The 99th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to May 3, 1876, during the second year of Samuel J. Tilden's governorship, in Albany.
| 99th New York State Legislature | |||||
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 The Old State Capitol (1879) | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | New York State Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | New York, United States | ||||
| Term | January 1 – December 31, 1876 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 32 | ||||
| President | Lt. Gov. William Dorsheimer (D) | ||||
| Temporary President | William H. Robertson (R) | ||||
| Party control | Republican (20-12) | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 128 | ||||
| Speaker | James W. Husted (R) | ||||
| Party control | Republican (72-56) | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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Background
editUnder 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,[1] 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 also nominated a ticket.
Elections
editThe New York state election, 1875 was held on November 2. All seven statewide elective offices up for election were carried by the Democrats. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Secretary of State, was: Democratic 390,000; Republican 375,000; and Prohibition 11,000.
Sessions
editThe Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 4, 1876; and adjourned on May 3.
James W. Husted (R) was elected Speaker against Richard U. Sherman (D).
William H. Robertson (R) was re-elected President pro tempore of the State Senate.
State Senate
editDistricts
edit- 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
Senators
editThe asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. L. Bradford Prince, John R. Kennaday, Stephen H. Hammond and Commodore P. Vedder changed from the Assembly to the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."
| District | Senator | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | L. Bradford Prince* | Republican | Chairman of Privileges and Elections |
| 2nd | John R. Kennaday* | Democrat | |
| 3rd | John C. Jacobs* | Democrat | unsuccessfully contested by James Cavanagh (R) |
| 4th | John Morrissey | Anti-Tam. Dem. | |
| 5th | James W. Booth* | Republican | Chairman of Literature; died on September 14, 1876 |
| 6th | Caspar A. Baaden | Republican | Chairman of Public Expenditures |
| 7th | James W. Gerard | Democrat | unsuccessfully contested by William Laimbeer Jr. (R)[2] |
| 8th | Francis M. Bixby | Anti-Tam. Dem. | |
| 9th | William H. Robertson* | Republican | re-elected President pro tempore; Chairman of Judiciary |
| 10th | Daniel B. St. John | Democrat | |
| 11th | B. Platt Carpenter | Republican | Chairman of Retrenchment; and of Villages |
| 12th | Thomas Coleman | Republican | Chairman of Banks; of Public Buildings; and of Grievances |
| 13th | Hamilton Harris | Republican | Chairman of Finance; and of Joint Library |
| 14th | Augustus Schoonmaker Jr. | Democrat | |
| 15th | Webster Wagner* | Republican | Chairman of Public Printing |
| 16th | Franklin W. Tobey* | Republican | Chairman of Insurance |
| 17th | Darius A. Moore | Republican | Chairman of Claims; and of Agriculture |
| 18th | James F. Starbuck | Democrat | |
| 19th | Theodore S. Sayre | Republican | Chairman of Roads and Bridges; and of Salt |
| 20th | David P. Loomis | Democrat | |
| 21st | Benjamin Doolittle | Republican | Chairman of Manufactures |
| 22nd | Dennis McCarthy | Republican | Chairman of Charitable and Religious Societies |
| 23rd | William C. Lamont | Democrat | |
| 24th | John H. Selkreg* | Republican | Chairman of Railroads; and of Poor Laws |
| 25th | William B. Woodin* | Republican | Chairman of Cities; of Engrossed Bills; and of Rules |
| 26th | Stephen H. Hammond* | Democrat | |
| 27th | George B. Bradley* | Democrat | |
| 28th | William N. Emerson | Republican | Chairman of Erection and Division of Towns and Counties; and of Public Health |
| 29th | Dan H. Cole* | Republican | Chairman of Canals |
| 30th | Abijah J. Wellman* | Republican | Chairman of Militia; and of State Prisons |
| 31st | Sherman S. Rogers | Republican | took his seat on January 11; Chairman of Commerce and Navigation; resigned to run for Lieutenant Governor of New York |
| 32nd | Commodore P. Vedder* | Republican | unsuccessfully contested by Judson W. Breed; Chairman of Indian Affairs; and of Internal Affairs of Towns and Counties |
Employees
edit- Clerk: Henry A. Glidden
- Sergeant-at-Arms: John W. Corning
- Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: James L. Hart
- Doorkeeper: Frederick M. Burton
- First Assistant Doorkeeper: Webster Howard
- Stenographer: Hudson C. Tanner
- Janitor and Keeper of the Senate Chamber: George A. Johnson
- Assistant Janitor and Keeper of the Senate Chamber: Robert McIntyre
- Assistant Postmaster: Henry L. Griswold, from January 6
- Chaplain: Ebenezer Halley
State Assembly
editAssemblymen
editThe asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.
Employees
edit- Clerk: Edward M. Johnson
- Sergeant-at-Arms: George A. Goss
- Doorkeeper: Eugene L. Demers
- Stenographer: Worden E. Payne
Notes
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1899; pg. 605)
- ^ Newton H. Green, son of Andrew H. Green who was assemblyman in 1838 and 1839; and brother of Loren Green who was assemblyman in 1863 and 1864
- ^ Tunis Van Pelt Talmage, son of Mayor of Brooklyn Thomas G. Talmage
- ^ M. P. Killian, see AN EX-LEGISLATOR'S FALL in NYT on June 19, 1891
Sources
edit- 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. 375f for assemblymen)
- Tribune Almanac for 1876
- Journal of the Senate (99th Session) (1876)
- ASSEMBLY CAUCUSES in NYT on January 4, 1876
- THE LEGISLATURE in Corning Journal on January 6, 1876
- THE COUNTY TICKET in NYT on October 30, 1875 [gives sketches of the Republican Assembly nominees in NYC]