120th New York State Legislature

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, 50 Senators and 150 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 (twelve districts), Kings County (seven districts), Erie County (three districts) and Monroe County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.

At the 1895 New York state election, the state officers and state senators were elected to an exceptional three-year term (for the sessions of 1896, 1897 and 1898), so that the election of these officers would be held, beginning in 1898, in even-numbered years, at the same time as the gubernatorial election.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Democrats were split into two factions as a result of the 1896 United States presidential election: the majority supported Free silver and William Jennings Bryan for U.S. president; a minority supported the Gold standard and John M. Palmer for U.S. president. The Socialist Labor Party, the Prohibition Party, and the People's Party also nominated tickets.

Elections

The 1896 New York state election was held on November 3. Congressman Frank S. Black was elected Governor; and Timothy L. Woodruff was elected Lieutenant Governor; both Republicans.

The only other statewide elective office up for election was also carried by a Republican. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Republican 788,000; Silver Democrats 570,000; Gold Democrats 27,000; Socialist Labor 18,000; Prohibition 17,000; and People's Party 5,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1897; and adjourned on April 24.

James M. E. O'Grady (R) was elected Speaker with 112 votes against 34 for Daniel E. Finn (D).

On January 19, the Legislature elected Thomas C. Platt (R) to succeed David B. Hill (D) as U.S. Senator from New York, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1897.

New York State Senate

Districts

• 1st District: Richmond and Suffolk counties
• 2nd District: Queens County
• 3rd District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Ward of Brooklyn
• 4th District: 7th, 13th, 19th and 21st Ward of Brooklyn
• 5th District: 8th, 10th, 12th and 30th Ward of Brooklyn, and the annexed former Town of Gravesend
• 6th District: 9th, 11th, 20th and 22nd Ward of Brooklyn
• 7th District: 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th Ward of Brooklyn
• 8th District: 23rd, 24th, 25th and 29th Ward of the City of Brooklyn; and the Town of Flatlands
• 9th District: 18th, 26th, 27th and 28th Ward of Brooklyn
• 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st District: Parts of the City of New York, defined geographically by their bordering streets, regardless of Wards or Assembly districts
• 22nd District: Westchester County
• 23rd District: Orange and Rockland counties
• 24th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam and counties
• 25th District: Greene and Ulster counties
• 26th District: Chenango, Delaware and Sullivan counties
• 27th District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Schoharie counties
• 28th District: Saratoga, Schenectady and Washington counties
• 29th District: Albany County
• 30th District: Rensselaer County
• 31st District: Clinton, Essex and Warren counties
• 32nd District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
• 33rd District: Otsego and Herkimer counties
• 34th District: Oneida County
• 35th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
• 36th District: Onondaga County
• 37th District: Oswego and Madison counties
• 38th District: Broome, Cortland and Tioga counties
• 39th District: Cayuga and Seneca counties
• 40th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Tompkins counties
• 41st District: Steuben and Yates counties
• 42nd District: Ontario and Wayne counties
• 43rd District: 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Brighton, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Menden, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, Rush and Webster, in Monroe County
• 44th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 19th and 20th Ward of Rochester; and the towns of Chili, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Ogden, Parma, Riga, Sweden and Wheatland, in Monroe County
• 45th District: Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties
• 46th District: Allegany, Livingston and Wyoming counties
• 47th District: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Ward of Buffalo
• 48th District: 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th Ward of Buffalo
• 49th District: 17th, 18th and 25th Ward of the City of Buffalo; and all area in Erie County outside Buffalo
• 50th 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.

Senators

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

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

Employees

• Clerk: John S. Kenyon
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Garret J. Benson
• Doorkeeper: Nathan Lewis
• Stenographer: Edward Shaughnessy
• Journal Clerk: Lafayette B. Gleason
• Index Clerk: Ernest A. Fay

New York State Assembly

Assemblymen

Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

Employees

• Clerk: Archie E. Baxter
• Financial Clerk: William C. Stevens
• Sergeant-at-Arms: James C. Crawford
• Doorkeeper: Joseph Bauer
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Eugene L. Demers
• Stenographer: Henry C. Lammert
• Assistant Journal Clerk: Sanford W. Smith
• Chief of the Revision Room: Jean L. Burnett
• Committee Clerk: William L. Coughtry
• General Committee Clerk: Jacob A. Livingston

Notes

Sources

• The New York Red Book compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; see pg. 133–177 for senators' bios; between pg. 136 and 137 for senators' portraits; pg. 179–279 for assemblymen's bios; between pg. 184 and 185 for assemblymen's portraits; pg. 404 for list of senators; pg. 513 for list of assemblymen; and pg. 712–716 for senate districts)

References

1. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/01/07/105941191.pdf ''O'GRADY WANTS FEWER BILLS''] in NYT on January 7, 1897