67th New York State Legislature

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67th New York State Legislature
Old State Capitol at Albany NY.jpg
The Old State Capitol (1879)

Duration: January 1 – December 31, 1844

President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. Daniel S. Dickinson (D)
Temporary President of the State Senate: Henry A. Foster (D), from February 8
Speaker of the State Assembly: Elisha Litchfield (D)
Members: 32 Senators
128 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Democratic (26-6)
Assembly Majority: Democratic (92-36)

Sessions
1st: January 2 – May 7, 1844
<66th 68th>

The 67th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to May 7, 1844, during the second year of William C. Bouck's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1821, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in eight senatorial districts for four-year terms. They were divided into four classes, and every year eight Senate seats came up for election. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole Assembly being renewed annually.

State Senator William Ruger died on May 21, 1843, leaving a vacancy in the Fifth District.

At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Whig Party. About this time began the split of the Democratic Party into Barnburners and Hunkers. The radical abolitionists appeared as the Liberty Party. In New York City the American Republican Party nominated a full ticket

Elections

The State election was held on November 7, 1843.

State Senator Morris Franklin (1st D.) was defeated for re-election.

1843 New York State Senate election result
District Democrat Whig Liberty American
Republican
First David R. Floyd-Jones 18,422 Morris Franklin 18,052 Fan. 119 Mangle M. Quackenbos 8,712
Second Joshua B. Smith 22,296 Wells 17,443 65
Third Stephen C. Johnson 24,479 More 21,608 710
Fourth Orville Clark 25,242 George A. Simmons 20,345 Campbell 2,093
Fifth Thomas Barlow 23,701 Clark 17,405 Delong 5,042
George C. Sherman
Sixth Clark Burnham 23,609 Henry S. Walbridge 20,611 1,824
Seventh Albert Lester 21,733 Maynard 19,271 Bradley 3,055
Eighth Murphy 18,928 Frederick F. Backus 22,143 Plumb 2,661

Sessions

On January 1, the Democratic assemblymen met in caucus and nominated Elisha Litchfield (Hunker) for Speaker with 56 votes against 35 for Michael Hoffman (Barnburner).

The Legislature met for the regular session at the Old State Capitol in Albany on January 2, 1844; and adjourned on May 7.

Elisha Litchfield (D) was elected Speaker with 90 votes against 28 for Samuel Stevens (W). James R. Rose (D) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 89 votes against 33 for George W. Weed (W).

On February 5, the Legislature re-elected State Treasurer Thomas Farrington (D).

On February 8, Henry A. Foster was elected President pro tempore of the Senate.

On May 6, the Legislature enacted to reduce the number of canal commissioners from 6 to 4, and that the canal commissioners be elected statewide by popular ballot. This was the first time, since Independence, that any other office than governor and lieutenant governor was to be filled by a statewide popular election.[1]

On June 17, U.S. Senator Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W) resigned his seat, and was appointed as Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.

The Democratic state convention met on September 4 at Syracuse, Heman J. Redfield (Hunker) was Chairman. They nominated U.S. Senator Silas Wright, Jr. for Governor, Addison Gardiner for Lieutenant Governor; and an electoral ticket pledged to James K. Polk.

The Whig state convention met on September 11 at Syracuse, Francis Granger was Chairman. They nominated Millard Fillmore for Governor; Samuel J. Wilkin for Lieutenant Governor; and an electoral ticket pledged to Henry Clay.

U.S. Senator Silas Wright, Jr. (D) was elected Governor of New York, and resigned his seat in November 1844. On November 30, Gov. Bouck appointed Lt. Gov. Daniel S. Dickinson (D) and State Senator Henry A. Foster (D) to fill the two vacancies temporarily.

State Senate

Districts

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. David R. Floyd-Jones and Joshua B. Smith changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
First John B. Scott* 1 year Democrat/Barnburner
Isaac L. Varian* 2 years Democrat
John A. Lott* 3 years Democrat/Hunker
David R. Floyd-Jones* 4 years Democrat/Hunker
Second Robert Denniston* 1 year Democrat
Abraham Bockee* 2 years Democrat/Hunker
Abraham A. Deyo* 3 years Democrat
Joshua B. Smith* 4 years Democrat
Third Henry W. Strong* 1 year Democrat resigned on December 3, 1844
Erastus Corning* 2 years Democrat/Hunker
John C. Wright* 3 years Democrat
Stephen C. Johnson 4 years Democrat
Fourth Sidney Lawrence* 1 year Democrat
Edmund Varney* 2 years Democrat
Thomas B. Mitchell* 3 years Democrat/Hunker
Orville Clark 4 years Democrat/Hunker
Fifth Henry A. Foster* 1 year Democrat/Hunker on November 30, 1844, appointed a U.S. Senator from New York
George C. Sherman 2 years Democrat/Barnburner elected to fill vacancy, in place of William Ruger
Carlos P. Scovil* 3 years Democrat
Thomas Barlow 4 years Democrat/Barnburner also First Judge of the Madison County Court
Sixth Nehemiah Platt* 1 year Whig
James Faulkner* 2 years Democrat
Calvin T. Chamberlain* 3 years Democrat
Clark Burnham 4 years Democrat
Seventh Elijah Rhoades* 1 year Whig
William Bartlit* 2 years Democrat/Hunker
John Porter* 3 years Democrat
Albert Lester 4 years Democrat
Eighth Samuel Works* 1 year Whig
Gideon Hard* 2 years Whig
Harvey Putnam* 3 years Whig
Frederick F. Backus 4 years Whig

Employees

  • Clerk: Isaac R. Elwood
  • Deputy Clerks: Charles Bryan, Hiram Leonard
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles Niven
  • Doorkeeper: Joel Gillett
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Martin Miller

State Assembly

Districts

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.

