34th New York State Legislature


The 34th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 29 to April 9, 1811, during the fourth year of Daniel D. Tompkins'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.
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 24 to 26, 1810. Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins and Lt. Gov. John Broome were re-elected.
Senator Nathan Smith was re-elected. Ebenezer White, Ex-Gov. Morgan Lewis, James W. Wilkin, Henry Yates Jr., Reuben Humphrey, Philetus Swift and Henry A. Townsend were also elected to the Senate. All eight were Democratic-Republicans.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 29, 1811; and adjourned on April 9.
Nathan Sanford was elected Speaker with 64 votes against 33 for Samuel A. Barker. Samuel North was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 64 votes against 37 for the incumbent James Van Ingen. Sanford soon became ill, and could not attend the session anymore, and on February 12, William Ross was elected Speaker for the remainder of the session with 65 votes against 24 for Barker.
Lt. Gov. Broome died on August 8, 1810, leaving the presidency of the State Senate vacant. The senators elected John Tayler as President pro tempore.
On January 30, the Dem.-Rep. Assembly majority elected a new Council of Appointment which removed almost all Federalist office-holders, most of whom had been appointed during the previous year.
At this session, the Legislature passed a bill incorporating the Mechanics and Farmers Bank of Albany, and Solomon Southwick became its first President.
On April 8, 1811, the Legislature appointed a new Erie Canal Commission to continue the planning and eventually the construction of the Erie Canal. The previous commissioners Gouverneur Morris, Stephen Van Rensselaer, William North, Thomas Eddy, State Senator DeWitt Clinton, Surveyor General Simeon DeWitt and Congressman Peter B. Porter were re-appointed; and Ex-Chancellor Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton, who were running a steamboat service between New York City and Albany, were added to the Commission.

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
SouthernDeWitt Clinton*1 yearDem.-Rep.also an Erie Canal Commissioner;
from February 1, 1811, also Mayor of New York City
SouthernBenjamin Coe*2 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
SouthernWilliam W. Gilbert*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
SouthernIsrael Carll*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
SouthernEbenezer White4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleJoshua H. Brett*1 yearDem.-Rep.
MiddleRobert Williams*1 yearnone
MiddleEdward P. Livingston*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleJohannes Bruyn*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleSamuel Haight*3 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleMorgan Lewis4 yearsDem.-Rep.
MiddleJames W. Wilkin4 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
EasternIsaac Kellogg*1 yearDem.-Rep.
EasternJohn McLean*1 yearDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
EasternCharles Selden*1 yearDem.-Rep.
EasternJohn Tayler*1 yearDem.-Rep.elected President pro tempore
EasternDavid Hopkins*2 yearsFederalist
EasternDaniel Paris*3 yearsFederalist
EasternJohn Stearns*3 yearsFederalist
EasternHenry Yates Jr.4 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternAlexander Rea*1 yearDem.-Rep.
WesternFrancis A. Bloodgood*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternWalter Martin*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternLuther Rich*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternSylvanus Smalley*2 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternAmos Hall*3 yearsFederalist
WesternSeth Phelps*3 yearsFederalist
WesternJonas Platt*3 yearsFederalist
WesternReuben Humphrey4 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternNathan Smith*4 yearsDem.-Rep.
WesternPhiletus Swift4 yearsDem.-Rep.elected to the Council of Appointment
WesternHenry A. Townsend4 yearsDem.-Rep.

