122nd 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 this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Socialist Labor Party, the Prohibition Party and the Citizens Union also nominated tickets.

Elections

The 1898 New York state election was held on November 8. Theodore Roosevelt was elected Governor; and Lt. Gov. Timothy L. Woodruff was re-elected; both Republicans. The other five statewide elective office up for election were also carried by the Republicans. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Republican 662,000; Democratic 644,000; Socialist Labor 24,000; Prohibition 18,000; and Citizens Union 2,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1899; and adjourned on April 28.

S. Frederick Nixon (R) was elected Speaker.

Timothy E. Ellsworth (R) was re-elected President pro tempore of the State Senate.

On January 17, the Legislature elected Chauncey M. Depew (R) to succeed Edward Murphy Jr. (D) as U.S. Senator from New York, for a six-year term beginning on March 4, 1899.

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, as constituted in 1894
• 4th District: 7th, 13th, 19th and 21st Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
• 5th District: 8th, 10th, 12th and 30th Ward of Brooklyn, and the annexed former Town of Gravesend, as constituted in 1894
• 6th District: 9th, 11th, 20th and 22nd Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
• 7th District: 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
• 8th District: 23rd, 24th, 25th and 29th Ward of Brooklyn; and the annexed former Town of Flatlands, as constituted in 1894
• 9th District: 18th, 26th, 27th and 28th Ward of Brooklyn, as constituted in 1894
• 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: In 1897, New York County (the boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx), Kings County (the borough of Brooklyn), Richmond County (the borough of Staten Island) and the Western part of Queens County (the borough of Queens) were consolidated into the present-day City of New York. The Eastern part of Queens County (the non-consolidated part) was separated in 1899 as Nassau County. Parts of the 1st and 2nd Assembly districts of Westchester County were annexed by New York City in 1895, and became part of the Borough of the Bronx in 1898.

Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Thomas H. Cullen, David Floyd Davis, Henry Marshall, Thomas F. Donnelly, Richard H. Mitchell, William J. Graney, Louis F. Goodsell and William W. Armstrong changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Employees

• Clerk: James S. Whipple
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Henry Jacquilard
• Doorkeeper: John E. Gorss
• Stenographer: A. B. Sackett

State Assembly

Assemblymen

Employees

• Clerk: Archie E. Baxter
• Assistant Clerk; Ray B. Smith
• Sergeant-at-Arms: James C. Crawford
• Doorkeeper: Frank W. Johnston
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: William H. Craig
• Second Assistant Doorkeeper: Charles R. Hotaling
• Stenographer: Henry C. Lammert

Notes

Sources

• Official New York from Cleveland to Hughes by Charles Elliott Fitch (Hurd Publishing Co., New York and Buffalo, 1911, Vol. IV; see pg. 340f for assemblymen; and 364 for senators)
• THE NEW LEGISLATURE in NYT on November 9, 1898
• THE NEXT LEGISLATURE; Revised Returns... in NYT on November 10, 1898
• CAUCUSES OF LEGISLATORS in NYT on January 4, 1899
• WORK OF THE ASSEMBLY in NYT on January 5, 1899

References

1. Murlin, Edgar L.. (1899). "The New York Red Book". James B. Lyon.