25th New York State Legislature


The 25th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 26 to April 5, 1802, during the first year of George Clinton's second tenure as Governor of New York, 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 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.
On November 11, 1801, State Senator Moses Vail was appointed Sheriff of Rensselaer County, leaving a vacancy in the Eastern District.
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 28 to 30, 1801. Ex-Governor George Clinton was elected to a seventh term, and Jeremiah Van Rensselaer was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York, both were Democratic-Republicans
Senators Ezra L'Hommedieu, Jacobus S. Bruyn, James G. Graham, Ebenezer Clark, Jacobus Van Schoonhoven and Abraham Van Vechten were re-elected. Peter A. Van Bergen, Christopher Hutton, John Meyer, Isaac Foote and Assemblyman Lemuel Chipman were also elected to the Senate. Assemblyman Edward Savage was elected to fill the vacancy. L'Hommedieu, Bruyn, Graham, Van Bergen and Savage were Democratic-Republicans, Hutton ran on both tickets, the others were Federalists.

Constitutional Convention

On April 6, 1801, the Legislature had passed an "Act Recommending a Convention" which called for the election of delegates to a convention to amend the State Constitution concerning the right to nominate appointees in the Council of Appointment, and the apportionment of the State Legislature. The delegates were elected from August 25 to 27, mirroring the apportionment of the Assembly. The convention met from October 13 to 27, and had a large Democratic-Republican majority. U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr presided.
The Constitutional Convention gave the governor and all four councillors concurrently the right to nominate appointees. The convention also changed the composition of the State Legislature: the number of state senators was fixed permanently at 32; the number of assemblymen was set at 100, but could increase at a rate of two per year until reaching 150.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 26, 1802; and adjourned on April 5.
Dem.-Rep. Thomas Storm was elected Speaker unanimously.
On February 5, 1802, U.S. Senator John Armstrong resigned, and on February 9, 1802, the Legislature elected State Senator DeWitt Clinton to fill the vacancy.
On March 31, 1802, the Legislature re-apportioned the Assembly seats, according to the provisions of the Constitutional Convention.