Assemblymen

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

District Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Levi Shaw
Samuel Stevens[2] Whig previously a member from Washington Co.
Simon Veeder
Allegany Nathaniel Coe Whig
Horatio R. Riddle
Broome John B. Rogers
Cattaraugus James Burt
Marcus H. Johnson
Cayuga Ashbel Avery
Benjamin F. Hall Whig
Robert Hume
Chautauqua Forbes Johnson
Marcius Simons
Elijah Waters
Chemung Sylvester Hazen
Chenango Rensselaer W. Clark Democrat
Erastus Dickinson
Daniel Noyes Democrat
Clinton Julius C. Hubbell* Democrat
Columbia William A. Carpenter
Uriah Edwards
Peter P. Rossman
Cortland Platt F. Grow
John Kingman Jr.
Delaware Edward I. Burhans Democrat
Jesse Palmer
Dutchess Alexander H. Coffin
John K. Mead
Ambrose L. Pinney Democrat
Erie Daniel Lee
Elisha Smith
Amos Wright
Essex Gideon Hammond Whig
Franklin Francis D. Flanders Democrat
Fulton and Hamilton James Harris
Genesee Charles P. Brown
Chester Hannum Whig
Greene Robert C. Field Democrat
Lemuel C. Stimson Democrat
Herkimer Michael Hoffman Democrat/Barnburner
Peter H. Warren
Jefferson Samuel Bond
William Carlisle
Eli West
Kings William Burbank
Jacob Rapelje
Lewis Alburn Foster
Livingston Gardner Arnold
Daniel D. Spencer* Whig
Madison Ralph I. Gates
Thomas Keith
Alfred Medbery
Monroe Ashley Sampson Democrat
Moses Sperry
Edward Wadhams
Montgomery Clark B. Cochrane Democrat
Morgan L. Harris
New York Joseph S. Bosworth Democrat
Michael Burke
Thomas N. Carr
Auguste Davezac Democrat
Joshua Fleet
George G. Glasier* Democrat
William H. Jansen Democrat
Thomas Jeremiah
George S. Mann
John E. Ross
Edward Sanford* Democrat
James H. Suydam
Richard S. Williams
Niagara John Sweeney* Whig
Luther Wilson
Oneida Justus Childs
James Douglass
Richard Empey
Horatio Seymour Democrat/Hunker
Onondaga Warner Abbott
Thomas G. Alvord Democrat
Seth Hutchinson
Elisha Litchfield Democrat/Hunker elected Speaker
Ontario Lorenzo Clark
Israel Huntington Whig
Henry Pardee
Orange Leonard Lee* Democrat/Barnburner
David H. Smith Democrat
George W. Tuthill Democrat
Orleans Sands Cole
Oswego William F. Allen* Democrat
Alban Strong* Democrat
Otsego George S. Gorham Democrat
William W. Snow Democrat
Nahum Thompson
Putnam Saxton Smith Democrat
Queens Samuel Youngs* Democrat
Rensselaer John L. Cole
George B. Warren
Jonathan E. Whipple
Richmond William Nickles
Rockland John Haring Jr.
St. Lawrence Calvin T. Hulburd* Democrat/Barnburner
George Redington* Democrat
Saratoga James Groom
Ezra Wilson
Schenectady Archibald L. Linn Whig
Schoharie Seth Eldredge
John Spickerman
Seneca Helim Sutton
Steuben John Jamison
Asa McConnell
Jeffery Smith
Suffolk Silas Horton
Richard W. Smith
Sullivan Amos Y. Grant
Tioga Nathaniel W. Davis
Tompkins Peter Lounsbury
Charles M. Turner
Ulster Abraham D. Bevier
Samuel Reynolds
Warren John F. Sherrill
Washington John Barker
John W. Proudfit
Wayne Austin Roe
Isaac R. Sanford
Westchester Andrew Findlay* Democrat
Charles Wright
Wyoming Truman Benedict* Whig
Leverett Spring Whig
Yates Thomas Seamans

Employees

  • Clerk: James R. Rose
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Jonathan P. Couch
  • Doorkeeper: John P. Davis
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: David E. Williams
  • Second Assistant Doorkeeper: John Moore

Notes

  1. This mode was adopted a few years later by the New York Constitution of 1846, and subsequent amendments, so that in the early 1870s a total of 20 offices were so filled (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Comptroller, Attorney General, State Treasurer, State Engineer, 3 Canal Commissioners, 3 Inspectors of State Prisons and 7 Court of Appeals judges). Now only the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Comptroller, Attorney General and 2 U.S. Senators are elected by statewide popular ballot in New York.
  2. Gen. Samuel Stevens (1794–1854), lawyer, see The Gravestone of Samuel Stevens

Sources