102nd New York State Legislature

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 (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). 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 and the Greenback Party also nominated tickets.

Elections

The 1878 New York state election was held on November 5. The only statewide elective office up for election was carried by a Republican. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Judge of the Court of Appeals, was: Republican 391,000; Democratic 356,000; Greenback 75,000; and Prohibition 4,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1879; and adjourned on May 22.

On January 7, senators and assemblymen met at the Old Capitol and then marched together to the New Capitol, taking officially possession of the new accommodations. The New Capitol was then still under construction, being finished only in 1899; and the Senate met for the time being in the Court of Appeals chamber. Due to heavy snowfall, many members had not arrived yet from the Western parts of the State, and the Legislature adjourned.

On January 9, Thomas G. Alvord (R) was again elected Speaker, with 94 votes against 24 for Erastus Brooks (D).

On January 21, the Legislature re-elected U.S. Senator Roscoe Conkling (R) to a third six-year term, beginning on March 4, 1879.

On April 23, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts; and the Assembly seats per county. Columbia, Delaware, Madison, Oneida, Ontario and Oswego counties lost one seat each; Kings and New York counties gained three seats each.

State Senate

Districts

• 1st District: Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties
• 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 19th and 20th wards of the City of Brooklyn
• 3rd District: 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th wards of the City of Brooklyn; and all towns in Kings County
• 4th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th wards of New York City
• 5th District: 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th wards of New York City
• 6th District: 10th, 11th and 17th wards of New York City
• 7th District: 18th, 20th and 21st wards of New York City
• 8th District: 12th, 19th and 22nd wards of New York City
• 9th District: Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties
• 10th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
• 11th District: Columbia and Dutchess counties
• 12th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
• 13th District: Albany County
• 14th District: Greene and Ulster counties
• 15th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
• 16th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
• 17th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
• 18th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
• 19th District: Oneida County
• 20th District: Herkimer and Otsego counties
• 21st District: Madison and Oswego counties
• 22nd District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
• 23rd District: Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties
• 24th District: Broome, Tompkins and Tioga counties
• 25th District: Cayuga and Wayne counties
• 26th District: Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties
• 27th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
• 28th District: Monroe County
• 29th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
• 30th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
• 31st District: Erie County
• 32nd District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties

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.

Employees

• Clerk: John W. Vrooman
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Weidman Dominick
• Doorkeeper: James G. Caw
• Stenographer: Hudson C. Tanner

State Assembly

Assemblymen

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

Employees

• Clerk: Edward M. Johnson
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles A. Orr
• Doorkeeper: Henry Wheeler
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: Harrison Clark
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Michael Maher
• Assistant Doorkeeper: John Christie
• Stenographer: Worden E. Payne

Notes

Sources

• Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York compiled by Edgar Albert Werner (1884; see pg. 276 for Senate districts; pg. 291 for senators; pg. 298–304 for Assembly districts; and pg. 378 for assemblymen)
• The State Government for 1879 by Charles G. Shanks (Weed, Parsons & Co, Albany, 1879)
• THE CANVASS FOR SPEAKER in NYT on January 6, 1879
• THE STRUGGLE AT ALBANY in NYT on January 7, 1879
• THE CONTEST FOR SPEAKER in NYT on January 8, 1879
• ALVORD CHOSEN SPEAKER in NYT on January 9, 1879
• WORK BEGUN AT ALBANY in NYT on January 10, 1879

References

1. Except New York City where the wards were apportioned into election districts, and then some whole wards and some election districts of other wards were gerrymandered together into Assembly districts.
2. The large Greenback vote was polled by Ex-Secretary of State [[Gideon J. Tucker]], a [[Tammany Hall]] man who ran as a "[[spoiler candidate]]" to defeat the regular Democratic nominee. This was orchestrated by Tammany Boss [[John Kelly (New York politician). John Kelly]] who engaged in a fierce struggle against the Democratic majority led by [[Samuel J. Tilden]] and [[Lucius Robinson]]. The split led to the defeat of Gov. Robinson who ran for re-election the next year, being opposed by Republican [[Alonzo B. Cornell]] and Kelly himself who ran as a spoiler candidate.
3. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1879/01/22/80743654.pdf ''CONKLING WINS THE SENATORSHIP''] in NYT on January 22, 1879
4. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1879/04/21/80749107.pdf ''THE APPORTIONMENT BILL''] in NYT on April 21, 1879
5. James Prendergast (born 1848), grandson of James Prendergast, the namesake of [[Jamestown, New York. Jamestown]]; great-nephew of state senators [[John J. Prendergast]] and [[Jediah Prendergast]]
6. see [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=594;num=586 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 586–589)
7. see [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=588;num=580 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 580–586)
8. Edward Stewart (born 1834), son of [[John Stewart (Saratoga County, NY). John Stewart]] who was assemblyman in 1839 and 1840
9. see [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=576;num=568 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 568–580)
10. David Ogden Bradley (born 1827), son of Henry Bradley, the Liberty Party candidate for Governor at the [[New York state election, 1846]]