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. Edward Savage and Lemuel Chipman changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
To reduce the number of senators from 43 to 32, as enacted by the Constitutional Convention, 19 members left the Senate at the end of this session: the eleven members who finished their term this year ; and eight senators who had their term cut short. Eight new senators were elected to arrive at 32.
DistrictSenatorsTerm leftPartyNotes
SouthernDeWitt Clinton*1 yearDem.-Rep.elected on February 9, 1802, to the U.S. Senate, and took his
seat on February 27, thus vacating his seat in the State Senate
Southern1 yearDem.-Rep.vacated his seat upon appointment
as Collector of the Port of New York on July 9, 1801
SouthernJohn Schenck*1 yearDem.-Rep.
SouthernJohn B. Coles*2 yearsFederalistlegislated out of office
SouthernRichard Hatfield*2 yearsFederalist
SouthernWilliam Denning*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
SouthernBenjamin Huntting*3 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
SouthernEbenezer Purdy*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
SouthernEzra L'Hommedieu*4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleEbenezer Foote*1 yearFederalist
MiddleAmbrose Spencer*1 yearDem.-Rep.from February 3, 1802, also New York Attorney General
MiddleIsaac Bloom*2 yearsDem.-Rep.elected in April 1802 to the 8th United States Congress;
legislated out of office
MiddleJohn Hathorn*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleJohn Suffern*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleJohn C. Hogeboom*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleSolomon Sutherland*3 yearsDem.-Rep.legislated out of office
MiddleDavid Van Ness*3 yearsDem.-Rep.legislated out of office
MiddleJames W. Wilkin*3 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
MiddleJacobus S. Bruyn*4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddlePeter A. Van Bergen4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleJames G. Graham*4 yearsDem.-Rep.legislated out of office
EasternLeonard Gansevoort*1 yearFederalist
EasternJohn Sanders*1 yearFederalist
EasternZina Hitchcock*2 yearsFederalist
EasternEbenezer Russell*2 yearsFederalist
EasternEdward Savage*2 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to fill vacancy, in place of Moses Vail;
elected to the Council of Appointment
EasternJames Gordon*3 yearsFederalist
EasternStephen Lush3 yearsFederalistlegislated out of office
EasternEbenezer Clark*4 yearsFederalistlegislated out of office
EasternChristopher Hutton4 yearsDem.-Rep./Fed.Hutton ran on both tickets
EasternJacobus Van Schoonhoven*4 yearsFederalist
EasternAbraham Van Vechten*4 yearsFederalistalso Recorder of the City of Albany
WesternWilliam Beekman*1 yearFederalist
WesternJohn Frey*1 yearFederalist
WesternFrederick Gettman*1 yearFederalist
WesternThomas R. Gold*1 yearFederalist
WesternVincent Mathews*2 yearsFederalist
WesternMoss Kent*2 yearsFederalist
WesternRobert Roseboom*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternJedediah Sanger*3 yearsFederalistalso First Judge of the Oneida County Court
WesternLemuel Chipman*4 yearsFederalistelected to the Council of Appointment
WesternJohn Meyer4 yearsFederalistalso First Judge of the Herkimer County Court;
legislated out of office
WesternIsaac Foote4 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
AlbanyJohann Jost Dietz*Federalist
AlbanyPrince Doty*Federalist
AlbanyJohn Vernon Henry*Federalist
AlbanyPeter S. SchuylerFederalist
AlbanyJoseph Shurtleff*Federalist
AlbanyDirck Ten Broeck*Federalist
AlbanyJacob Ten Eyck*Federalist
AlbanyPeter West*Federalist
CayugaSalmon Buell
ChenangoNathaniel King
ChenangoJoshua Mersereau Jr.
Clinton and
Essex		William Bailey
ColumbiaThomas BrodheadFederalist
ColumbiaJosiah HolleyDem.-Rep.
ColumbiaHenry W. LivingstonFederalistelected in April 1802 to the 8th United States Congress
ColumbiaSamuel Ten BroeckDem.-Rep.
ColumbiaPeter Van AlstyneDem.-Rep.
ColumbiaMoses YoungloveDem.-Rep.
DelawareGabriel North*Dem.-Rep.
DelawareErastus Root*Dem.-Rep.elected in April 1802 to the 8th United States Congress
DutchessAbraham Adriance*Dem.-Rep.
DutchessBenjamin Akins*Dem.-Rep.
DutchessTheodorus BaileyDem.-Rep.
DutchessElisha Barlow*Dem.-Rep.
DutchessNicholas H. Emigh*Dem.-Rep.
DutchessHarry GarrisonDem.-Rep.
DutchessAlexander SpencerDem.-Rep.
DutchessJohn ThompsonDem.-Rep.
DutchessJohn M. Thurston*Dem.-Rep.
Dutchessvacant
GreeneWilliam Beach
GreenePhilip Conine Jr.previously a member from Albany Co.
HerkimerNathan Smith*Dem.-Rep.
HerkimerSamuel Merry Jr.Dem.-Rep.
HerkimerGeorge Widrig*Dem.-Rep.
KingsJohn C. Vanderveer
MontgomeryArchibald McIntyre*Dem.-Rep.
MontgomeryFrederick SammonsDem.-Rep.
MontgomeryAlexander Sheldon*Dem.-Rep.
MontgomeryJacob Snell*Dem.-Rep.
MontgomeryCharles WardDem.-Rep.
MontgomeryChristopher P. Yates*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkPhilip I. Arcularius*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkJohn Broome*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkPeter EltingDem.-Rep.
New YorkThomas FarmarDem.-Rep.
New YorkWilliam FewDem.-Rep.
New YorkJames Hunt*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkDem.-Rep.vacated his seat upon appointment to the
New York Supreme Court on January 8, 1802
New YorkElias Nexsen*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkSamuel Osgood*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkEzekiel Robins*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkHenry Rutgers*Dem.-Rep.
New YorkThomas Storm*Dem.-Rep.elected Speaker
New YorkGeorge Warner*Dem.-Rep.
OneidaJoel Bristol
OneidaAbel French*Federalist
OneidaDavid Ostrom*Federalist
OnondagaAsa Danforth*Dem.-Rep.
Ontario and
Steuben		Daniel Chapin
Ontario and
Steuben		Peter B. PorterDem.-Rep.
OrangeJoshua Brown
OrangeJames BurtDem.-Rep.
OrangeCharles Clinton
OrangeAndrew McCord*Dem.-Rep.elected in April 1802 to the 8th United States Congress
OrangeSelah StrongDem.-Rep.
OtsegoSamuel Campbell
OtsegoSolomon Martin*
OtsegoJedediah Peck*Dem.-Rep.
OtsegoJacob Ten Broeck*
QueensJohn D. DitmisDem.-Rep.
QueensAbraham Monfoort*Dem.-Rep.
QueensJoseph Pettit*Dem.-Rep.
QueensWilliam MottDem.-Rep.
RensselaerJohn CarpenterFederalist
RensselaerJacob A. FortFederalist
RensselaerJohn GreenFed./Dem.-Rep.Green ran on both tickets
RensselaerBurton HammondFederalist
RensselaerJohn Knickerbacker Jr.Federalist
RensselaerJohn StevensFederalist
RichmondPaul I. Micheau*Federalist
RocklandPeter DenoyellesDem.-Rep.
SaratogaSamuel Clark
SaratogaAdam Comstock*Dem.-Rep.
SaratogaHenry Corl Jr.*
SaratogaJames Warren*
SaratogaEdward A. Watrous
SchoharieLawrence Lawyer Jr.Dem.-Rep.
SuffolkIsrael CarllDem.-Rep.
SuffolkJared Landon*Dem.-Rep.
SuffolkAbraham Miller*Dem.-Rep.
SuffolkTredwell ScudderDem.-Rep.
TiogaCaleb Hyde
UlsterBenjamin Bevier*Dem.-Rep.
UlsterJosiah HasbrouckDem.-Rep.
UlsterElnathan SearsDem.-Rep.
UlsterBenjamin SnyderDem.-Rep.
WashingtonKitchel BishopDem.-Rep.
WashingtonAlexander CowanDem.-Rep.
WashingtonJason KelloggDem.-Rep.
WashingtonJohn McLeanDem.-Rep.
WashingtonMicajah Pettit
WashingtonIsaac SargentDem.-Rep.
WestchesterAbijah Gilbert*Dem.-Rep.
WestchesterAbraham Odell*Dem.-Rep.
WestchesterAbel Smith*Dem.-Rep.
WestchesterThomas Thomas*Dem.-Rep.
WestchesterJoseph TravisDem.-Rep.

Employees