34th New York State Legislature
←33rd 35th→
The Old Albany City Hall (undated)
Overview
Legislative bodyNew York State Legislature
JurisdictionNew York, United States
TermJuly 1, 1810 – June 30, 1811
Senate
Members32
PresidentLt. Gov. John Broome (Dem.-Rep.; died August 8, 1810)
Temporary PresidentJohn Tayler (Dem.-Rep.; elected January 29, 1811)
Party controlDemocratic-Republican (25–6)
Assembly
Members112
SpeakerNathan Sanford (Dem.-Rep.; elected January 29)
William Ross (Dem.-Rep.; elected February 12)
Party controlDemocratic-Republican (65–37)
Sessions
1stJanuary 29 – April 9, 1811

The 34th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 29 to April 9, 1811, during the fourth year of Daniel D. Tompkins's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, amended by the Constitutional Convention of 1801, 32 Senators were elected on general tickets in the four 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.

In 1797, Albany was declared the State capital, and all subsequent Legislatures have been meeting there ever since. In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the last Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[1]

Elections

The State election was held from April 24 to 26, 1810. Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins and Lt. Gov. John Broome (both Dem.-Rep.) were re-elected.

Senator Nathan Smith (Western D.) was re-elected. Ebenezer White (Southern D.), Ex-Gov. Morgan Lewis, James W. Wilkin (both Middle D.), Henry Yates Jr. (Eastern D.), Reuben Humphrey, Philetus Swift and Henry A. Townsend (all three Western D.) were also elected to the Senate. All eight were Democratic-Republicans.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 29, 1811; and adjourned on April 9.

Nathan Sanford (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Speaker with 64 votes against 33 for Samuel A. Barker (Fed.). Samuel North (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Clerk of the Assembly with 64 votes against 37 for the incumbent James Van Ingen (Fed.). Sanford soon became ill, and could not attend the session anymore, and on February 12,[2] William Ross (Dem.-Rep.) was elected Speaker for the remainder of the session with 65 votes against 24 for Barker (Fed.).

Lt. Gov. Broome died on August 8, 1810, leaving the presidency of the State Senate vacant. The senators elected John Tayler (Dem.-Rep.) as president pro tempore (vote: Tayler 21, Lewis 2, blank 2).

On January 30, the Dem.-Rep. Assembly majority elected a new Council of Appointment which removed almost all Federalist office-holders, most of whom had been appointed during the previous year.

At this session, the Legislature passed a bill incorporating the Mechanics and Farmers Bank of Albany, and Solomon Southwick became its first President.

On April 8, 1811, the Legislature appointed a new Erie Canal Commission to continue the planning and eventually the construction of the Erie Canal. The previous commissioners Gouverneur Morris, Stephen Van Rensselaer, William North, Thomas Eddy, State Senator DeWitt Clinton, Surveyor General Simeon DeWitt and Congressman Peter B. Porter were re-appointed; and Ex-Chancellor Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton, who were running a steamboat service between New York City and Albany, were added to the commission.

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.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
Southern DeWitt Clinton* 1 year Dem.-Rep. also an Erie Canal Commissioner;
from February 1, 1811, also Mayor of New York City
Benjamin Coe* 2 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
William W. Gilbert* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Israel Carll* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer White 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Middle Joshua H. Brett* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Robert Williams* 1 year none[3]
Edward P. Livingston* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Johannes Bruyn* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Samuel Haight* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Morgan Lewis 4 years Dem.-Rep.
James W. Wilkin 4 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Eastern Isaac Kellogg* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
John McLean* 1 year Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Charles Selden* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
John Tayler* 1 year Dem.-Rep. elected President pro tempore
David Hopkins* 2 years Federalist
Daniel Paris* 3 years Federalist
John Stearns* 3 years Federalist
Henry Yates Jr.[4] 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Western Alexander Rea* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Francis A. Bloodgood* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Walter Martin* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Luther Rich* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Sylvanus Smalley* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Amos Hall* 3 years Federalist
Seth Phelps* 3 years Federalist
Jonas Platt* 3 years Federalist
Reuben Humphrey 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Nathan Smith*[5] 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Philetus Swift 4 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Henry A. Townsend 4 years Dem.-Rep.

