65th New York State Legislature


The 65th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to September 7, 1842, during the fourth year of William H. Seward's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight 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.
State Senator Minthorne Tompkins resigned on March 8, 1841; and State Senator Mark H. Sibley resigned on May 28, 1841; leaving vacancies in the First and Seventh District.
Secretary of State John C. Spencer resigned on October 11, 1841, to take office as U.S. Secretary of War.
At this time there were two political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.
In New York City, the "friends of civil and religious freedom, in favor of extending the benefits of a common school education to the neglected and indigent children of this city" met on October 26, 1841, at Carroll Hall, and nominated a ticket for the Senate and Assembly elections. The Carroll Hall assembly ticket was made up of 10 of the 13 Tammany Hall nominees and three own candidates. The spoiler effect led to the election of one Whig and one Democrat to the Senate, and of 10 Democrats and 3 Whigs to the Assembly.

Elections

The State election was held from November 1 to 3, 1841.
State Senator Henry A. Livingston was defeated for re-election.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1842; and adjourned on April 12.
Levi S. Chatfield was elected Speaker with 93 votes against 32 for George A. Simmons. John O. Cole was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 91 votes against 33 for the incumbent Philander B. Prindle.
On January 12, John L. O'Sullivan brought a bill in the Assembly to abolish capital punishment, which was rejected on March 31 by a vote of 45 to 54.
On February 7, the Legislature elected Samuel Young to fill the vacancy in the office of Secretary of State; Azariah C. Flagg to succeed John A. Collier as State Comptroller; Thomas Farrington to succeed Jacob Haight as State Treasurer; George P. Barker to succeed Willis Hall as Attorney General; and Nathaniel Jones to succeed Orville L. Holley as Surveyor General.
On February 8, the Legislature elected Daniel P. Bissell, Stephen Clark, Jonas Earll, Jr., Benjamin Enos, James Hooker and George W. Little to succeed George H. Boughton, Simon Newton Dexter, Henry Hamilton, David Hudson, Samuel B. Ruggles and Asa Whitney as Canal Commissioners.
On April 5, the Legislature enacted that future state elections be held on a single day, fixing the date on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November.
The Legislature met for a special session on August 16; and adjourned on September 7. This session was called to re-apportion the congressional districts. Earlier this year Congress had passed a law requiring all representatives in all States to be elected in single districts, and in New York there had been for decades several multiple-seat districts.
On September 7, the Democratic state convention met at Syracuse, and nominated again William C. Bouck for Governor, and Daniel S. Dickinson for Lieutenant Governor.
On the same day, the Whig state convention met; Charles H. Carroll was Chairman. They nominated Lt. Gov. Luther Bradish for Governor, and State Senator Gabriel Furman 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.
DistrictSenatorsTerm leftPartyNotes
FirstGabriel Furman*1 yearWhig
FirstMorris Franklin2 yearsWhigelected to fill vacancy, in place of Minthorne Tompkins
FirstJohn B. Scott*3 yearsDemocrat
FirstIsaac L. Varian4 yearsDemocrat
SecondDaniel Johnson*1 yearDemocrat
SecondJohn Hunter*2 yearsDemocrat
SecondRobert Denniston*3 yearsDemocrat
SecondAbraham Bockee4 yearsDemocrat
ThirdAlonzo C. Paige*1 yearDemocrat
ThirdErastus Root*2 yearsWhig
ThirdHenry W. Strong*3 yearsDemocratalso Recorder of Troy
ThirdErastus Corning4 yearsDemocrat
FourthBethuel Peck*1 yearWhig
FourthJames G. Hopkins*2 yearsWhig
FourthJohn W. Taylor*3 yearsWhigresigned on August 19, 1842
FourthEdmund Varney4 yearsDemocrat
FifthJoseph Clark*1 yearDemocrat
FifthSumner Ely*2 yearsDemocrat
FifthHenry A. Foster*3 yearsDemocrat
FifthWilliam Ruger4 yearsDemocrat
SixthAlvah Hunt*1 yearWhig
SixthAndrew B. Dickinson*2 yearsWhig
SixthNehemiah Platt*3 yearsWhig
SixthJames Faulkner4 yearsDemocrat
SeventhRobert C. Nicholas*1 yearWhig
SeventhLyman Sherwood2 yearsDemocratelected to fill vacancy, in place of Mark H. Sibley
SeventhElijah Rhoades*3 yearsWhig
SeventhWilliam Bartlit4 yearsDemocrat
EighthHenry Hawkins*1 yearWhig
EighthAbram Dixon*2 yearsWhig
EighthSamuel Works*3 yearsWhig
EighthGideon Hard4 yearsWhig

