21st New York State Legislature


The 21st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 6, 1798, during the third year of John Jay's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the re-apportionment of March 4, 1796, Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year about one fourth of the 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 March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since.
On January 24, 1797, State Senator Philip Schuyler was elected to the U.S. Senate, leaving a vacancy in the Eastern District.
In 1797, Delaware County was created from parts of Ulster and Otsego counties, and was apportioned two seats in the Assembly, one each taken from Ulster and Otsego.
At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

Elections

The State election was held from April 25 to 27, 1797. Senators Ezra L'Hommedieu, Ebenezer Clark, Anthony Ten Eyck, Jacobus Van Schoonhoven, Thomas Morris and Michael Myers were re-elected. John Addison, Peter Cantine Jr., James G. Graham and Seth Phelps were also elected to full terms in the Senate. Senator Zina Hitchcock was re-elected, but only to a two-year term to fill the vacancy.

Sessions

The Legislature met on January 2, 1798, at the Old City Hall in Albany, New York; the Senate adjourned on April 5, the Assembly on April 6.
Federalist Dirck Ten Broeck was elected Speaker with 59 votes against 42 for Dem.-Rep. William Denning.
On January 3, 1798, Philip Schuyler resigned from the U.S. Senate. On January 11, the Legislature elected New York Supreme Court Justice John Sloss Hobart to fill the vacancy. Hobart vacated his seat on April 16, 1798, when he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New York, and on May 5 Gov. John Jay appointed William North to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy temporarily.

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.
DistrictSenatorsTerm leftPartyNotes
SouthernRichard Hatfield*1 yearFederalist
SouthernPhilip Livingston*1 yearFederalist
SouthernJames Watson*1 yearFederalist
SouthernSamuel Jones*2 yearsFederalistalso New York State Comptroller
Southernvacant2 yearsJoshua Sands vacated his seat on April 26, 1797, upon
appointment as Collector of the Port of New York
SouthernSamuel Haight*3 yearsFederalist
Southern3 yearsFederalistdied September 24, 1797, before this Legislature met
SouthernSelah Strong*3 yearsFederalist
SouthernEzra L'Hommedieu*4 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
MiddleJohn D. Coe*1 yearDem.-Rep.
MiddleAmbrose Spencer*1 yearFederalistalso Assistant Attorney General
MiddleAbraham Schenck*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleChristopher Tappen*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleThomas Tillotson*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleRobert Sands*3 yearsFederalist
MiddleJames Savage*3 yearsFederalist
MiddlePeter Silvester*3 yearsFederalist
MiddleWilliam Thompson*3 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
MiddleJohn Addison4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddlePeter Cantine Jr.4 yearsFederalist
MiddleJames G. Graham4 yearsDem.-Rep.
EasternLeonard Gansevoort*1 yearFederalist
EasternFrancis Nicoll*1 yearFederalist
EasternZina Hitchcock*2 yearsFederalistelected to fill vacancy, in place of Philip Schuyler
EasternEbenezer Russell*2 yearsFederalist
EasternMoses Vail*2 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
EasternLeonard Bronck*3 yearsFederalist
EasternJames Gordon*3 yearsFederalist
EasternEbenezer Clark*4 yearsFederalist
EasternAnthony Ten Eyck*4 yearsFederalist
EasternJacobus Van Schoonhoven*4 yearsFederalist
EasternAbraham Van Vechten4 yearsFederalistalso Recorder of the City of Albany
WesternAbraham Arndt1 yearFederalist
WesternJohannes Dietz*1 yearFederalist
WesternJohn Frey*1 yearFederalist
WesternThomas R. Gold*1 yearFederalistalso Assistant Attorney General
WesternVincent Mathews*2 yearsFederalist
WesternJoseph White*2 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
WesternJacob Morris*3 yearsFederalist
WesternJedediah Sanger*3 yearsFederalistfrom March 22, 1798, also First Judge of the Oneida County Court
WesternThomas Morris*4 yearsFederalist
WesternMichael Myers*4 yearsFederalist
WesternSeth Phelps4 yearsFederalist