Employees

  • Clerk: Sebastian Visscher

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 Asa Colvard Federalist
David Delong Federalist
Johann Jost Dietz Federalist
Abraham Van Vechten* Federalist until February 1, 1811, also New York Attorney General
Allegany
and Steuben		 John Knox* Federalist
Broome none no election returns from this county
Cayuga Stephen Close* Dem.-Rep.
Elisha Durkee Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer Hewitt Dem.-Rep.
Chenango Peter Betts
Thompson Mead
Joseph Simonds Dem.-Rep.
Clinton and
Franklin		 Gates Hoit* Federalist unsuccessfully contested by William Steward
Columbia Thomas P. Grosvenor* Federalist until February 15, 1811, also District Attorney of the 3rd District
Augustus Tremain
James Vanderpoel Federalist
Jacob R. Van Rensselaer Federalist
Cortland Billy Trowbridge
Delaware Daniel Fuller
David St. John
Dutchess[6] Samuel A. Barker Federalist
Lemuel Clift* Federalist
Koert Dubois* Federalist
Alexander Neely* Federalist
Shadrach Sherman Federalist
Isaac Van Wyck* Federalist
Essex Delevan Delance Jr.
Genesee Chauncey Loomis* Dem.-Rep.
Greene William Beach
Jonas Bronk
Herkimer Christopher P. Bellinger* Dem.-Rep.
Robert Burch Dem.-Rep.
Hosea Nelson Dem.-Rep.
Jefferson Corlis Hinds Dem.-Rep.
Ethel Bronson* Federalist contested; seat vacated
William Hunter seated on February 4, 1811, in place of Ethel Bronson[7]
Kings John C. Vanderveer Dem.-Rep.
Lewis Nathaniel Merriam
Madison John W. Bulkley* Federalist
Henry Clark Jr.
Zebulon Douglass
Montgomery Daniel Cady* Federalist
Jacob Eaker Dem.-Rep.
Daniel Hurlbut
James McIntyre Dem.-Rep.
George H. Nellis
New York Robert Bogardus
Thomas Carpenter Federalist
Thomas Farmar*
John Gelston
Samuel Lawrence Dem.-Rep. from February 19, 1811, also New York County Clerk
Jonas Mapes
Thomas R. Mercein Federalist
Nathan Sanford Dem.-Rep. elected Speaker;
did not attend after February 12;
also United States Attorney for the District of New York[8]
Isaac Sebring Federalist
Solomon Townsend* died March 27, 1811
John Vanderbilt Jr.
Niagara Archibald S. Clarke* Dem.-Rep. also Surrogate of Niagara County
Oneida Isaac Brayton Federalist
George Doolittle
George Huntington Federalist
Henry McNeil Federalist
John Storrs* Federalist
Onondaga Robert Earll
Jasper Hopper Dem.-Rep.
Ontario Septimus Evans
Robert Hart
Hugh McNair
Stephen Phelps
Asahel Warner Dem.-Rep.
Orange John Blake Jr. Dem.-Rep.
Anthony Davis Dem.-Rep.
Seth Marvin
William Ross Dem.-Rep. on February 12, elected Speaker
Otsego Daniel Hawks
Isaac Hayes Dem.-Rep.
Elijah H. Metcalf Dem.-Rep.
Robert Roseboom Dem.-Rep.
Queens Stephen Carman* Federalist
Daniel Kissam Federalist
William Townsend* Federalist
Rensselaer William M. Bliss
Daniel Hull Jr.
Cornelius I. Schermerhorn* Federalist
Cornelius Van Vechten
Richmond James Guyon, Jr. Dem.-Rep. contested; seat vacated
Richard Connor Federalist seated on March 21, 1811, in place of James Guyon, Jr.[9]
Rockland Peter S. Van Orden* Dem.-Rep.
St. Lawrence Roswell Hopkins* Federalist
Saratoga John Cramer
Jesse Mott Dem.-Rep.
Jeremy Rockwell
David Rogers Dem.-Rep.
Schenectady James Boyd Dem.-Rep.
John Young Dem.-Rep.
Schoharie Henry Becker Dem.-Rep./Fed. Becker was a Democratic-Republican who ran on both tickets
Henry Hager Dem.-Rep.
Seneca Robert S. Rose Dem.-Rep.
Suffolk Jonathan S. Conklin Dem.-Rep.
Thomas S. Lester Dem.-Rep.
Tredwell Scudder* Dem.-Rep.
Sullivan
and Ulster		 John Conklin* Dem.-Rep.
Samuel Hawkins Dem.-Rep.
John Lounsbery Dem.-Rep.
Nehemiah L. Smith Dem.-Rep.
Tioga Thomas Floyd
Washington John Baker Dem.-Rep.
John Richards Dem.-Rep.
Isaac Sargent Dem.-Rep.
Reuben Whallon Dem.-Rep.
David Woods Dem.-Rep.
Westchester Darius Crosby Dem.-Rep.
Abraham Miller Dem.-Rep.
Jacob Odell Dem.-Rep.

Employees

  • Clerk: Samuel North
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Thomas Donnelly
  • Doorkeeper: Benjamin Whipple

Notes

  1. ↑ The Anti-Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic and Republican parties.
  2. ↑ This date is given by the Civil List, other sources state February 10 (Lampi) or 14 (Hammond)
  3. ↑ Williams had been elected as a Democratic-Republican in 1807, but combined with the Federalists at the previous session: He was elected to the Council of Appointment in 1810 by the Federalist majority, and then joined the other two Federalist councillors to outvote Carll and Gov. Tompkins. Since there were no Federalists from the Southern and the Middle districts, the Federalist Assembly majority had to choose 2 Democratic-Republicans who with Gov. Tompkins would have retained a majority in the Council. With Williams's help the Federalists proceeded to remove most of the Dem.-Rep. office-holders, and Williams's son-in-law Thomas J. Oakley was appointed Surrogate Dutchess Co. to succeed James Tallmadge, Jr. Afterwards Williams was considered a traitor, was ostracized by both parties and disappeared from politics.
  4. ↑ Henry Yates (1770–1854), brother of Gov. Joseph C. Yates, see bio in Schenectady History
  5. ↑ Nathan Smith (c. 1769 – 1836), of Fairfield, First Judge of the Herkimer County Court 1814–1821; see bio in A History of Herkimer County by Nathaniel S. Benton (pages 357ff)
  6. ↑ The 6 Fed. assemblymen were unsuccessfully contested by Joseph C. Field and the other 5 Dem.-Rep. nominees; see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 27ff)
  7. ↑ see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 26f)
  8. ↑ The 13th New York State Legislature had resolved on January 27, 1790, that it was "incompatible with the U.S. Constitution for any person holding an office under the United States government at the same time to have a seat in the Legislature of this State..." At this time, nobody complained, and Sanford held both a federal office and an Assembly seat at the same time.
  9. ↑ see A Compilation of Cases of Contested Elections to Seats in the Assembly of the State of New York (1871; pg. 29ff)

Sources

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