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
AlbanyAsa ColvardFederalist
AlbanyDavid DelongFederalist
AlbanyJohann Jost DietzFederalist
AlbanyAbraham Van Vechten*Federalistuntil February 1, 1811, also New York Attorney General
Allegany
and Steuben		John Knox*Federalist
Broomenoneno election returns from this county
CayugaStephen Close*Dem.-Rep.
CayugaElisha DurkeeDem.-Rep.
CayugaEbenezer HewittDem.-Rep.
ChenangoPeter Betts
ChenangoThompson Mead
ChenangoJoseph SimondsDem.-Rep.
Clinton and
Franklin		Gates Hoit*Federalistunsuccessfully contested by William Steward
ColumbiaThomas P. Grosvenor*Federalistuntil February 15, 1811, also District Attorney of the 3rd District
ColumbiaAugustus Tremain
ColumbiaJames VanderpoelFederalist
ColumbiaJacob R. Van RensselaerFederalist
CortlandBilly Trowbridge
DelawareDaniel Fuller
DelawareDavid St. John
DutchessSamuel A. BarkerFederalist
DutchessLemuel Clift*Federalist
DutchessKoert Dubois*Federalist
DutchessAlexander Neely*Federalist
DutchessShadrach ShermanFederalist
DutchessIsaac Van Wyck*Federalist
EssexDelevan Delance Jr.
GeneseeChauncey Loomis*Dem.-Rep.
GreeneWilliam Beach
GreeneJonas Bronk
HerkimerChristopher P. Bellinger*Dem.-Rep.
HerkimerRobert BurchDem.-Rep.
HerkimerHosea NelsonDem.-Rep.
JeffersonCorlis HindsDem.-Rep.
JeffersonEthel Bronson*Federalistcontested; seat vacated
JeffersonWilliam Hunterseated on February 4, 1811, in place of Ethel Bronson
KingsJohn C. VanderveerDem.-Rep.
LewisNathaniel Merriam
MadisonJohn W. Bulkley*Federalist
MadisonHenry Clark Jr.
MadisonZebulon Douglass
MontgomeryDaniel Cady*Federalist
MontgomeryJacob EakerDem.-Rep.
MontgomeryDaniel Hurlbut
MontgomeryJames McIntyreDem.-Rep.
MontgomeryGeorge H. Nellis
New YorkRobert Bogardus
New YorkThomas CarpenterFederalist
New YorkThomas Farmar*
New YorkJohn Gelston
New YorkSamuel LawrenceDem.-Rep.from February 19, 1811, also New York County Clerk
New YorkJonas Mapes
New YorkThomas R. MerceinFederalist
New YorkNathan SanfordDem.-Rep.elected Speaker;
did not attend after February 12;
also United States Attorney for the District of New York
New YorkIsaac SebringFederalist
New YorkSolomon Townsend*died March 27, 1811
New YorkJohn Vanderbilt Jr.
NiagaraArchibald S. Clarke*Dem.-Rep.also Surrogate of Niagara County
OneidaIsaac BraytonFederalist
OneidaGeorge Doolittle
OneidaGeorge HuntingtonFederalist
OneidaHenry McNeilFederalist
OneidaJohn Storrs*Federalist
OnondagaRobert Earll
OnondagaJasper HopperDem.-Rep.
OntarioSeptimus Evans
OntarioRobert Hart
OntarioHugh McNair
OntarioStephen Phelps
OntarioAsahel WarnerDem.-Rep.
OrangeJohn Blake Jr.Dem.-Rep.
OrangeAnthony DavisDem.-Rep.
OrangeSeth Marvin
OrangeWilliam RossDem.-Rep.on February 12, elected Speaker
OtsegoDaniel Hawks
OtsegoIsaac HayesDem.-Rep.
OtsegoElijah H. MetcalfDem.-Rep.
OtsegoRobert RoseboomDem.-Rep.
QueensStephen Carman*Federalist
QueensDaniel KissamFederalist
QueensWilliam Townsend*Federalist
RensselaerWilliam M. Bliss
RensselaerDaniel Hull Jr.
RensselaerCornelius I. Schermerhorn*Federalist
RensselaerCornelius Van Vechten
RichmondJames Guyon, Jr.Dem.-Rep.contested; seat vacated
RichmondRichard ConnorFederalistseated on March 21, 1811, in place of James Guyon, Jr.
RocklandPeter S. Van Orden*Dem.-Rep.
St. LawrenceRoswell Hopkins*Federalist
SaratogaJohn Cramer
SaratogaJesse MottDem.-Rep.
SaratogaJeremy Rockwell
SaratogaDavid RogersDem.-Rep.
SchenectadyJames BoydDem.-Rep.
SchenectadyJohn YoungDem.-Rep.
SchoharieHenry BeckerDem.-Rep./Fed.Becker was a Democratic-Republican who ran on both tickets
SchoharieHenry HagerDem.-Rep.
SenecaRobert S. RoseDem.-Rep.
SuffolkJonathan S. ConklinDem.-Rep.
SuffolkThomas S. LesterDem.-Rep.
SuffolkTredwell Scudder*Dem.-Rep.
Sullivan
and Ulster		John Conklin*Dem.-Rep.
Sullivan
and Ulster		Samuel HawkinsDem.-Rep.
Sullivan
and Ulster		John LounsberyDem.-Rep.
Sullivan
and Ulster		Nehemiah L. SmithDem.-Rep.
TiogaThomas Floyd
WashingtonJohn BakerDem.-Rep.
WashingtonJohn RichardsDem.-Rep.
WashingtonIsaac SargentDem.-Rep.
WashingtonReuben WhallonDem.-Rep.
WashingtonDavid WoodsDem.-Rep.
WestchesterDarius CrosbyDem.-Rep.
WestchesterAbraham MillerDem.-Rep.
WestchesterJacob OdellDem.-Rep.

Employees