Employees

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.
DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
AlbanyThomas E. BarkerFederalist
AlbanyJohann Jost DietzFederalist
AlbanyAndrew N. Heermance
AlbanyNathaniel Ogden*
AlbanyJohn Prince*
AlbanyPhilip P. Schuyler*
AlbanyDirck Ten Broeck*Federalistelected Speaker
AlbanyJoel ThompsonFederalist
AlbanyJohn H. Wendell*
AlbanyPeter WestFederalist
ClintonDaniel Ross
ColumbiaCaleb Benton*
ColumbiaJohn C. Hogeboom*Dem.-Rep.
ColumbiaKillian HogeboomDem.-Rep.
ColumbiaElisha JenkinsFederalist
ColumbiaSamuel Ten BroeckDem.-Rep.
ColumbiaPeter I. Vosburgh*
DelawareWilliam Horton
DelawareNathaniel Wattlesdied on January 2, 1798, in Albany
DutchessWilliam BarkerDem.-Rep.
DutchessLemuel CliftFederalist
DutchessLuther Holley
DutchessJoseph PotterFederalist
DutchessPhilip J. SchuylerFederalist
DutchessJacob Smith*
DutchessJohn Thomas
DutchessJesse Thompson*Federalist
DutchessSamuel TownerDem.-Rep.
DutchessWilliam B. Verplanck*Federalist
HerkimerBenjamin Bowen
HerkimerMatthew Brown Jr.*
HerkimerLudwick Campbell*
HerkimerIsaac FooteFederalist
HerkimerGaylord Griswold*Federalist
HerkimerHenry McNeil*Federalist
HerkimerNathan Smith
KingsPeter Vandervoort*Federalist
MontgomeryFrederick Gettman*Federalist
MontgomeryJames Hildreth
MontgomeryRobert McFarland
MontgomeryGeorge Metcalfealso Assistant Attorney General
MontgomeryJacob SnellDem.-Rep.
MontgomeryPhilip Van AlstyneDem.-Rep.
New YorkPhilip I. ArculariusDem.-Rep.
New YorkWilliam BoydDem.-Rep.
New YorkEbenezer S. BurlingDem.-Rep.
New YorkAaron BurrDem.-Rep.
New YorkDeWitt ClintonDem.-Rep.
New YorkJacob De La MontagnieDem.-Rep.
New YorkWilliam DenningDem.-Rep.
New YorkJames FairlieDem.-Rep.
New YorkJames HuntDem.-Rep.
New YorkSamuel L. MitchillDem.-Rep.
New YorkEzekiel RobinsDem.-Rep.
New YorkThomas StormDem.-Rep.previously a member from Dutchess Co.
New YorkGeorge WarnerDem.-Rep.
OnondagaSilas Halsey*
OnondagaComfort Tyler*
Ontario and
Steuben		Amos HallFederalist
Ontario and
Steuben		Charles Williamson*
OrangeJames BurtDem.-Rep.
OrangeBenjamin Coe
OrangeMoses Hatfield
OtsegoJoshua Dewey
OtsegoFrancis Henry*Federalist
OtsegoElijah Holt
OtsegoTimothy Morse*
QueensStephen CarmanFederalist
QueensWhitehead Cornwell
QueensWilliam Pearsall*Federalist
QueensJohn I. SkidmoreDem.-Rep.
RensselaerJohn Bird*Federalistin April 1798, elected to the 6th United States Congress
RensselaerJacob A. Fort*Federalist
RensselaerDaniel Gray*Federalist
RensselaerJonathan Hoag
RensselaerHosea Moffitt*Federalist
RensselaerIsrael Thompson
RichmondPaul I. MicheauFederalist
SaratogaSeth C. Baldwin*
SaratogaSamuel Clark*
SaratogaAdam Comstock*Dem.-Rep.
SaratogaDouw I. Fonda
SaratogaAaron Gregory
SchoharieJohn Rice*Federalist
SuffolkJohn Howard
SuffolkAbraham Miller*Dem.-Rep.
SuffolkJosiah Reeve
SuffolkSilas Wood*Federalist
TiogaEmanuel Coryell*Federalist
TiogaBenjamin Hovey
UlsterJohn Barber
UlsterPhilip D. BevierDem.-Rep.
UlsterPhineas Bowman
UlsterJacobus S. BruynDem.-Rep.
UlsterJohn A. DeWitt
UlsterJohn C. DeWitt*Dem.-Rep.
UlsterAndrew McCordDem.-Rep.
WashingtonCharles Kane
WashingtonDaniel Mason*
WashingtonReuben Pride
WashingtonEdward Savage*Dem.-Rep.
WashingtonThomas Smith
WashingtonMelancton Wheeler
WestchesterWilliam Adams
WestchesterJohn Barker*Federalist
WestchesterElijah Lee
WestchesterAbel SmithDem.-Rep.
WestchesterCharles Teed*Federalist

Employees