106th 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 (seven districts) and Kings County (three 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 Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In New York City the Democrats were split into three factions: Tammany Hall, "Irving Hall" and the "County Democrats". The Prohibition Party and the Greenback Party also nominated tickets.

Elections

The 1882 New York state election was held on November 7. Democrats Grover Cleveland and David B. Hill were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The other two 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 535,000; Republican 342,000; Prohibition 26,000; and Greenback 12,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1883; and adjourned on May 4.

Alfred C. Chapin (D) was elected Speaker with 84 votes against 41 for Theodore Roosevelt (R).

On January 11, John C. Jacobs (D) was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate.

On March 14, the Legislature elected William B. Ruggles (Dem.) as Superintendent of Public Instructions, with 94 votes against 52 for Neil Gilmour (Rep.), to succeed Gilmour for a term of three years.

State Senate

Districts

• 1st District: Queens and Suffolk counties
• 2nd District: 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of Flatbush, Gravesend and New Utrecht in Kings County
• 3rd District: 3rd, 4th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 23rd Ward of the City of Brooklyn
• 4th District: 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th Ward of the City of Brooklyn, and the towns of New Lots and Flatlands in Kings County
• 5th District: Richmond County and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 14th and parts of the 4th and 9th Ward of New York City
• 6th District: 7th, 11th, 13th and part of the 4th Ward of NYC
• 7th District: 10th, 17th and part of the 15th, 18th and 21st Ward of NYC
• 8th District: 16th and part of the 9th, 15th, 18th, 20th and 21st Ward of NYC
• 9th District: Part of the 18th, 19th and 21st Ward of NYC
• 10th District: Part of the 12th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd Ward of NYC
• 11th District: 23rd and 24th, and part of the 12th, 20th and 22nd Ward of NYC
• 12th District: Rockland and Westchester counties
• 13th District: Orange and Sullivan counties
• 14th District: Greene, Schoharie and Ulster counties
• 15th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam counties
• 16th District: Rensselaer and Washington counties
• 17th District: Albany County
• 18th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga and Schenectady counties
• 19th District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
• 20th District: Franklin, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
• 21st District: Oswego and Jefferson counties
• 22nd District: Oneida County
• 23rd District: Herkimer, Madison and Otsego counties
• 24th District: Chenango, Delaware and Broome counties
• 25th District: Onondaga and Cortland counties
• 26th District: Cayuga, Seneca, Tompkins and Tioga counties
• 27th District: Allegany, Chemung and Steuben counties
• 28th District: Ontario, Schuyler, Wayne and Yates counties
• 29th District: Monroe and Orleans counties
• 30th District: Genesee, Livingston, Niagara 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: John W. Corning
• Doorkeeper: Charles F. Brady
• Stenographer: Hudson C. Tanner

State Assembly

Assemblymen

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

Employees

• Clerk: Walter H. Bunn
• Sergeant-at-Arms: James H. Delaney
• Doorkeeper: Jabez C. Pierce
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: Edward Hinch
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Edward Brodie
• Stenographer: Spencer C. Rogers

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. 381f for assemblymen)
• Sketches of the Members of the Legislatures in The Evening Journal Almanac (1883)
• THE NEXT ASSEMBLY in NYT on November 9, 1882
• CHAPIN FOR SPEAKER in NYT on January 2, 1883

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. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/01/03/103433170.pdf ''LEGISLATORS AT WORK''] in NYT on January 3, 1883
3. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/03/15/106247610.pdf ''SOME DEMOCRATIC METHODS''] in ''[[The New York Times]]'' on March 15, 1883
4. Daniel P. Winne, son of assemblyman [[Peter W. Winne]] (in 1831), and brother of assemblyman [[Richard Winne]] (in 1858)
5. see [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/02/17/102800263.pdf ''WHO SHALL HAVE THE SEAT''] in NYT on February 17, 1883
6. [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=617;num=609 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 609f)
7. see [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/03/30/102813960.pdf ''TAMMANY'S NEW SCHEME''] in NYT on March 30, 1883
8. [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=622;num=614 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 614–619)
9. Alfred Hodges (born 1846), son of assemblyman [[Andrew B. Hodges]] (in 1869); great-grandson of Congressman [[John Hathorn]]
10. The majority of seven members (3 Democrats and 4 Republicans) of the Committee on Elections submitted a report in favor of Sprague (R), concluding that a mistake was made while transcribing the returns; a minority of two (both Democrats) submitted a report in favor of Bliss (D). The minority report was adopted on March 8 by a vote of 67 to 52; see [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/03/09/102812362.pdf ''SPRAGUE REFUSED A SEAT''] in NYT on March 9, 1883
11. [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=614;num=606 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 606–609)
12. see [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/03/17/102805493.pdf ''IN ASSEMBLY AND SENATE''] in NYT on March 17, 1883
13. [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=618;num=610 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 610ff)
14. [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?view=image;size=100;id=mdp.35112102507417;page=root;seq=620;num=612 ''A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York''] (1899; pg. 612ff)