all votes, of which each elector had two, were cast for President, the most voted taking the office of President and the runner-up the office of Vice-President. Washington received one vote of each elector from all States; the second votes were split among four men: John Adams 77; George Clinton 50, Thomas Jefferson 4 and Aaron Burr 1. George Clinton was eventually elected Vice-President in 1804.
  4. ↑ The History of Political Parties in the State of New-York, from the Ratification of the Federal Constition to 1840 by Jabez D. Hammond (4th ed., Vol. 1, H. & E. Phinney, Cooperstown, 1846; pg. 74f)
  5. ↑ Philip Livingston, son of Peter Van Brugh Livingston
  6. ↑ John Livingston, fifth son of Robert Livingston (1708–1790), 3rd Lord of the Manor
  7. ↑ The Civil List of 1858 lists only Newman and Thomas; the Documents of the Assembly of 1852 list only Brown and Hatfield.

Sources

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