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.
Party affiliations follow the vote on State officers on February 1, 7 and 8.
DistrictAssemblymenPartyNotes
AlbanyJohn A. DixDemocrat
AlbanyCornelius G. PalmerDemocrat
AlbanyJonas ShearDemocrat
AlleganyLorenzo Dana*Whig
AlleganyHorace Hunt*Whig
BroomeRobert HarpurWhig
CattaraugusSamuel BarrowsDemocrat
CattaraugusLewis T. ThorpDemocrat
CayugaJohn L. CuylerDemocrat
CayugaVincent KenyonDemocrat
CayugaAlvarez TupperDemocrat
ChautauquaRossiter P. JohnsonWhig
ChautauquaAustin PierceWhig
ChautauquaEmory F. WarrenWhig
ChemungSamuel G. Hathaway Jr.Democrat
ChenangoClark BurnhamDemocrat
ChenangoRichard W. JuliandDemocrat
ChenangoAdam StoringDemocrat
ClintonLemuel StetsonDemocratalso D.A. of Clinton Co.;
on November 8, 1842, elected to the 28th U>S> Congress
ColumbiaJames KnickerbackerDemocrat
ColumbiaAbraham I. Van AlstyneDemocrat
ColumbiaJared WinslowDemocrat
CortlandJesse IvesWhig
CortlandOren StimsonWhig
DelawareSamuel EellsDemocrat
DelawareOrrin GriffinDemocrat
DutchessPeter K. DuboisDemocrat
DutchessJohn M. KetchamDemocrat
DutchessRichard C. Van WyckDemocrat
ErieWilliam A. BirdWhig
ErieBela H. ColegroveWhig
ErieSquire S. CaseWhig
EssexGeorge A. Simmons*Whig
FranklinThomas R. PowellWhig
Fulton and HamiltonJohn PattersonDemocrat
GeneseeRobinson SmileyWhig
GeneseeAlbert SmithWhigon November 8, 1842, elected to the 28th U.S. Congress
GreeneJohn LarawayDemocrat
GreeneAndrew T. Van SlykeDemocrat
HerkimerMichael Hoffman*Democrat
HerkimerArphaxed Loomis*Democrat
JeffersonElihu C. ChurchDemocrat
JeffersonElihu M. McNeilDemocrat
JeffersonJohn W. TamblinDemocrat
KingsJohn A. LottDemocrat
KingsWilliam M. UdallDemocrat
LewisCarlos P. ScovilDemocrat
LivingstonGardner ArnoldWhig
LivingstonChester BradleyWhig
MadisonSimon C. HitchcockDemocrat
MadisonCalvin MorseDemocrat
MadisonJob WellsDemocrat
MonroeHenry K. HigginsWhig
MonroeFrederick StarrWhig
MonroeGeorge S. StoneWhig
MontgomeryJames DiefendorfWhig
MontgomeryLawrence MarcellusDemocrat
New YorkElbridge G. BaldwinWhig
New YorkAuguste DavezacDemocrat
New YorkDavid R. Floyd-Jones*Democrat
New YorkPaul Grout*Democrat
New YorkWilliam JonesWhig
New YorkWilliam B. Maclay*Democraton November 8, 1842, elected to the 28th U.S. Congress
New YorkWilliam McMurray*Democrat
New YorkJohn L. O'Sullivan*Democrat
New YorkDaniel C. PentzDemocrat
New YorkConrad Swackhamer*Democrat
New YorkSolomon Townsend*Democrat
New YorkJoseph TuckerWhig
New YorkGeorge Weir*Democrat
NiagaraThomas T. FlaglerWhig
NiagaraFrancis O. Pratt*Whig
OneidaIchabod C. BakerDemocrat
OneidaEbenezer RobbinsDemocrat
OneidaHoratio SeymourDemocrat
OneidaDeWitt C. StephensDemocrat
OnondagaWilliam Fuller*Democrat
OnondagaDavid Munro*Democrat
OnondagaJohn SpencerDemocrat
OnondagaWilliam Taylor*Democrat
OntarioPeter M. DoxWhig
OntarioStaats GreenWhig
OntarioJoseph C. SheltonWhig
OrangeStacey BeakesDemocrat
OrangeRobert LawsonDemocrat
OrangeRoswell MeadDemocrat
OrleansSanford E. ChurchDemocrat
OswegoPeter DevendorfDemocrat
OswegoRobert C. KenyonDemocrat
OtsegoLeonard CarylDemocrat
OtsegoLevi S. Chatfield*Democratelected Speaker
OtsegoFestus HydeDemocrat
PutnamEbenezer FosterDemocrat
QueensJohn W. Lawrence*Democrat
RensselaerGeorge R. DavisDemocratalso First Judge of the Rensselaer County Court
RensselaerMartinus LansingDemocrat
RensselaerSilas W. WaiteDemocrat
RichmondHenry ColeDemocrat
RocklandEdward De Noyelles*Democrat
St. LawrenceCalvin T. HulburdDemocrat
St. LawrenceGeorge RedingtonDemocrat
SaratogaJohn CramerDemocrat
SaratogaHalsey RogersDemocrat
SchenectadyJonathan C. BurnhamDemocrat
SchoharieBill FinkDemocrat
SchoharieGeorge WrightDemocrat
SenecaWilliam C. KellyDemocrat
SteubenAaron C. BeachDemocrat
SteubenFrancis E. ErwinDemocrat
SteubenZiba A. LelandDemocrat
SuffolkRichard A. UdallDemocrat
SuffolkBenjamin F. WellsDemocrat
SullivanMatthew BrownDemocrat
TiogaJohn McQuiggDemocrat
TompkinsCharles HumphreyDemocrat
TompkinsBernardus SwartwoutDemocrat
UlsterAbraham JansenDemocrat
UlsterJeremiah RussellDemocraton November 8, 1842, elected to the 28th U.S. Congress
WarrenBenjamin P. BurhansDemocrat
WashingtonJames McKie Jr.Whig
WashingtonDan S. WrightWhig
WayneTheron R. StrongDemocrat
WayneJames M. WilsonDemocrat
WestchesterJoseph T. Carpenter*Democrat
WestchesterHoratio Lockwood*Democrat
WyomingEleazer BaldwinWhig
WyomingJohn W. Brownson*Whigpreviously a member from Genesee Co.
YatesHenry SpenceDemocrat

Employees