130th New York State Legislature

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1906, 51 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 (eight districts), Erie County (three districts) and Monroe County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.

On April 27, 1906, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts, increasing the number to 51. The apportionment was then contested in the courts.

The Legislature also re-apportioned the number of assemblymen per county. Nassau County was separated from the remainder of Queens County; Albany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego and Rensselaer counties lost one seat each; Erie, Monroe and Westchester gained one each; and Kings and Queens counties gained two each.

On August 13, 1906, the new Senate apportionment was upheld by Supreme Court Justice Howard.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Democrats and the Independence League nominated a fusion ticket headed by William Randolph Hearst. The Socialist Party, the Prohibition Party and the Socialist Labor Party also nominated tickets.

Elections

The 1906 New York state election, was held on November 6. Republican Charles Evans Hughes was elected Governor with about 749,000 votes against 691,000 for Hearst. The other six statewide elective offices were carried by the nominees on the Democratic/Independence League fusion ticket with about 720,000 votes against 710,000 for the Republican candidates. The approximate strength of the other parties was: Socialist 22,000; Prohibition 16,000; and Socialist Labor 5,000.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1907; and adjourned on June 26.

James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. (R) was re-elected Speaker.

On April 3, 1907, the new Senate and Assembly apportionment was declared unconstitutional by the New York Court of Appeals.

The Legislature met for a special session at the State Capitol in Albany on July 8, 1907; and adjourned on July 26. This session was called to enact a new legislative apportionment.

The Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts, and re-enacted the 1906 Assembly apportionment.

State Senate

Districts

• 1st District: Nassau and Suffolk counties
• 2nd District: Queens and Richmond counties
• 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th District: Parts of Kings County, i.e. the Borough of Brooklyn
• 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd District: Parts of New York County, i.e. the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx
• 23rd District: Westchester County
• 24th District: Orange and Rockland counties
• 25th District: Columbia, Dutchess and Putnam and counties
• 26th District: Greene and Ulster counties
• 27th District: Chenango, Delaware and Sullivan counties
• 28th District: Albany County
• 29th District: Rensselaer County
• 30th District: Clinton, Essex and Washington counties
• 31st District: Saratoga and Schenectady counties
• 32nd District: Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery and Warren counties
• 33rd District: Herkimer, Otsego and Schoharie counties
• 34th District: Franklin and St. Lawrence counties
• 35th District: Jefferson and Lewis counties
• 36th District: Oneida County
• 37th District: Oswego and Madison counties
• 38th District: Onondaga County
• 39th District: Broome, Cortland and Tioga counties
• 40th District: Chemung, Schuyler and Tompkins counties
• 41st District: Cayuga, Seneca and Yates counties
• 42nd District: Ontario and Wayne counties
• 43rd District: Steuben and Allegany counties
• 44th District: Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties
• 45th and 46th District: Monroe County
• 47th District: Niagara and Orleans counties
• 48th, 49th and 50th District: Erie County
• 51st District: Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties}}

Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Dennis J. Harte, Otto G. Foelker, James A. Thompson, George B. Agnew, John P. Cohalan, William J. Grattan, H. Wallace Knapp, William W. Wemple, S. Percy Hooker changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

Employees

• Clerk: Lafayette B. Gleason
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles R. Hotaling
• Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Everett Brown
• Principal Doorkeeper: Christopher Warren
• First Assistant Doorkeeper: Fred S. Maine
• Stenographer: James C. Marriott

State Assembly

Assemblymen

Employees

• Clerk: Archie E. Baxter
• Assistant Clerk: Ray B. Smith
• Sergeant-at-Arms:
• Stenographer:

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. 353f for assemblymen; and 366 for senators)
• Journal of the Senate (130th Session) (1907, Vol. I)
• STATE LEGISLATURE STILL REPUBLICAN in NYT on November 7, 1906
• JIMMY OLIVER LEADER OF ASSEMBLY MINORITY in NYT on January 2, 1907
• MURPHY'S WAR ON MAYOR IS STARTED AT ALBANY in NYT on January 3, 1907

References

1. see [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/04/27/101776402.pdf ''APPORTIONMENT PLAN MADE; ODELL BEATEN''] in NYT on April 27, 1906
2. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/08/14/101427404.pdf ''APPORTIONMENT LEGAL, SAYS JUSTICE HOWARD''] in NYT on August 14, 1906
3. [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/04/04/106745819.pdf ''OLD APPORTIONMENT IS DECLARED VOID''] in NYT on April 4, 1907
4. see [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/07/24/101856594.pdf ''HUGHES WINS ON APPORTIONMENT''] in NYT on July 24, 1907
5. Gates was voted down by the Republican 37th senatorial district convention, and ran on the Democratic, Independence League and Prohibition tickets for re-election, defeating the regular Republican candidate [[Thomas D. Lewis]]. Gates then voted with the Republicans in the Senate.
6. see [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/07/27/106759358.pdf ''Assemblyman Ralston Resigns''] in NYT on July 27, 1907
7. Murlin, Edgar L.. (1907). "The New York Red Book". J. B. Lyon Company.