98th New York State Legislature


The 98th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to May 22, 1875, during the first year of Samuel J. Tilden's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators and 128 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts were made up of entire counties, except New York County and Kings County. The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Prohibition Party appeared at this time, nominating Ex-Governor Myron H. Clark — who had urged the Legislature to enact Prohibition in New York in 1853, but the law was declared unconstitutional by the New York Court of Appeals — for Governor.

Elections

The New York state election, 1874 was held on November 3. Democrats Samuel J. Tilden and William Dorsheimer were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor, defeating the incumbent Republicans John A. Dix and John C. Robinson. The other three statewide elective offices up for election were also carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democratic 416,000; Republican 366,000; and Prohibition 12,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1875; and adjourned on May 22.
Jeremiah McGuire was elected Speaker.
On January 20, the Legislature elected Francis Kernan to succeed U.S. Senator Reuben E. Fenton for a six-year term, beginning on March 4, 1875.

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.
DistrictSenatorPartyNotes
1stJohn A. King*Republican
2ndJohn W. Coe*Lib. Rep./Dem.
3rdJohn C. Jacobs*Democrat
4thJohn Fox*Democrat
5thJames W. Booth*Republican
6thJacob A. Gross*Democrat
7thThomas A. Ledwith*Democrat
8thHugh H. Moore*Democratunsuccessfully contested by Walter S. Pinckney
9thWilliam H. Robertson*RepublicanPresident pro tempore
10thEdward M. Madden*Republican
11thBenjamin Ray*Democrat
12thRoswell A. Parmenter*Democrat
13thJesse C. Dayton*Democrat
14thHenry C. Connelly*Republican
15thWebster Wagner*Republican
16thFranklin W. Tobey*Republican
17thWells S. Dickinson*Republican
18thAndrew C. MiddletonInd./Lib. Rep./Dem.
19thSamuel S. Lowery*Republican
20thArchibald C. McGowan*Republican
21stCharles Kellogg*Republican
22ndDaniel P. Wood*Republican
23rdJames G. Thompson*Republican
24thJohn H. Selkreg*Republican
25thWilliam B. Woodin*Republican
26thWilliam Johnson*Democratdied on October 10, 1875
27thGeorge B. Bradley*Democrat
28thJarvis Lord*Democrat
29thDan H. Cole*Republican
30thAbijah J. Wellman*Republican
31stAlbert P. LaningDemocratelected to fill vacancy, in place of John Ganson
32ndAlbert G. Dow*Republican

Employees

Assemblymen

The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

Employees